Department of Political Science and Public Administration

PS 1001 First Year Seminar: 1 hour.

One hour lecture. First-year seminars explore a diverse array of topics that provide students with an opportunity to learn about a specific discipline from skilled faculty members

PS 1113 American Government: 3 hours.

Three hours lecture. The evolution of American governmental institutions and the organization and operation of the U.S. government today

PS 1182 Introduction to Law I: 2 hours.

Two hours lecture. A broad overview of the American legal system as encountered in one year of law school: legal history, deductive thinking, and critical analysis

PS 1192 Introduction to Law II: 2 hours.

Two hours lecture. This course examines the modern practice of law in a variety of practice areas via lectures by attorneys who regularly practice in those areas

PS 1311 Mississippi Model Security Council Research I: 1 hour.

Hours arranged. Development of "delegate preparation materials" and Model Security Council booklet for use in Mississippi Model Security Council

PS 1313 Introduction to International Relations: 3 hours.

Three hours lecture. This course examines through case studies the basic concepts of international politics such as nation, state, power, influence, bipolarity, deterrence, non-alignment, alliances and diplomacy

PS 1321 Mississippi Model Security Council Internship I: 1 hour.

Hours arranged. Internship experience as participant in Mississippi Model Security Council as delegate, county advisor, council president, or United Nations Secretary General

PS 1331 Mississippi Model Security Council Research II: 1 hour.

(Prerequisite: PS 1311 or PS 1321.) Hours arranged. Development of "delegate preparation materials" and Model Security Council booklet for use in Mississippi Model Security Council

PS 1341 Mississippi Model Security Council Internship II: 1 hour.

(Prerequisite: PS 1321.) Hours arranged. Internship experience as participant in Mississippi Model Security Council as delegate, country adviser, council president, or United Nations Secretary General

PS 1351 Mississippi Model Security Council Research III: 1 hour.

(Prerequisite: PS 1331 or PS 1341.) Hours arranged. Development of "delegate preparation materials" and Model Security Council booklet for use in Mississippi Model Security Council

PS 1361 Mississippi Model Security Council Internship III: 1 hour.

(Prerequisite: PS 1341) Hours arranged. Internship experience as participant in Mississippi Model Security Council as delegate, country adviser, council president, or United Nations Secretary General

PS 1371 Mississippi Model Security Council Research IV: 1 hour.

(Prerequisite: PS 1351 or PS 1361.) Hours arranged. Development of "delegate preparation materials" and Model Security Council booklet for use in Mississippi Model Security Council

PS 1381 Mississippi Model Security Council Internship IV: 1 hour.

(Prerequisite: PS 1361). Hours arranged. Internship experience as participant in Mississippi Model Security Council as delegate, country adviser, council president, or United Nations Secretary General

PS 1513 Comparative Government: 3 hours.

Three hours lecture. Survey of various governmental systems

PS 2403 Introduction to Political Theory: 3 hours.

Three hours lecture. An examination of selected thinkers, text, ideas, and periods in the history of political thought

PS 2703 Introduction to Public Policy: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: PS 1113 or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. An examination of the formulation and implementation of public policy and the roles of government institutions and actors in policy making

PS 2713 Introduction to Engineering and Public Policy: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: EN 1113 or EN 1173, or equivalent). Three hours lecture. A multidisciplinary analysis of public policy issues involving engineering and technology and use of policy science to explore complex policy issues. (Same as GE 2713)

PS 2990 Special Topics in Political Science: 1-9 hours.

Credit and title to be arranged. This course is to be used on a limited basis to offer developing subject matter areas not covered in existing courses. (Courses limited to two offerings under one title within two academic years)

PS 3013 Political Leadership: 3 hours.

Analysis of political leadership, emphasizing characteristics of successful leadership and opportunities available to students for leadership in the political arena

PS 3033 Gender and Politics: 3 hours.

Three hours lecture. Examines gender differences in law, the courts, voting, political involvement, approaches to political power, and violence. (Same as GS 3033)

PS 3043 Modern Civil Rights Law: 3 hours.

Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher. Three hours lecture. An analysis of American law as a tool for social change in education, employment, public accommodations, and voting rights. (Same as AAS 3043)

PS 3063 Constitutional Powers: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: Junior standing or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. A study of the constitutional system; constitutional modification, federal courts and judicial review, separation of powers, federalism, congressional and presidential powers, and contract clause

PS 3073 Civil Liberties: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: Junior standing or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. Political and civil rights; individual rights, national security and individual freedom; war and the Constitution; equal protection, criminal procedure; administrative process

PS 3183 Law and Politics: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. Study of the politics of selected features of the legal system and the political usages of law as a tool for social control

PS 3193 Intergovernmental Relations: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: PS 1113). Three hours lecture. Historical, prescriptive, and empirical studies of federalism with emphasis upon recent developments in federal-state-local relationships

PS 4000 Directed Individual Study in Political Science: 1-6 hours.

(Prerequisite: Junior standing). Hours and credits to be arranged

PS 4093 Senior Honors Thesis in Political Science: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 4083, and consent of department head). Thesis writing on the topic researched in PS 4083

PS 4113 State Government: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1113 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. Comparative study of the structures, functions, and policies of the various American states

PS 4163 The Chief Executive: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1113 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. Historical and comparative study of chief executives, including governors and mayors, with special emphasis on the Presidency

PS 4173 Legislative Process: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1113 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. Organization, work, and procedure of legislative bodies and other law-making authorities

PS 4183 Judicial Process: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1113 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. Process and structure of the American legal system and the role of the judiciary

PS 4193 Mississippi Judicial System: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: PS 1113). Three hours lecture. A study of the interrelationship of the actors within Mississippi's judicial system. Emphasis is placed on judicial decision-making, selection process, and resource allocation

PS 4203 Political Parties and Electoral Problems: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1113 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. The development and operation of American political parties, with special attention to electoral problems

PS 4213 Campaign Politics: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1113 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. Survey of the theory of political campaigns, the resources and techniques they employ, and their effects on voters

PS 4223 The Dynamics of American Democracy: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1113 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. Analysis of factors affecting the translation of public opinion into public policy within a national institutional context

PS 4233 Interest Groups: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: PS 1113 or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. The study of the politics and practices of interest groups within the American political process

PS 4243 State Election Policy and Politics: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: Junior or graduate standing, or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. A survey of the fundamental challenges of election reform, from regulating access to voter registration and turnout, drawing electoral districts, improving voting technology, to successfully counting votes

PS 4253 Southern Politics: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1113 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. Survey of the politics of the Confederate and border states, examination of party development, leadership, and impact of the South in national politics

PS 4263 Mississippi Government and Politics: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1113 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. A study of the organization, powers, processes and politics of state government in Mississippi

PS 4273 African American Politics: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: PS 1113). Three hours lecture. The nature, processes, structures, and functions of African American politics in the domestic arena and international arena. (Same as AAS 4273)

PS 4283 Public Opinion: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1113 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. The nature of public opinion; the influence of the press; pressure groups and propaganda techniques; the means of political communication

PS 4293 Political Behavior: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1113 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. Examination of the foundations and types of individual political activity; emphasis on psychological, social and cultural factors influencing personal political behavior

PS 4303 U.S. Foreign Policy: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: PS 1313 or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. An examination of the decision-making processes, institutions and structures that influence the formulation and execution of past and current U.S. foreign policy

PS 4313 Principles of International Law: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1313 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. The nature, sources and scope of international law as found in custom, international convention, the teachings of authoritative writers, and judicial decisions

PS 4323 International Organization: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: PS 1313) Three hours lecture. A study of the development of international organization and a concentration on the structure, processes and functions of the United Nations and its specialized agencies

PS 4333 Theories of International Relations: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1313 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. This course critically examines traditional and contemporary, normative and behavioral, qualitative and quantitative theories of international relations

PS 4343 International Conflict and Security: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: PS 1313 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. Study of the patterns, causes, and consequences of armed conflict between nations

PS 4353 International Political Economy: 3 hours.

