POLS-POLITICAL SCIENCE -- 2000-01 Catalog
Political Science Department

POLS 110 American and California Government (3) GE D1b

Study of governmental institutions, politics, issues and political behavior in the United States and California in constitutional, historical, social and cultural perspectives. Contemporary political problems. Satisfies the United States government and California state and local government requirement. 3 lectures.

Basic aspects of California state government. Satisfies California state and local government requirement for students who have AP credit for American Government or have taken American Government without coverage of California government. 1 lecture.

POLS 180 Political Inquiry (4))

Introduction to the scope, language, concepts and approaches employed in political science and the social sciences. Includes emphasis on basic methodological and research strategies for assessing political issues, events, the dynamics of political change and philosophy of science. 4 lectures.

Individual investigation, research, study, or survey of selected problems under faculty supervision. Total credit limited to 4 units. Prerequisite: Consent of department head.

Introduction to the evolution, dynamics and substance of the international system; consideration of such subjects of conflict and accommodation, power and weakness, perception and reality, prosperity and poverty, and war and peace in international relations. 4 lectures.

Introduction to such concepts as: law, justice, community, right, citizen, and constitution, which are fundamental to political discourse, as developed in the works of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Machiavelli, and other illustrious thinkers from classic to modern times. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

POLS 285 Model United Nations (2) (CR/NC))

Preparation for participation in the campus Model United Nations. Procedure, MUN rules of debate, preparation of country positions, area papers, and policy statements suitable for use in mock United Nations sessions. Total credit limited to 2 units. Credit/No Credit grading only. 2 lectures. Prerequisite: One course in POLS or consent of instructor.

Causes, methods, outcomes of and authority responses to collective violence and revolutionary movements. Contemporary events including terrorist and other forms of collective violence in industrialized and developing states. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Analysis of factors that affect the changing role of women and major ethnic groups in American politics. Involvement, organization and role of minority groups in the political process. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Nature and problems of contemporary presidential leadership emphasizing the impact of bureaucracy, Congress, public opinion, the courts, interest groups, and the party system upon the presidency and national policy making. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Make-up and major functions of political parties. Role of political parties and interest groups in a democracy. Degree of consensus and conflict between present day political parties and interest groups in their attempts to influence public policy. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Origins and dimensions of public opinion. Focus on contemporary political campaigns and elections in the U.S. Impact of political ideology, mass media, high technology, pressure groups on electoral outcomes. Voting behavior and other forms of political participation in the U.S. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

POLS 318 Political Behavior (4))

Political behavior of individuals and groups examined in light of biological, economic, psychological and social-psychological theories and research, including emphasis on the relationship between attitudes and behavior. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Theory and practice of representative government in the United States and other selected political systems. Organization and procedures in Congress, state legislatures and local legislative bodies. Use of simulations will be encouraged. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Consideration of global survival from east-west, north-south and global perspectives. Arms race, development, and the political dimensions of energy, environment, food and population. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 225 or junior standing.

International political processes and problems. Foreign policies and politics in relations between states. Conflicts and adjustments. Analyses of selected problems. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 225.

Coverage of current international political issues. Directed toward making students more aware of issues, problems, tensions in the international arena, relationship of the western and nonwestern countries to these issues, emphasizing both causes and effects. 3 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Self-reliant, food-first politics of the hungry poor in the less-developed countries; political support of food policies in the U.S. and other developed nations. Moral, ecological and commodity politics of food in a variety of cultural settings which direct food production, consumption and distribution and reduce food demand through population stabilization. 3 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 225 or junior standing.

POLS 327 Inter-American Relations (4))

Inter-American affairs. Political, economic, and social problems; forces motivating cultural behavior, economic development, trade, distribution of resources, institutional organization. Finding and evaluating authoritative source materials on Latin America. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 225.

Process of political development in the Third World with appropriate examples taken from particular areas and countries. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 225.

Comparative study of the governments of selected Western and non-Western countries. Case studies. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 225 or POLS 110.

Theories of political participation and the relationship between the individual and the state as developed in the works of influential thinkers such as Locke, Rousseau, Mill and Marx. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 230.

Normative and analytic questions about law. Nature of law and legal systems. Justification of law. Moral obligation to obey the law. Nature and justification of punishment. Guilt and legal responsibility, liberty and justice. 3 lectures. Prerequisite: PHIL 230 or PHIL 231.

The central political ideas of America's leading thinkers from the Puritans to the present. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110, POLS 230.

POLS 341 American Constitutional Law (4))

United States Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court. Decisions in the areas of taxation, separation of powers, nature of congressional presidential powers. Emphasis on social, economic and political factors. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Case-based examination of race, ethnic and gender discrimination in the United States. The course emphasizes the response of the Supreme Court to issues of equality including affirmative action and abortion. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Role of Supreme Court as interpreter of Constitutional rights and liberties, freedom of expression, religion and the press, search and seizure, due process of law. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Examines legal processes, emphasizing political influences on law. Topics may include: types of law, legal culture, state and federal courts, criminal trials, the role of police, judges, attorneys in the legal system. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Political concepts and values examined, based on literary sources. Recent topics include: power, justice, violence and social responsibility. Authors whose works have been examined include: Brecht, Camus, Dostoevesky, Miller, Vonnegut, and Dorfman. Both plays and novels are used. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110 or consent of instructor.

Development of the management functions in government. Survey of administrative concepts and cases. Attention given to national, state and local administrative systems. Case studies and simulations. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Introduction to methodology research design and quantitative methods used in survey research and political analysis. Bi-variate inferential statistics and SPSS statistical computer programs will be used to analyze political phenomena. 3 lectures, 1 activity. Prerequisite: POLS 180 and STAT 221 or equivalent.

