Course Descriptions
 

Political Science

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF

Thiele, L.P., Chair; Williams, P. J., Associate Chair; Anderson, L.E.; Barkin, J.S.; Brown, M.L.; Button, J.W.; Chege, M.; Clubok, A.B.*; Conley, R.; Conway, M.M.*; Craig, S.C.; Dodd, L.C.; Francis, W.L.; Gill, J.; Hedge, D.M.; Hozic, A.A.; Hyden, G.; Johnson, R.J.; Kelso, W.A.; Kohn, M.; Kreppel, A,; Legg, K.R.*; Lemarchand, R.*; Leverty, L.H.; McCoy, T.L.; Martinez, M.D.; Matheny, A. R.; Moraski, B.; Morrison, J.F.; Moseley, C.; Oren, I.; Rosenbaum, W.A.; Rosenson, B.A.; Scher, R.K.; Scicchitano, M.J.; Spanier, J.W.*; Stafford, S.P.; Swanson, B.E.; Wald, K.D.; Woods, P.J.

* Emeritus

Undergraduate Coordinator: D.M. Hedge

Graduate Coordinator: G. Hyden

CPO 2001 Comparative Politics.
Credits: 3.
The classification of political systems according to institutional and developmental characteristics. Causes and costs of political stability and instability. Comparison will relate to contemporary political institutions and processes in specific countries. (I, S)

CPO 3103 Western European Politics.
Credits: 3; Prereq: CPO 2001.
A comparative analysis of the government and politics of the major Western European countries. Special emphasis will be given to party systems and the social bases of politics in industrialized societies. (I, S)

CPO 3204 African Politics.
Credits: 3; Prereq: CPO 2001.
African nationalism, political movements, and governments in the African states. (I, S) GR-E†

CPO 3303 Introduction to Latin American Politics.
Credits: 3.
An introduction to and overview of political patterns and political behavior in Latin America within comparative and developmental perspectives. Emphasis on the social, economic and political factors shaping contemporary political structures and processes. (I, S)

CPO 3513 Asian Politics.
Credits: 3; Prereq: CPO 2001.
Focus on the history, politics and economy of selected Asian countries. Countries from two major regions of Asia are examined – South Asia and East/Southeast Asia. (I, S) GR-E†

CPO 3614 Eastern European Politics.
Credits: 3; Prereq: CPO 2001 or POT 4414.
A comparative analysis of the formal structures of government and politics of Eastern European countries, the actual operation of their political systems and the factors which have influenced the transitions to democracy and market-based economies. (I, S)

CPO 3633 Politics in Russia.
Credits: 3; Prereq: CPO 2001 or POT 4414.
An analysis of the formal structures of government and politics in Russia, the actual operation of its political system and the factors that influenced the transition to democracy and a market-based economy. (I, S)

CPO 4000 Selected Studies in Comparative Politics.
Credits: 3. (I, S)

CPO 4034 Politics in Developing Nations.
Credits: 3; Prereq: CPO 2001.
A general introduction to politics in "third world" states, an examination of common problems and the various strategies for dealing with them.

CPO 4042 Politics in Post-Industrial Societies.
Credits: 3.
Comparative analysis of advanced industrial states with emphasis on diverse patterns of economic, social and political development as determinants of current political structures and policies.

CPO 4104 The Politics and Institutions of the European Union.
Credits: 3; Prereq: CPO 2001 or equivalent.
Examines the history institutions and theoretical interpretations of the European Union from its origins to the present including some general European history and background of the 15 member states.

CPO 4133 Canadian Politics.
Credits: 3; Prereq: CPO 2001.
Survey of the political culture, constitutional foundations, public opinion and participation, and political institutions in Canada. Focus on the challenges to constitutional foundations, Canadian nationalism, federalism, parliamentary supremacy, and the party system. (S).

CPO 4207 Comparative "Tribalisms": Cultural Politics in Africa and the U.S.
Credits: 3; Prereq: CPO 2001 or POS 2041.
This course situates contemporary polemics regarding ethnic violence, culture wars and resurgent "tribalism" in a comparative analytic framework. We explore the construction and political use of identity, ethnicity and tradition by placing U.S. cultural politics alongside the extensive literature on cultural politics in sub-Saharan Africa, the putative "homeland of tribalism." In the U.S. the course focuses mainly on the experience of Native, African and European Americans.

CPO 4306 Contemporary Problems in Latin American Politics.
Credits: 3; Prereq: CPO 3303 or equivalent experience.
The analysis of major themes and issues in the study of Latin American politics: democratic transitions, economic restructuring, social movements, civil-military relations and political violence. GR-E†

CPO 4731 Democratization in Global Perspective.
Credits: 3; Prereq: CPO 2001.
Introduction to literature on democratization. The course will familiarize students with important theoretical and conceptual issues and will acquaint them with empirical data on major regions of the world.

