2024-2025 Catalog

 

400

POL-401 Political Science Travel Seminar

Travel course to Washington, D.C., designed to provide students with a greater understanding of the American governmental and political infrastructure . Extra fee: travel, lodging, meals, and miscellaneous. Prerequisite: Consent of the department.

3

POL-420 American Institutions

The purpose of this course is to provide an advanced study of the institutions of American government. The formal political institutions include: the presidency, Congress and federal courts (Supreme Court). The course examines the interrelationship and interactions among these three political institutions, with particular emphasis on institutional approaches, development, and structure. The course will also explore some of the foundational mechanisms that provide support for the formal institutions, including voting, federalism, and religion. Course content will focus on scholarly research in these and related areas. This course will provide both a broad overall conception of the current field of Political Science, as well as major areas of specialization. Prerequisite: POL-215.

3

POL-425 Federalism and Public Policy

This course is designed to understand different federal contexts for policymaking and policy implementation from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and North & South America. The primary objective of the course is to help students understand the relationship between federalism and democracy as the growing debate about the future of democratic governance in a globalizing world is increasingly cast in federal terms. Prerequisite: POL-100 or permission of the department.

3

POL-430 Cyberwarfare

Students in this course will identify and evaluate U.S. and international cyberwarfare and defense policy. Students will examine the five domains of warfare and evaluate the integration of cyberspace operations across the five domains. Students will develop and communicate military strategic objectives for operations within the cyberspace domain in support of given strategic military objectives. This course will integrate legal, ethical, and biblical frameworks with the analysis of cyberwarfare.

3

POL-432 Global Governance

This course is an advanced survey of the norms, institutions and processes increasingly constituting some type of governance at the global level. Students will be acquainted with the knowledge and analytical tools needed to cope with an increasingly complex and interconnected global system. Towards this end, the course introduces the key dimensions, actors and nature of global governance; identifying the most significant concepts and theoretical approaches to understanding global rule. The course also addresses the various debates about global governance and explanations for the increasing demands in global governance structures. Prerequisites: POL-230 and POL-232.

3

POL-440 Foundations of Military Strategy

Students will examine the major theoretical approaches of classical strategists, identifying (1) the effects of globalization on strategy formation and (2) the primary military organizational structures involved in strategy formation. Students will analyze the process of military strategy development utilizing social science research methods and explain the relationship of national security past, present, and future to military strategy as it relates to transnational safety and security issues. This course will integrate legal, ethical, and biblical frameworks in the understanding of the central issues surrounding military strategy formation.

3

POL-450 Foundations of Geopolitics

Students will analyze the effects of globalization upon the world geopolitical system, including the roles, influence, and interactions of both state and non-state actors by performing social science research and analysis within the context of geopolitical strategy. Students will identify the primary trends and power structures of modern geopolitics spanning the Cold War through Post-9/11 period and examine the issues of US hegemony and strategic geography. This course will integrate legal, ethical, and biblical frameworks with the understanding of geopolitical power politics.

3

POL-455 International Relations Theory

This course will explore the primary theoretical paradigms of international relations, analyzing thinkers from ancient Greece to modern times. Students will consider globalization's role in shaping the international system into its current form. They will investigate international actors' behavior and prospects for war and peace, in light of the human condition and the biblical view of God and humanity. Students will apply theories including realism, idealism, and constructivism to help conceptualize the complex international environment, and will consider the relationship between theory and practice in international affairs.

3

POL-460 U.S. Foreign Policy

Students in this course will review the principal schools of thought and values that have governed U.S. foreign policy and learn the fundamentals of the policymaking process, including the role of Congress and the bureaucracy. They will place U.S. foreign relationships in a global context by analyzing the interaction of state and non-state actors, and evaluating aspects of the U.S. foreign policy establishment that focus on transnational safety and security issues. Students will develop social science research capabilities, weighing biblical imperatives with U.S. national interests.

3

POL-470 International Relations Capstone

This is an advanced seminar in the methodological study of political phenomenon. Students will enhance their research, analysis and critical thinking skills through practical experience in the process of scholarship. As a capstone experience students will plan, research and write a scholarly research piece addressing an empirical puzzle relevant to their interests. The course is highly recommended for students pursuing graduate education. Prerequisite: Upper-division Status.

3

POL-470H International Relations Capstone Honors College Thesis

This is an advanced seminar in the methodological study of political phenomenon. Students will enhance their research, analysis and critical thinking skills through practical experience in the process of scholarship. As a capstone experience students will plan, research and write a scholarly research piece addressing an empirical puzzle relevant to their interests. The course is highly recommended for students pursuing graduate education. Prerequisite: Upper-division Status.

3

POL-471 Political Science/International Relations Capstone

This is an advanced seminar in the methodological study of political phenomena serving as a cumulative and integrative capstone experience. Students will enhance their research, analysis and critical thinking skills through practical experience in the process of scholarship. As a capstone experience students will design, research and write a scholarly piece addressing an empirical puzzle relevant to their interests. Prerequisite: POL-215 and POL-322 or consent of the department.

3

POL-475 Independent Learning in Political Science

Individually arranged research and writing in political science. Prerequisite: Consent of the department.

1 to 3

POL-480 Culture, Religion, and Security

Students will examine the impact and influence on globalization and security relationships of cultural factors and worldviews. In addition, students will explore the major world religions and how they provide value structures and systems of belief which motivate relations between countries and political entities. This course will integrate legal, ethical, and biblical frameworks.

3
Indiana Weselayan