SOUTHERN OREGON UNIVERSITY   2000-2001 Catalog
  SOU Catalog Home >> Schools and Departments >> Political Science >> Courses

Political Science Courses

Lower Division Courses

PS 110 Introduction to Politics

3 credits

Examines the nature of politics, power, and the operation of political institutions. Classroom activities may include political games and simulations. Chief attention is given to the politics and government of the United States. A survival course for citizens of the twenty-first century.

PS 199 Special Studies

Credit to be arranged

PS 210 State and Local Government

3 credits

Examines the policy and problems of American state and local governments.

PS 240 Introduction to Law

3 credits

Examines the relationships between laws, courts, and lawyers. Students make extensive use of Internet legal resources. Designed to assist prelaw students with evaluating their career choice early in their academic planning.

PS 250 International Scene

3 credits

Interdisciplinary social science introduction to current international relations and global issues. Emphasizes why nations go to war and how war might be prevented. Introduces students to changing world affairs as we approach the twenty-first century. (Cross-listed with IS 250.)

PS 260 Politics and Film

4 credits

Explores the role of feature film as an expression of prevailing political culture. Students gain a better understanding of how film serves simultaneously as a political archive and a potential agent of social propaganda or social change.

Upper Division Courses

PS 310 American Government

3 credits

Investigates American political institutions and their relevance to society. Students come to understand the American political system and the influence of media, political parties, corporations, and other organizations.

PS 320 Comparative Politics

3 credits

Examines the difference between a parliament and a congress and between a president and a prime minister. Systematically compares political systems around the world and evaluates our own political system by measuring it against the systems of other countries.

PS 330 Public Management

3 credits

Studies the difference between public and private organizations. Evaluates how bureaucracy helps or hinders such organizations. Focuses on case studies that deal with leadership and decision making, personnel administration, and the ethics of management.

PS 340 The Constitution and the Supreme Court

3 credits

Examines the development of the Constitution primarily through analysis of judicial opinions. Explores a wide range of separation of powers and federalism issues, including the president's authority to make war without the approval of Congress and Congress's authority to impose speed limits on state roads. Analyzes the Supreme Court's role in resolving these and other questions.

PS 350 World Politics

3 credits

Examines the nature and structure of the modern international state system, with reference to theory and practice. Emphasizes the United Nations system and international law. (Cross-listed with IS 350.)

PS 398 Research Methods

3 credits

Introduces the basic techniques of political science research and writing. Incorporates the Internet and government documents. Meets the computer literacy requirement for political science and international studies majors. (Cross-listed with IS 398.)

PS 399 Special Studies

Credit to be arranged

PS 401/501 Research

Credit to be arranged

PS 403/503 Thesis

Credit to be arranged

PS 405/505 Reading and Conference

Credit to be arranged

PS 407/507 Seminar

Credit to be arranged

PS 409/509 Practicum

Credit to be arranged

PS 411 Public Opinion

3 credits

Covers the techniques of opinion gathering and measurement. Students explore the literature of survey research and conduct actual polls of their campus and community. Essential course for students seeking a career in politics, management, or business. Prerequisites: PS 110 and 310.

PS 419/519 Topics in American Politics

3 credits each

Offers the following and other topics as needed: political parties; interest groups; political campaigns; presidency; congress; politics and media; Oregon politics; Rogue Valley politics; public policy; and political scandal. Repeated credit is given for distinct topics. Prerequisites are determined by topic.

PS 429/529 Topics in Comparative Politics

3 credits each

Offers the following and other topics as needed: Europe; Asia; Latin America; Middle East; Africa; Third World politics; revolution; terrorism; and political violence. Repeated credit is given for distinct topics. Prerequisites are determined by topic.

PS 430/530 Nonprofit Organization Management

3 credits

Covers management techniques and practices widely employed in the nonprofit organizational environment. Emphasizes organizational structure, personnel management, budget and finance, board development, planning and decision making, grant and RFP procedures, and liability issues as they pertain to the not-for-profit enterprise. (Cross-listed with MM 530.)

