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Political Science

Faculty


*Year of initial appointment at Binghamton

Allison, Juliann, Assistant Professor, PhD, 1994, University of California at Los Angeles: International relations, research methods, political economy. (1994)*

Banks, Arthur S., Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1967, George Washington University: Comparative politics (quantitative and descriptive). (1968)

Bremer, Stuart A., Professor, PhD 1970, Michigan State University: World politics, foreign policy, research methods. (1989)

Cingranelli, David L., Associate Professor, PhD, 1977, University of Pennsylvania: American politics, state and local politics, public policy. (1976)

Filley, Walter O., Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1950, Yale University: International politics, comparative and American foreign policy, comparative politics. (1958)

Hakman, Nathan, Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1954, University of Illinois: Law and politics, judicial process, American politics, civil rights and civil liberties. (1960)

Hofferbert, Richard I., Professor, PhD, 1962, Indiana University: Comparative politics, public policy, American state politics, methods of social inquiry. (1975)

Koff, Sondra Z., Professor, PhD, 1965, Syracuse University: Comparative politics, political theory. (1968)

Mazrui, Ali A., Albert Schweitzer Professor in the Humanities, DPhil, 1966, Oxford University: Comparative politics, world politics, political theory. (1989)

McDonald, Michael D., Associate Professor, PhD, 1977, Florida State University: Legislative politics, electoral politics, methodology. (1986)

Milnor, Andrew, Associate Professor, PhD, 1962, Duke University: American public policy, comparative politics. (1977)

Nieburg, Harold L., Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1961, University of Chicago: International politics, American politics, political behavior. (1970)

Palmer, Glenn, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, PhD, 1985, University of Michigan: World politics, comparative foreign policy, formal modeling. (1986)

Peretz, Don, Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1955, Columbia University: Comparative politics (Middle East), international politics. (1966)

Rehberg, Richard A., Associate Professor and Director of Master of Public Administration Program, PhD, 1965, Pennsylvania State University: Education in public policy, research methodology, communities in transition. (1966)

Rutkowski, Edwin H., Associate Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1960, Columbia University: International politics; American, foreign, and defense policy; comparative politics. (1967)

Smith, Paul A., Professor, PhD,1960, Princeton University: American politics, political parties, political behavior, public policy. (1965)

Ulc, Otto, Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, PhD, 1964, Columbia University: Comparative politics, international politics, international law and organization. (1964)

Young, James P., Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1963, University of Michigan: Political theory, American political thought, American politics. (1961)

Ziegenhagen, Eduard A., Professor and Department Chair, PhD, 1964, University of Illinois: Political socialization, empirical political theory, simulation and gaming. (1969)

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Undergraduate
Programs

The political science curriculum comprises the systematic study of the theory and practice of politics and government at various levels-domestic, foreign, and international. Depending on the area studied, particular emphasis may be given to questions of a philosophical nature, to the role and performance of institutions and political systems, or to the political behavior of individuals and groups.
Courses in political science are structured on four levels: introductory (numbered below 200); lower-level intermediate (200-299); upper-level intermediate (300-399); and advanced (400-499). Unless otherwise specified, courses above 400 can be counted toward the department's seminar requirements. There are six introductory courses (encompassing four fields) which assume no prior background in the discipline: PLSC 110 (American Pluralism), PLSC 112 (Cultural Forces in World Politics) and PLSC 113 (Comparative Politics), PLSC115 (Political Theory), and PLSC 117 (International Politics), PLSC 211 (American Politics). These serve as prerequisites for other courses but may be skipped by students who have equivalent prior coursework in political science or related disciplines including advanced placement credit in American government or comparative politics.

Political Science Major

Requirements for the BA in political science include 10 courses in political science, including not more than three introductory courses (PLSC 110, 112, 113, 115, 117, 211), not more than two independent study courses, and at least two 400-level seminars to be taken in residence at Binghamton University. In selecting their courses, students must take at least one four-credit course each in American politics, political theory, comparative politics, and international relations. Courses acceptable in meeting these distribution requirements are identified as American (A), theory (T), comparative (C), and international (I) in the course descriptions that follow. With the approval of the undergraduate director, appropriate alternative courses may be used to satisfy the distribution requirements.
The Political Science Department views the grade of D as passing but unsatisfactory. Courses passed with a grade of D do not fulfill requirements for the major or the related field requirement. Courses taken P/F may not count toward the major or in fulfillment of the related field requirement.
Four courses complementing political science and in at least three other departments and disciplines are also required. These should be selected in conjunction with the student's particular interests in political science. Normally, these should be diversified courses in other social sciences or, if outside social sciences, related to the student's curricular purposes.
Transfer students must take at least four political science courses in residence at Binghamton. Transfer course grades must be C- or better to count toward the major. No transfer course counting toward the major may be taken pass/fail.
Upper-class students with appropriate political science background are allowed to take graduate-level courses with the instructor's permission. Successful completion of such a course will be counted toward the seminar requirement of the political science requirement. The department urges students who intend to do graduate work in the discipline to consider taking at least one of the following courses: PLSC 361, 362, or 470. Majors are also strongly encouraged to complete at least one substantial paper, based on their own investigation of a problem in an area of the political science discipline, either as part of a regular course, through independent study, or as an honors research project thesis (PLSC 498 and 499).
Prior to preregistration each semester, students who major in political science should review their programs of study with their advisors. If, for any reason, students are unable to do so, they should be in touch with the department's director of the undergraduate program.

Honors Program

Superior students majoring in political science will be considered for admission to the honors program upon the successful completion of five semesters or 80 credit hours (including at least 16 in political science). The program consists of 14 academic credits: a two-credit seminar, a four-credit research project in the first semester of the senior year, and a graduate seminar; and the successful defense of an honors thesis in the second. Students should consult with the chair of the departmental honors committee or the director of undergraduate studies for full information.

