Political Science
Courses for POLS (POLS)
AECN
818
Taxation-Farm and Ranch LINKCrosslisted as POLS 818| Credit Hours: | 1-4 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Selection of substantial income tax problems affecting farms and ranches.
AGRO
475/875
Water Quality Strategy LINKCrosslisted as POLS 475/875, SOCI 475/875, GEOL 475/875, CIVE 475/875, SOIL 475, NRES 475/875, WATS 475, MSYM 475/875, CRPL 475/875| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| ACE Outcomes: | 10 |
Prereqs:
Senior standing or permission.
Capstone course.
Holistic approach to the selection and analysis of planning strategies for protecting water quality from nonpoint sources of contamination. Introduction to the use of methods of analyzing the impact of strategies on whole systems and subsystems; for selecting strategies; and for evaluating present strategies.
ANTH
478/878
Pro-seminar in Latin American Studies LINKCrosslisted as HIST 478/878, POLS 478/878, SOCI 478/878, MODL 478/878, LAMS 478, GEOG 478/878, EDPS 478/878| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 6 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | Integrative Courses, Research and Reading |
Prereqs:
Junior standing and permission.
Topical seminar required for all Latin American Studies majors.
An interdisciplinary analysis of topical issues in Latin American Studies.
POLS
410/810
The Administrative Process LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | Public Administration and Policy |
Interdisciplinary examination of the internal dynamics of public and private organizations.
POLS
414/814
Intergovernmental Relations LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | American Government, Politics and Law |
Analysis of the nature and problems of the American federal system, with emphasis on the politics and administration of federal grants; problems in national-state and national-local governmental coordination in administration.
POLS
417/817
Policy and Program Evaluation Research LINKCrosslisted as SOCI 468/868| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | Public Administration and Policy |
Prereqs:
6 hrs social sciences.
Techniques useful for research aiding in policy making and for assessing the impact of policy. Acquaints student with the role of research in policy formation and evaluation and to give the student experience in conducting such research.
POLS
425/825
Congress and Public Policy LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | American Government, Politics and Law |
The policy making role of the Congress including the institutionalization of the House and the Senate, an analysis of congressional behavior, the committee process, and the policy responsiveness of Congress.
POLS
426/826
Topics in American Public Policy LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | American Government, Politics and Law |
This course may be repeated up to 6 credit hours. Students should check the semester schedule for current offerings.
A significant public policy in American politics. Topics: science, technology, and public policy; or health politics.
POLS
430/830
Political Communication LINKCrosslisted as COMM 430/830| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | American Government, Politics and Law |
Prereqs:
12 hrs communication studies, or permission.
Role of communication in the political process, with emphasis on communication strategies in political campaigns. Includes communication variables important in the political process, an application of communication theory and principles to political rhetoric, and analysis and criticism of selected political communication events.
POLS
441/841
Constitutional Law LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | American Government, Politics and Law |
Supreme Court doctrine determining the distribution of powers within the national government and between the national government and the state governments.
POLS
442/842
Civil Liberties: Freedom of Expression and Conviction LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | American Government, Politics and Law |
Supreme Court doctrine interpreting the First Amendment, covering freedom of speech, assembly, and association; freedom of the press; and freedom of religion.
POLS
443/843
Civil Liberties: Issues of Fairness and Equality LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | American Government, Politics and Law |
Supreme Court doctrine covering the rights of the accused, the right to privacy and the right to racial and sexual equality.
POLS
459/859
International Political Economy LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | International Relations |
Interface of politics and economics in the international arena. Political dimension of international economic issues emphasized. Includes: liberal, mercantile, and radical approaches; theories of imperialism; dependency and interdependency; distribution of the global product; the global division of labor; the political aspects of markets; the politics of trade, aid, investment, multinational corporations, food, and energy.
POLS
462/862
Security in the Post-Cold War Era LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | International Relations |
Emerging trends in security studies. The claim or hope that military force is no longer important in the post-Cold War era. The continued utility and effectiveness of war as evidenced throughout the world. New threats, environmental problems, population growth, and non-governmental organizations, as threats to the international system.