PS 431/531 Public Organizations

3 credits

Public leadership and communication require an understanding of the different types of organizational structures found in public organizations. Provides a conceptual framework for examining bureaucracy, scientific management, human relations, and open-systems types of organizations. Also studies leadership style, job characteristics, and performance goals. Undergraduate prerequisite: PS 330.

PS 432/532 Policy Analysis

3 credits

Examines the process of policy formation and implementation. Students learn quantitative and qualitative methods of analyzing public policy and evaluate alternative solutions in terms of their political, economic, legal, and administrative feasibility. Undergraduate prerequisites: PS 330 and 398.

PS 433/533 Public Financial Management

3 credits

Provides the necessary management skills in financial and budget analysis for careers in public management and consulting or for service as a board member or an elected or appointed official. Includes study of financial theory, which is concerned with the sources and uses of public funds (e.g., taxing, borrowing, and the cost of capital). Undergraduate prerequisites: PS 330 and 398.

PS 434/534 Human Resource Management

3 credits

Examines how managers can maximize employee performance and satisfaction through job design and analysis, recruitment and selection, compensation models, conflict management, and employment law issues. Undergraduate prerequisite: PS 330.

PS 435/535 Administrative Law

3 credits

Examines the law of public agencies. Topics include the scope of an agency's authority, decision making (including the use of discretion), tort claims, and freedom of information and open meeting requirements. Undergraduate prerequisite: PS 240 or 340.

PS 436/536 Health Care Policy

3 credits

Studies how social and political issues converge in the area of health care and how insurance and pharmaceutical companies, doctors, and state and local officials all have a stake in the outcome of health care policy decisions. Briefly reviews international health care policy. Undergraduate prerequisite: PS 330.

PS 437/537 Policy and Project Development

3 credits

Students learn and practice the skills necessary for developing policies that will be presented to government bodies. Covers how to take an idea from the conceptual stage to implementation.

PS 439/539 Topics in Management

3 credits each

Offers the following and other topics on the basis of need: intergovernmental relations; environmental policy; global environmental policy; international public management; public resources policy; water law; and comparative public policy. Repeated credit is allowed for varying topics. Prerequisites are determined by topic.

PS 440/540 Legal Research and Reasoning

4 credits

Explores how to find "the law," make sense of it, and communicate your findings and conclusions coherently and persuasively to other people. Emphasizes research strategies, problem solving, and analysis. Uses print and online sources. Undergraduate prerequisite: PS 240.

PS 441/541 Environmental Law

3 credits

Surveys major environmental laws. Primary focus is on the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Endangered Species Act. Lays out the regulatory tools used to address environmental problems. Special attention is given to economic, social, and political barriers that prevent efficient regulation of the environment.

PS 449/549 Topics in Law

3 credits

Offers the following and other topics as needed: constitutional law; international law; First Amendment; free speech; separation of church and state; and affirmative action. Repeated credit is given for distinct topics. Prerequisites are determined by topic.

PS 450/550 U.S. Foreign Policy

3 credits

Explores the formulation and conduct of U.S. foreign policy, especially from World War II to the present. Prerequisite: PS/IS 350. (Cross-listed with IS 450/550.)

PS 459/559 Topics in International Relations

3 credits

Offers the following and other topics as needed: superpowers; Model United Nations; issues of war and peace; international organizations; and human rights. Repeated credit is given for distinct topics. Prerequisites are determined by topic.

PS 469/569 Topics in Political Theory

3 credits

Examines selected concepts, themes, ideologies, and theorists in the study of politics. Offers the following and other topics as needed: modern political theory; political ideologies; critical theory; equality and freedom; and American political thought. Repeated credit is given for distinct topics. Prerequisites are determined by topic.

PS 498 Senior Seminar

3 credits

A capstone experience for majors that offers the opportunity to apply the concepts, principles, and theories of political science to a practical simulation of political action. Prerequisite: senior standing or permission of instructor.

 


This material is from the 2000-2001
Southern Oregon University Catalog.

Page revised August 8, 2000
Copyright 2000, Southern Oregon University.
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