Independent Study and Internships

Independent and internship courses are open only to juniors and seniors and, except for PLSC 394, require a substantial paper incorporating advanced political analysis. Guidelines for internships: 1) junior standing, 2) at least 3.0 GPA, 3) at least three PLSC courses appropriate for the internship in question. No credit is given for internships as such: students must do specific academic work to earn credit based on their internships. In addition, students contemplating internships or independent study projects must secure prior approval for the analyses they plan to undertake. For internship requirements and eligibility, consult the guidelines available from the department secretary or director of internships.

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Course Offerings/
Undergraduate

NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, all undergraduate courses carry 4 credits.

American Politics

PLSC 110. AMERICAN PLURALISM: THE POLITICS OF DIVERSITY
Exploration of the American political experience as a pluralist one including the role of public policy in the creation of a nation from social heterogeneity. American political ideology, poverty as it has affected diverse groups, groups as they confront American political institutions, and American political and social integration. Emphasis on policy issues involving immigration, class, religion, race, and gender.

PLSC 211. AMERICAN POLITICS
American political institutions, processes, behavior, relationships between cultural, legal, social aspects of American political system. Applications to contemporary issues and events.

PLSC 215. ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
Introduction to public policy analysis combined with applications to environmental problems and issues. Focus on political context of environmental issues and policy making; consideration of special problems arising from distinctive scientific bases of environmental issues. Prerequisite: PLSC 110 or ENVI 101-201.

PLSC 282. SPECIAL TOPICS IN AMERICAN POLITICS
Specific topics to be announced for given semester. Prerequisite: PLSC 110.

PLSC 284. SPECIAL TOPICS IN POLICY ANALYSIS
Specific topics to be announced for given semester. Prerequisite: one introductory course in political science.

PLSC 285. SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Specific topics to be announced for given semester. Prerequisite: PLSC 110.

PLSC 315. PUBLIC POLICY AND THE MASS MEDIA
Sources of political behavior and institutions: inputs and values, loyalties, symbols, culture forms, role of communications media, new art forms, music, films, pop culture. Prerequisite: PLSC 110.

PLSC 320. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Significance and development of American public administration; key issues related to public administration in democratic system; involvement of public agencies and administrators in public policy process. Prerequisite: PLSC 110.

PLSC 321. THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY
Public bureaucracies, including federal executive structure. Role of President as chief executive, political context of administrative activities, interrelationships with federal executive structure, Congress, interest groups. Prerequisite: PLSC 211.

PLSC 322. AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES AND PRESSURE GROUPS
Structure and functions of American political parties; electoral and policy making roles of parties, problems of party development and change. Prerequisite: PLSC 211.

PLSC 323. THE CONGRESS IN AMERICAN POLITICS
American legislative processes, relationships of Congress to other branches of government and organized interest groups. Theories of representation and legislative behavior. Prerequisite: PLSC 110.

PLSC 324. CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONS
Structure and impact of major political campaigns and elections in United States. Interaction of political parties, interest groups, personalities; effects of elections on public policy, proposals for reforms. Prerequisite: PLSC 110.

PLSC 326. AMERICAN STATE POLITICS
Political culture, major and minor parties, interest groups and elections. Structure of state, local government; making and implementing public policy; applications to contemporary issues and events. Prerequisite: PLSC 110.

PLSC 328. PUBLIC POLICY AND THE POLITICAL PROCESS
Formulation of public policies, primarily in context of American politics, in controversial areas: social impact of science and technology, regulation of business and labor, environmental quality, transportation, welfare. Specific topics to be announced for given semester. Prerequisite: PLSC 110.

PLSC 329. PUBLIC LAW
Fundamentals of legal process, method of legal analysis, organization and structure of judicial system; constitutional framework, case histories of civil and criminal litigation. Prerequisite: PLSC 110.

PLSC 331. CONSTITUTIONAL LAW AND POLITICS
Supreme Court opinions illustrating development and growth of Constitution through judicial interpretation. Official, unofficial implementation of judicial language. Judicial, presidential, congressional power; problems of federalism; state power in federal system. Prerequisite: PLSC 110 or 329.

PLSC 333. CIVIL RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES
Supreme Court opinions dealing with environmental law, consumer rights, communications, elections, citizenship, immigration, nationality; strategies and tactics used to change judicial policies in these and other areas of civil rights and liberties. Prerequisite: PLSC 331.

PLSC 335. POLITICS AND THE LEGAL ORDER
Synthesis of traditional and contemporary approaches to study of legal behavior and judicial process. Fact finding, decision making, collegial behavior, litigation strategy and tactics, law reform, public interest litigation, and political trials. Analysis and impact of judicial opinions. Prerequisite: one intermediate course in public law.

PLSC 337. LAW, THE COURTS, AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Compelling social issues facing our criminal justice system; role of law, judge, and courts in criminal administrative process. Treatment of defendant from initial arrest through release from official custody. Prerequisite: PLSC 110.

PLSC 340. PUBLIC OPINION
Interrelation of policy process and opinion, including input/output connections and feedbacks. Introduction to basic tools of measurement. Critical examination of concepts, practical experience in survey research design and execution. Prerequisite: PLSC 110.

PLSC 342. URBAN POLITICS
Politics in urban and metropolitan communities in United States; interaction of social and political forces; problems of public policy, political influence, participation at local level. Prerequisite: PLSC 110.

PLSC 360. POLITICAL BEHAVIOR
Voting, party affiliation, public opinion, institutional roles, policy making; their relation to social structure, particularly in United States. Concepts and methods of analysis, direct applications to substantive political problems. Prerequisite: PLSC 110.

PLSC 382. SPECIAL TOPICS IN AMERICAN POLITICS
Specific topics to be announced for given semester. Prerequisite: PLSC 110.

PLSC 384. SPECIAL TOPICS IN POLICY ANALYSIS
Specific topics to be announced for given semester. Prerequisite: one introductory course in political science.

PLSC 385. SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Specific topics to be announced for given semester. Prerequisite: PLSC 110.

PLSC 421. AMERICAN POLITICS: CONGRESS
Congress as a representative and law making institution. Congressional decision-making and the influence that such forces as constituencies, interest groups, and the executive have on the congressional decision-making process and outcomes. Prerequisite: one intermediate course in American politics.