INR 2001 Introduction to International Relations.
Credits: 3.
Examines philosophical, theoretical and methodological approaches to the student of international relations, the interaction of major global actors in the post-World War II and post-Cold War eras, the structure of the global economy, and various issues such as arms proliferation and conflict associated with ethnicity and nationalism. (I, S)

INR 3034 Politics of the World Economy.
Credits: 3; Prereq: INR 2001.
International trade, finance, and investment issues in the global political economy and their importance for advanced industrial and less-developed countries.

INR 3084 Culture and World Politics.
Credits: 3; Prereq: INR 2001.
Contending conceptualizations of "culture" and its relations to international politics. Examination of several substantive questions concerning the relationship between national/group identity and international politics. For example, do diplomatic alliances reflect cultural/ideological affinity among the allies? What is the relationship between the self-image of the West and Western imperialism?

INR 3102 The U.S. and World Affairs.
Credits: 3; Prereq: INR 2001 or instructor’s permission.
The tradition and development of American foreign policy; contemporary foreign policy problems. (I, S)

INR 3333 Introduction to International Security.
Credits: 3; Prereq: INR 2001.
Provides an examination and application of the major theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of international security. Students will analyze the impact of domestic, state, regional, and global system factors in explicating international security. The course assumes some familiarity with the basic concepts of world politics, particularly the dominant actors, issues, and paradigms in forming analyses in the field.

INR 3502 International Institutions.
Credits: 3; Prereq: INR 2001 and junior or senior standing.
Analysis of the political and functional aspects of international organization and cooperation with emphasis on both formal organizations, as the United Nations or the European Union, and less formal institutions and arrangements. (I, S) GR-E†

INR 3603 Theories of International Relations.
Credits: 3; Prereq: INR 2001.
Examination of a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of international relations.

INR 4035 Rich and Poor Nations in the International System.
Credits: 3; Prereq: INR 2001.
Explores the economic, social and political linkages between less developed and advanced industrial countries in the global system predominantly from the former’s perspective. Considers the historical sources of underdevelopment, theoretical and substantive aspects of world poverty, and regional and international efforts to redress the problems of developing countries.

INR 4083 War and Peace in World Politics.
Credits: 3
Provides an examination and application of the major theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of international conflict. Students will analyze the impact of domestic, state, regional, and global factors in explicating international war. Assumes some familiarity with the basic concepts of world politics, particularly the dominant actors, issues, and paradigms informing analyses in the field, with special emphasis on quantitative analyses of war.

INR 4204 Comparative Foreign Policy
Credits: 3; Prereq: INR 2001 and junior or senior standing.
Various theoretical approaches to explaining foreign policy, with special attention to the foreign policies of selected countries other than the United States.

INR 4244 International Politics of Latin America.
Credits: 3; Prereq: INR 2001 or advanced standing in Latin American studies.
An analysis of the international politics of Latin America, includes relations with the United States and non-hemispheric powers as well as the foreign policies of Latin American states vis-a-vis each other. GR-E†

INR 4303 The Making of American Foreign Policy.
Credits: 3; Prereq: INR 2001 or instructor’s permission.
Examination of the principal factors influencing the formulation of U.S. foreign policy, including the international environment, information processing, personality factors, political culture, decision makers and decision making. Consideration is also given to the institutional setting, including the President, Congress and public opinion.

INR 4350 International Environmental Relations.
Credits: 3; Prereq: INR 2001

Considers the special problems posed by environmental collective action for international policymakers; some of the primary actors and organizations involved in addressing environmental problems; and selected international environmental issues such as global warming, ozone depletion, and rain forest destruction.

INR 4531 Politics of the European Union.
Credits: 3; Prereq: INR 2001.
Examines the primary structures, actors and processes of policy making in the European Union. Salient policy areas such as the single market, monetary union, agricultural policy and the potential for a common foreign and security policy are investigated.

PAD 3003 Introduction to Public Administration.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041.
The role of administrative agencies in the formulation and implementation of public policy. Emphasis on the politics of administration. Problems in administration management. (S)

PAD 4034 Problems of Public Administration and Policy.
Credits: 3; Prereq: PAD 3003 and junior or senior standing.
A treatment of the political-administrative dimensions of government programs.

PAD 4604 Administrative Law and Regulatory Politics.
Credits: 3; Prereq: PUP 4021 recommended, but not required.
An introduction to the rapidly expanding and increasingly important field of administrative law. Materials for the course will be balanced between cases in administrative law, illustrating the principles of administrative procedures and review as well as judicial review of administrative agencies and studies of regulatory politics in administrative agencies.

