Political Science Major

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POLITICAL SCIENCE (Pol Sci)
Offered by the Department of Political Science.

Pol Sci 211. Politics, American Government and National Security. This course introduces students to the study of politics and government and examines the basic ideological, structural and procedural choices faced by any political system. Special emphasis is given to an understanding of the foundations and traditions of American democracy and the structure, decision processes and policy outputs, especially defense policy outputs, of the American political system. Students will examine current policy issues that affect the military.

Pol Sci 300. Introduction to Political Science: Overview and Methods. Provides an introduction to the discipline. The course introduces students to the methods used in the political science, placing emphasis on the process of research design—from coming up with a hypothesis, to determining how to test that hypothesis, to how to present the conclusions of the research. The research approaches presented in this class are essential to the political science major and of great benefit to cadets in other majors that require the systematic examination of research questions.

Pol Sci 301. Political Theory. Provides an overview of political thought from the ancient Greeks to the present. Philosophers studied include Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Marx and Nietzsche. The course’s examination of the debates about human nature, the best regime, justice, equality, freedom, community, natural rights, and between religion and comparative and national security politics provide an essential foundation for the political science major and are invaluable for any airman-scholar.

Pol Sci 302.  Politics of National Security.  Explores concepts formulated by great thinkers in response to security challenges, from the wars of Ancient Greece through the Cold War to September 11th, to shape our assessment of the way in which the United States employs its power.  Applies all the subfields and methods of political science to the study of nationl security.  Prepares for advanced electives in international relations, American and comparative politics, and complements professionally oriented courses on contemporary security problems in the context of American grand strategy.

Pol Sci 390. International Relations Theory. Introduces the basic concepts of international relations. Major theoretical approaches to the analysis of international politics (realism, liberalism and globalism) will be used to explore the nature of the international system and various aspects of state behavior in their historical and contemporary settings. Among the subjects examined within this framework: the formulation of foreign policy, mechanisms of conflict and cooperation, the origins of war, issues of international interdependence, international political economy and questions of international ethics.

Pol Sci 392. American Political System and Theory. Explores the origin and development of American political ideas and institutions. This course examines the notion of American exceptionalism and the design and operation of the American system. Topics include: American constitutional design and its consequences; the expression of preferences; the analysis of institutional behavior; and the policy process.

Pol Sci 394. Comparative Government and Politics. Introduces major theoretical approaches to the comparative study of politics. Applies these approaches to topics such as government institutions, political participation and social change as they relate to various state and nonstate actors.

Pol Sci 421. International Security: Political Violence and Terrorism. Applies theories of international security to the roots and forms of political violence in a globalized era. Examines the sub-national and transnational sources of conflict as well as the impact of globalization on the character of collective violence. Investigates the emergence, motivations and strategies of violent non-state actors with emphasis on ethno-political groups, militant religious movements, transnational criminal organizations, warlords and insurgencies. Focuses on the use of terrorism to achieve political objectives.

Pol Sci 423. War Crimes, Genocide and Human Rights. This course explores historical, legal and political perspectives on the law of armed conflict and the development of human rights law. The Nuremberg Tribunal, the Holocaust, the Cambodian and Rwandan genocides, the My Lai incident and experiences of prisoners of war are used as case studies within this framework. Resistance movements are also examined. The course is team taught by members of the Political Science, Law and History departments and can be used as a social science elective or an elective in any of these three departments.

Pol Sci 444. International Political Economy. Explores the theory and practice of how economic motives affect political decisions and how most political decisions have economic repercussions, both domestically and internationally. Specific topics include the development of the international monetary system, international trade policy, the effects of multinational corporations, foreign direct investment, development of the Global South and contemporary issues such as the recent Asian financial crisis.

Pol Sci 445. International Organizations and Global Issues. Examines the role and interrelationships of international organizations, nation states and nonstate actors in the global system. North-South and East-West relations are discussed in terms of pertinent global issues: crisis management, conflict resolution, human rights, refugee problems, international finance, world trade and economic aid programs.

Pol Sci 451. American Political Thought. A survey of basic themes in American political thought beginning with the 17th century European origins of American political thought and extending to modern attempts to strike a balance between individual rights and social needs. The focus is on the difficulties of translating principles into practice.

Pol Sci 460. Comparative Security Policy and Civil-Military Relations. Studies the security policies and policy-making processes of various world regions, as well as the national and regional implications of both traditional and nontraditional security issues.  Examines the relationship between civilian authorities and the military establishment and the implications for governance. Specific cases help develop individual skills in analyzing national security priorities in the post Cold War world.

Pol Sci 462. Politics and Intelligence. Explores the character of secrecy in the American democratic system. This course investigates the role of intelligence in the development and implementation of US national security policy. Focuses on the key players in the intelligence community, the capabilities of intelligence systems, the tradecraft of spying and the core intelligence functions of collection, analysis, covert action and counterintelligence. Includes examination of the roles and contributions of military intelligence and current issues in the intelligence field.

Pol Sci 464.  Democratization:  The Theory and Practice of State Building.  The movement worldwide from authoritarianism to democracy has been the major political event of our generation.  This trend to democratic governance is coupled with the US military’s increasing role in establishing and fostering not only the institutions of state, but the environment that ensures liberal governance.  This course will explore democratization, the means and methods that the 70+ countries since the mid-1970s have employed in their movement toward a democratic regime.

