POLITICAL SCIENCE (PSC)

NOTE: The following course, Political Science 130, is a prerequisite for all other courses in Political Science unless waived by the department chair.

PSC 130 Introduction to United States Government 4 cr
Stresses formation and principles of United States Constitution and roles of Congress, the President, and the Courts in the American system of government.

PSC 140 American Political System 4 cr
Considers popular participation in politics, rights and responsibilities of citizens, and current public problems.

PSC 150 Public Policy 4 cr
Examination of selected functions and policies of the United States Government, with special emphasis on the relationship between politics and the socio-economic environment. Emphasis is placed upon the political, economic, and historical variables as they affect contemporary public policy outputs. (Not to be taken by students who have had PSC 131.)

PSC 205 Introduction to Criminal Justice 4 cr
A review of the system for the delivery of Criminal Justice services in the U.S. and an analysis of operational practices at the major criminal justice decision stages. (Identical to CJ 205.)

PSC 230 Current Political Issues 4 cr
An examination of the perennial political questions as they arise in current political issues and the arguments supporting different positions on the issues.

PSC 232 State and Local Governments 4 cr
An overview of state and local government systems. An analysis of administration and politics within states and localities and an examination of state and local governmental action.

PSC 240 Alabama State Government 4 cr
An examination of the Alabama governmental system. Attention will focus on the state constitution, state politics, intergovernmental relations, and the organization and operation of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the state government.

PSC 250 Comparative Politics 4 cr
Basic principles and problems of governance in traditional, transitional, and modern political communities throughout the world.

PSC 270 International Relation 4 cr
The fundamental forces which motivate the foreign policies of states; the international relations of states with special reference to the balance-of-power system; problems of international politics.

PSC 290 Special Topics 1-4 cr
Study of a significant topic or problem in Political Science.

PSC 310 Introduction to Political Inquiry 4 cr
Examines the concepts and techniques of systematic political analyses. (Identical to CJ 310.)

PSC 311 Political Thought I 4 cr
An examination of the central themes of classical Western political thought through the reading and discussing of the primary works of such thinkers as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas.

PSC 312 Political Thought II 4 cr
An examination of the seminal themes of modern Western political thought through the reading and discussing of the primary works of such thinkers as Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.

PSC 313 Political Thought III (W) 4 cr
An examination of the developing themes of modern Western political thought through the reading and discussing of the primary works of such thinkers as Burke, Bentham, Mill, and Marx.

PSC 330 Judicial Process (W) 4 cr
The study of the American judicial process at the federal and state court levels.

PSC 331 Constitutional Law I 4 cr
Principles of constitutional powers will be examined through an analysis of decisions and opinions by the U.S. Supreme Court.

PSC 332 Constitutional Law II 4 cr
An examination of constitutional principles under the Fourteenth Amendment through an analysis of decisions and opinions by the U.S. Supreme Court.

PSC 333 Constitutional Law III 4 cr
An examination of constitutional principles under the First Amendment, including the right of privacy, through an analysis of decisions and opinions by the U.S. Supreme Court.

PSC 334 Public Administration (W) 4 cr
National, state, and local administration, with special attention to the relationship between formal agency structure and policy execution. (Identical to CJ 334.)

PSC 337 Parties and Politics 4 cr
The political process with special attention to parties and elections.

PSC 347 Public Opinion and the Political Process 4 cr
The formation, composition, distribution, and measurement of public opinion and its effect upon public policy.

PSC 348 Political Participation 4 cr
Examines the nature of participation in the political process and various opportunities for participation, with special emphasis on voting and interest groups.

PSC 360 Politics of Europe 4 cr
Comparative study of the political institutions and policies of the European countries, with a special focus on Great Britain, France, Germany, and Russia.

PSC 363 Politics of Latin America 4 cr
Comparative study of the political institutions and policies of the Latin American countries.

PSC 364 Politics of Africa 4 cr
Comparative study of the political institutions and policies of the countries of Sub-Sahara Africa.

PSC 365 Politics of the Middle East 4 cr
Comparative study of the political institutions and policies of the countries of North Africa and the Middle East.

PSC 368 Politics of East Asia 4 cr
Comparative study of the political institutions and policies of the East Asian countries.

PSC 371 Foreign Policies of the Major Powers 4 cr
Study of the traditional features, contemporary institutions, and general trends of the foreign policies of the major foreign powers; special emphasis will be given to the foreign policies of the Soviet Union and China.

PSC 372 American Foreign Policy 4 cr
The traditional features, the formulation, the instruments, and the general trends of American diplomacy.

PSC 378 International Organization 4 cr
International diplomacy and collective security in world organizations; regional security organizations; international economic organizations.

PSC 421 American Political Thought I (W) 4 cr
An examination of the central themes of American political thought through the reading and discussing of the primary works of such thinkers as Williams, Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Thoreau, Calhoun, and Abraham Lincoln.

