POLITICAL SCIENCE

School of Arts and Social Sciences

POLITICAL SCIENCE (POSC)

POSC-01 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM

3 units: 3 hours lecture.
CSU & UC Transferable
(C-ID: POLS 110)
(CSU breadth area D) (IGETC area 4)
Advisory: ENGL-01A

This course will introduce students to institutions of American national government, the American political system, and California state and local government. The course includes a study of the United States Constitution and its application to federal, state, and local government. Emphasis is placed upon various roles of national and state government, constitutional rights and obligations of citizens, and the evolution and development of California state political institutions. This course meets the United States Constitution requirement and the federal, California state, and local government requirement. (10/12)

POSC-01H ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM HONORS

3 units: 3 hours lecture.
CSU & UC Transferable
(C-ID: POLS 110)
(CSU breadth area D) (IGETC area 4)
Advisories: ENGL-01A; ENGL-13/13H or PHIL-13/13H.
Limitation on enrollment: Enrollment in the Honors Program.

his course will introduce students to the institutions of American national government, the American political system, and California state and local government. The course includes a study of the United States Constitution and its application to federal, state, and local governments. Emphasis is placed upon various roles of the national and state government, constitutional rights and obligations of citizens, and the evolution and development of California state political Institutions. This course meets the United States Constitution requirement and the federal, California state, and local government requirements. There will be an emphasis on political science research and writing. Students taking this class must be enrolled in the Honors Program. See the college catalog for a description of enrollment requirements. (12/22)

POSC-02 INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

3 units: 3 hours lecture.
CSU & UC Transferable
(C-ID: POLS 130)
(CSU breadth area D) (IGETC area 4)
Advisory: ENGL-01A.

This course is a comparative study of the theory, history, structure, and application of the governmental systems of major European nations, as well as non-European countries. Emphasis will be placed on the governments of England, France, Germany, Russia, and Japan. (2/06)

POSC-03 INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

3 units: 3 hours lecture.
CSU & UC Transferable
(C-ID: POLS 140)
(CSU breadth area D) (IGETC area 4)
Advisory: ENGL-01A.

An introduction to international relations theory with an examination of national, transnational, and subnational actors and their institutions, interactions, and processes as they relate to global issues. (03/19)

POSC-04 INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL THEORY AND THOUGHT

3 units: 3 hours lecture.
CSU & UC Transferable
(C-ID: POLS 120)
(CSU breadth area D) (IGETC area 4)
Advisory: ENGL-01A.

Examination of various theoretical approaches to politics and of basic political problems and proposed solutions. Analysis of selective political theories and of the relevance of theory to contemporary problems. (04/19)

POSC-05 INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH METHODS

3 units: 3 hours lecture.
CSU & UC Transferable
(C-ID: POLS 160)
(CSU breadth area D) (IGETC area 4)

This course surveys the research methods employed in political science. Research design, experimental procedures, descriptive methods, instrumentation, the collection, interpretation, and reporting of research data, and research ethics are introduced. (12/22)

POSC-07 POLITICS OF RACE AND ETHNICITY (ALSO: ETHN-07)

3 units: 3 hours lecture.
CSU & UC Transferable
(CSU breadth area D)
Advisory: ENGL-01A.

The racial foundations of American democracy have long been contested by communities of color in the United States. Democracy’s literal meaning is “rule by the people,” yet oppressed groups have questioned who is and is not included in the political community this meaning implies. This course will critically explore historical sources, competing theories, and contemporary examples of American politics and frameworks for democracy. In doing so, students will examine how Black and Indigenous perspectives have contributed to the formation of and struggle against the American political establishment at its foundation, as well as how oppressed groups continue to contest the limits of American democracy in the present. (11/22)