Political Science
Departmental Courses
POLITICAL SCIENCE (POSC)
Lower Division
POSC 100 USING INFORMATION EFFECTIVELY: UNDERSTANDING
POLITICAL SYSTEMS (3) The nature of political systems and the skills
necessary for systems thinking; methods and technologies for gathering,
evaluating and presenting information. Not open to those who successfully
completed IDLA 103. GenEd I.B.
POSC 101 INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE (3) The origins of
modern governments. The nature of constitutions and constitutionalism. A
definition and interpretation of politics. GenEd II.C.2.
POSC 102 HONORS INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE (3) The
origins of modern government. The nature of constitutions and constitutionalism.
A definition and interpretation of politics. Prerequisite: admission to
Honors College. GenEd II.C. 2.
POSC 103 AMERICAN NATIONALGOVERNMENT (3) Structure and functions
of the government of the United States and the problems involved in the
extension of the scope of democratic government in our contemporary life.
GenEd II.C.2.
POSC 105 GOVERNMENTS OF THE WORLD (3) Comparative survey of
governments and political systems in a number of major countries in the
world today. Attention given to political behavior, structures, processes and
policies. Not open to those who successfully completed POSC 137. GenEd
II.D.
POSC 107 INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (3) An
introductory examination of principles of legal, political and social relations
among nations; coordination and conflict in the international system; global
issues, such as trade, security, war and peace, power and formation of foreign
policy. GenEd II.D.
POSC 108 HONORS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (3) An introductory
examination of principles of legal, political and social relations among
nations; coordination and conflict in the international system; global issues,
such as trade, security, war and peace, power and formation of foreign policy.
Honors College course. GenEd II.D.
POSC 207 STATE GOVERNMENT (3) Historical background, state constitutions
and the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.
Problems of state administration and federal-state relations. GenEd II.C.2.
POSC 209 INTRODUCTION TO LAW (3) The legal process in the United
States for the liberal arts student. Prerequisite: POSC 103. GenEd II.C.2.
POSC 212 HONORS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE (3) Supreme Court as a political
institution, including personal policy preferences of justices in regard to
civil rights and liberties. Honors College course. GenEd II.C.2.
Upper Division
POSC 301 POLITICAL RESEARCH I (3) Multi-method introduction to political
research. Discusses how to frame and answer questions about politics.
Covers quantitative and qualitative methods. Prerequisite: one POSC course.
POSC 303 [503] THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS (3) The theories
of mutual relations of states. Elements of national power; international
politics as a struggle for power. Restraints upon the struggle for power.
Prerequisite: HIST 103 or POSC 107 or consent of instructor.
POSC 305 [505] URBAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS (3) The political
history of American cities from the 18th century through the recent reform
movement. City charters, home rule, types of executives, political machines,
the metropolitan area. Prerequisite: POSC 103.
POSC 307 [507] CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL POLITICS (3)
Computer simulation (conducted jointly with colleges and universities
throughout the world) used to study the formulation and implementation of
contemporary international politics. Prerequisite: POSC 107 or POSC 303 or
consent of instructor.
POSC 337 [508] COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT OF FOREIGN
POWERS: THE WESTERN WORLD (3) An examination of the problems
of modernization and stable constitutional rule in England, France, Italy
and Germany. Prerequisite: POSC 101 or POSC 105 or consent of instructor.
POSC 339 [509] COMPARATIVE POLITICAL SYSTEMS (3) Attempt to
bring together the analytical concepts and methodological techniques that
may be applied to the study of political systems in a comparative sense.
Prerequisite: POSC 103 or POSC 105 or consent of instructor.
POSC 340 COMPARATIVE PUBLIC POLICY (3) Comparative study of the
policy problems and processes of the United States, Canada and western
European countries, focusing on the growing convergence of public policy
making in the states of the developed world. Prerequisites: POSC 101, POSC
103, POSC 105 or consent of instructor.
POSC 351 [551] THE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS OF LATIN
AMERICA(3) An examination of the informal and formal rules of the political
“game” in Latin America with an emphasis on four types of political systems
found in contemporary Latin America: democratic reformist, revolutionary,
populist and military authoritarian. Prerequisite: POSC 101 or POSC
105 or consent of instructor.
POSC 355 [512] THE LATIN AMERICAN POLICY OF THE UNITED
STATES (3) An analysis of the Latin American policy of the United States
from the Monroe Doctrine to the present. Emphasis will be on historical,
political, economic and security factors in the ebb and flow of inter-
American relations. Prerequisite: POSC 101 or POSC 105 or consent of
instructor.
POSC 375 [514] PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (3) Administration as a central
element of contemporary society, with special reference to the problems of
government organization, control, personnel, finance and public relations.
Prerequisite: POSC 103.