PLSC 422. BLACK POLITICS IN AMERICA
Critical evaluation of fundamental concepts and propositions related to black politics within U.S. political system. African American experience compared with the Latino, Irish, and other ethnic and minority groups. Prerequisite: one intermediate course in American politics.

PLSC 423. RESEARCH IN PUBLIC POLICY
Research seminar in American politics, mostly national. Survey of research and methodology, development of researchable public policy hypothesis, collection and analysis of data, and preparation of paper dealing with the development, enactment, implementation, and evaluation of realtime public policy during the presidency of William Clinton. Prerequisite: one intermediate course in American politics.

PLSC 452. EVOLUTION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Structures and functions of legal systems. Exploration of differences in national systems of justice and changes in justice systems over time. Emphasis on scientific perspective and methods of systematic empirical inquiry. Prerequisite: PLSC 328 or 361.

PLSC 453. POLICY ISSUES OF THE FUTURE
Examination of "cutting edge" policy issues in some depth, may include; North-South relations, global climate change, medical ethics, and human reproduction technology. Prerequisite: PLSC 328 or 361.

PLSC 454. CRIMINAL JUSTICE POLICY
Review and assessment of origin and administration of law as a form of public policy. Development and administration of law in contemporary society as an aspect of crime control systems. Research question development and hypothesis testing. Prerequisite: PLSC 328 or 361.

PLSC 456. ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ANALYSIS
Environmental policy-making as a process and the substance of environmental policy. Policy evaluation, different types of analysis, regulation and deregulation, consideration of current environmental problems. Prerequisite: PLSC 328, PLSC 215, or ENVI 215.

PLSC 481. SEMINAR IN SPECIAL TOPICS IN AMERICAN POLITICS
Legislative behavior, interest groups, socialization, elites. Methodology and theory building. Specific topics to be announced for given semesters. Prerequisite: one intermediate level course in American politics.

PLSC 482. SEMINAR IN SPECIAL TOPICS IN POLICY ANALYSIS
Policy impact analysis, analysis of social change, development of social indicators, forecasting future of urban social systems. Range of methods from intuitive to mathematical, including general systems approach. Prerequisite: PLSC 361 or 213.

PLSC 483. SEMINAR IN SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Advanced research on current issues of public management, bureaucratic politics, role of administration in policy process. Prerequisite: PLSC 320.

Comparative

PLSC 112. CULTURAL FORCES IN WORLD POLITICS
The impact of values and world-views upon the behavior of groups and states; religion, language, class, ethnicity, race, gender, and ideology in their international implications. Analysis of both East-West relations and North-South tensions from the perspective of political culture-including an exploration into the culture causes of war.

PLSC 113. INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Major institutions, processes, policy problems of government and politics in representative democratic totalitarian, and modernizing political systems.

PLSC 264. POLITICS OF LATIN AMERICA
Political system of Latin America; impact of social and economic change, both domestic and international, on institutions and processes. Prerequisite: PLSC 112 or 113.

PLSC 265. POLITICS OF ISRAEL
Israel's governmental system; various aspects of political and social life and problems, including Israel's role as Jewish state. Prerequisite: PLSC 112 or 113.

PLSC 267. POLITICS OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Examination of the various circumstances and forces that have contributed to growth of nationalism in Sub-Saharan Africa and the disparate forms of political organization and government to which it has given rise. Prerequisite: PLSC 112 or 113.

PLSC 289. SPECIAL TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Specific topics to be announced for each semester. Prerequisite: PLSC 113.

PLSC 311. POLITICS OF WESTERN EUROPE
Cross national examination of constitutional democratic systems. Processes, institutions, policies, and problems of political change in major countries of Western Europe. Prerequisite: PLSC 112 or 113.

PLSC 312. POLITICS OF FORMER SOVIET UNION AND EASTERN EUROPE
Institutions and processes in communist states of Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Prerequisite: PLSC 112 or 113.

PLSC 313. POLITICS OF CHINA AND NORTHEAST ASIA
Introduction to the politics and society of the world's oldest civilization; developments and transformations in the 20th century with emphasis on the post-1949 era. Prerequisite: PLSC 112 or 113.

PLSC 316. POLITICS OF MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
Development of political system of Southwest Asia and North Africa; Egypt, Algeria, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, Iran. Interaction of ideology, social transformation, political structure. Prerequisite: PLSC 112 or 113.

PLSC 350. COMPARATIVE POLITICAL PARTIES
Cross-national study of organization and function of political parties. Relationship of parties to political culture, recruitment, policy making. Prerequisite: PLSC 112 or 113.

PLSC 389. SPECIAL TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Specific topics to be announced for given semester. Prerequisite: PLSC 113.

PLSC 431. COMPARATIVE HEALTH CARE POLITICS
Cross-national analysis of health care delivery in developed and lesser-developed nations accounting for the impact of various factors, including political, social, economic, and legal. Prerequisite: one intermediate course in comparative politics.

PLSC 432. POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION OF TODAY'S EUROPE
Political transformations in today's Europe. Move from collectivism to market economics. Conflict between pluralism and nationalism. Transformation of authoritarian regimes into democracies. Prerequisite: one intermediate course in Comparative Politics.

PLSC 435. POLITICS OF DEVELOPMENT
Political, social change, and modernization in Third World; use of western and communist models of modernization, analysis of selected transitional systems. Prerequisite: one intermediate course in comparative or international politics.

PLSC 438. POLITICAL ELITES
Composition, recruitment, styles of elites in selected modern and transitional systems. Impact of social and economic change on professionalization of political leadership. Prerequisite: one intermediate course in comparative or international politics.

PLSC 485. SEMINAR IN SPECIAL TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Advanced comparative and cross-national analysis of specialized aspects of political systems. Specific topics to be announced for given semesters. Prerequisite: one intermediate level course in comparative politics.

International

PLSC 117. INTRODUCTION TO WORLD POLITICS
Concepts and issues comprising systematic understanding of contemporary world politics; nation-state, sovereignty and nationalism in International system; ideologies, economic imperialism, functions of international law and organizations; changing political and economic relationships; war, violence, deterrence.

