Courses
Political Science
0400. Symposium in Political
Science (3 s.h.)
Development of political science as a field; analyzes issues in philosophy of social science; examines key concepts and approaches to major fields in political science.
Required of all M.A. and Ph.D. students
0401. Political Statistics
I. (3 s.h.)
[Cross-listed with Sociology 433]
Introductory applied social statistics. Topics covered include descriptive measures, elementary probability theory, hypothesis testing, and correlation and regression analysis. Students are encouraged though not required to take Sociology 563. This course explores inductive statistics, including probability and sampling, multivariate contingency tables, analysis of variance, correlation and regression analysis.
Required of all M.A. and Ph.D. students
0404. Teaching Methods (1 s.h.)
Offered once each year, normally in the fall semester. No student will be awarded financial assistance for a second year without having successfully completed this course. This course is conducted on a Pass-Fail basis.
Required of all Ph.D. students
0405. Qualitative Research
Methods (3 s.h.)
An examination of some of the major qualitative research approaches in political science -- case studies, comparative historical, institutional, community power studies, etc. The course aims to teach students the basic methods and reasoning procedures necessary for doing advanced research in political science.
Required of all Ph.D. students
0410. Core Seminar in American Politics (3
s.h.)
An introduction to key theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of some of the major areas in American politics.
0412. American Presidency (3 s.h.)
An examination of the persuasion and command powers as well as the policy process of the American Presidency. Special attention is given to what the Constitution, the statutes, and the courts say about Presidential power and the President's role in domestic and foreign policy outcomes.
0414. Legislative Behavior (3
s.h.)
Analysis and research on legislatures, legislators, and the legislative process at national, state, and local levels. Focus on legislative decision-making.
0415. Interest Group Politics (3 s.h.)
Critical examination of the role of interest groups in the American political system. Do interest groups hold government captive and interfere with the democratic process, or do they strengthen democratic practice? Why do interest groups form? Do Political action Committee (PAC) contributions buy votes? Is business the most powerful interest in American society?
0416. Judicial Process (3 s.h.)
Decision making process of the United States Supreme Court and the interrelationship between the judicial process and the other political institutions.
0417. Public Law (3
s.h.)
Advanced study and research in the American constitutional system and recent Constitutional development.
0418. Civil Rights and
Liberties (3 s.h.)
Advanced study and research in American Civil Rights and Liberties
with emphasis on recent developments.
0421. The American Party
System (3 s.h.)
Study and research in selected phases of the American Party
system.
0422. Campaigns, Elections and Media (3 s.h.)
The role of elections in contemporary American society. Special attention to parties and mass media as managers of campaigns. Factors affecting the voting behavior of the mass public and the link voting provides between the public and policy formation.
0427. Urban Politics (3
s.h.)
This core seminar in urban politics will introduce the student to the major schools of thought that have structured urban inquiry including: power elite, pluralist, Marxist, and political economy. We will examine the underlying assumptions of each of these schools of thought and their respective analyses of power, in particular: how power is structured; where it is located; how it is used. We will also examine the implications of these various perspectives for urban politics, policy, governance, and ultimately democracy.
0428. Community-Based Research Seminar (3 s.h.)
Offered Irregularly.
Combines class room instruction in applied community based research and actual research experience. Students work on research projects initiated by organization serving Philadelphia's communities. Research topics usually deal with some aspect of community development or social welfare.
0429. Politics of
Race and Class in American Cities (3 s.h.)
The course examines the intersection of race and class in American cities from both a theoretical and practical perspective. The readings cover some of the major theories of race and urban poverty going from the "declining significance of race" proponents on the one hand to the "increasing significance of race" theorists on the other end of the spectrum. The course also examines how race and class play out in the drama of urban politics by focusing on some of the political battles that have characterized key urban policy areas such as housing, education, and community development. Finally, the course examines the "new immigration" and its impact on class and race relations within urban areas.
0431. Critique of American
Government (3 s.h.)
A critical examination of the operation of American Government. The focus of this course is on the inability of the American political system to produce "effective governance," which is defined as the ability to solve problems. American political institutions as well as American culture, ideology, and public opinion are examined from this perspective.
0438. Topics in American
Politics (3 s.h.)
Focus varies with individual members of the faculty who offer
this course.
0439. Issues in American
Politics (3 s.h.)
Focus varies with interest of individual members of the faculty
who offer this course.
0440. Comparative Politics (3 s.h.)
A survey of methodological approaches and conceptual perspectives used in the comparative study of political systems throughout the world. Issues include state, class, party systems and interest groups, dependency, democracy and autocracy, reform and revolution, ethnic/nationalist conflict, and policy making in industrial welfare states.
