USC Department of Political Science

Skip Navigation


	Mission Statement
	Academics
	Graduate Student Information
	Undergraduate Student Information
	News & Events
	Links

Where We Learn to Lead.

Current Recruitment

Ph.D.s on the Market

Registrar and Courses

Research Workshop

Departmental Reports

	Poli 101 Controversies in World Politics	Principal forces and factors influencing world affairs, with emphasis on the roles of the United States: resources, food, arms control, the environment, and rich and poor countries.
	Poli 103A Controversies in Politics of Global Regions: Africa	Social, cultural, and historical forces underlying contemporary political controversies in Africa.
	Poli 103B Controversies in Politics of Global Regions: Asia	Social, cultural, and historical forces underlying contemporary political controversies in Asia.
	Poli 103C Controversies in Politics of Global Regions: Europe	Social, cultural, and historical forces underlying contemporary political controversies in Europe.
	Poli 103D Controversies in Politics of Global Regions: Latin America	Social, cultural, and historical forces underlying contemporary political controversies in Latin America.
	Poli 103E Controversies in Politics of Global Regions: Middle East	Social, cultural, and historical forces underlying contemporary political controversies in Middle East.
	Poli 105 Introduction to Politics	Concepts and Problems involved in human relationship with governments, the nation-state, and political change.
	Poli 107 Controversies in Political Theory	An introduction to the analysis of disputes about the nature of politics and of political ideas such as freedom, equality, and justice.
	Poli 109 Controversies in Public Policy	An introduction to the analysis of contentious public policy questions in contemporary American society, such as welfare, gun control, health care financing, immigration, affirmative action, and/or abortion.
	Poli 111 Controversies in American Politics	An introduction to the analysis of key issues in contemporary American politics focusing on the arguments, the groups involved, and the political factors that influence the outcome of the debate.
	Poli 121 Green Explorations	Interdisciplinary seminar combining the intellectual exploration of ecological perspectives with the physical exploration of the local environment. First-year students only.
	Poli 122 Green Engagements	Interdisciplinary seminar on designing, researching, and implementing collaborative projects to promote ecological sustainability. First-year students only.
	Poli 201 American National Government	The formation and development of the national government, its organization and powers.
	Poli 202 Policies and Functions of American Government	The policies and functions of the American national government directed to the public issues and problems of contemporary America.
	Poli 300 Social and Political Philosophy	An overview of the major themes in political philosophy such as the nature of politics, obligation, community, representation, freedom, equality, and justice.
	Poli 301 The Political Science Discipline	Required of political science majors. The history and development of approaches, methods, and fields of study.
	Poli 302 Classical and Medieval Political Theory	Political theories from the Greeks to the Renaissance.
	Poli 303 Modern Political Theory	Political theories from the Renaissance to the 19th century.
	Poli 304 Contemporary Political Theory	Nineteenth and 20th century political theories.
	Poli 305 Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality	Historical and contemporary power relationships in race, social class, gender, and sexual orientation.
	Poli 307 Feminist Theory	Historical development of feminist theory and contemporary debates within feminism.
	Poli 315 International Relations	International political behavior and institutions.
	Poli 316 Comparative Politics	Comparative approaches to political systems, behavior, and institutions.
	Poli 330 International Organization	An introduction to the structure and functions of international political and economic organizations. Particular attention to the United Nations and its specialized agencies, and to emerging regional communities.
	Poli 340 The Conduct and Formulation of United States Foreign Policy	An analysis of how contemporary United States foreign policy is made and conducted.
	Poli 341 Contemporary United States Foreign Policy	A critical analysis of selected problems of United States foreign policy.
	Poli 342 National Security Policies of the United States	Formulation and implementation of contemporary United States defense and security policies.
	Poli 350 Public Opinion and Politics	A broad survey of the role and development of public attitudes toward political problems in a democracy. Emphasis on the origins, manifestations, and consequences of public opinion in American politics.
	Poli 352 Gender and Politics	Impact of gender on the distribution of power in society; foundations for intersections of gender, race, social class, and sexuality and their economic, social, and political concomitants.
	Poli 357 Film, Politics, and Social Change	Critical analysis of film as expression and agent of political cultural, ideology, and change.
	Poli 360 American Political Parties	A broad survey of the role of political parties in the American political system. Following an examination of the historical evolution of party systems in the United States, primary attention is given to three aspects of contemporary political parties: the party as an organization, the party as an electorate, and the party as a governing elite.
	Poli 361 Elections and Voting Behavior	An analysis of elections and the voting process. Topics include candidate selection, campaigning, and the conduct of elections as well as public opinion, voting behavior, and the role of elections in the democratic political system.