PLSC 286. SPECIAL TOPICS IN WORLD POLITICS
Specific topics to be announced for given semester. Prerequisite: 112 or 117.

PLSC 319. ISSUES IN WORLD POLITICS
Competition and cooperation among major powers; problems of population, energy, food, environment; increasing political role of multinational corporations, terrorist groups and other nonstate actors; transnational relations and world order. Prerequisite: PLSC 112 or 117.

PLSC 325. ETHICS AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
Examination of the morality of U.S. foreign policy. Topics include human rights, foreign aid, foreign investment, economic sanctions, military intervention, covert action, weapons proliferation, the global environment, trade policy, drug policy, terrorism, and the United Nations. Prerequisite: PLSC 110, 113, or 117.

PLSC 327. AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
Formulation and conduct of recent foreign policy. Decision making processes, major participants, analysis of selected long-range trends. Case studies in actual policies. Prerequisite: PLSC 112 or 117.

PLSC 375. INTERNATIONAL LAW
Nature, development, function of international law; its sources, unique features, deficiencies. Prerequisite: PLSC 112 or 117.

PLSC 380. SPECIAL TOPICS IN WORLD POLITICS
Specific topics to be announced for given semester. Prerequisite: PLSC 112, 113, or 117.

PLSC 383. THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM
History, development, and processes of the United Nations and other supranational organizations. Simulations are conducted in which students debate current issues and topics facing the organization today.

PLSC 401. AMERICA'S WAR IN VIETNAM
Analysis of American involvement in Vietnam. Decision making process leading to escalation of the war, military strategy utilized during the war, the war's geopolitical goals, and the attempts to end the American presence. Prerequisites: at least one course from among PLSC 319, 327, 375, and 440.

PLSC 402. DYNAMICS OF INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT
Consideration of theoretical, historical, and empirical aspects of modern war in search of its origins. Epistemological and ethical questions about the study and conduct of war. Major ongoing interstate conflicts which threatened to become, or already are, wars. Prerequisite: at least one course from among PLSC 319, 327, 375, and 440.

PLSC 403. ISLAM IN WORLD POLITICS
Factors behind the politicization of Islam, from theocratic tradition in Islam to partition of India, from Jihad tradition to Islam's confrontation with Zionism over Palestine. The tensions between Islam, capitalism, and nationalism. Prerequisite: at least one course from among PLSC 319, 327, 375, and 440.

PLSC 404. APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
In-depth examination of some major contemporary approaches to international politics. Focus in modern "classics" of international relations by Kennedy, Rosencrance, Gilpin, Waltz, and Thompson. Prerequisite: at least one course from among PLSC 319, 327, 375, and 440.

PLSC 405. INTERNATIONAL POLITICS OF THIRD WORLD
Examination of how changes in hegemonic power structures influence the international politics of the Third World. Changing role of Third World countries in the New World Order. Third World conflicts during and after the Cold War. Prerequisite: at least one course from among PLSC 319, 327, 375, and 440.

PLSC 406. MODELS OF WORLD POLITICS
Investigation of how researchers analyze international relations through use of game theory and other mathematical models. Some algebraic manipulations involved but no more extensive mathematical expertise is required. Prerequisite: PLSC 117.

PLSC 407. INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
The politics of international economic relations focusing on the evolution of the post World War II political economy and analytical trends in the study of the interaction between the international economy and world politics. Prerequisites: PLSC 117 and at least one other course in either world or American politics.

PLSC 486. SEMINAR IN SPECIAL TOPICS IN WORLD POLITICS
Major world problems and developments. Specific topics to be announced for given semesters. Prerequisite: at least one course from among PLSC 319, 327, 375, and 440.

Theory

PLSC 115. INTRODUCTION TO IDEAS AND POLITICS
Major types of Western political theory, representative thinkers such as Plato, Hobbes, Mill, Marx. Application of ideas of these and other theorists to contemporary politics.

PLSC 287. SPECIAL TOPICS IN POLITICAL THEORY
Specific topics to be announced for given semester. Prerequisite: PLSC 115.

PLSC 371. MACHIAVELLI TO MARX
Major sociopolitical ideas and thinkers of modern world. Theories associated with origins of modern politics emergency of mass democracy, impact of industrial revolution, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, Bentham, Mill, Marx. Prerequisite: One introductory course in political science.

PLSC 373. AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT
Development of American political thought. Relationships between ideas and actions, between theory and institutions. Prerequisite: PLSC 111 or 115.

PLSC 387. SPECIAL TOPICS IN POLITICAL THEORY
Specific topics to be announced for given semester. Prerequisite: PLSC 115.

PLSC 445. COMPARATIVE BLACK POLITICAL THOUGHT
Historical and contemporary theories of liberation expounded by theoreticians from an Afro-centric perspective; pan-pigmentationist theories and political movements concerned with questions of slavery, colonialism, and racial oppression; pan-proletarianist theories and political movements concerned with questions of economic justice within countries and worldwide. Prerequisite: one course in comparative or international politics.

PLSC 460. 20TH-CENTURY POLITICAL THOUGHT
Mass movements and their ideologies, theoretical problems of advanced industrial and post-industrial societies. Impact of psychology and existentialism on modern thought. Prerequisite: PLSC 115 or 373.

PLSC 461. POLITICAL THEORY AND CONSTITUTION
Analysis of underlying principles of the Constitution and their impact on the American political system, not a course in constitutional law or full theory of the Constitution. Prerequisite: one intermediate course in political theory.

PLSC 462. CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT
Principle issues in current American thought as they relate to political and social issues such as democratic and constitutional theory, political economy, race and gender problems, rights of individuals vs. claims of community, theory of justice. Consideration of range of positions across ideological spectrum. Prerequisites: Two of the following: PLSC 110, 115, 371, 373, PHIL 145, or permission of instructor.

PLSC 465. THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL DOCTRINES OF MARX
Marx's view of history; his analysis of modern capitalism and its social and political consequences. Prerequisite: PLSC 115 or 371.