Core Seminar
0441. Comparative Politics:
Western European States (3 s.h.)
Comparative analysis of political systems, focusing on political problems and issues in Western Europe. Topics covered include the development of political parties and interest group politics, political economy, the welfare state, democratization/marketization in Eastern Europe, and European integration (EU).
0442. Comparative Politics:
Developing Nations (3 s.h.)
Political patterns and social forces in the developing states of the world. Questions considered are: economic growth, equity, stability, democracy, and national autonomy? How strong is the third world state? What is the impact of the international political economy on national development?
0448. Topics in Comparative
Politics
Special topics course. Focus varies with individual faculty.
0449. Issues in Comparative Politics
Special topics course. Focus varies with individual faculty.
0460. International
Politics (core seminar) (3 s.h.)
A general survey of the theoretical literature in international politics.
Core course in the area
0461. United States
Foreign Policy (3 s.h.)
Graduate level introduction to the history and theory of American foreign policy. The seminar is arranged in three sections. The first offers a series of approaches to explaining American foreign policy, the second a survey of the past two-plus centuries of American foreign policy-making, and the last, a number of topics in contemporary foreign policy.
0463. International
Organization (3 s.h.)
Examines the theory and practice of international cooperation and governance. The course looks both at formal organizations, such as the United Nations, and at the ways in which human societies interact with each other and how they structure this interaction.
0467. International
Political Economy (3 s.h.)
A graduate level introduction to the history and theory of international political economy. Focus is on competing explanations for the evolution and operations of the international political economy, the history of that evolution and -- through a study of the politics of globalization -- its possible future(s) as well.
0468. Topics in International Politics
0480. Introduction
to Political Theory (3
s.h.)
Introduction to the major conceptual issues in politics -- power, authority, equality, liberty, democracy, justice -- through the reading of both classics in political thought and contemporary political theory. The course will also consider methodological issues in the social sciences and key topics in the philosophy of science and the philosophy of social science.
Core seminar required of all Ph.D. students
0484. 19th and 20th
Century Political and Social Thought (3
s.h.)
Examines the rise of modern social theory (Hegel, Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Freud) as a response to the emergence of increasingly rationalized, class-stratified and bureaucratized industrial societies. Issues addressed include the relationship of the individual to society; the relationship between socioeconomic and political power; the difficulty of establishing normal meaning in increasingly bureaucratic and routinized societies. The course will also examine post-modern theorists (e.g. Foucault, Derrida, Lyotard), who contend that modern social theory is anachronistic hypothesis of rational, industrial societies and can not adequately explain post-modern, commodified societies, increasingly "decentered" by difference of culture, race, and gender.
0485. Contemporary
Theories of Democracy (3 s.h.)
Considers the defenses, criticisms, and varieties of democracy in both the American and worldwide settings. Examines the relationship between liberalism and democracy, as well as communitarian, conservative and radical critiques of liberal pluralism. Questions explored include: Can minority rights be guaranteed in a majoritarian democratic system? What are the cultural and socioeconomic prerequisites for a democratic society? Does the distribution of power in America today conform to the norms of a democratic society?
0486. Problems in Political Philosophy (3 s.h.)
An examination of some central themes and issues in political philosophy conducted through the study of one or more major works of political philosophy.
0500. Public Policy (3 s.h.)
A survey of the major theoretical approaches to the study of public policy -- welfare economics, public choice, social structural, information processing, and political philosophy.
Core seminar
0502. Theories of Policymaking (3 s.h.)
Considers various models of policy process and policymaking, including those within group, systemic, rational, and institutional approaches. Empirical and normative perspectives are both addressed. Research Design.
0505. National Public
Policy (3 s.h.)
Focuses on the content or substance of contemporary U.S. public policy and developing agendas in several salient areas such as environmental protection, economic development, education, public assistance, drug abuse, and civil rights.
0506. Urban Public
Policy (3 s.h.)
The course explores key areas of urban public policy such as: housing, poverty, community development, and education. It examines the political, social, institutional, and cultural factors that shape the policy making context and ultimately the specific policies themselves. The course takes an interdisciplinary approach using readings from political science, sociology, economics, planning, and social history. The readings cover the major research that has been conducted on these policy areas and the central debates surrounding them.
0520. Politics, Organization,
and Bureaucracy (3 s.h.)
Analyzes the internal dynamics and external relations of organizations and bureaucracies. Emphasis on power and authority, decision making, institutionalization, interorganizational relations, and the influence of organizations on politics, policy, and society.
