2012-2013 Catalog

294 form of government, outline our rights and responsibilities as citizens, and shape the parameters of our civic discourse and life. Fall POL 205. The American Presidency 3 credits An analysis of Presidential campaigns and elections, Presidential personality, Presidential power, Constitutional limitations, and Presidential relations with Congress and the executive branch. Prerequisite: POL 105 or 106. (Fall 2013 and alternate years) POL 206. American Foreign Policy 3 credits An analysis of the principles, bases, and instruments of American foreign policy; the policy-making process; political-military interrelations. Special emphasis will be given to contemporary problems and trends in American foreign policy. Prerequisite: POL 105 or 106 or GEO 105. (Spring 2014 and alternate years) POL 207. American Political Thought 3 credits A survey of American political theorists from the “founding fathers” to the present.

The emphasis is on understanding how their viewpoints have defined the purposes and affected the evolution of the United States government. Prerequisite: POL 105 or 106. (Spring 2013 and alternate years) POL 208. State and Local Government 3 credits Consideration is given to the state political systems including the constitutions and structure and the workings of the judicial, legislative, and executive branches. Special attention is given to the role of the governor, the state and the legislative process.

The workings of the county and municipal governments and their interactions with the state are studied. Prerequisite: POL 105 or 106. (Fall 2012 and alternate years) POL 209. Public Policy Analysis 3 credits Integration of the formal and informal elements of domestic public policy.

Substantive concentration on federal economic policy with a survey of the various political-economic philosophies and their implementation in the United States and the West European democracies. An explanation of the current policy process and projected trends in policy formulation will be provided. Prerequisite: POL 105 or 106.

(Spring 2014 and alternate years) POL 216. Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences 3 credits (Cross listed as HSV 216, PSY 216, and SOC 216) An introduction to statistical and data analytical techniques for students majoring in the social and behavioral sciences. Topics include descriptive statistics for central tendency, variation and association, fundamentals of probability, sampling distributions, the logic of inference, estimation and hypothesis tests for means and percentages, and an overview of more advanced techniques including the analysis of variance and correlation and regression. Prerequisite: MAT 106. Open to majors in HSV, PSY, SOC, and POL only. Spring.

POL 305. Jurisprudence 3 credits An analysis of the concept of law, its historical development, and its relation to political society; includes consideration of philosophies of law — such as natural law and positivism — and the valuation of law in terms of justice, liberty, and the good society. Recommended for, but not limited to, pre-law students. Prerequisite: POL 105 or 106, or PHL 105. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.)

POL 306. American Constitutional Law 3 credits The study of the interpretation of the Constitution by the Supreme Court. The case method is used and various leading decisions of the Supreme Court are analyzed.

Prerequisite: POL 105 or 106. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.)

POL 307. The Legislative Process 3 credits A study of the various processes associated with the legislative system, including representation and the electoral system, internal processes and power structure,