PLSC 470. PHILOSOPHIES OF POLITICAL INQUIRY
Conflict between alternative models of scientific progress. Relation of this conflict to role of values in political research. Application of viewpoints emerging from philosophical conflict to specific works in political science. Prerequisite: prior course in political theory or methodology.

PLSC 487. SEMINAR IN SPECIAL TOPICS IN POLITICAL THEORY
Issues related to political theory. Specific topics to be announced for given semesters. Prerequisite: one intermediate-level course in field of political theory.

Other

PLSC 201. CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL ISSUES
Specific subject matter announced for particular semester. Open to students not necessarily intending to major in political science who seek to broaden their background in contemporary sociopolitical issues.

PLSC 281. SPECIAL TOPICS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Specific topics to be announced for given semester. Prerequisite: one introductory course in political science.

PLSC 341. WOMEN AND POLITICS
Role of women in politics in historical and theoretical context. Attitudes of prominent political theorists toward role of females in political life. Political cultural values as barriers to assumption by women of high political office; changes in contemporary societies vis-a-vis role of women in politics. Prerequisite: PLSC 111.

PLSC 361. APPLIED POLITICAL METHODOLOGY
Research in political science, different modes of analysis. Empirical methods, hypothesis construction, theory building, data analysis, computer applications. Prerequisite: one prior course in political science.

PLSC 362. POLITICAL STATISTICS
Basic techniques of descriptive and inferential statistics; introduction to computer analysis with statistical programs. Some elementary multivariate procedures. Not open to students with credit for statistics in other departments.

PLSC 364. SURVEYS AND POLLS
Conceptual foundations of the science and art of survey research; application of principles of survey research through individual assignments and a class project.

PLSC 381. SPECIAL TOPICS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Specific topics to be announced for given semester. Prerequisite: one introductory course in political science.

PLSC 391. PRACTICUM IN TEACHING COLLEGE POLITICAL SCIENCE variable credit
Independent study through teaching in particular political science course. Instructor directs students in preparation of syllabi, other course materials; devising and reading examination; lecturing and/or leading discussion; academic counseling; etc. May be repeated for total of no more than eight credits. Credit may not be earned in conjunction with course in which student is currently enrolled. Does not satisfy major or all-college requirements. Prerequisites: consent of instructor and department. P/F only. Students must consult department for detailed guidelines.

PLSC 392. PRACTICUM IN POLITICAL SCIENCE variable credit
Combination of direct participation in some major political activity, such as election campaign or service in government office, with relevant scholarly analysis or research documentation from field experience. Prerequisites: junior standing, three relevant political science courses, and consent of instructor.

PLSC 394. ALBANY-WASHINGTON INTERNSHIP variable credit
This course is the mechanism for transferring seminar components of Albany and Washington internships to the department. The credits count toward the major but cannot be used to satisfy the departmental seminar requirement.

PLSC 395. INTERNSHIP RESEARCH PROJECT variable credit
Exclusively for juniors and seniors engaged in internship under supervision of member of department. Research completed in course of internship used as basis for substantial paper or project on topic approved by faculty supervisor.

PLSC 396. COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH variable credit
Exclusively for juniors and seniors who are working closely with a faculty member on a collaborative research project.

PLSC 397. INDEPENDENT STUDY variable credit
Tutorial study of specialized topics not offered in current curriculum. Restricted to juniors and seniors with high standing in political science, with consent of instructor.

PLSC 410 (also RHET 440). PUBLIC AFFAIRS JOURNALISM
Extensive directed practice in news gathering and news writing; interviews, coverage of public events, speeches on campus and in community; news and feature writing; opinion writing; editorials, reviews, personal commentary. Copy editing methods and practice. Headline writing. Prerequisite: RHET 240.

PLSC 480. SEMINAR IN SPECIAL TOPICS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Intensive study of particular topics announced in advance. Prerequisites: appropriate sequence of at least two previous political science courses.

PLSC 484. SEMINAR IN SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC LAW
Subject matter varies from semester to semester. Specific topic to be announced for given term. Prerequisite: one intermediate course of public law.

PLSC 488. SEMINAR IN SPECIAL TOPICS IN POLITICAL METHODOLOGY
Issues related to methodology, specific topics to be announced for given semesters. Prerequisite: one intermediate-level course in methodology.

The Honors Program

PLSC 496. HONORS SEMINAR 2 credits
Emphasis on theoretical and methodological approaches to the discipline of political science. Open to outstanding senior majors.

PLSC 498. HONORS INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROJECT
Design and execution of an analytical research project under the supervision of a faculty honors independent research committee. Corequisite: PLSC 496.

PLSC 499. HONORS THESIS 6 credits
Preparation and defense of an honors thesis; normally this will be an extension of the research project undertaken in PLSC 498. Prerequisite: PLSC 496 and 498.

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Graduate Programs

The graduate programs in political science provide opportunities for specialized study leading to the master of arts and the doctor of philosophy degrees. In addition to offering graduate seminars and directed research opportunities in selected subfields of the discipline, the graduate programs are organized around the central theme of public policy analysis and evaluation. Within the departmentally defined major fields for the MA and PhD programs, students are encouraged to pursue comparative and interdisciplinary programs emphasizing the institutions and processes through which public policies are made, implemented, and evaluated in different levels and types of political systems.
The primary focus of the department's master's program is a specialized curriculum in public policy analysis and administration. The degree offered is the professional MPA (master of public administration). A more conventional master of arts option is also available (see below). Most MA students select the MPA.
The public policy analysis and administration specialization (MPA program) provides opportunities for students to prepare for employment in public or private agencies as policy analysts and public administrators. It offers a unique opportunity to the student interested in a strong academic program combined with significant attention to the administrative and analytic techniques of modern policy agencies.
The MPA specialization may lead to a terminal degree that affords preparation for employment in federal, state, or local government agencies, or for related professional careers; it may also be seen as prefatory to the PhD program, which provides advanced training in the policy process.
The PhD program offers flexibility of subject within structure. Five fields of study are offered: American politics and policy, comparative politics and policy, world politics, and political theory, and research methodology. Geographically, faculty strengths and library resources are concentrated in such regional areas as the United States, Western Europe, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Soviet Union-Eastern Europe.
The requirements of the MA and PhD programs are set forth below. Exceptions to these requirements may be authorized in individual cases by the departmental graduate committee. More detailed information is included in the Student Degree Handbook for Graduate Programs in Political Science, available on request from the Political Science Department.

