BA in Political Science - Political Science

Department of Political Science (PSC)

210 Brewer Hall

Department Head: Tina Deshotels, tdeshotels@jsu.edu

Professors: Tim Barnett, Lori Owens

Assistant Professor: Ben Gross, Hoshik Nam

The Department of Political Science offers a variety of
courses for students in the liberal arts, pre-law, and professional education curricula. A
wide range of courses is available for those preparing for careers in law, government,
politics, international affairs, business, communications, and many other fields.
The Political Science major requires 30 hours of political science, including Political
Science 100, 102, and at least 6 hours from each of the 3 fields (Theory and
Methodology, American Government, and Global Studies) listed below, plus 6 hours
of political science electives. In addition to the 30 hours of political science, Criminal
Justice 101 is required. The Political Science minor requires 21 semester hours,
including Political Science 100, 102, and at least 3 hours from each of the 3 fields
listed below, plus 6 hours of political science electives.

Fields of Political Science

Theory and Methodology: PSC 301, 451, 452, 454, and 455. (It is strongly recommended
that majors considering graduate study take PSC 301.)

American Government: PSC 100, 203, 230, 310, 342, 352, 410, 412, 443, 444, 445, 447, 450, 482, 493, 498, and 499.

Global Studies: PSC 232, 373, 375, 377, 423, 430, and 431.

Public Administration and Policy: PSC 310, PSC 320, PSC 412, PSC 450, and PSC 482.

Pre-Law:There is no specific major in pre-law; however, a large percentage of students planning
to attend law school select Political Science as a major. Beyond the requirements
of the major, it is recommended that pre-law students take courses in logic, economics,
accounting, real estate, and advanced composition. Students should meet with Dr. Owens
regarding advisement for pre-law. Regardless of major, pre-law students must take
PSC 203 Introduction to Law, during the freshman or sophomore year. All upper division
pre-law students must take PSC 443 Constitutional Law I or PSC 444 Constitutional
Law II. PSC 493 The Judicial Process is a suggested elective.

The Political Science Department sponsors the Pre-Law Society, maintains relations
with regional law schools, and provides application and informational materials for the
Law School Admissions Test (LSAT).

Minor in International Studies
Students whose interest and/or career plans have an international orientation may
wish to pursue a minor in International Studies. While the International Studies minor
is administered by the Political Science Department, any major offered by the University
(including Political Science) is acceptable. Twenty-four semester hours, distributed
as follows, are required for the International Studies minor.

Political Science: (12 hours*)

PSC 100* (Political Science majors must take an additional course from the Global Studies field).
PSC 423
PSC 432
3 hours selected from PSC 375, 377, 430, and 433.

Geography: (six hours*)

GY 320, 341, or 466
Three hours selected from GY 351, AN 345, and 347**

Electives: (six hours*)

Two courses selected from any of the following:

Foreign Languages-by advisement**
History-HY 302, 332, 333, 404, 409, 465, 468, 469, 470, 471, 473, 480, 481, 483, and 485**
Sociology-SY 366
College of Business and Industry-EC 305, 450; FIN 434; MGT 496

In addition to the above, students minoring in International Studies must take History

101 and 102, and Geography 120 and 220. The history courses and geography

courses may also count toward the general studies curriculum history and social/behavioral science requirements.

** Courses counted toward the major may not also be counted toward the International Studies minor.
** Where possible, all area specific courses should focus on the same area: Western Europe, the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Far East, Latin America, the Middle East, and so on.

Minor in Public Administration

The eighteen semester hour Public Administration minor is designed for students who wish to pursue a career with a federal, state, or local government agency or nonprofit organization by developing their knowledge of public administration theories and best practices. In addition, the minor provides a solid foundation for students who wish to pursue a Master of Public Administration degree. Even though the minor of Public Administration is offered by the Deaprtment of Political Science and Public Administration, any major offered by the university is acceptable, other than Political Science. The required courses are: PSC 100, PSC 310, PSC 320, PSC 412, PSC 450, and PSC 482.

Description of Courses
100. Introduction to American Government (3). No prerequisite. Structure and organization
of the American national government. Evolution of the United States Constitution
and the federal system, civil rights, voting and elections, Congress, the
President, and the federal courts.

101. Introduction to Political Science (3). No prerequisite. Nature and scope of political
science, basic concepts and terminology, nature of the state and government,
types of political systems, comparative political institutions.

102. Introduction to State and Local Government (3). A study of the organization,
functions, and powers of state, county, and municipal governments in the United
States.

103. Honors Introduction to American Government (3). Structure and organization of the American national government. Evolution of the United States Constitution and the federal system, civil rights, voting and elections, Congress, the President, and the federal courts.

203. Introduction to the Law (3). An examination of the American legal system, court
procedures, appeals procedures, and the use of legal reference materials with selected
cases.

230. Politics and Film (3). Current impact and historical influence of film upon American politics and policy. Includes scholarship about the movie industry and civic values. Students view political films.

301. Political Science Methods (3). The scope and approaches to political science with
considerable attention to research methods, techniques, and current research
problems.

342. Political Parties (3). Composition, organization, and function of American political
parties on the national, state, and local levels.

352. The Legislative Process (3). American legislative bodies with emphasis upon
recruitment, composition, structure, procedures, functions, role of parties and
pressure groups, and problems of legislative reform.

375. Governments of Latin America (3). Political organization and structure of the
principal Latin American countries with emphasis on constitutional development
and present-day issues.

377. Governments of the Middle East (3). The government and politics
of the Middle East with attention to present developments and the role of these countries in world affairs.