POSC 381 [515] THE PRESIDENCY (3) A discussion of the origin of the
office, the selection of the president and policymaking in the executive
branch. Prerequisite: POSC 103.
POSC 383 [516] CONGRESS (3) An investigation of the relations of Congress
with the other branches of government and with the political parties and
interest groups. Also examines the relationships between members of
Congress and their constituency as well as the internal dynamics of
Congress. Prerequisite: POSC 103.
POSC 384 [564] THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM (3) Roles, functions and operations
of the American judicial system. Examining ideology of law and justice
and consequences of legal decisions. Prerequisites: POSC 103 or consent
of instructor.
POSC 401 POLITICAL RESEARCH II (3) Statistical methods to explore
political phenomena. Polling, comparative research, legislative voting analysis
and multivariate statistics. Prerequisite: POSC 301 and one other upperdivision
POSC course, or consent of instructor.
POSC 417 [517] AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES (3) Origin and development
of the American two-party system. The activities of pressure groups
and organizations, and their effects upon the party system. Prerequisite:
POSC 103 or consent of instructor.
POSC 418/518 CONSTITUTIONAL LAW AND POLITICS (3) The nature
and origins of the Constitution: judicial review, separation of powers, federalism,
and the Commerce Clause. Prerequisite: POSC 101 or POSC 103.
POSC 419 CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES: THE FIRST AND
FOURTEENTH AMENDMENTS (3) The constitutional guarantees of
freedom of speech, religious liberty, free assembly and equal protection.
Prerequisite: POSC 101 or POSC 103.
POSC 420 CONSTITUTION PROTECTIONS: PERSONAL LIBERTY
AND RIGHTS OF THE ACCUSED (3) Personal liberty in the home, and
the person in regard to individual decision-making and criminal justice.
Prerequisite: POSC 101 or POSC 103.
POSC 421 [521] POLITICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY (3)
Analysis and investigation of U.S. environmental problems from a political
perspective. Prerequisite: POSC 103 or consent of instructor.
POSC 422 [580] THE SUPREME COURT (3) Roles, behavior, structure and
operations of the U.S. Supreme Court. History, politics, decision making,
and impact of cases. Prerequisite: POSC 103 or consent of instructor.
POSC 424 LAW ONLINE (3) Using information technologies for communication
and research purposes, students work collaboratively with students from
at least one other major university. Prerequisite: POSC 103 or consent of
instructor.
POSC 425 LEGAL THEORY (3) Focuses on the salient arguments for and
against the major legal issues of our time. Readings, drawn from time-honored
writers of the past, are designed to evoke continuous discussion and
debate on contemporary problems in the law. Prerequisites: junior standing
and 9 units of political science or consent of instructor.
POSC 427 [527] POLITICAL THEORY I (3) Political thought in the West
from the Greeks to the end of the 16th century. Prerequisite: POSC 101 or
consent of instructor.
POSC 428 [528] POLITICAL THEORY II (3) Political philosophers and their
writings since the 16th century. Attention given to the conflict of ideologies
in the 20th century. Prerequisite: POSC 101 or consent of instructor.
POSC 432 [532] UNITED STATES-RUSSIAN RELATIONS (3) Relations
between the United States and Russia. Emphasis on Soviet and post-Soviet
periods, nationalities, democratization and creation of market economics.
Prerequisite: any 100-level political science course or consent of instructor.
POSC 434 COMPARATIVE FOREIGN POLICIES (3) The foreign policy
and foreign decision-making in countries around the world using a thematic
approach. Comprehensive study of the ideas behind foreign policy-making.
Prerequisites: POSC 107 or POSC 303, or consent of instructor.
POSC 436 U.S. FOREIGN POLICY (3) The main events, ideas and structure
behind U.S. foreign policy. Ideas about the formation, conduct and institutions
involved in U.S. foreign policy and the issues facing U.S. presidents
and policymakers throughout the 20th century.
POSC 437 [537] CASTRO AND THE CUBAN REVOLUTION (3) A discussion
of the factors that led up to the Castro Revolution in 1959 and the subsequent
impact of the creation of the first socialist state on the Western
Hemisphere. Prerequisite: POSC 355 or POSC 351 or consent of instructor.
POSC 441 [541] CONTEMPORARYUNITED STATES-WESTERN EUROPEAN
RELATIONS (3) Emphasis will be on NATO, the European
Economic Community and the Anglo-American efforts to create an Atlantic
partnership between Europe and the United States. Prerequisite: POSC 103
or POSC 105 or consent of instructor.
POSC 450 [550] INTEREST GROUPS AND PUBLIC POLICY (3) The structure,
organization, objectives and activities of interest groups and their
impact on public policy and campaign financing. Prerequisite: POSC 103 or
consent of instructor.