Prerequisite: PS 1313 or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. This course will systematically address the relationship between politics and economics in an international context

PS 4363 International Peacekeeping: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite:PS 1313 or PS 1513). An examination of peacekeeping operations with an emphasis on identifying reason for success or failure and on the role of international actors in rebuilding war-torn societies

PS 4373 International Terrorism: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: Junior standing or greater, PS 1513, or Instructor Consent). Three hours lecture. This course will examine theories of international terrorism, the political significance of terrorism, types of tactics, and the political consequences of terrorism in the contemporary world

PS 4383 National Security Policy: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1313 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. An examination of those policies and issues affecting American national security with attention to the institutions, organizations and processes which shape them

PS 4393 The Global Context: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: Junior standing or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. Examination of selected issues of current importance to international relations

PS 4403 Ancient & Medieval Political Theory: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1113 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. Political philosophy from Plato and Aristotle through the Middle Ages

PS 4423 20th Century Political thought: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 2403 or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. An examination of selected thinkers, text, and ideas in the history of political thought from the late 19th Century to the present

PS 4433 American Political Theory: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1113 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. Major schools of political thought in America from the colonial to the contemporary period

PS 4453 Western Political Theory: Plato to Marx: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1113 or PS 2403). Three hours lecture. Chronological survey of central thinkers, texts, ideas, and movements in Western political thought from Plato to Marx

PS 4464 Political Analysis: 4 hours.

(Prerequisite: 6 hours in political science). Three hours lecture. Two hours laboratory. Philosophical and historical foundations of political analysis; constructing and executing research designs; measuring political phenomena; elementary methods of data analysis; games, models, and simulations

PS 4513 Human Rights: 3 hours.

Three hours lecture. An examination of human rights law and policy as it relates to civil liberties restrictions, torture, unlawful imprisonment, extrajudicial killings, and genocide

PS 4523 Democracy and Inequality: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: PS 1513 or Instructor Consent). Three hours lecture. This course is a survey of approaches to the comparative study of inequality and democracy in the United States and abroad, focusing on race, class, sexuality and gender

PS 4543 African Politics: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1513 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. contemporary sub-Saharan Black Africa; prospects for political development or decay. Role of parties, bureaucracy and military and their relation to elite formation and political integration. (Same as AAS 4543)

PS 4553 Western European Politics: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1513 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. Governments of countries of Western Europe with emphasis upon England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain

PS 4593 Latin American Politics: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1513 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. Background, organization, and structure of the governments of the various Latin American countries

PS 4603 Pathologies of Democracy: 3 hours.

Three hours lecture. An examination of the challenges faced by contemporary democracies, including economic anxiety, political resentment, populism, misinformation, the desire for ethnic domination, and polarization

PS 4613 Civil Wars and Intra-State Conflicts: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: Junior standing or greater, PS 1513, and/or Instructor Consent). Three hours lecture. This course examines the causes of intra-state conflicts in the modern world as well as possible solutions

PS 4623 Politics of the Third World: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: PS 1513 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. Political processes of developing nations. Prospects for development and decline considered. Relationship between political, economic and cultural dimension during the process of social change

PS 4633 Democracy and Democratization: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: PS 1513). Three hours lecture. This course examines aspects of the evolution of democracy from its historical and conceptual origins to the present,explores democracy's classical definition and its understanding within modern political science, and considers efforts to measure democracy

PS 4643 Ethnic Conflict: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: Junior standing, PS 1513, or Instructor Consent). This course will examine theories of ethno-genesis, the political significance of identity, and the ways that ethnicity impacts conflict processes

PS 4653 Nationalism: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: Junior standing, PS 1513, or instructor consent). The course examines the theories underlying contemporary notions of nationalism and the ways that nationalist ideologies manifest in comparative politics

PS 4703 Principles of Public Administration: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: PS 1113). Three hours lecture. Bureaucratic politics and power; administrative responsibility in a plural democracy; public administrative organization; public personnel administration; and public budgeting

PS 4743 Environmental Policy: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: PS 2703 or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. History, development, and practice of environmental policy in the United States

PS 4990 Special Topics in Political Science: 1-9 hours.

Credit and title to be arranged. This course is to be used on a limited basis to offer developing subject matter areas not covered in existing courses. (Courses limited to two offerings under one title within two academic years)