Political culture, processes, behavior, institutions, public policy and distribution of power in California state and substate governments. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Participation in the campus Model United Nations. Procedure, MUN rules of debate, preparation of country positions, area papers, and policy statement for use in mock United Nations sessions. Total credit limited to 6 units. 2 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 285 or consent of instructor.

Supervised work experience in a government or related public agency. Intern will function as an employee subject to all the duties and responsibilities of employees engaged in comparable work. 30 hours of work experience per unit of credit. Credit/No Credit grading. Recommended preparation: Junior standing with a minimum 2.5 GPA.

Field study experience visiting government facilities, museums, and cultural places as part of the London Study Program or other off-site Cal Poly programs. May include films, discussions, and lecture by Cal Poly faculty. Credit/No Credit grading only. Total credit limited to 6 units. 1 activity. Prerequisite: POLS 110 or equivalent.

Individual investigation, research, study, or survey of selected problems. Total credit limited to 4 units. Prerequisite: Consent of department head.

Formulation and conduct of U.S. foreign policy. Analysis of the theory and elements of U.S. strategy; diplomacy, propaganda, economic operations, psychological warfare, and military strategies. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 225.

Analysis of political, economic, and social institutions and conditions in selected Asian nations. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 225.

Comparative study of European political systems before and after the demise of communist governments in Eastern Europe and the USSR. Regional organizations including the European Union and NATO. Discussion of alternative futures for Europe. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 225 or POLS 327.

Analysis of political, economic, and social institutions of the Middle East and North Africa. Turkey, Iran, Egypt and Israel are used as case studies to illustrate the mosaic of nationalisms that have developed in that region. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 225 or junior standing.

Analysis of indigenous institutions, Western influences, and nationalism in Africa south of the Sahara. Emphasis on post-independence with selective case studies including South Africa. Impact of outside powers on Africa. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 225 or junior standing.

Empirical scholarship on voting behavior in modern elections, with the findings placed in a normative and theoretical context. Includes theories of vote aggregation, spatial and non-spatial models of a citizen's vote decision, and empirical analyses of modern voting patterns. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110 or equivalent.

Techniques for performing technical assessment and impact analysis in communication, transportation, health technologies, aerospace, electronics and other new technologies. Case studies on contemporary problems stemming from the relationship of technology and politics. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Economic and political factors affecting federal, state and local governments. Intergovernmental relations and policy considerations in finance, debt management and tax administration. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Theories, concepts and case studies related to organizations and to the individuals and groups that work in them. Application of concepts to public and non-profit organizations. Research paper required. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110 and POLS 351.

Concepts, techniques, and issues related to human resource administration. Techniques and concepts for public and nonprofit organizations. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110 and POLS 351.

Public policy making and contemporary policy issues, including markets; regulation; criminal justice; housing; environment; poverty; health care and education. 3 lectures and research paper. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Intermediate social science methodology focusing on stochastic model specification and estimation. Enhancements and generalizations of the basic approaches with applications to multivariate, nonlinear and large sample settings. Increased use of computer packages and data analysis. 3 lectures, 1 activity. Prerequisite: POLS 360.

Selection and completion of a project under faculty supervision. Project results presented in a formal paper. Prerequisite: Senior standing (completion of 135 quarter hours), completion of required core courses and concentration. May not be taken CR/NC.

Directed group study of selected topics for advanced students. Open to undergraduate and graduate students. Class Schedule will list topic selected. 1–4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110, junior standing.

Concepts, policies and politics in urban governments and organization and power-structure issues of modern American municipalities. Inter-governmental relations, finance, and planning problems in city government. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Theoretical approaches to and structure, function and problems of state, county and local governments, including case studies, simulations and/or computer research exercises. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: POLS 110.

Preparation and presentation of current developments in the field of political science, with primary attention to American politics, or international relations, or public administration. 4 seminars. Prerequisite: Junior or senior in Political Science.

Participation in small groups performing action research requested by one or more community agencies. May include surveys, interviewing, on-site evaluations and computer data analysis. Total credit limited to 6 units. 1 seminar, 1 activity. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing.

Full-time work experience in business, industry, government, and other areas of student career interest. Positions are paid and usually require relocation and registration in course for two consecutive quarters. Formal report and evaluation by work supervisor required. Total credit limited to 16 units. Credit/No Credit grading only. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing and consent of instructor.

Individual research, studies, or surveys under the supervision of the faculty. Total credit limited to 4 units. Prerequisite: Graduate standing with minimum of 12 core units.

Analysis of the social, economic, environmental, political contexts of public policy decisions. Public policy issues and use of concepts and tools related to monitoring and assessment. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: CRP 501, POLS 360 or consent of instructor.

Processes of administration with reference to the differing cultural, political, and economic environments of the developing areas of the world. Impact of technological developments in emerging nations. 4 seminars. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

Advanced social science methodology focusing on stochastic model specification and estimation. Topics include maximum likelihood estimation, event count models, time series data, nonparametric analysis, Resampling techniques, and Bayesian Methods. Advanced computer packages will be used to analyze challenging data sets. 3 lectures, 1 activity. Prerequisite: POLS 360 or STAT 322.

Supervised work experience in a government or related public agency. Intern will function as an employee engaged in comparable work. Credit/No Credit grading only. Total credit limited to 8 units. Prerequisite: Completion of 12 units of core courses in the Master of Public Policy Program.

Seminar designed as a culminating component to the Master of Public Policy Program. Individual research under the supervision of the faculty within a small discussion environment, leading to a graduate project or paper. Total credit limited to 8 units. 4 seminars. Prerequisite: POLS 560, advancement to candidacy, consent of academic program chair.