Code	Name	Description
PLSC220	Introduction to American Government	Basic roles, structures, and functions of American political institutions and introduction to American political process.
PLSC240	Introduction to Comparative Government	Concepts, approaches, classifications, and models useful in comparing political structures and processes. Political systems characteristic of countries with different cultures and levels of economic development.
PLSC250	Introduction to International Relations	Framework for analyzing contemporary international system: goals of nation-states and other actors; how such actors attempt to achieve their goals; and some forces that help or hinder attainment of goals.
PLSC260	Introduction to Public Policy	Contemporary social and economic problems in America, public policies adopted or proposed to deal with them, and ways of analyzing those problems and policies.
PLSC270	Social Science Inquiry	Introduction to the process of social science research and inquiry. Includes instruction on forming a research question, preparing a literature review, developing a research design, and undertaking analysis using selected quantitative or qualitative...
PLSC279	Selected Topics	May be repeated for credit when topic varies.
PLSC310	Statesmanship	(See Leadership Studies 378.)
PLSC311	Classical Political Thought	Enduring basic issues in political theory studied through writings of Plato, Aristotle and other thinkers from ancient Greece through the Renaissance.
PLSC312	Modern Political Theory	Ideas of major political philosophers from the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, such as Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, Hegel, Marx, Tocqueville, and J. S. Mill.
PLSC315	American Political Theory	Political thought in America from colonial times to present with an emphasis on issues relating to liberty, equality, federalism, community, and national purpose.
PLSC325	Racial Politics	Comparative examination of the history, problems and political role of minority groups in the U.S., with a concentration on the African-American political experience.
PLSC326	United States Congress	Organization and functions of American Congress.
PLSC327	The American Presidency	Political leadership in American political system from perspective of chief executive. Particular attention to expansion and use of presidential power.
PLSC328	American Political Parties	Examines American political parties as organizations and their role in elections, government, and public policy. Also explores how parties have changed over time and the causes and effects of growing party polarization.
PLSC329	Campaigns and Elections	Analysis of institutions and process of American electoral system and behavior of American electorate.
PLSC330	Creation of the American Republic	Examines principles and practice of leadership within political context of the founding of the American Republic from 1776 through 1788. Primary focus will be on day-to-day work of the Constitutional Convention and the subsequent debates over ratific...
PLSC331	Constitutional Law	Role of United States Supreme Court in American politics studied through examination of landmark constitutional decisions pertaining to distribution of governmental powers.
PLSC333	Civil Rights and Civil Liberties	Analysis of contemporary legal status and interpretation of constitutional rights and liberties. Emphasis on landmark Supreme Court decisions involving various provisions of the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment.
PLSC336	SCOTUS & Criminal Procedure	This course critically analyzes the Supreme Court’s interpretation and application surrounding the constitutional rights of the criminally accused in our American legal system. Emphasis on landmark Supreme Court decisions involving the Fourth, Fifth,...
PLSC337	The American Legal System	Analysis of structure, processes, and personnel of American legal system. Emphasis on decision making of private parties, judges, juries, and attorneys in context of civil litigation and criminal prosecution.
PLSC338	Critical Race Theory	This course introduces students to critical race theory, an intellectual movement that considers why the liberal legal tradition and law address structural and institutional racism.
PLSC339	Jurisprudence and Contemporary American Politics	Explores basic questions about the nature and function of law as an instrument of state power that are deeply interconnected with a wide range of political and legal problems.
PLSC342	Politics of the Middle East and North Africa	This course covers the politics of the Middle East and North Africa region. This includes topics such as oil and climate change, authoritarian regimes, civil war and sectarian conflicts, and Muslim societies.
PLSC343	Politics of Asia	Study of historical, cultural, and social forces shaping contemporary politics of Asia. Comparative survey of major political systems and critical examination of key issues. Attempts to link Asian studies with mainstream political science.
PLSC344	Europe Today	An examination of political, social, and economic developments in Europe (both western and east-central) since World War II. Topics include European integration and the development of the European Union institutions, postcommunist transitions and the...
PLSC345	Politics of Contemporary China	Study of China’s political system and policies in the reform era. Topics include party and state institutions, policies of reform, and politics on China’s periphery. Implications for social relationships, national identity, popular culture, and moral...
PLSC348	Politics of Africa	Comparative study of state formation, nation-building, political economy, social structure/movements, selected regions and countries in Africa.