Pol Sci 465. U.S. National Space Policy and Law. Examines the evolution, major influences on and consequences of U.S. national space policy and space law. Focuses on the relationships among politics, policy-making processes, law and technology as they relate to the civil, military, commercial, and intelligence space sectors. Addresses the rights and responsibilities of states in the use of outer space. Topics include NASA space strategies; military space missions; commercial space trends; intelligence function; international agreements; sovereignty over air, space and celestial bodies; and government liability.

Pol Sci 469. Politics of Russia and Newly Independent States. Examines historic, cultural, economic, social and geographic traits that distinguish Russia and its neighbors and shape their domestic political processes and interstate relations. Critically compares the politics, governments and orientations of post-Soviet states. Surveys contemporary regional issues such as ethnic conflict, nationalism and political-economic reforms, with a particular emphasis on security concerns.

Pol Sci 471. Politics of Europe. Examines historic, cultural, economic, social and geographic traits that distinguish this region and shape its domestic political processes and interstate relations. Critically compares the politics, governments and orientations of European states and important regional powers. Surveys contemporary issues such as democratization, arms control and regional integration, with a particular emphasis on security concerns.

Pol Sci 473. Politics of Asia. Examines historic, cultural, economic, social and geographic traits that distinguish this region and shape its domestic political processes and interstate relations. Surveys the governments of selected countries. Examines in particular the influence of Japan and China on regional and global affairs. Includes a survey of contemporary multilateral issues salient in the region, with particular focus on regional security concerns.

Pol Sci 475. Politics of Latin America. Examines historic, cultural, economic, social and geographic traits that distinguish this region and shape its domestic political processes and interstate relations. Selected Latin American political systems are explored in detail. Issues such as political stability, civil-military relations and democratization are treated as well, along with politico-economic concerns such as developmental strategies, debt relief and trade relations. Includes a survey of contemporary multilateral issues salient in the region, with particular focus on regional security concerns.

Pol Sci 477. Politics of the Middle East. Examines historic, cultural, economic, social, religious and geographic traits that distinguish the region extending from North Africa through Central Asia and shape its domestic political processes and interstate relations. Surveys the governments of selected countries, considering factors such as legitimacy and political development. Includes a survey of contemporary multilateral issues with particular focus on regional security concerns.

Pol Sci 479. Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa. Examines historic, cultural, economic, social, religious and geographic traits that distinguish the states of sub-Saharan Africa and their domestic political processes and interstate relations. Critically compares the politics, governments, and orientations of selected African states. Includes a survey of contemporary regional issues with particular focus on regional security concerns.

Pol Sci 481. American Elections and Political Parties. Examines the nature of the electoral process and the roles that candidates, political parties, public opinion and interest groups play in the process. Focuses on the role of candidates’ election organizations, political parties, professional campaign managers, public opinion pollsters, professional fund raisers and media consultants in congressional and presidential campaigns. Special attention is given to the current presidential or congressional elections.

Pol Sci 482. The U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is extremely influential in American politics, sometimes even acting as a policy-making body, deciding the fate of such contentious matters as abortion, capital punishment, public expressions of religious beliefs, and even a presidential election. We will study the Court’s rulings in these areas and many others, focusing on the Court’s written opinions, the thoughts of those who designed our government, and competing views about the Court’s proper role in our system of separated powers.

Pol Sci 483. The U.S. Congress. Studies Congress as a political institution, with an emphasis on the unique natures of the House and the Senate, congressional norms and procedures and the roles of committees and political parties. Topics include elections, member-constituent relations, national policy roles, leadership, the committee system, legislative procedures, legislative oversight of the executive branch and the effects of public opinion and interest groups on the law making process.

Pol Sci 484. The American Presidency. Provides an in-depth study of the Presidency with emphasis on the post World War II era. Examines the policy process and politics of the office, in addition to the powers of the President, presidential administrative structures, styles, roles and personalities.

Pol Sci 485. Decision Making in Public Policy.  Examines the formulation and implementation of American public policy. Uses various theories and analytical models, including the bureaucratic politics, process, and group. Rational, incremental, and public choice models, to describe and explain the causes and consequences of several key domestic public policy areas. Depending on contemporary significance, these may include civil rights, economic policy, education, environment, health and welfare, science and technology, and national defense.

Pol Sci 491. Capstone Seminar in Political Science. This course is the culmination of the political science curriculum.  It focuses on practical political and military issues.  These include how soldiers have reacted in battle from ancient time to the present; how hierarchical authoritarian organizations operate, their strengths and weaknesses and what strategies tend to be successful for achieving positive outcomes; the relationship between capabilities and national strategies; and how personality, bureaucratic politics, perceptions, and experience shape policy.

Pol Sci 495. Special Topics in Political Science. Selected topics in political science, taught in seminar format.

Pol Sci 496. Causes of War and Conflict Resolution.  This course examines the causes, conduct, and consequences of international conflict, interventions, crises, and wars.  It also examines the theory and practice of conflict resolution.  It uses wars from around the world, drawn from different historical periods, focusing on both theoretical and normative issues.  Special attention will be paid to wars involving the United States, including ongoing interventions.

Pol Sci 498. Political Science Thesis. Cadets enrolled in this course will prepare a thesis under the guidance of faculty members with particular expertise on the topic of research. This course combines the tutorial aspect of an independent study (Pol Sci 499) with seminar on applied research methods. Cadets will meet individually or in seminar in accordance with a schedule determined by the course director. Formulation of thesis and research normally will begin in Pol Sci 300 and other political science courses. When the thesis has been completed, a formal defense will be given to a faculty committee. In preparation for the formal defense, each thesis will be presented to fellow cadets in the seminar for critique and evaluation.

Pol Sci 499. Independent Study in Political Science. Individual study or research of a carefully selected topic conducted on a tutorial basis.