Introduces students to the variety of ways that political phenomena can be studied systematically. A topic is selected as the focus of the course that is examined through the lens of the primary subfields: political theory, American politics, comparative politics, and international relations. Students gain an introduction to the process of social science research as they participate in a research project related to the topic of the course. Students receive early exposure to the full scope of the politics discipline as well as begin the process of preparing for research in politics. Specific content may vary by course section subtitles but all sections repeat core concepts. Only one section may be counted for course credit. Rights. Consult the online course schedule for further information.

This course covers the main approaches to conducting empirical research in Political Science. Students learn how to do literature reviews, develop theory, perform qualitative and quantitative analysis, and answer some of the most pressing questions in Political Science. Laboratory course. Prerequisites: MATH 215 is required either prior to or while taking this course

What counts as knowldege in the study of politics? Are different ways of knowing equally valid? Are there universal criteria for making such a judgment? This course introduces students to the the philosophical foundations of the study of politics. It explores a variety of ontological and epistemological approaches to the study of politics, including positivism, behavioralism, interpretivism, institutionalism, and post-positivism. The course engages each approach using relevant, contemporary case-studies in politics and international relations.

This advanced-level research design course explores how researchers in political science use different methods (normative, empirical, qualitative, quantitative, etc.) to answer a variety of research questions within specific areas of inquiry. Using these methods, students then develop a research design of their own, which they use in their capstone project (thesis). POLI 303 courses may be used to satisfy major subfield requirements in Politics or International Relations. This course can be repeated for additional credits as long as the section topics are different. Recent section topics include Globalization, Security Strategy, Quality of Governance, Middle East, Executive Authority, and Media. Consult the online course schedule for information about the topics currently scheduled to be taught. Prerequisites: POLI 201, 202 or consent of instructor

This senior year seminar course is centered on independent research projects in the discipline. Departmental faculty and other seniors give input and critiques as a student completes a significant piece of original research, with a view to formally presenting it at a research conference. Prerequisite: POLI 400.

A survey of political theory from the 16th to the 21st centuries, with a focus on epistemology (theories of knowledge). The course explores foundational questions surrounding the nature of political authority, legitimacy, power, justice, rights, and ideals regarding relationships between individuals, civil society, and the state.

An examination of a variety of works to learn how influential American thinkers have conceptualized political ideas and how their views on the proper organization of American society have changed over time. Particular attention is paid to the development of the concepts of democracy and equality and to political protest movements in the U.S.

This course explores new topics in political theory of interest to faculty and students. This course can be repeated for additional credits as long as the section topics are different. Recent section topics include Ethics in Foreign Policy, Contemporary Political Theory, and Leadership. Consult the online course schedule for information about the topics currently scheduled to be taught.

This course examines works of political thought that focus on the role of gender in the social and political arenas.

Normative Political Economy explores the nature of political and economic institutions as they relate to questions surrounding the attainment of human welfare and well-being. This course explores a number of key questions; what is "the state," and what relationship should it have with markets with respect to development, human well-being and freedom? How have these questions changed with the historical development of states and markets? How are these questions addressed at the national and at the international levels?

This course explores in more depth issues already treated in other political theory courses, or addresses new topics of interest to faculty and students. This course can be repeated for additional credits as long as the section topics are different. Consult the online course schedule for information about the topics currently scheduled to be taught.

A study of the political history and contemporary political characteristics of this distinctive region of the U.S. Topics include the demographic changes that have altered the region’s political culture, the persistent impact of race on the South’s politics, and the changing role of the region in national politics.

This course examines “durable shifts in governing authority,” examining the key moments in which political institutions are transformed and the enduring consequences of those changes.

An examination of the role and activities of voters, political parties, and the media on the electoral process in the United States.

This course examines the evolution, form and substance of international, federal, state, and local policies and programs that address challenges within a public policy arena, focusing on the nature of problems, public responses, and alternative for effective resolutions. Students gain an understanding of the evolution of public policy and management; the policy process; organizational structure and functions within the US federal system of government; the role of various interests within the public arena, and alternatives for addressing current and future problems. This course can be repeated for additional credits as long as the section topics are different. Check the online course schedule for information about the topics currently scheduled to be taught. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor

This course examines some of the key issues confronted by a society that has become dependent upon bureaucracy to a substantial degree. As such, we examine personnel, organization, budgeting, leadership, and privatization.

An introduction to the process of formulating, implementing, and evaluating public policy in the United States with particular attention to policy devoted to education, health care, and environmental policies.

This course examines the formulation and execution of U.S. national behavior in world affairs from the country’s early days through the present, during periods of isolation, expansion, engagement, and leadership. Key themes — e.g., trade, human rights, multilateralism, and exceptionalism — are examined closely. The course covers the roles of the Executive, Congress, and other key actors, such as the media, in foreign policy.

This course explores in more depth issues already treated in other American Politics or public law courses, or addresses new topics of interest to faculty and students in those areas. This course can be repeated for additional credits as long as the section topics are different. Consult the online course schedule for information about the topics currently scheduled to be taught.

A seminar and practicum course focusing on political history, contemporary political patterns, governmental structures, and key public policy debates in the state of Arkansas. Actors in the state’s politics and government provide their perspective to the students both on these issues, during the intensity of a session of the Arkansas General Assembly, and on their vocational choices. Includes a required 100-hour practicum (Odyssey PL credit) within an Arkansas advocacy organization working on legislative issues.

An upper level course examining the origins and development of the American presidency, as well as the challenges faced by more recent officeholders.

An examination of the evolution policy and management; the environmental policy process; environmental organizational structure and function in the federal system of government; the status of environmental policies and programs relating to various media (air quality, water quality and quantity, waste reduction and management, land use/sustainable growth and biodiversity); the role of various interests in dealing with ecological concerns; and alternative for addressing future environmental problems.

