POLI 1501: Fundamentals of Political Science

Abstract

The discipline of Political Science explores some of the most enduring and vexing problems of the human experience. In this introductory course, students are furnished with a set of analytical tools and use them explicate a range of topics including ethnic conflict, international cooperation, the dynamics of political institutions, the challenge of rising political inequality in the United States, the role of civil society in democracies, the obstacles to democratic transitions in the Middle East, and the spread of partisan polarization. By addressing the competing perspectives on these topics, students will sharpen their analytical skills and be better able to explain complex political phenomena. Although the staggering growth in the discipline of Political Science in recent decades has made any attempt at a complete survey impractical, much can be accomplished even in a single semester. By the end of the course, students will be acquainted with some of the key concepts and major debates in the field as they relate to the urgent questions of the day. Course Objectives. ➢ Provide an introduction to the approaches and methods of Political Science analysis as applied to current controversies. ➢ Introducing students to competing theories of international relations. ➢ Cultivate a more sophisticated analysis of the operation of American political institutions in comparative perspective. ➢ Familiarize students with an institutional explanation of US political and economic inequalities. ➢ Foster an understanding of competing social scientific explanations for inequalities in political leverage among citizens. ➢ Strengthen analytical reasoning.