PSC 422 American Political Thought II (W) 4 cr
An examination of the central themes of American political thought through the reading and discussing of the primary works of such thinkers as Tocqueville, Sumner, Veblen, Lippmann, Niebuhr, and Bellow.

PSC 436 Problems of Urban Government 4 cr
Urban growth with an analysis of the major problems facing large cities of this country. Political, administrative, social, and economic aspects will be covered.

PSC 437 Legislative Process in the United States 4 cr
Principles, procedures, and problems of lawmaking, with special attention given to the U.S. Congress.

PSC 438 The American Presidency (W) 4 cr
A study of the presidency in perspective; presidential organization, program, and decisionmaking.

PSC 440 Court Administration 4 cr
A consideration of modern court administration in theory and practice. (Identical to CJ 440.)

PSC 451 U.S. Defense and Security Policy (W) 4 cr
Addresses complex and controversial issues of U.S. defense and security policy in the nuclear age. Military and economic dimensions of security are stressed.

PSC 463 U.S.-Latin American Relations 4 cr
Surveys the political and economic ties linking and dividing the United States and the countries of Latin America. Prerequisite: PSC 130.

PSC 481 Public Policy and Aging 4 cr
Examines government response to the growing number of older Americans. The course examines the policy process and focuses on such issues as retirement, pensions, health care, housing, social services, and intergenerational issues. Elder advocacy and the long term political consequences of demographic changes are also addressed.

PSC 490 Special Topics 4 cr
Study of a significant topic or problem in political science. May be repeated once for credit when the content varies.

PSC 494 Directed Studies 1-4 cr
Under the guidance of a faculty member, the student will pursue directed research or readings on an approved topic in political science. May be repeated.

PSC 496 Professional Studies: Internship 4-12 cr
Relates the intern's classroom studies with occupational and professional experiences in an approved government or paragovernmental agency. Written reports required. Course may be repeated for a maximum of twelve hours' credit. Prerequisite: Open only to political science majors with advanced standing with permission of department chair.
(NOTE: PSC 130, Introduction to U.S. Government, or its equivalent, and PSC 334, Public Administration, or its equivalent, are prerequisites for each of the following courses.)

PSC 500 Public Administration Organization 4 cr
and Behavior: Theory and Practice A review and examination of the several principal, traditional, and contemporary theories of organization, policy making, and administration. Field problems and case studies are stressed.

PSC 510 Intergovernmental Relations 4 cr
Broad survey of empirical research and theoretical elaboration involving the historical, political, fiscal, and administrative relationships among the various levels of government in the American federal system.

PSC 520 Quantitative Methods I 4 cr
Stresses the understanding of data collection and interpretation in a Public Administration setting. Computer analysis of descriptive statistics using a statistical package will be emphasized.

PSC 530 Quantitative Methods II 4 cr
Application of statistical analysis techniques to Public Administration problems or issues. Topics include point estimation, hypothesis testing, measures of association and bi- and multivariate analysis.

PSC 540 Governmental Personnel Management 4 cr
This course will cover contemporary topics in public personnel administration, including public-employee unionization, relevance of the traditional civil-service approach, the challenge of employee productivity and motivation, equal opportunity, and public service ethics.

PSC 550 Managing the Public Budget 4 cr
This course emphasizes the political management and public-policy implications of budget reform. The conceptual framework for program and performance budgeting will be explored, as well as the increasing congressional role in federal budget policy.

PSC 570 Administrative Law and Government 4 cr
This course emphasizes the interrelatedness of the fundamentals of governmental processes and of our legal system. Attention is given not only to the administrative process involving formal adjudication, rule making, and judicial review, but also the administrative process involving formal and unreviewed discretionary action.

PSC 580 Public Policy Analysis and Evaluation 4 cr
Examines interaction of public policy development and administrative agencies. Emphasis is on policy content and analytic orientation to decision processes with an introduction to program evaluation methods and strategies for administrative implementation.

PSC 581 Public Policy and Aging 4 cr
Examines government response to the growing number of older Americans. The course examines the policy process and focuses on such issues as retirement, pensions, health care, housing, social services, and intergenerational issues. Elder advocacy and the long term political consequences of demographic changes are also addressed.

PSC 590 Special Topics 4 cr
Study of a significant topic in Public Administration. May be repeated for credit when the content varies.

PSC 594 Directed Studies 1-8 cr
Under the guidance of a faculty member, student will pursue directed study of approved topics in public administration. For non-thesis students.

PSC 596 Professional Studies: Internship 4-12 cr, maximum
in Public Administration of 12 hours' credit Relates the participants' classroom studies to occupational and professional experiences in an approved public agency. Written reports required. May be taken for a total of twelve hours. (For further details, see section on INTERNSHIP.)

PSC 599 Thesis 4-8 cr

Courses of Instruction

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