Political Science (POLS)
POLS 1301 Intro to Political Science 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
An introductory survey of the concepts, techniques, and methods for analyzing the political behavior of individuals, groups, and nations.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 2301 Intro to American Government I 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
The national and Texas constitutions; federalism; political socialization and participation; public opinion and interest groups; parties, voting and elections.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 2302 Intro/American Government II 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
The legislative, executive and judicial branches and the bureaucracy; policy formulation and implementation including civil rights and civil liberties, domestic and foreign policies.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 2351 Statistics for Social Science 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Provides the basic concepts and techniques of statistics employed in social science research including descriptive statistics; measures of central tendency and dispersion; correlation and regression analysis; and inductive statistics.
Prerequisite(s): MATH 1314 or MATH 1316 or MATH 1324 or MATH 1332 or MATH 1342 or MATH 1350 or MATH 2312 or MATH 2413 or MATH 2414
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 3313 Judicial Process 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Examines the theory and structure of the American court system; its personnel and decision-making processes; criminal and civil law processes and procedures; and judicial politics.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 3314 Legislative Process 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Examines the structure, functioning and political control of legislative bodies.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 3317 American Presidency 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Explores the operation of the presidency in foreign and domestic decision-making, including political, social and economic policy areas. Analyzes the presidential nomination and election processes.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 3320 International Politics 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
The concepts underlying the Western State system; nationalism and imperialism; the techniques and instruments of power politics and the foreign policies of selected states.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 3330 Intro to Comparative Politics 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Provides a general survey of the field of comparative politics.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 3332 Politics Western Democracies 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Examines the political institutions, political processes, and public policies of western democracies.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 3341 Intro to Public Administration 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Provides an introduction to American public administration with emphasis on modern problems and trends.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 3343 Public Policy Formulation 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
This course provides a general overview of policy making in the United States including decision making at multiple levels of government. It focuses on policy formulation - the stage at which decisions are made by policy makers. The relative success of societal groups that seek to influence policies and policy formulation will also be examined.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 3344 Introduction to Public Policy 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
This course provides a general overview of public policy, the process of public policy making, and the different types of public policies in the united states. The course focuses on political philosophy, ideologies, rules of institutions, behavioral economics and the various methods used to assess the impact on public policies.
Prerequisite(s): POLS UG and POLS 2302
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 3345 State and Local Government 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
This course provides an overview of the political systems of the American states, including the three branches of state governments; the political actors that influence state governments and state policies; the differences and similarities of state governments in the United States; and the concept of federalism and the role of local governments.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 3352 Advanced Research Methods 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Examines special problems, topics, cases, models, and theories in political science research.
Prerequisite(s): POLS 2351
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 3360 Legal Internship I 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Provides practical experience in law office procedure and operation with career related assignments and projects under the guidance of a faculty member.
Restriction(s):
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Junior or Senior.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 3361 Legal Internship II 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Provides practical experience in law office procedure and operation with career related assignments and projects under the guidance of a faculty member.
Restriction(s):
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Junior or Senior.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 3363 Public Policy Internship I 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Provides practical experience in a government or political office with career related assignments under the guidance of a faculty member.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 4312 American Constitutional Law and Development 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Development of the U.S. Constitution through judicial interpretations. Emphasis given to cases dealing with federalism, separation of powers, due process, and civil rights and liberties.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 4322 International Law/Institutions 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Explores the political, legal, and institutional foundations of the modern international system including the United Nations. Emphases include peaceful settlements of international disputes and global institutional systems.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 4361 Directed Study 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Students may study individually with an instructor in an area of mutual interest to the student and the instructor.
May be Repeated for a maximum of 9 hours
Restriction(s):
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Junior or Senior.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 4362 Special Topics in Political Science 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Selected special topics from the subfields of political science. Course may be repeated for credit when the topic varies.
May be Repeated for a maximum of 9 hours
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 4461 Directed Study 4 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Students may study individually with an instructor in an area of mutual interest to the student and the instructor.
Prerequisite: Approval of department chair; junior or senior standing
Offered: Other
May be Repeated for a maximum of 8 hours
Restriction(s):
Students with a class of Freshman or Sophomore may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 4661 Directed Study 6 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Students may study individually with an instructor in an area of mutual interest to the student and the instructor.
May be Repeated for a maximum of 12 hours
Restriction(s):
Students with a class of Freshman or Sophomore may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5301 Qualitative Research Methods 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
POLS 5301 is a research- and writing-intensive course designed to introduce graduate students to the various steps and approaches involved in designing and conducting qualitative research projects in public administration.
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5330 Public Admin: Theory and Methods 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
This course focuses on defining and tracing the evolution of Public Administration; examines the individual fields of study in public administration, analyzes the concepts, theories, and practices integral to understanding the American bureaucracy and the political environment in which it operates. The course introduces the literature review process and establishes the base of knowledge and skills for successful completion of the MPA.
