Greetings:

Great students making adjustments to their schedule may be interested in the following political science courses — all of which have more than fifteen open seats:

PS 199: American Political Institutions. This class focuses on how existing rules and institutions in American Politics affect the choices people make, the consequences of those choices and what an individual knows about such choices. Institutions do a lot more than specify the political process. They DO have an independent effect on outcomes that matter. They change both the behavior of individuals and the outcomes that result from that behavior. More specifically, in this class, we will examine how seemingly innocuous rules can have an important impact on outcomes. We will look at how politicians can choose institutions and rules that favor the outcomes they prefer. We will analyze the ability of institutions to perturb group decision making; congressional institutions, separation of power and the executive brand, congressional oversight, the Supreme Court and political parties. We will try to answer questions such as: when and why do members of Congress work together? How do they sustain their deals? Why do legislators approve so many proposals that waste taxpayer money? Why is Congress organized in committees? Why do legislators give away power to make decisions to the leadership? How much power does the veto give to the President? Does it make the President equal partner in the legislative process? When and how does the President use vetoes? What difference does the veto make? Are bureaucratic actions consistent with the intent of the laws? Are justices rational actors with political preferences?
An excellent first class for students interested in political science.  Taught by Professor Gesela Sin, this class meets MWF 10-10:50 in 1090 Lincoln Hall (CRN: 55921)

PS 201: U.S. Ethnic and Racial Politics.  This class examines efforts by racial and ethnic communities to organize politically and by society to allocate resources based on race or ethnicity. Topical focus includes African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and white ethnics. The primary goal of the course is to develop a more comprehensive understanding of racial and ethnic politics by identifying commonalities and differences among these groups and their relationship to the state. The class is a social sciences and a U.S. minorities culture general education course.  The course is cross-listed with Afro-American Studies, Latina-Latino Studies and Asian-American Studies.  The class is taught by Professor Cara Wong. The lecture meets MW 11:11-50 in Room 62 of the Krannert Art Museum (CRN: 39369) and two open discussion sections meet on Fridays at 9:00 (CRN: 39373) and 10:00 (39374) in 1136 FLB.

PS 202: Religion and Politics in the U.S. This course examines how religion and politics influence each other in the United States, both historically and in contemporary society.  Taught by Professor Rudolph, this class meets TR 9:30-10:50 in 319 Gregory Hall.  (CRN: 40308)

PS 222: Ethics and Public Policy. This course is an examination of the moral issues in public policy that arise in a in a democratic setting, utilizing conceptual tools from political and moral theory to evaluate policy decisions involving means and ends between conflicting goals. Taught by Professor Maurice Meilleur, this class meets MW 2:00 to 3:20 in 310 David Kinley Hall (CRN 30619)

PS 240: Introduction to Comparative Politics. This class surveys the basic concepts and principles of political analysis from a comparative perspective. It counts as a social sciences general education course.  Historically, the course has examined general principles of through systematic studies or cases studies of political phenomena drawn from Africa, Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East as well as the U.S. This class is taught by Professor Jose Cheibub at a lecture MW at 11:00 in Gregory Hall (CRN 32828) with discussions on Fridays at 10:00 (CRN: 40305) and 2:00 (CRN: 56664)

PS 300: Chinese Foreign Policy. This course introduces students to competing views and arguments about the implications of China’s rise for international security. It focuses on the causes, dynamics, and direction of Chinese foreign policy, which will be analyzed critically and comprehensively.  Ideally, students taking this course will have completed a course in comparative politics and a course in international relations.  Interested students should sign up for this course this semester. This advanced hours course is taught MW from 2:00-2:50 in David Kinley Hall Room 215 (CRN 56255).

PS 321 / BADM 303 / ACCY 321: Principles of Public Policy.  This course examines different approaches to evaluating the performance of public sector organizations, including private sector accountability principles. It examines decision-making, theories of policymaking and implementation, all with a focuses on how to improve the performance of governmental agencies, as well as corporate social responsibility. This class is taught by Professor Joseph Hinchliffe in a lecture discussion TR, 12:30-1:50 in 120 Architecture Building (CRN: 59712).

PS 371: Classical Political Theory. This course considers the major works of Greek and Roman political theory, stressing their relevance to modern political analysis and action.  This class is taught by Professor Anthony Schulman in a lecture discussion, MW 9:30-10:50 in 212 David Kinley Hall (CRN: 43840).

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