Political Science (POLS)

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.
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.
Prerequisite(s): POLS 2301 and POLS 2302  
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.
Prerequisite(s): POLS 2301 and POLS 2302  
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.
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.
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 5358  Internship  3 Credits  
Department: College of Arts and Sciences  
Practical administrative experience in a local, state, regional or federal office or agency that is the equivalent of one-half time for one semester, full-time in a summer semester. Examinations and reports on practices and problems in agencies are required. This course may be waived for students already employed in an administrative capacity in a government agency if they elect three additional hours from the approved program courses. Prerequisite: Graduate standing Offered: Other
May be Repeated for a maximum of 6 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 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.
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.
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