0799. Preliminary Exam
Preparation (1-6 s.h.)
The purpose of such credit is to assure continuous enrollment
as required by the University while one is preparing for Ph.D.
comprehensive examinations. A grade of "R" is awarded the student
by the Graduate Chair or appropriate other faculty designated
by the Chair of the Department.
0899. Pre-Dissertation
Research (1-6 s.h.)
The purpose of such credit is to assure continuous enrollment
as required by the University if a student chooses to spend
one semester after their Ph.D. comprehensive exams preparing
for their next semester's Ph.D. dissertation proposal reading
course and proposal defense. Normally, the Ph.D. candidate
takes PS 951/952 (Dissertation Proposal Preparation/Defense)
in the term immediately after passing their exam. But they
do have the option of taking the course one semester after
they pass their comprehensive exams, provided that they execute
a completed dissertation proposal within one year of their
having passed their comprehensive exams.
0900. Academic Preparation
and Career Planning (1 s.h.)
Should be taken no earlier than the last semester of Ph.D. course work. It deals with planning and writing dissertations, writing and publishing professional papers, panel participation, and preparation for the Ph.D. preliminary examinations. Also included are career orientation, job searching, resume preparation, and opportunities for postgraduate fellowships and further study.
Required of all Ph.D. students. [Registration credit only; no letter grade]
0951. Dissertation
Proposal Preparation (3 s.h.)
3 credits are required to be taken in the semester that the Ph.D. student advances to candidacy by preparing a dissertation prospectus through a reading course with a primary dissertation supervisor. After that, at least one s.h. of PS 953/954 must be taken for each semester the student works on the Ph.D. dissertation. A minimum total of 6 s.h. of PS 951/52 and PS 953/54 must be taken to receive a Ph.D. A grade of "R" is awarded upon completion of same. The "R" grade may be converted to a regular letter grade (A, B, C, D, F) or remain an "R" grade on transcripts of Ph.D. students who have completed the dissertation at the option/discretion of the student's faculty advisor.
0952. Dissertation
Proposal Preparation (3 s.h.)
3 credits are required to be taken in the semester that the Ph.D. student advances to candidacy by preparing a dissertation prospectus through a reading course with a primary dissertation supervisor. After that, at least one s.h. of PS 953/954 must be taken for each semester the student works on the Ph.D. dissertation. A minimum total of 6 s.h. of PS 951/52 and PS 953/54 must be taken to receive a Ph.D. A grade of "R" is awarded upon completion of same. The "R" grade may be converted to a regular letter grade (A, B, C, D, F) or remain an "R" grade on transcripts of Ph.D. students who have completed the dissertation at the option/discretion of the student's faculty advisor.
0953. Ph.D. Dissertation Supervision (1 s.h.)
The purpose of such credit is to assure continuous enrollment as required by the University while one is past one's Ph.D. comprehensive exam and prospectus defense. This is the minimum credit required each semester after the proposal defense and while the student is researching and writing the dissertation. A minimum of 3 s.h. of PS 953/54 must be taken before one can secure the Ph.D. degree.
0954. Ph.D. Dissertation
Supervision (1 s.h.)
The purpose of such credit is to assure continuous enrollment as required by the University while one is past one's Ph.D. comprehensive exam and prospectus defense. This is the minimum credit required each semester after the proposal defense and while the student is researching and writing the dissertation. A minimum of 3 s.h. of PS 953/54 must be taken before one can secure the Ph.D. degree.
0980. Directed Study
and Research (1-3 s.h.)
Special study/research with a Professor outside of a regularly scheduled course. A letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F is awarded. A student may register for this course only with the advance approval of the pertinent faculty member and the Graduate Chair.
0981. Directed Study
and Research (1-3 s.h.)
Special study/research with a Professor outside of a regularly scheduled course. A letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F is awarded. A student may register for this course only with the advance approval of the pertinent faculty member and the Graduate Chair.
0982. Directed Study
and Research (1-3 s.h.)
Special study/research with a Professor outside of a regularly scheduled course. A letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F is awarded. A student may register for this course only with the advance approval of the pertinent faculty member and the Graduate Chair.
0983. Directed Study
and Research (1-3 s.h.)
Special study/research with a Professor outside of a regularly scheduled course. A letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F is awarded. A student may register for this course only with the advance approval of the pertinent faculty member and the Graduate Chair.
0999. Dissertation Research (1-3 s.h.)
Restricted to Ph.D. students post-candidacy.