Master of Arts Program

Admission

Applicants for admission are required to submit scores of their Graduate Record Examinations. An undergraduate specialization in political science is desirable but not essential. A broad background in the social sciences, humanities, languages, statistics, and mathematics is considered a desirable preparation for study in the discipline. Applicants are expected to present minimum cumulative undergraduate grade-point averages of 3.0 in all subjects and 3.2 in political science courses, with combined verbal, quantitative, and analytical scores above 1500 on the Graduate Record Examinations.
For a student with insufficient preparation in political science or related subjects, the departmental graduate committee may, at the time of matriculation, specify:
1. Additional credits to be earned beyond the 32-40 normally needed for the MA degree; or
2. Additional study without graduate credit in subject areas in which the student may be deficient.

Guidance

Each student, during the first semester in residence, petitions the departmental graduate committee for appointment of a guidance committee (consisting of three faculty members), which is primarily responsible for guiding the student throughout the MA program.

Master of Public
Administration

MPA degree candidates are required to complete 40 hours of course work, with a B average or better. If students take three graduate courses per semester, the requirements can be satisfied within three semesters of formal study (or two semesters for those in the five-year BA/MA program), plus a summer internship.
First, the student completes the five core courses: PLSC 500, Research Methods and Statistics; PLSC 530, Strategies for Policy Analysis; PLSC 532, Social Values and Public Policy; PLSC 534, Public Administration; and PLSC 536, Public Finance.
The second component consists of a 10-week internship, required of all students who lack significant continuous experience in public service. The internship may be in a government agency, a community organization, or a private organization engaging in public policy activity. Four credits are awarded for the internship, following submission of a report based on the experience. Most students elect to intern in a local government agency, while others choose state or national agencies, often pursuing a special policy interest.

In-Service Option
There is an in-service option available for those entering graduate school after an extended period of full-time employment. Under this option, the internship is waived, and the individual need complete only 36 hours of course work and submit a report.

Examination
On completion of the course work, normally at the end of the third semester in residence, the student takes a written comprehensive examination, administered by a committee selected by the student and the program director. On satisfactory completion of the master's examination and all other requirements of the program, the examining committee recommends to the department that the candidate be recommended for award of the degree of master of arts in political science.

Five-Year BA/MA Program

The department offers to Harpur College students an undergraduate specialization in public policy analysis and administration that may be taken as an integral part of a five-year BA/MA program. Students who are interested in pursuing the BA/MA program should contact the director of the MPA program.
Special arrangements with SUNY-Cortland also provide for special advanced standing and admissions consideration for its undergraduate students concentrating in public policy and administration, the effect of which also enables individuals to complete the baccalaureate and the master's degree within a five-year period.

Conventional MA Curricula

It is also possible to earn a conventional master's degree within the department. Admission requirements are the same as those for the MPA specialization. The student should plan to take three graduate courses or seminars per semester. Normally, the program can be completed within three semesters of formal work, following one of two plans:

Plan A
MA with a thesis requires a minimum of seven seminars with a B average or better, satisfaction of a research skill, and the writing and defense of a thesis. The seven seminars include PLSC 500, three seminars in the field of specialization, and normally not more than one graduate course from outside the department. Exceptions are allowable, and must be approved by the graduate committee.

Plan B
MA without a thesis requires a minimum of nine seminars, including PLSC 500, with a B average or better, and completion of a master's examination in the student's field of specialization. Under Plan B, two graduate courses from outside the department may be counted toward the degree.

Examinations
For Plan A students, the thesis committee consists of the student's advisor and two other members of the graduate faculty appointed by the departmental graduate committee, in consultation with the student. The thesis committee directs the research and writing of the thesis. A final draft of the thesis must be submitted to the thesis committee no later than April 15 of the year in which the candidate expects to receive the degree. If the committee approves the thesis, the candidate is examined orally on its content and on knowledge of the field of specialization. The decision of the thesis committee is by unanimous vote. On satisfactory completion of this and all other requirements of the program, the committee recommends to the department that the candidate be recommended for the award of the degree of Master of Arts in political science.
Under Plan B, the student, through seminar work and outside reading, prepares to take a master's examination in the field of specialization. The written examination covers the general theoretical aspects of the field, and of a subfield defined by the student and approved by his or her advisor. The examining committee consists of three members of the graduate faculty who represent the particular field of specialization, including the student's advisor. The examination committee must be approved by the departmental graduate committee in consultation with the student. The decision of the examining committee is by unanimous vote. Usually, candidates for the degree take the master's examination on completion of their formal seminar work. On successful completion of the examination and all other programmatic requirements, the committee
recommends to the department that the candidate be recommended for award of the degree of Master of Arts in political science.

Research Skills
Students in the MA program who elect to write a thesis under Plan A are required to demonstrate a working competence in one research skill appropriate to their program of study and research. Those selecting the non-thesis option under Plan B have no such requirement, except for PLSC 500, unless they intend to seek admission to the department's PhD program, in which case competence in one research skill is required prior to the qualifying examination (see below). The department recognizes research skills in foreign languages and statistics. Competence in research skills must be certified by formal examination according to standards and procedures established by the departmental graduate committee.