PAD 4940 Court Internship.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041, permission of instructor
Preapproved internship with the Alachua County Clerk of Court. Interns will work a minimum of 150 hours per semester, complete readings and a 5-10 page paper. Only three hours of POS/PAD 4940 credit may be counted toward the Political Science major. ††

POS 2041 American Federal Government.
Credits: 3.
Basic principles of the Federal Constitution and Civil Rights. Political parties and the electoral process. The structure and machinery of the federal government, including Congress, President and Judiciary. (S)

POS 2112 American State and Local Government.
Credits: 3.
State constitutions, political parties and politics. State legislatures, courts and chief executives. The functions of state, city and county government. (S)

POS 3122 State Politics.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041.
An investigation of major problems and issues in American State Politics. The emphasis is on the political institutions and organizations, political behavior in state politics and the impact of state politics on policy making at national, state and local levels.

POS 3142 Urban Politics.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041.
An examination of urban problems, institutions and policies. Includes an overview of urban history and a look at metropolitan issues. (S) GR-E†

POS 3173 Southern Politics.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041.
The changing politics of the South; two party development, urbanism, traditionalism, racism. (S) GR-E†

POS 3204 Political Behavior.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041.
Factors influencing political decisions by the individual and by groups. (S) GR-E†

POS 3233 Politics and Public Opinion.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041.
Study of the definition and measurement of political opinion by polls and surveys, developmental character of opinions. Variables in opinion formation, experiments in opinion measurement and the relation of political opinion to public policy. (S) GR-E†

POS 3263 Political Leadership.
Credits: 3.
Conceptual and comparative study of leadership in a variety of political contexts. (S) GR-E†

POS 3603 American Constitutional Law.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041 and junior or senior standing.
A complete study and analysis of the Federal Constitution, with study and briefing of leading cases in constitutional law.

POS 3606 American Civil Liberties.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041.
Discussion of statutes and court decisions emphasizing First Amendment freedoms, equal protection of the law, due process and rights of defendants, implied rights, and the rights of women, juveniles, students, prisoners and the mentally ill. GR-E†

POS 4275 Modern Political Campaigns.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041.
Explores major issues associated with modern political campaigns. Presidential campaigns are a primary, but not exclusive, focus. The emphasis of the course is to investigate why modern campaigns take the forms they do, and to place them in broader American and political contexts. This is not a course on how to run campaigns; it is a course on understanding campaign politics.

POS 4291 Religion and Politics in the United States.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041 or equivalent.
Investigates the role of religious institutions, values and communities in contemporary American political life. GR-E†

POS 4413 The Presidency.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041.
The central role of the American Presidency in the political process. Emphasis on the contemporary institutional nature of that office and the behavior of its occupants. (S)

POS 4424 Legislative Politics.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041 and junior or senior standing.
The politics of the legislative process. Recruitment of legislators. Formal and informal rules of behavior. Legislative-executive relations. The committee system. The impact of political parties, interest groups, and constituents on the legislative process. (S)

POS 4443 Political Parties and Elections.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041.
The composition, organization and structure of political parties and their role and relationships in the political process. (S) GR-E†

POS 4624 Race, Law and the Constitution.
Credits: 3
Surveys the historical and contemporary response of the law enforcement, civil/criminal justice, and corrections systems to minority/ethnic groups in the United States. GR-E†

POS 4674 Political Change and Legal Development.
Credits: 3; POS 2041.
Introduces the role of law in political and social development by providing a background in social theory and the history of legal systems, beginning with Roman law.

POS 4734 Research Methods in Political Science.
Credits: 3.
An introduction to the theory and method of contemporary political analysis. Emphasis on alternative analytical frameworks, concepts, variables, measurement, and quantitative analysis of political data. GR-E†

POS 4905 Individual Work.
Credits: 2 to 3; Can be taken only once.
Readings and discussion in advanced topics of political science; requires departmental permission.

POS 4931 Special Topics.
Credits: 3.
Selected topics in political science; precise course content will be announced in advance.

POS 4934 Honors Preparation.
Credits: 1; Prereq: UF overall GPA of 3.5. This course is required for students pursuing the Department Honors Program.
Must be taken in conjunction with other Political Science courses at the 3000 or 4000 level. Open to majors with overall UF GPA of 3.5. Students must secure permission of instructor of the course to which they wish to add this credit.

POS 4936 Senior Colloquium.
Credits: 3; Senior standing in Political Science and permission of instructor required.
Special topics in political science on a colloquium basis for seniors.