POLS
463/863
American Foreign Policy and the Use of the Military LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom, Web |
| Groups: | Foreign and Comparative Government |
Military action as an instrument of American foreign policy. Constitutional basis of the president's and Congress's war powers; assessments of the role of the White House, Congress, CIA, senior pentagon officials, the American public, and military alliances - NATO and coalitions of the willing - in supporting and directing the use of military action abroad; and the political and strategic consequences of various American applications of military force.
POLS
464/864
Political Economy of the Asia-Pacific LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | International Relations |
International relations of the Asia-Pacific. Security, economics, and interaction between China, Japan, the United States, and other regional powers.
POLS
466/866
Pro-seminar in International Relations I LINKCrosslisted as HIST 479/879, SOCI 466/866, ANTH 479/879, GEOG 448/848, ECON 466/866, AECN 467| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | International Relations |
Prereqs:
Senior standing and permission.
Open to students with an interest in international relations.
Topic varies
POLS
467/867
Pro-seminar in International Relations II LINKCrosslisted as ECON 467/867| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | International Relations |
Prereqs:
Senior standing and permission.
Open to students with an interest in international relations.
Topics vary.
POLS
468/868
Organizing World Order LINK| Credit Hours: | 3-6 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | International Relations |
Structures and forces relevant to creation of order in world politics. Contents may vary according to semester and instructor. Topics: trends within the United Nations system; transnational economic integration; patterns in arms control and disarmament; prospects for a United States of Europe; human rights and international violence; the United States' response to terrorism and guerrilla warfare; the management of conflict; economic development and world order.
POLS
469/869
International Law LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | International Relations |
Rules and principles accepted by the members of the community of nations as defining their rights and duties, and the procedure employed in protecting their rights and performing their duties.
POLS
470/870
International Human Rights LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | International Relations |
Development of international norms on human rights and attempts to implement those standards. Emphasis on political process, with attention to law, philosophy, economics, and culture. Coverage of the United Nations, regional organizations, private agencies, and national foreign policies.
POLS
471/871
Comparative Public Policy: A Cross-National Approach LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | Foreign and Comparative Government |
Various approaches to public policy outside the United States with emphasis on Western industrial societies. Includes policy formation and the various factors that influence policy outputs, the relationship between policy outputs and policy outcomes, efforts to classify and evaluate various types of policy outputs, and the influence of policy on politics.
POLS
472/872
State Terror LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | Foreign and Comparative Government |
Prereqs:
Permission.
Use of terror as an instrument of state policy. A series of case studies of large scale politically based killings. Why and which states use terror and politicide against their own citizens.
POLS
473/873
Problems in International Law and Organization LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | International Relations |
Selected issues in international law and organization. Content varies. Includes: US Senate's treatment of treaties, use of customary law by US courts, current cases before the World Court, leading legal issues handled by the UN Security Council and General Assembly, etc.
POLS
474/874
Comparative Institutions LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | Foreign and Comparative Government |
Formal and informal institutions such as constitutions, electoral rules, property rights, and civil rights. How and why people in different groups, countries, and cultures construct institutions to facilitate collective action. Whether different groups construct distinctly different institutions to deal with similar problems and why similar institutions seem to work differently in distinct societies.
POLS
476/876
Ethnic Conflict and Identity LINKCrosslisted as JUDS 476| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | Foreign and Comparative Government |
Theories of natinalism and ethnic conflict. Case studies of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The post-Cold War era as multi-polar and multi-cilizational. The states and different cultures that compete for influence and authority to dominate the "New World order." The division of the world along ethnic, religious, and class lines rather than by ideology. The future of international politics and the reassessment of the causes of "conflicts of culture" and their containment.
POLS
477/877
Israel and the Middle East LINKCrosslisted as JUDS 477| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | Foreign and Comparative Government |
Israeli politics, society, and relations with its neighbors, particularly the Palestinians. Rise of Zionism and the Palestinian response to it; wars between Israel and Arab neighbors, and the eventual peace agreements between the two; the internal dynamics of Israeli political life; and state of Zionism today.
POLS
481/881
Political Behavior LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | American Government, Politics and Law |
Various theories of political behavior at the individual level. The usefulness of these theories in explaining individual political behavior.
POLS
498/898
Special Topics LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per semester: | 24 |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
| Groups: | Other, Theses, and Dissertations |
POLS
800
Research Methods LINKCrosslisted as SRAM 800| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Basic techniques used in quantitative political science research. The general linear model. Basic probability theory, ordinary least squares regression, and how to solve problems often encountered when conducting quantitative analyses in political science.
POLS
801
Scope and Methods of Political Science LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
The character of political science as a form of inquiry-what it seeks to know it and how it seeks to know it. The discipline of political science as a science; the meaning of concepts, generalizations, laws, theories and explanations; and concept formation and theory building as embodied in major studies of politics. Alternative understandings of the character and possibility of a science of politics.
POLS
802
Professional Development in Political Science LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission
Professional development topics, teaching methods, grant writing and article writing.
POLS
820
Core Seminar in American Government LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Literature in American governmental institutions, processes, policies, and law. Students required to do extensive reading in these areas. Introduces the beginning graduate student to the field of American government.
POLS
831
Core Seminar in Public Policy and Process LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Intended for graduate students interested in a review of the field.
POLS
836
Public Policy Analysis: Methods and Models LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Qualitative and quantitative approaches to public policy analysis. Nature of politics and policy, formation of public policy, analysis of policy content, methodological triangulation, participatory policy making designs, and the role of the analyst. Construct and implement a multi-method policy analysis for a local community agency.
POLS
850
Core Seminar in Biology and Politics LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Introduction to the relationship between the fields of biology and politics. The political implication of genetics, physiology, neuro-imaging, and evolutionary psychology.
POLS
860
Core Seminar in International Politics LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Extensive reading required. Rigorous survey of the literature in international relations, including international law and international organization. Intended to introduce the beginning graduate student to the field of international relations.
POLS
879
Core Seminar in Comparative Politics LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
POLS 879 is intended to introduce the beginning graduate student to the field of comparative politics. Survey of the field of comparative politics. General theory and methodology; issues and crises in a number of functional areas; participation and socialization; and the special problems confronting the area specialist.
POLS
880
Core Seminar in Political Theory LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Students required to read extensively and to take a final examination. Rigorous survey of some of the major areas of concern in empirical and normative political theory.
POLS
891
Individual Readings LINK| Credit Hours: | 1-6 |
| Max credits per degree: | 24 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission
POLS
895
Internship LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Field |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Stuent is assigned and suprevised by designated faculty member. Pass/No Pass only.
Internship in government agencies, quasi public agencies, private firms (profit and nonprofit), and other organizations.
POLS
899
Masters Thesis LINK| Credit Hours: | 6-10 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission
Prereq: Admission to masters degree program and permission of major adviser.
POLS
901
Dissertation Prospectus LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission
POLS
920
Seminar in American Government LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 12 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission
POLS
931
Seminar in Public Policy LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 12 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission
POLS
941
Seminar in Methods LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 9 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission
POLS
950
Research Seminar in Biology and Politics LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Course Format: | Lecture 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Advanced research in the relationship between biology and politics.
POLS
960
Seminar in International Relations LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 12 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission
POLS
965
Seminar in International Human Rights LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission
POLS
979
Research Seminar in Comparative Politics LINK| Credit Hours: | 3 |
| Max credits per degree: | 9 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
POLS
991
Minor Research Problems LINK| Credit Hours: | 1-6 |
| Max credits per degree: | 24 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission
POLS
999
Doctoral Dissertation LINK| Credit Hours: | 1-24 |
| Max credits per degree: | 55 |
| Campus: | |
| Course Delivery: | Classroom |
Prereqs:
Permission
Prereq: Admission to doctoral degree program and permission of supervisory committee chair.
Description
For a brief description of the program, application requirements and contact information, view the graduate program summary.
Department Chair: Elizabeth Theiss-Morse, Ph.D.
Graduate Chair: Ross Miller, Ph.D.
The department offers graduate courses leading to the degrees of master of arts, doctor of philosophy, and a joint degree with the law school leading to a master of arts in political science and juris doctorate. Graduate work may be pursued in: American government, comparative government, historical and normative theory, international relations, and public policy. Within the above areas, students can combine their work in political science with work in other departments leading to a concentration in various interdisciplinary programs such as human rights and human diversity, and public policy analysis and evaluation.
Requirements for the various degree programs are available on-line at: polisci.unl.edu.
Courses in public administration are offered through the University of Nebraska at Omaha.