Doctor of Philosophy
Program

The doctoral curriculum educates scholars for public policy research-especially applied research with an evaluation component. To emphasize the nontraditional focus of the curriculum, it is referred to as the doctoral curriculum in the policy sciences. All students must take at least one seminar in four of the five fields noted above. In addition, each student must present a major concentration in American, comparative, or world politics and a minor concentration in one of the five fields, including political theory and research methodology. (Under special circumstances approved by the graduate committee, the minor concentration may be a field outside the Department). In addition, all doctoral students must take a full year of research methods.
The policy sciences curriculum provides training and research experiences yielding the following capacities: 1) familiarity with the nature of social problems, alternative instruments for dealing with those problems, and the status of research on their relative effectiveness for several areas of public policy; 2) facility with major theoretical and conceptual approaches to policy and process analysis; 3) skill in use of the range of statistical and computational tools commonly employed in policy and process analysis; 4) knowledge of institutional processes, decision making practices and theory, administrative behavior, and management strategies; 5) awareness of alternative public goal structures, as articulated at various policy levels and in the context of differing philosophic approaches.

Admission

Applicants for admission to the PhD program are required to submit scores of their Graduate Record Examinations and are expected to have achieved combined verbal, quantitative, and analytical scores above 1650, with minimum undergraduate grade-point averages of 3.3. Formal admission to the PhD program occurs only when the student has completed at least one semester in full-time residence in the department's graduate program and has successfully passed the qualifying examination. Until these requirements are fulfilled, all admissions to the PhD program are considered to be provisional.

Seminar Requirements

For the PhD program, each student must take a minimum of six seminars beyond the master's degree, in residence at Binghamton. However, an overall minimum of 15 graduate courses and seminars beyond the bachelor's degree, exclusive of the master's thesis, is required prior to the student's undertaking the examinations for admission to PhD candidacy. Students in the PhD program must maintain a minimum B average in their graduate courses at Binghamton, and must have an average of 3.3 before the Admission to Candidacy Examination can be scheduled.
Each student, during the second semester in residence in the program, petitions the departmental graduate committee for appointment of a guidance committee of three members of the graduate faculty, at least one of whom must serve at the rank of full or associate professor. The student's principal advisor for the major field chairs the guidance committee. This committee advises the student throughout the program and normally conducts the qualifying, admission to candidacy, and dissertation examinations.

Examinations

Qualifying Examination. During the second semester in residence, and no later than March 1, each student matriculating with an MA and provisionally admitted to the PhD program takes a qualifying examination. No such student is considered for funding beyond the first year of residence without successful completion of this examination. Students matriculating into the PhD program with a BA and without an MA must pass the qualifying examination during their third semester in residence. The examination, which is normally oral but may have written segments at the discretion of the student's guidance committee, ascertains the likelihood of the student's successfully completing the PhD program. Passage of the qualifying examination requires the unanimous assent of the guidance committee and, after acceptance by the graduate committee, signifies the formal admission of the student to the PhD program. Should unanimous assent for passage of the student be lacking, the members of the guidance committee may recommend, by simple majority vote, that the graduate committee place the student in one of two categories:
1. Deferred consideration, with a re-examination to be taken on completion of specified additional work by a specified date; or
2. Disenrollment from the PhD program at the end of the current semester.
Research Paper. During the fourth and fifth semesters, all students are required to take a two-term course in Research Methods and Statistics (PLSC 500 and 501). This sequence is devoted to the preparation of a manuscript based on original research on a topic of the student's choice. The second semester is conducted as a seminar including all students who have completed tutorials.
Admission to Candidacy Examination. After the completion of seminar work and research skill requirements for the PhD degree and one month after submitting a dissertation prospectus to members of the dissertation guidance committee, a student may schedule a comprehensive examination. The director of graduate studies will select one other member of the graduate faculty to serve on the comprehensive examination committee. The examination will explore the student's breadth of knowledge in political science, paying particular attention to the breadth and depth of knowledge in the student's major and minor fields. The prospectus is the written component of the exam. It will serve as the basis for demonstrating both the mastery of the literature in the major and minor fields and the potential to conduct the research to write the dissertation. Decisions made by this four-member examining committee require a minimum of three assenting votes.
Dissertation Examinations. Once approved by the guidance committee, the prospectus forms the basis for the candidate's doctoral dissertation. A final draft of the dissertation must be submitted to the guidance committee no later than April 1 of the academic year in which the candidate expects to receive the degree. If all committee members, including a required outside reader, individually approve the dissertation, the candidate is examined orally on its content. Since the full committee may require revisions, the student is strongly urged to submit the dissertation well in advance of the April 1 deadline. The decision of the committee in the oral examination is by unanimous vote. On the student's successful completion of these dissertation requirements, the guidance committee recommends to the departmental graduate committee that the candidate be recommended for award of the degree of doctor of philosophy in political science.

Research Skills and Activity

All candidates for the PhD degree must demonstrate a working competence in research skills directly appropriate to their programs of study and research interests. These skill requirements must be taken in advanced statistics or foreign languages. Competence in research skills must be certified by formal examination according to standards and procedures established by the departmental graduate committee.

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Course Offerings/Graduate

Methods of Analysis

PLSC 500. RESEARCH METHODS AND STATISTICS I
Introduction to philosophy of science; structure and logic of experimental, quasi-experimental, and ex-post-facto research designs; statistics and data analysis, including measures of central tendency and dispersion, inference and tests of statistical significance, estimation of the degree and strength of bivariate relationships, and estimation of relationships when controlling other variables.

PLSC 501. RESEARCH METHODS AND STATISTICS II
Continuation and elaboration of the topics covered in PLSC 500 with particular emphasis on the general linear model, its extensions, and related advanced topics.

PLSC 503. SURVEY RESEARCH DESIGN
Basic sampling. Criteria for selection of telephone, face-to-face, or mail as the mode of data collection. Question writing and instrument design. Estimating dollar costs and time frames. Compilation, analysis, and reporting of results.

PLSC 510. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND RESEARCH PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Development of skills necessary for the preparation of successful proposals to government agencies and private foundations for the funding of political or policy science research or of policy-relevant program research.

PLSC 533. EVALUATION RESEARCH
Policy evaluation models and their use. Experimental and quasi-experimental design. Development of evaluation design by seminar participants, its application in field.

PLSC 600. SEMINAR IN ADVANCED STATISTICAL METHODS
Exploration of special advanced topics in political and policy analysis.