402. Introduction to Public Policy (3). Prerequisite: PSC 100. A survey of the functions
and major programs of the United States federal government including federal
taxes and spending, the regulation of business, national labor policy, public
health and welfare programs, conservation and the environment, and national
defense and foreign policy.

410. Religion, Politics, and Policy (3). Explores the historical and constitutional foundations of religious freedom in America. Probes First Amendment jurisprudence. Examines current debates about free exercise, public interest religion, policy making, and religion in global affairs.

412. Inter-governmental Relations (3). Prerequisite: PSC 100. Examines the development,
institutions, processes, and problems of state and local government in the
United States, and their interaction with each other and with the federal government.

423. American Foreign Policy (3). Traces mainstreams of American foreign policy in the 20th century. Major American foreign policy decisions are used in the analytical development of American foreign policy processes. The various influences upon foreign policy decision making are identified and evaluated.

430. Governments of Asia (3). Examines the political systems and political cultures of Asian countries from Afghanistan to Southeast Asia, with major emphasis on India, China, and Japan.

431. Comparative Politics (3). An examination of the government and politics of a variety of different national states that includes the concepts, ideas, and analytical tools necessary to understand the structures and processes of different types of political systems. Covers western and non-western, developed and less developed, communist and post-communist, and newly industrializing countries. The impact of globalization is also examined.

432. International Relations (3). Background and basic principles of international
politics with emphasis on the modern state system, nationalism, changes in
international politics from World War II to the present, and domestic influences
on foreign policy.

433. Governments of Europe (3). Prerequisite: PSC 100. Examines the political systems
and political cultures of Europe with major emphasis on Great Britain, France, Germany,
and Russia.

443. Constitutional Law I (3). Fundamental principles of the United States Constitution
and its development. Topics include powers of President and Congress, federalism,
interstate commerce, and others. Textbook and case methods.

444. Constitutional Law II (3). Relationship between the individual and government
as revealed through constitutional law cases. Major emphasis will be on civil liberties
based on the interpretation of the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment.
Textbook and case method.

445. Southern Politics (3). The politics of 11 southern states with regard to voting,
elections, the origin and decline of the one-party system in the South; the role of
the Republican party and minor parties, and the impact of Southern politics upon national
affairs.

447. Politics and Public Opinion (3). Forces affecting politics, public opinion, and
elections in the United States. Examines the election structure, as well as individual and
group political participation.

450. The American Executive (3). The role and behavior of the American executive
at the national, state, and local levels in the U.S. political system with emphasis
upon the American Presidency.

451. Political Theory From the Ancients to 1700 (3). Examines political thought from
ancient Greece to Europe's Early Modern Era. An emphasis is placed on the historical-
cultural context in which these theories developed, their influence on modern concepts, and the recurring patterns affecting the rise and fall of human societies and how they relate to the present.

452. Modern Political Theory (3). Examines the major trends in political thought
from the Early Modern Era of the 1600s to the present with emphasis on the
development of classical (conservative) liberalism, progressive or new liberalism,
socialism, Marxist communism, fascism, and national socialism.

454. American Political Thought (3). Principal ideas of leading political thinkers in
America from the colonial period to the present.

455. Introduction to Political Psychology (3). This course is an overview of the interdisciplinary connection between political and psychological processes. The incorporation of political science and psychology may help in the understanding of why leaders behave as they do and why citizens support or oppose political leaders. The course will include social cognition and decision making, personality and identity, and environmental factors that affect individual political idealogies. (PSC 455 is cross-listed with PSY 446, but only one course may be taken for credit.)

482. Grantwriting (3). Practical course instructing the steps involved in the grantwriting process. This course includes strategic planning, research, finding appropriate grant sources and writing the grant.

484, 485. Individual Study (3) (3). Prerequisites: Must be major or minor with advanced
standing and have consent of instructor. Involves extensive study/research upon
specific topics under close supervision by instructor.

493. The Judicial Process (3). Prerequisite: PSC 100. A study of the judicial process
through actual attendance at court trials. Meetings and discussions are held with
judges, lawyers, prosecutors, and others.

498, 499. Internship (3) (3). Prerequisite: Fifteen hours of Political Science. Involves supervised
assignment of student either to the U.S. Congress or Alabama State Legislature,
or to an area public agency such as the East Alabama Regional Planning Commission,
City of Anniston, Calhoun County District Attorney's Office, Alabama
Seventh Judicial Circuit offices, or a lawyer's office. (Pass/Fail only)

Plan of Study

Bachelor of Arts

Major: Political Science

Freshman Year

Fall Spring

EH 101. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 EH 102. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

HY 101 or 201. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 EH 141. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

PSC 100 . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 HY 102 or 202 (to complete seq). . . . . . . . . . . 3

Fine Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 3 PSC 102 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

MS 110 or higher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 MS higher than 110 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

STU 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0

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15 15

Sophomore Year

Fall Spring

Literature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Literature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Natural Science sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Natural Science sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Social/Behavioral Science. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Social/Behavioral Science. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

CS 201. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Minor/general electives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

CJ 101. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

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16 18

Junior Year

Fall Spring

PSC Amer. Govt. elec.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 PSC Amer. Govt. elec.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

PSC Global Studies elec.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 PSC Global Studies elec. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Minor/general elec.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Minor/general elec. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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18 16

Senior Year

Fall Spring

PSC Theory & Method. elective. . . . . . . . . . 3 PSC Theory & Method. elective. . . . . . . . . . . . 3

PSC 300+. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 PSC 300+. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Minor/electives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Minor/general electives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

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15 15

Total Hours: 120