	Poli 362 Politics and the Mass Media	Survey of the role in American politics of mass communications media, including the press and electronic news reporting; influence of mass media on the conduct of political campaigns, political leadership style, and public opinion.
	Poli 363 Southern Politics	Selected political patterns and trends within the 11 states of the American South. Historical developments with the central focus on Southern politics since 1950.
	Poli 364 African-American Politics	African-American politics from the colonial period to the present. Emphasis on voting rights and strategies to advance black representation.
	Poli 365 State Government	A study of state-federal relations, relations among states, state constitutions, and the structure and functions of the three branches of government. Emphasis is given to South Carolina.
	Poli 368 Interest Groups and Social Movements	The mobilization, organization, tactics, and results of group-based politics, including latent interests and the suppression of interests.
	Poli 370 Introduction to Public Administration	A study of the basic principles and theory of administrative structure, responsibility, and control in relation to policy making in the modern state.
	Poli 371 Politics of Taxing and Spending	Principles and practices of financial administration, including organization, budgeting, assessment, treasury management, and debt.
	Poli 373 Regulatory Policies	Types and limits of powers exercised by regulatory agencies; procedural law and remedies against administrative action.
	Poli 374 Public Policy	Process of and major approaches to making public policy particularly, in the United States. Case study materials will focus on such major policies as welfare, health care, national security, and resource management.
	Poli 379 Public Affairs Internship
	Poli 380 Comparative Politics of Developing Countries	A comparative analysis of the political problems confronting new nations, the political consequences of the breakdown of traditional society and the problems of developing new institutional forms and procedures.
	Poli 381 Comparative Politics of Industrialized Countries	Introduction to the development, structure, and functioning of government and politics in Western Europe, the former Soviet states, and other selected industrialized countries.
	Poli 391 Topics in Political Science	May be repeated once as topics change
	Poli 399A Independent Study in Political Science	(Prereq: prior approval of and individualized contract by the director of undergraduate studies in political science and the instructor who will supervise the project).
	Poli 399B Independent Study in International Studies	(Prereq: prior approval of an individualized contract by the director of undergraduate studies in international studies and the instructor who will supervise the project).
	Poli 400 Selected Topics in Political Theory	Intensive analysis of a particular topic or topics. To be identified by suffix and title each semester.
	Poli 401 Selected Thinkers in Political Theory	Intensive analysis of particular theorist or theorists. To be identified by suffix and title each semester.
	Poli 402 African American Political Thought	Survey of many of the major schools of historic and contemporary African American political thought.
	Poli 404 Democratic Theory	An introduction to contemporary theories and practices with focus on Western, especially American, experience.
	Poli 406 The State of American Politics	Major factors that affect the state of contemporary American politics, including the Constitution, the Congress, the courts, the presidency, the states, federalism, political parties, special-interest groups, and the electoral process.
	Poli 416 Revolution and Political Violence	Forms, causes, and consequences of domestic political violence with special attention to revolution.
	Poli 417 Theories of War in International Relations	The contributions of the social sciences and social theorists to an understanding of the causes of war.
	Poli 420 International Law	The origin, development, and principles of the international law of peace and the enforcement of these principles, the law of war and pacific settlement of disputes.
	Poli 421 Law and Contemporary International Problems	The growth of law in several areas of increasing international concern: environmental protection, expropriation, outer space, individual rights and obligations, conservation of resources, state responsibility, and terrorism.
	Poli 430 Ideology and World Politics	An introduction to the ideological context of world affairs, with attention to traditional democratic, totalitarian, and Third World "developmental ideologies."
	Poli 431 Science, Technology, and Public Policy	Interaction between science and politics, the making of the national science and technology policy, and the role of public policy in promoting and managing scientific change.
	Poli 432 Nationalism and Ethnicity in World Politics	Nationalism and ethnicity as factors in world politics, including the sources, nature, and analysis of conflicts associated with them.
	Poli 433 Economic Aspects of International Politics	Economic problems and policies in international politics including theory of comparative advantage; international economic aid, trade and monetary issues; the United States' role in the international economy; and the functions of international economic institutions.
	Poli 437 International Relations of Latin America	Contemporary international relations among Latin American states, including economic and political security and relations with the United States.
	Poli 440 Russian Foreign Policy	Analysis of the development of foreign policies in Russia and other states of the former USSR with special attention to relations with Europe and the United States.
	Poli 441 Intelligence and Foreign Policy	An introduction to the contemporary structures, institutions, precepts, and processes of the U.S. foreign intelligence establishment with focus on how it responds to the crucial information needs of policy makers.