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5331 Public Organizations 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
This course introduces students to the major theoretical and practical approaches central to managing public sector organizations by reviewing the major topics, issues and contributions in the literature on organizations and management with an emphasis on government organizations. It will consider problems in government but also emphasizes the many examples of successful management in these organizations, including some of the past and most recent reforms and improvements.
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5332 Ethics and Morality in Public Administration 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
This course is a survey of the ethical nature and dilemmas of public administration in American society. It focuses on ethical dilemmas and concerns arising from the daily exercise of legitimate discretionary power as well as the conflicts that can emerge with personal moral beliefs. The overall goal is that students will be able to assess and analyze the extent to which ethical and moral values are deeply and widely embedded in our democratic system.
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5333 Leadership in Public Administration and Nonprofits 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
This course is a survey of the theories and skills for leading and managing in public and nonprofit organizations. Focus is placed upon leadership and management approaches, strategy, decision making, power and organizational politics to bring about change in high performance public organizations.
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5334 Constitutional Law for Public Administration 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
This course provides in-depth analysis of the U.S. Constitution and focuses on specific constitutional amendments, doctrines and landmark Supreme Court cases as they relate to public administration and administrative professionals. Particular emphasis is given to separation of powers; federalism; individual rights in administrative actions and adjudication; the delegation and non-delegation of administrative power by Congress to administrative agencies; judicial deference to administrative interpretations of statutes; and the constitutional rights and liabilities in public administrative workplace environments.
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5335 State Institutions 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
This course provides a general overview of the political system of the American states, including state constitutions and the branches of state government. It will also focus on the relationship between states and the national government. Local governments and their role in governance, and their relationship to states will be important components of the course as well.
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5336 Public-Private Partnerships 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
This course focuses on management theories in the public and nonprofit sector. It includes theoretical questions surrounding decision-making processes and the competing values of managerial practices. The course also examines the concepts of bureaucracy in democratic governance and the complexity of tasks confronting public managers, i.e. the need to include private business and nongovernmental agencies in public management.
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5337 Disaster and Hazard Management for Public Administration 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
This course specifically is a survey of the theories and skills for public administrators to better understand the factors that can impact the effectiveness of hazard and disaster management in the public interest. Focus is placed on the theoretical paradigms and research conducted in the areas of risk perception, communication and decision-making as it relates to hazards and disasters. This course will examine how risk perception, communication and decision-making vary throughout the disaster management process to give the public administrator a solid foundation of how the decisions they make in everyday government operations can impact the effectiveness in keeping a hazard from turning into a disaster.
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5340 Public policy 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to the study of public policy. The course will provide a general introduction to that subfield of political science. It will also acquaint students with contemporary debated regarding collective action, paternalism, policy competition, policy learning and other issues of interest to policy scholars.
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5341 State Law and Policy 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
A general overview of the origin and organization of law and lawmaking in the states provides a foundation to examining the stages of the policy process and the implications of public policy for both politics and society. Next, to delve more closely into the way state governments and political organizations affect public policy, we'll spend time investigating how Texas' political culture shapes its policy choices. finally, the intergovernmental response to social problems such as immigration, Medicaid and recreational marijuana also warrants attention to the principle of American federalism and the interconnectivity federal, state and local governments to responding to them.
Prerequisite(s): POLS 5340
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5342 Disaster Policy 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
This course is a survey of disaster policy in the United States for policy and planning decision-makers who must focus on the impact that human settlement patterns, land use decisions and risky technology can have on vulnerable populations. This course focuses on social and political aspects associated with disaster policy and planning.
Prerequisite(s): POLS 5340
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5350 Directed Readings 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Graduate students may study individually with an instructor in an area of mutual interest to the student and the instructor.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing or approval of department chair
May be Repeated for a maximum of 3 hours
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5354 Special Studies in Public Administration 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Analysis of selected problems in public administration: urban and regional planning and management, administrative reorganization, the environment and related problems. Course may be repeated as topics vary.
May be Repeated for a maximum of 15 hours
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5355 Applied Research Methods 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Application of knowledge of public policy and social science methodology to the planning, execution, and reporting of public policy research.
Restriction(s):
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Graduate.
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Standard Letter, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS
POLS 5390 Thesis I 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Students will present a research design, undertake a plan to complete research of their Masters thesis and begin writing the thesis.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing, approval of graduate advisor and supervising professor of thesis.
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS, Thesis/Dissertation
POLS 5391 Thesis II 3 Credits
Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Students will complete research and writing the Master’s thesis.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing, approval of graduate advisor and supervising professor of thesis.
May be Repeated for a maximum of 9 hours
Restriction(s):
Undergraduate level students may not enroll.
Grade Mode(s): Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, Registrar do not use FN, Registrar do not use FS, Thesis/Dissertation