PLSC349	Politics of Latin America and the Caribbean	Influence of historical, social, and cultural forces on contemporary politics of Latin America and the Caribbean. Effects of social structure and underdevelopment on processes of democratization, institution building, national integration, and econom...
PLSC350	American Foreign Policy	Analyzes the traditions, processes, substance, and goals of American foreign policy, in addition to exploring national security and defense policy, foreign economic policy, international diplomacy, and foreign policy ethics.
PLSC351	Globalization	Analysis of the political, economic, and socio-cultural dimensions of globalization. Considers how globalization has affected the nation state, interstate relations, and the democratization and development of countries around the world. Students will...
PLSC353	International Security	Investigates international issues that threaten the security and prosperity of societies and individuals in the modern world. Issues include global terrorism, human slavery and trafficking, genocide, civil wars and insurgencies, and the proliferation...
PLSC355	Social Movements	Study of social movements, examining how they function, influence the world, and shape the lives of their participants. Through lectures, discussions, and projects, students engage with theories of social movements and contentious politics. Comparati...
PLSC356	International Political Economy	Politics, processes, and institutions underlying contemporary global economic interdependence, with special focus on international trade, finance, and assistance; alternative theoretical models for understanding these events, processes, and instituti...
PLSC357	Human Trafficking	Study of contemporary human trafficking and modern slavery through political, historical, and international perspectives. Examines forced labor, sexual exploitation, and coercive systems using international relations theory, survivor testimony, and c...
PLSC358	Refugees and Forced Migration	Concepts, laws, actors, and interests that form the international migration regime and policies towards refugees and internally displaced people.
PLSC359	Global Governance	Analyzes themes and selected topics in global governance. It explores how state and nonstate actors work together to confront and solve contemporary transnational challenges. (Same as International Studies 359)
PLSC360	International Development Policy	Assistance policies of wealthy nations and multilateral organizations, development policies and problems of poor or underdeveloped nations, and dynamics of economic, political, environmental, and cultural transactions.
PLSC361	The Politics of Social Welfare	Study of the development and effectiveness of programs in the United States that seek to promote economic equality and alleviate need. A focus on programs for both the poor and the middle class.
PLSC362	Environmental Law and Policy	Examines environmental issues through an interdisciplinary lens, suited to these issues’ wide-ranging implications. Students will explore perspectives from political science, law, economics, history, the natural sciences, and more. Topics are arrange...
PLSC363	U.S. Immigration Policy and Politics	The Study of U.S. Immigration Policy and Politics is a lecture and discussion course designed to critically examine the evolution and changes of the US immigration system over time, with a focus on post-1965 policy reform and the current lack of com...
PLSC365	U.S. Healthcare Policy and Politics	Examination of political and economic evolution of the American healthcare system: doctors, hospitals, managed care, Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance, public health, epidemiology, mental health, pediatric health, tort reform, and psychopharmacolo...
PLSC366	Poverty and Political Voice	Examines how well our nation¿s antipoverty policies alleviate the hardships faced by residents of these communities and assesses the ability of the poor to mobilize for effective social change in their communities. Includes a required community-based...
PLSC379	Selected Topics	Examples include comparative public-policy, constitutional politics, political terrorism, and public policy decision making. May be repeated for credit when topic varies.
PLSC388	Individual Internship	No more than 1.5 units of internship in any one department and 3.5 units of internship overall may be counted toward required degree units.
PLSC390	Independent Study	No Description Set
PLSC395	Legislative Internship	Combines weekly seminar on the state legislative process with work as assistant to a state legislator, government agency, interest group, or press during session of the Virginia General Assembly.
PLSC400	Senior Seminar	Reading and research focusing on important topics in political science. Both topics and instructors change from semester to semester.
PLSC406	Summer Undergraduate Research	Documentation of the work of students who receive summer fellowships to conduct research [or produce a creative arts project] in the summer. The work must take place over a minimum of 6 weeks, the student must engage in the project full-time (at leas...
PLSC490	Research Prospectus	Independent study devoted to the preparation of a research prospectus for the honors thesis. The prospectus is completed under the direction of the student’s intended thesis advisor. Department approval required.
PLSC491	Honors Independent Research and Writing	Reading and research toward an honors thesis.
PLSC492	Honors Independent Research and Writing II	Reading and research toward an honors thesis.

Political Science

Subpages