POS 4940 Political Internship.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041, permission of instructor.
Internship in government and politics. Internships are available at all levels—local, state, and federal— and in in every branch of government—executive, legislative, and judicial. Other internships are available with political parties, interest groups, lobbying organizations, international organizations, and private companies engaged in governmental relations and issue research. Readings and paper required. Only three hours of POS /PAD 4940 credit may be counted toward the major. Must be taken S/U.

POS 4956 Overseas Studies in Political Science.
Credits: 1 to 15.
Variable credit is assigned to handle hours taken in political science in an overseas studies program and transferred to UF for credit only or credit and grade.

POS 4970 Senior Thesis.
Credits: 2 to 4.

POT 3001 Introduction to Political Theory.
Credits: 3.
Basic principles of political thought. Examination of the nature of the state, and of the relationship between the individual and the state. Covers topics such as authority, consent, freedom and obligation. (H)

POT 3302 Political Ideologies.
Credits: 3.
Seeks understanding of the contemporary spectrum of political beliefs from liberal democracy to the ideological ideas of the far right. Examines the effects of ethical, historical, political and psychological perspectives on these belief systems.

POT 3503 Environmental Ethics and Politics.
Credits: 3.
An intensive investigation into the history and theory of environmental ethical and political thought.

POT 3504 Normative Issues in Political Science.
Credits: 3.
Examines the historical rise of liberalism and moral issues associated with building a political system based on individual rights and human freedom.

POT 4013 Great Political Thinkers: Ancient and Medieval.
Credits: 3.
Major early political theorists including Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas. Emphasis on the principles of a just political order: natural law, civic virtue, constitutionalism. Analysis of church-state struggles and the emergence of the modern state. (H)

POT 4053 Great Political Thinkers: Machiavelli to Marx.
Credits: 3.
Study of selected political theorists from Machiavelli to Marx. Emphasis on the ideas of authority and freedom, obligation and consent in the writing of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, etc. Liberalism, conservatism, utilitarianism, idealism. (H)

POT 4311 Problems of Democracy.
Credits: 3; Prereq: Junior or senior standing or instructor’s permission.
The theory and practice of democracy, especially ideas that define a democratic order. Study of selected topics ranging from equality and majority rule to technology and the globalization of democracy.

POT 4414 Marxist Theory and Practice.
Credits: 3; Prereq: Junior or senior standing: CPO 2001 or INR 2001 recommended, but not required.
Emphasis on the interrelationship of theory and practice in the evolution of Marxist-Leninist theory and developments in various communist political systems. The appeals of communism. Cadre training. The development of the international communist system.

PUP 3002 Current Controversies in Public Policy.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041.
The course presents a framework to understand the formation, adoption, budgeting, implementation and evaluation of public policy. This framework provides a basis for detailed discussions and debates about current policy issues. (S)

PUP 3203 Environmental Law and Policy.
Credits: 3.
The role of law and policy in regulation and management of natural resources and the environment. Topics include the principal environmental laws at the federal level and in Florida and the role of the legislature, the executive and the judiciary in development, implementation and enforcement of environmental policies and regulations. The course examines policy development, with particular focus on how science interfaces with political, legal and institutional factors. Offered by The College of Law’s Center for Governmental Responsibility (392-2237).

PUP 3204 Politics and Ecology.
Credits: 3.
Problems of conservation, pollution. Group pressures and interaction for and against development. (S) GR-E†

PUP 3323 Women in Politics.
Credits: 3.
An analysis of the roles women play in American politics including political behavior and public policy issues.

PUP 3623 Politics of Poverty.
Credits: 3.
Investigates the issues of poverty, public attitudes toward the poor, public policies dealing with poverty, and forms of mobilization of the poor. (S) GR-E†

PUP 4008 Analyzing Public Policy.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041.
Provides an understanding of various political and economic approaches used to solve public policy problems such as environmental quality, public education, business regulation, health care, and welfare.

PUP 4021 Law, Politics, and Regulation.
Credits: 3; Prereq: POS 2041.
Regulation in America is introduced as state activity mediating the forces of the market and the demands of democracy within the context of federalism. This mediation occurs through legislative, administrative, and judicial politics and is bounded by our constitutional understanding of private property and public power. (S)

PUP 4313 Minorities and Change in American Politics.
Credits: 3.
An analysis of the political problems and strategies employed by various racial, gender and ethnic minorities in the United States. GR-E†

PUP 4404 Politics of Education.
Credits: 3; Prereq: Junior or senior standing or instructor’s permission.
The interrelationship of American political and educational systems; educational policymaking as political process; analysis of contemporary educational problems. (S) GR-E†

PUP 4712 Problems of Markets and Governments.
Credits: 3.
Examines the role government should play in a market economy. Among other topics, the course will examine how the electoral system, interest groups, and the bureaucracy affect the design and implementation of public policy.

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