This course considers the contemporary state of constitutional doctrine after 200 years of judicial decisions. Emphasis is placed on theories of constitutional interpretation and on the development of case law in the realms of federalism, the regulatory power of Congress, and the separation of powers among the three federal branches of government.

This course considers the contemporary state of constitutional law with emphasis on those decisions concerned with the rights of individuals in such areas as equal protections (including discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality), voting rights, and fundamental rights (such as free speech, press, and religious liberty). Prerequisites: None

This course explores in more depth issues already treated in other American politics or public law courses, or addresses new topics of interest to faculty and students in those areas. This course can be repeated for additional credits as long as the section topics are different. Recent section topics include First Ladies, Non-Profit Organizations. Consult the online course schedule for information about the topics currently scheduled to be taught.

This course more deeply explores issues treated in POLI 225 or other public policy courses, or addresses in-depth new topics in the policy arena that are interest to faculty and students. This course can be repeated for additional credits as long as the section topics are different. Consult the online course schedule for information about the topics currently scheduled to be taught.

This course explores topics in Comparative Politics and International Relations of interest to faculty and students. This course can be repeated for additional credits as long as the section topics are different. Recent section topics include European Union, the Arab World, Sovereignty, State and Civil Society, Technology and Politics, Conflict Resolution. Consult the online course schedule for information about the topics currently scheduled to be taught.

A survey of the concepts, practices, and institutions underpinning global order from the 19th century to the present. The course explores the concepts and practices of sovereignty, diplomacy, Great Power rivalries, concerts and alliances, and international law. Particular emphasis is placed on contemporary international organizations (such as the UN) and regimes in the areas of security, trade, sustainable development, human rights, and humanitarian affairs.

More than two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Eastern Europe still displays a substantial variation in terms of how democratic its countries are. While some have joined the European Union and NATO, others have become increasingly authoritarian. Economically, Slovenia is more developed and stable than Portugal, while Belarus and the Ukraine are struggling. This class provides an overview of the causes and consequences of this variation. Topics include democratization and political participation, the economy, ethnic conflict and nationalism, and the institutional and political arrangements that underpin those developments.

This course covers important contemporary global political issues, such as democratization and dictatorship, accountability and representation, religion and politics, social policy, foreign aid and national security. In the process, it focuses on specific current events such as conflict, global warming, and migration. It is designed for students with general interest in contemporary global politics, regardless of whether they intend to major in Politics or another field.

This course examines the formulation and execution of U.S. national behavior in world affairs from the country’s early days through the present, during periods of isolation, expansion, engagement, and leadership. Key themes — e.g., trade, human rights, multilateralism, and exceptionalism — are examined closely. The course covers the roles of the Executive, Congress, and other key actors, such as the media, in foreign policy.

This course prepares students for a collegiate Model United Nations conference. Students learn about the United Nations system, challenges facing the international community, international diplomacy, Model UN rules of procedure, caucusing, negotiation, and drafting resolutions and reports. Students will also conduct independent research on global topics (e.g., economic and social development, security, human rights, health, the environment) and write internal and public position papers from the standpoint of the country they will represent at conference. Although there are no prerequisites for the course, some aptitude or experience conducting social science/public policy research (from any discipline) is highly recommended.

Even in the absence of global government, there is governance. This course explores how nation-states interact within a system of law and institutions developed to promote cooperation, avoid armed conflict and regulate conflict. The course shows how the practices of national sovereignty and international cooperation mutually constitute one another. Through case studies, the course explores schools of thought in international law; the history of the development of international legal norms and institutions; customary vs. conventional law; the role of the United Nations, and institutional issue regimes. Prerequisite: any 200-level Politics course

This course looks at the development of the human rights idea in theory, history and practice. The course looks at competing theories of human rights, the development of international and regional human rights institutions especially in the 20th century, the influence of non-governmental organizations in the promotion and protection of human rights, the expansion of human rights protections to diverse populations, and emerging human rights approaches for solving pressing global problems.

Elections are the basis for establishing a robust democratic regime. This course provides an overview of the different waves of democratization and the causes and consequences of free and fair polls. From a more empirical perspective, the course introduces the elements that make an election of acceptable quality and introduces students to the organizations that monitor and evaluate elections, as well as their impact across the world. As a final project students write an analytical paper on causes and/or consequences of election quality in a particular country or region.

This course focuses on the diverse theoretical approaches to the study of International Relations, beginning with a variety of epistemological, methodological, and ontological commitments found in the field. The course explores the most influential positivist, reflectivist, and post-positivist schools of thought: classical realism and neorealism; liberalism and neoliberalism; Marxism and critical theory; and constructivism and post-structuralism.

This course explores how politics and economics interact. By studying nation states from a historical and contemporary perspective, it highlights some of the key explanations of how the international system, political institutions, markets, and civil society interact to affect outcomes such as development, quality of life, and happiness.

This course introduces students to the foundational theories of comparative politics and the contending perspectives within the discipline. It focuses on the creation and breakdown of political order, the establishment of democracy and dictatorship, as well as the effect of political regimes and their institutions on economic growth, development, poverty, inequality, civil unrest and revolutions.

This course is for students returning to the Model UN experience as a second-year mentor. Prerequisite: POLI 283

Building on the comparative politics and international relations sequences, this advanced course explores in more depth issues already treated in these courses, or addresses new ones that relate to them. This course can be repeated for additional credits as long as the section topics are different. Recent section topics include European Union; the Arab World; Sovereignty; State and Civil Society; Technology and Politics; Conflict Resolution. Consult the online course schedule for information about the topics currently scheduled to be taught. Prerequisite: Either POLI 250 or POLI 273 or consent of instructor