	Poli 442 Global Security Policies	Conceptualization of problems of global security. Investigation of global security issues.
	Poli 443 International Relations of East Asia and the Pacific	Political patterns and forces in the Asia/Pacific region in recent times including the process of decolonization, regional conflicts, great power relations, and economic interdependencies.
	Poli 444 International Relations in Japan	The institutions, actors, and processes of Japan's contemporary political and economic foreign affairs.
	Poli 445 Political Economy of Africa's Regions	The historic and contemporary political and economic processes and structures of one or more regions in Africa, such as North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, or Southern Africa.
	Poli 446 International Relations of Africa	Contemporary international relations among African nations including decolonization, pan-Africanism, and movements of national liberation; Africa's role in the United Nations, relations between African states and the former colonial powers, the United States, and communist countries.
	Poli 447 Foreign Policies of Selected Powers	Foreign policy-making institutions, processes, and policies of selected powers with special attention to the domestic determinants of foreign policy.
	Poli 448 Politics and Government of China	Political institutions and processes of the People's Republic of China with secondary emphasis on the government and politics of the Republic of China on Taiwan.
	Poli 449 International Relations of the Middle East	Examination of super- and great-power policies toward the Middle East; inter-regional relations and Middle East foreign relations.
	Poli 450 Constitutional Law	Nature and functions of the national government and its relations with the states.
	Poli 451 Constitutional Law	Due process and civil liberties.
	Poli 452 The Judicial Process	A study of the growth of law, the law-making function of the courts, the structure and organization of federal and state courts, the procedures involved in civil and criminal cases, and the problems and proposals for reform in the administration of justice.
	Poli 454 Women and the Law	Constitutional and statutory case law dealing with gender equality issues. Topics include abortion, affirmative action, pornography, sexual harassment, fetal protection policies, employment discrimination, and women in the military.
	Poli 462 The Legislative Process	A study of the structure, organization, powers, functions, and problems of legislative bodies.
	Poli 463 The American Chief Executive	Constitutional, statutory and political powers and roles of the American chief executive.
	Poli 465 Psychology and Politics	The role of psychology in political attitudes and behavior. Examination of individual psycho-political relationships and aggregate typologies. Particular emphasis on the psychological roots of the need for or the rejection of political authority.
	Poli 470 Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations	The origins and evolution of the American federal system, focusing on the constitutional, regulatory, and financial entanglements among federal, state and local governments.
	Poli 475 Survey Research	Principles and practice of survey research/public opinion polling including sampling, questionnaire design, data collection, coding processing and analysis.
	Poli 478 Environmental Policy	Themes in environmental policy in industrialized nations. Analysis of issue framing, the role of the public and private tools, and conflicting perspectives. Incorporates analysis of policy process and public management.
	Poli 480 Politics and Government of Russia	Political processes and institutions of Russia and other independent states of the former USSR.
	Poli 481 Politics and Governments of Europe	Political processes and institutions of European nations.
	Poli 483 Middle East Politics	Focuses on the internal politics of Middle East states; historical and cultural setting of Middle East politics, social institutions, and dynamics of the political process.
	Poli 487 Politics and Governments of Africa	Political developments, processes, and institutions of the African nations.
	Poli 488 Politics and Governments of Latin America	The development, principles, political thought, and politics of the several Latin American states.
	Poli 489 Politics and Government of Japan	Political institutions and processes of Japan.
	Poli 499 Senior Thesis	For intensive majors. Individual instruction in research techniques and supervised thesis preparation.
	Poli 502 Methods of Political Analysis	Quantitative techniques in political science; levels of measurement; problems of description, causation, and inference.
	Poli 503 American Political Thought	Themes and thinkers in American political history.
	Poli 504 Politics and Ethics	The nature of, and relationship between, politics and ethics.
	Poli 505 Utopian Political Thought	A critical examination of utopian and dystopian political ideas.
	Poli 554 Law and Society	The American judicial system, including the decision to resolve disputes by legal means, political influence on the legal system, the social impact of legal rulings, the relationship of the courts to other branches of government, and the applicability of higher law concepts in judicial decision making.
	Poli 567 American Local Government	An introduction to the institutions, functions, policy-making processes, and politics of American local government.
	Poli 569 State and Local Government	(Prereq: special permission of department) This course will examine the purpose, structure, and functions of state governments and their local subdivisions. Restricted to social studies teachers. Not available to political science majors (graduate and undergraduate).
	Poli 570 South Carolina Government and Politics	South Carolina state and local government in the context of South Carolina history and U.S. state and local government.

RETURN TO TOP

USC LINKS: