May 02, 2024  
2018-2019 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Political Science (POSC) Courses


Political Science

Courses

Political Science

  • POSC 100 - Introduction to American Government


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite/Corequisite: GE A1 requirement.

    Introductory survey of American Political Institutions, politics, and policy, including government and politics in California. Constitutional foundations and current controversies. Satisfies the general education requirement and the California teaching credential requirement.

  • POSC 105 - Introduction to Critical Thinking


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites/Corequisite: ENGL 100  or GE Composition (Area A1).

    Introduction to critical thinking through study of philosophical writing, political rhetoric, and political propaganda. Emphasis on distinguishing facts from values, inductive from deductive reasoning, emotional responses from reasoned judgments; relationship between language and logic; the role of inference; intellectual honesty.

  • POSC 199 - Introduction to California Government


    (1 unit)

    Prerequisite: POSC 100 . Introductory survey of California political institutions, politics and policy.
    Satisfies the general education California state and local government requirement for students who have taken American government without a California component or who have received Advanced Placement credit for American Government.

    Not open for credit to students with credit in POSC 326 .
  • POSC 212 - How Democratic is the United States?


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement; POSC 100 .
    Examination of persistent challenges to citizen control of government in the U.S., including growth of executive power; economic inequality; racial inequality; rise of infotainment; decline of political participation and civic engagement.

  • POSC 218 - Global Politics


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement; POSC 100 .
    Study issues central to politics in a global context, such as democracy, communism, fascism, democratization, revolution, liberalism, and anti-liberalism. Examine questions of national sovereignty, as well as the relation between nation states and the rise of non-state and trans-state actors.

  • POSC 225 - Issues in Political Theory


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement; POSC 100 .
    Study and discussion of issues including revolution, power, justice, alienation, the nature of democracy, and other important political concepts. Views of theorists such as Plato, Hobbes, Rousseau, Mill, and Marx will be examined.

  • POSC 300 - Scope and Methods of Political Science


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: POSC 100 .
    Examines what political scientists do. Focus on quantitative and qualitative techniques employed by political scientists to understand political phenomena. Examples draw on all subfields from political science: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, public law and public policy.

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 301 - Classical Political Theory


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement; POSC 100 .
    Ancient Greek and Roman roots of political theory. Socrates and the Sophists; Plato; Aristotle; Cicero; Polybius; and the Stoics. Examines relationship between the individual citizen and the Polis, justice and equality, democracy and dictatorship; the political culture of Mediterranean world.

  • POSC 303 - Modern Political Theory


    (3 units)

    Emergence of modern political thought in Western Europe from the 17th through the 19th century. Examines views of state and society in John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Jean Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill, Edmund Burke, George Hegel, and Karl Marx.

  • POSC 304 - Recent Political Theory


    (3 units)

    Critical examination of major themes in political thought in industrial and post-industrial society, from the late 19th century until today.

  • POSC 306 - Contemporary Political Ideologies


    (3 units)

    Critical examination of the nature and role of ideologies in contemporary politics. Conservatism, liberalism, socialism, communism and fascism in theory and practice.

  • POSC 308 - American Political Theory


    (3 units)

    Critical examination of theorists, concepts and forces which have shaped American political consciousness from Puritans to present.

  • POSC 311 - Constitutional Law: Power


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: POSC 100  or POSC 391  or equivalent.
    Judicial interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. Judicial review; the power of the Presidency and the Congress; state governmental authority; nature of the American federalism.

  • POSC 312 - Constitutional Law: Rights


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: POSC 100  or 391  or equivalent.
    Analysis of the rights and guarantees contained in the Bill of Rights and other constitutional and statutory provisions. Examination of leading cases.

  • POSC 321 - The Media and American Politics


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement; POSC 100  or consent of instructor.
    Role of print and electronic media in American politics and their relationship to politicians and the public. Media’s impact on government, policy making, election campaigning. Prospects for democratic deliberation. Portrayal of political issues and political themes in popular culture.

  • POSC 322 - Parties, Campaigns, and Elections


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement.
    The nature and impact of the American two-party system; why people vote as they do; how candidates seek electoral support. Comparison of American party politics to party politics in other democratic countries.

  • POSC 323 - Racial and Ethnic Politics - U.S.


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement; POSC 100 .
    Examination of the political activities of racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States, including American Indians, African Americans, Latino Americans and Asian/Pacific Americans. Political debates over competing approaches, strategies and public policies promoting equality in the U.S.

  • POSC 326 - California Government in Comparative Perspective


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement.
    The government and politics of American States including intergovernmental relations. Special focus on political institutions, current issues, and public policies in California.

  • POSC 327 - Urban Politics


    (3 units)

    Social conflicts, political processes and governmental Institutions in American urban areas. Emphasis on urban political culture, power structures, interest groups, social movements, urban governance and policy-making. Evaluation of urban political problems and proposed solutions.

  • POSC 328 - Public Policy


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement; POSC 100 .
    Analysis of the American policy process with special attention to the social, economic, cultural, and political factors that influence policy choices.

  • POSC 329 - Cases in Public Policy Making


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement and POSC 100 .
    Intensive examination of the policy process through the in-depth analysis of selected public policies.

  • POSC 353 - Government and Politics of Western Europe


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement; POSC 100 .
    Examination of selected European democracies, with emphasis on governmental structure, functions and political processes and their relationship to current problems.

  • POSC 358 - Contemporary Latin American Politics


    (3 units)

    Study of government and politics with emphasis on similarities and differences among Latin American states. Focus on principal groups and major issues in the political process. Conflicting explanations of the obstacles to development and other problems will be examined.

  • POSC 362 - Society and National Politics of China


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: Upper division status; completion of GE Foundation; Students must have scored 11 or higher on the GWAR Placement Examination or completed the necessary portfolio course that is a prerequisite for a GWAR Writing Intensive Capstone.
    Writing-intensive study of the People’s Republic of China, including its origin, ideology and organization. Contemporary social, economic and political developments.

  • POSC 367 - Governments and Politics of the Middle East


    (3 units)

    Emergence and development of the contemporary political systems of the Middle East; the Arab-Israeli dispute; the role and importance of the region in international politics.

  • POSC 371 - Introduction to International Politics


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement; POSC 100 .
    Relations among nation-states. Why countries sometimes cooperate and sometimes go to war. Roles of intergovernmental organizations like the UN, the WTO, and NATO, and nongovernmental actors like Amnesty International and Al-Qaeda; international trade and finance; war, peace, terrorism and diplomacy.

  • POSC 376 - International Law


    (3 units)

    Nature and historical development of international law; determination of rules of international law; International community under law; recognition of states and governments; jurisdiction; settlement of international disputes; war aggression and neutrality.

  • POSC 378 - Politics and Practice of the UN


    (3 units)

    Examination of historical development of international organization from the Concert of Europe to the United Nations. Analysis of contemporary international organization, its functions, problems and prospects in the context of the world situation.

    May be repeated to a maximum of 9 units in different semesters. No more than 3 units may be applied toward the major or minor in political science.
  • POSC 388 - Cyberspace Citizenship


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement; one Explorations course, and upper-division standing. Role of internet in politics, society, and economy.
    Development of cyberspace, virtual communities, online commerce, Web free speech fora. Evolving governmental institutions for managing property rights, Internet expansion and resolving cyberspace conflicts. Multiple dimensions of participatory citizenship in cyberspace.

  • POSC 391 - American Government


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement.
    Survey of American government and politics, including attention to California government. Constitutional foundations and current controversies. Satisfies the general education requirement and the California teaching credential requirement. Not open for credit to students with credit in POSC 100 .

  • POSC 395 - Politics Through Culture


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement, one Explorations course, and upper division standing.
    Study of politics through cultural analysis. Alternative theoretical perspectives on contemporary cultural artifacts such as art, film, music, and the media.

  • POSC 399 - Introduction to California Government


    (1 unit)

    Prerequisite: POSC 100 .
    Introductory survey of California political institutions, politics and policy. Satisfies the general education California state and local government requirement for students who have taken American government without a California component or who have received Advanced Placement credit for American Government.

    Not open for credit to students with credit in POSC 199  or POSC 326 .
  • POSC 401 - Women in Political Theory


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Upper-division status; completion of GE foundation; students must have scored 11 or higher on the GWAR Placement Examination or successfully completed the necessary portfolio course that is a prerequisite for a GWAR Writing Intensive Capstone. Study of the evolution of feminist arguments in Western political thought and the process by which gender has come to be regarded as a critical category equal in importance to race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religion.
    Same course as WGSS 402 .

    Not open for credit to students with credit in WGSS 402 .
  • POSC 409 - Senior Seminar in Political Theory


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite(s): Nine upper-division units in Political Theory courses or consent of instructor.
    Intensive study of selected conceptual and theoretical problems in political theory.

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 412 - Law and Social Change


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement; POSC 100 .
    Legal strategies pursued by social movements to remedy discrimination in the U.S. Legislative, administrative, and judicial responses. Gender equity, sexual harassment, voting rights, racial discrimination, fair housing, labor standards, sexual orientation, environmental justice, and American Indian rights.

  • POSC 414 - Jurisprudence


    (3 units)

    Fundamental legal philosophies, sources and classifications of law. Relationship of law to other disciplines and societal institutions.

  • POSC 417 - Legal Practices: Moot Court


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: POSC 311  or POSC 312 , and either POSC 412  or POSC 414 ; and upper division standing.
    Study and acquisition of the skills of lawyering, including legal research, reasoning, writing, and trial advocacy. Substantive study of civil liberties.

    May be repeated to a maximum of 9 units in different semesters. No more than three units of this course may be applied toward the major or minor in political science.
  • POSC 418 - Legal/Judicial Apprenticeship


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
    Courtroom, law office, public legal agency, and/or non-profit legal agency experience in conjunction with reading and research directed by a faculty member.

    May be repeated for a maximum of 6 units in different semesters. No more than three units of this internship course may apply toward the major in political science. A maximum of 6 units may be earned in POSC 418, POSC 447 , POSC 448 , and POSC 498  combined.
  • POSC 422 - Public Opinion and Political Behavior


    (3 units)

    What Americans think and feel about politics and why they act as they do. Topics include the formation and development of public opinion; how public opinion is measured; political socialization; political culture; and political participation.

  • POSC 423 - The American Presidency


    (3 units)

    The roles and powers of the American presidency with emphasis on major public policies of recent presidents.

  • POSC 424 - The United States Congress


    (3 units)

    Analysis of the origin, development, and behavior of U.S. legislative bodies. Leadership, organization and procedures, problems and principles of law-making. Legislative relations with the executive and other governmental agencies.

  • POSC 430 - Fundamentals of Public Administration


    (3 units)

    Principles and practices of federal, state and local administration.

  • POSC 431 - Public Policy Analysis


    (3 units)

    Examination of the meaning and use of concepts and methods employed in public policy decision analysis, including an overview of the decision process, sources and methods of handling policyrelevant data, and methods and techniques of program evaluation and policy analysis.

  • POSC 432 - Public Values and Public Policy


    (3 units)

    Critical examination of selected value choices involving how and by whom public policy is to be made, and choices involving what should be the content and goals of public policy.

  • POSC 439 - Senior Seminar in Law, Politics, and Policy


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite(s): Nine upper-division units in Law, Politics, and Policy courses or consent of instructor.
    Intensive study of selected concepts, issues, and approaches to the study of American government and politics, with special attention to the intersection of law, politics, and policy.

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 447 - Public Service Internship I


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: GE Foundation requirement; POSC 100 ; consent of instructor.
    Internships in one of the various federal, state, or local governmental units in the immediate area.

    A maximum of 6 units may be earned in POSC 418 , POSC 447, POSC 448 , and POSC 498  combined.
  • POSC 448 - Public Service Internship II


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: GE Foundation requirement; POSC 100 ; consent of instructor.
    Internships in one of the various federal, state, or local governmental units in the immediate area.

    A maximum of 6 units may be earned in POSC 418 , POSC 447 , POSC 448, and POSC 498  combined.
  • POSC 450 - Comparative Political Movements


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement, one Explorations course, and upper division standing.
    Comparative study of the causes, progression, and consequences of political movements.

  • POSC 455 - Comparative Revolutionary Change


    (3 units)

    Roots of revolution. Emphasis on the historical setting, ideology, socio-economic factors, political leadership, organization and nationalism. Analysis of revolutionary conditions, courses and tactics past and present.

  • POSC 461 - The Politics of Development


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement, one or more Explorations courses, and upper-division standing.
    Problems of political development in the emergent nations of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

  • POSC 463 - Nationalism and National Identities


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement; POSC 100 .
    Consideration of the impact of nationalism on contemporary world politics with special attention to the role of national identities in the rise of political violence, national liberation movements, and the struggle for democracy. Close investigation of multiple historical and contemporary cases.

    Same course as I/ST 463 . Not open for credit to students with credit in I/ST 463 .
  • POSC 479 - Senior Seminar in Global Politics


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite(s): Nine upper-division units in Global Politics courses or consent of instructor.
    Intensive study of selected conceptual and theoretical problems in global politics.

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 481 - U.S. - Latin American Relations


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement, one Explorations course, and upper-division standing.
    U.S. policies toward Latin America and the Caribbean. Recent debates about these policies as well as their historical and global contexts. Survey of major issues, including U.S.-Cuba policy, transnational crime/drug-trafficking, international finance, trade integration, and migration.

  • POSC 482 - American Foreign Policy


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement; POSC 100 .
    Concepts, strategies, and the shaping of American relations with other states, with special emphasis on the post-World War II period. National security, economic, and political-diplomatic concerns as they present new challenges to the United States.

  • POSC 485 - International Political Economy


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement; POSC 100 .
    Politics of global relations, including monetary and trade regimes, markets and multinational corporations. Emphasis on issues of confrontation and collaboration between countries regarding development strategies, trade, and technology transfer. Prospective students are strongly recommended to take POSC 371 .

  • POSC 486 - National Security Policies


    (3 units)

    Analysis of strategic posture with emphasis on military, political and economic inter-relationships as they influence national security and international politics.

  • POSC 490H - Honors Seminar


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: Admission to the Honors Program in Political Science.
    The nature and development of political science and its relationship to other disciplines in the Social Sciences. Recent developments in conceptual analysis and theory are emphasized. (Seminar.) Course meets with POSC 500 , POSC 525 , POSC 550 , or a 600-level POSC course chosen in consultation with the chair.

  • POSC 491H - Honors Research


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Admission to the Honors Program in Political Science.
    Research for writing an Honors thesis under the direction of a faculty member. (Independent Study.)

  • POSC 492H - Honors Thesis


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: POSC 491H .
    Research and writing of an Honors thesis under the direction of a department faculty advisor. (Independent Study)

  • POSC 493 - Selected Topics in Political Science


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
    Analysis of selected contemporary issues and problems. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

  • POSC 494 - Politics of the Future


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirement, one or more Explorations courses, and upper-division standing.
    Study of present-day global problems: overpopulation, depletion of resources, environmental decay and their future political implications. Examination of alternative policies, future politics and institutional change. The technological revolutions and the totalitarian temptation.

  • POSC 496 - Washington Center Internship


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: Upper-division standing and consent of instructor.
    Students undertake a 30-35 hr. per week career-related internship in a federal, corporate or independent sector agency located in Washington D.C. A final written report is required. Concurrent enrollment in an independent studies course required.

    Credit/No Credit grading only. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 units.
  • POSC 497 - Selected Topics in Political Science


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
    Analysis of selected contemporary issues and problems.

    May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units with different topics. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.
  • POSC 498 - Practicum in Politics


    (1-3 units)

    Prerequisite: Consent of instructor and department chair.
    Political or governmental experience supplemented by reading and research under the direction of a faculty member.

    May be repeated for a maximum of 6 units in the same semester. No more than three units may apply toward the major in political science. A maximum of 6 units may be earned in POSC 418 , POSC 447 , POSC 448 , and POSC 498 combined.
  • POSC 499 - Readings and Conference in Political Science


    (1-3 units)

    Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
    Directed reading to permit independent pursuit by advanced students on topics of special interest. Hours to be arranged. Graduate students who have had this course as an undergraduate may repeat it.

  • POSC 500 - Foundations and Scope of Political Science


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Graduate standing in Political Science or consent of instructor.
    Competing approaches to the analysis of political phenomena. Substantive models of social and political order and change as well as methodological arguments about the nature of explanation in political science.

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 525 - Seminar in Political Theory


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Graduate standing in political science or consent of instructor.
    Analysis of key topics in the canon of Western political theory, including ancient political thought, modernity (including feminism and identity politics), and postmodernity (eg., postcolonial theory, deconstruction).

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 550 - Research Methods in Political Science


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Graduate standing in political science or consent of instructor.
    Methods of empirical political science research; the formulation of hypotheses, problems and standards of measurement and observation; methods of data collection; research design and logic of data analysis. No prior knowledge of statistics is assumed.

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 590 - Advanced Study


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Consent of Graduate Coordinator and Instructor.
    Study under the supervision of a faculty member. Student must fulfill requirements of a selected upper division course plus additional work appropriate to graduate study as determined by the Instructor of the course.

    May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units with different topics.
  • POSC 599 - Graduate Studies


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: Consent of Graduate Coordinator and instructor.
    Individual graduate level study and research of special topics under the supervision of a faculty member.

    Letter grade only (A-F). May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units.
  • POSC 600 - Seminar in International Politics


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: Graduate standing in Political Science or consent of instructor; POSC 371  or equivalent.
    Examination of the role of power, multiple dimensions of national interest, collective security, world peace, nationalism, and imperialism.

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 605 - Selected Topics in International Politics


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Graduate standing in political science or consent of instructor
    Analysis of historical and contemporary international events, processes, trends, and system dynamics. Emphasis on the application of both critical and practical, problem-solving theories and methods to the assessment and evaluation of foreign policy options and choices. Case study approach.

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 610 - Seminar in Comparative Politics


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Three upper division units in comparative government.
    Study of key theories and concepts of comparative politics, such as democratization, economic and political development, social movements and revolutions.

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 615 - Selected Topics in Comparative Politics


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Graduate standing in political science or consent of instructor
    Application of comparative politics concepts and theories to contemporary issues, with particular emphasis on the policy implications for various countries and regions of the world.

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 640 - Seminar in American Political Behavior


    (3 units)

    Prerequisites: Graduate standing in political science or consent of instructor
    Examination of contemporary literature on mass political behavior in the United States, including overt forms of political behavior such as voting, and long-standing questions about the origins and consequences of the American public’s political attitudes.

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 642 - Seminar in American Political Institutions


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Graduate standing in political science or consent of instructor
    Examination of U.S. political institutions, including why the U.S. has the institutions it has, how scholars understand them, the nature of these institutions, and the linkage institutions that connect citizens to government, including political parties and interest groups.

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 644 - Selected Topics in Policy and Politics


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Graduate standing in political science or consent of instructor
    Approaches to the study of American policy and politics. Analysis of historical and contemporary policymaking, and the impact of public policy upon institutions and political behavior.

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 646 - Selected Topics in Law and Politics


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Graduate standing in political science or consent of instructor
    Examination of the role, processes, and dynamics of law, courts, and judges in the American political system, including law and American society; political controversies over judges, courts and cases; features of courts; judicial selection and decision-making; legal interpretation; and judicial effectiveness.

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 695 - College Teaching Practicum


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Consent of Graduate Coordinator.
    Internship provides teaching experience in community college. No more than three units of this practicum may be applied to the Masters requirements in Political Science.

    Credit/No Credit grading only.
  • POSC 697 - Directed Research


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Consent of Graduate Coordinator.
    Intensive study under the guidance of a faculty member. Three units required of non-thesis students who have been advanced to candidacy for the master’s degree in political science.

    Letter grade only (A-F).
  • POSC 698 - Thesis


    (3 units)

    Prerequisite: Consent of Graduate Coordinator.
    Planning, preparation and completion of thesis for the master’s degree.

    Letter grade only (A-F) May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units.