POSC 455-456 [555-556] SEMINAR: INTERNATIONAL LAW AND
ORGANIZATION I, II (3, 3) An examination of the theories and the development
of international law up to the present. The character of the modern
state system, the role of international organizations, and international law and
resort to force. Prerequisites: 15 units in POSC, including POSC 301, POSC
303, or consent of instructor.
POSC 457 [557] SEMINAR: USE OF FORCE IN INTERNATIONAL LAW
(3) The course will examine the use of force as an instrument of foreign policy
by various states and survey the legal restraints on its use. Prerequisites:
15 units in POSC including POSC 301 and POSC 303, or consent of instructor.
POSC 459 [506] SIMULATION AND GAMES IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
(3) Political decisions using rational choice and game theory. Discussing voting
methods, public goods, and paradoxes of collective choice using computer
simulation. Prerequisite: one upper-level (300/400) political science
course or consent of instructor.
POSC 465 EDITORIAL WORK — TOWSON JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONALAFFAIRS
(1) One to three per term — three term limit. Members
of the Editorial Board of The Towson Journal of International Affairs prepare
the issues of that journal under the supervision of faculty advisers. Admission
by consent of the instructor. Graded S/U.
POSC 467 [567] POLITICS AND THE BUDGETARY PROCESS (3)
Analysis of the budgetary process. Not open to students who successfully
completed this course as a special topic (POSC 470-479) course.
Prerequisite: POSC 375 or consent of instructor.
POSC 470-479 [570-579] SPECIAL TOPICS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE (3)
An examination of current topics in political science. The content of the
course will depend upon mutual faculty and student interest. May be repeated
for a maximum of 9 units provided a different topic is covered. Prerequisite:
Any 100-level POSC course or consent of instructor.
POSC 481 [581] SEMINAR: PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS (3) Theoretical
and practical approaches in the analysis of policy formulation, implementation
and evaluation. Prerequisite: 15 units in POSC including POSC 301, and
one upper-division course or consent of instructor.
POSC 482 [582] SEMINAR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE (3) Various methods
and techniques of research in political science, culminating in the preparation
of a seminar paper. Prerequisite: 15 units in political science including POSC
301, and one upper-level course or consent of instructor.
POSC 483 [583] SEMINAR: POLITICS AND THE NEWS MEDIA (3)
Focuses on the relationship between the government and the news media.
Considers such topics as White House operations, the First Amendment, government
efforts to control the news, and efforts by the media at self-regulation.
Prerequisites: 15 units in POSC including POSC 301, and at least one
upper-level course or consent of instructor.
POSC 485 [585] SEMINAR: DEMOCRATIC THEORY (3) Traces democratic
theory from its 16th-century origins and analyzes variants which have
been proposed since that time. Prerequisites: 15 units in POSC including
POSC 301, and at least one upper-level course or consent of instructor.
POSC 486 [586] SEMINAR: JUSTICE AND THE LAW (3) Central legal,
political and moral questions concerning justice and the law, discussion on
justice as an achievable goal in human society, particularly in the modern
democratic state. Prerequisites: 15 units in POSC including POSC 301 and
either POSC 418 or POSC 419, or consent of instructor.
POSC 488 [588] SEMINAR: TOPICS IN PUBLIC POLICY (3) A seniorlevel
seminar in the field of public policy, focusing on policy areas of contemporary
interest and significance. Prerequisite: 15 units in POSC including
POSC 301 and at least one upper-level course or consent of instructor.
POSC 490 [590] INDEPENDENT STUDY (1-3) Individual and supervised
study in selected areas of political science. May be repeated for a maximum
of 6 units. Admission by consent of instructor.
POSC 491 [591] SEMINAR: CONTEMPORARY U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
(3) An examination of the contemporary nature, basis and instruments of
American foreign policy. Formulation and implementation of American foreign
policy will also be examined. Prerequisites: 15 units in POSC including
POSC 107 or POSC 303, or consent of instructor.
POSC 493 [593] INTERNSHIP (3-9) Familiarizes students with the practical
working of government institutions. The flexibility in time and unit arrangements
will allow a variety of political experiences in which students combine
theory and practice. No more than 3 units may be earned in any one term.
Prerequisites: junior/senior standing and consent of instructor.
POSC 498 DIRECTED READINGS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE (1-3)
Readings and research in preparation for the writing of a thesis or other
research paper in political science under the supervision of one member of
the political science faculty. Must be taken in advance of the Honors Thesis
course. Prerequisites: 15 units in political science, minimum average of 3.50
in POSC, and an overall GPA of 3.25. Consent of instructor.
POSC 499 HONORS THESIS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE (3) Research and
writing of thesis directed by a faculty member in a chosen area of specialization.
Prerequisites: 18 units in political science, directed readings in political
science, 3.50 average in political science and an overall GPA of 3.25,
and consent of instructor.
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