Domestic Policy and Public Administration

PLSC 523. INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
Political systems, processes, policies of sub-national jurisdictions within American federal system. Comparative as well as case-study approaches illuminate variety of political practices and social problems of American states and communities. Concentration on a) politics of American states, b) urban politics and policies, or c) community political processes.

PLSC 530. STRATEGIES FOR POLICY ANALYSIS
Introduction to benefit-cost analysis, decision-tree analysis, implementation, comparative policy analysis, evaluation research, and theories of decision making.

PLSC 534. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Concepts and issues of public organizations and their administration, decision making, behavior patterns of public career officials, public planning and budgeting, role of administration in political process and organizational development.

PLSC 536. PUBLIC FINANCE
Introduction to modelling and problem solving from an economic perspective. Analysis of types of taxes used in the U.S. and the major attributes and consequences of each.

PLSC 537. PUBLIC PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION
Personnel function in government and non-profit agencies, including recruitment, promotion, career development, and leadership. Patronage and civil service systems.

PLSC 540. PUBLIC BUDGETING
Principal components of budget system: policy formation, planning, programming, legislative control, execution of state and local budgets. Federal and state assistance, funding sources, urban-rural problems, pressure groups in budget decision making. Budgetary policy and procedure in New York State, current fiscal problems.

PLSC 541. ADMINISTRATIVE LAW AND PUBLIC POLICY
Legal procedures, doctrines, steps involved in bureaucratic formulation and implementation of public policies. Case analysis method. Administrative decision making, procedure and adjudication, attentive publics, administrative discretion, secrecy, judicial review, and intervention.

PLSC 542. ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY
Theories of organization. Structural, behavioral, systems theories as related to organizational development, control, stability, change, purpose.

PLSC 547. ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Theories of bureaucratic behavior or how public officials act in bureaucracies and strategies for changing that behavior.

PLSC 575. SELECTED TOPICS IN PUBLIC POLICY
Rotating seminar provides intensive, in-depth study of some specialized aspect of American politics, public policy. Topics vary; may be repeated for credit.

PLSC 580. LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
Analysis of the ways judges, rights, and adversary hearings affect the making and implementation of public policies.

PLSC 595. INTERNSHIP IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Internship in public or private nonprofit agency in area of student's specialization. Practical application and experience; academic analysis of subject area.

PLSC 596. PRACTICUM: PROBLEMS IN ADMINISTRATION
Exploration of the problems in contemporary administration from the perspective of the practitioner.

PLSC 620. SEMINAR IN AMERICAN POLITICS
Basic literature in American politics; various frameworks of analysis currently in use in American politics research; various approaches to American issues, institutions, processes.

PLSC 630. SEMINAR IN POLICY INSTITUTIONS
Study of decision-making institutions and their influence on the policy process. Executive, legislatures, bureaucracy, and courts. Limited to doctoral students.

PLSC 631. SEMINAR IN ECONOMICS FOR POLICY ANALYSIS
Introduction to economic concepts and methods of analysis. Applications to the study of politics and public policy.

PLSC 633. RESEARCH SEMINAR IN SELECTED TOPICS IN PUBLIC POLICY
Exploration of special interests of students and faculty arising from advanced study of particular areas of public policy. Limited to doctoral students. Topics vary; may be repeated for credit.

PLSC 638. RESEARCH SEMINAR IN SELECTED TOPICS IN POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INSTITUTIONS
Exploration of special interests of students and faculty arising from advanced study of political and administrative institutions. Limited to doctoral students. Topics vary; may be repeated for credit.

World Politics and Policy

PLSC 640. SEMINAR IN COMPARATIVE POLICY ANALYSIS
Variations across national settings of means by which governmental policies are planned, implemented, changed. Countries from several geographic regions. Policy consequences of political change.

PLSC 650. SEMINAR IN WORLD POLITICS
Global political system of interaction among states, intergovernmental and nongovernmental agencies, and subnational actors. Persistence of independent behavior of states and growth of interdependence. Impact of social and economic forces. Problems of security, war, conflict resolution. International community-building. Relevant theories, interpretations, modes of analysis.

PLSC 652. SEMINAR IN MIDDLE EASTERN POLITICS
Political systems, processes, policies of states in the Middle East. Problems of political and institutional organization, leadership, economic and industrial programs, national goals and ideologies, political and social stability and change.

PLSC 660. SEMINAR IN WORLD SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
Theory of systems and relevance of appropriate constructs for political analysis; 19th and 20th century international systems; balance of power (19th century) and systemic interactions in political, social, and economic spheres since World War II. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches, with empirical evidence given precedence in analysis of contemporary systems.

PLSC 661. SEMINAR IN FOREIGN POLICY
Major issues, trends, processes, institutions of foreign policies of modern national states. Linkage of foreign policy to domestic forces; strategies and styles of decision making.

PLSC 663. SEMINAR IN SELECTED TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
Exploration of special interests of students and faculty arising from advanced study of cross-national and international political experience. Topics vary; may be repeated for credit.

PLSC 668. SEMINAR IN WORLD POLITICAL ECONOMY
Major economic forces influencing world politics; relations between rich and poor nations; impact on international behavior of institutions such as GATT, IBRD, IFAD, IMF, and UNCTAD, as well as multinational corporations.

Policy Values

PLSC 532. SOCIAL VALUES AND PUBLIC POLICY
Realities of policy formulation in relation to social values. Devising standards for evaluation of public policy and administration; concept of administrative responsibility and public interest; bureaucracy, democracy, and quality of public policy.

PLSC 671. SEMINAR IN STATE, ECONOMY, AND SOCIETY
Liberal, Marxist, and welfare state conceptions of relationships between state, economy, and society. Influence of political ideas on political action.

PLSC 675. SEMINAR IN POLITICS OF INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY
Macropolitical organization and dynamics of industrial and post-industrial society. Historical dimension of political action and public policy. Sources of tension in contemporary industrial systems. Impact of differing patterns of control over means of production.

PLSC 676. SEMINAR IN AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT AND PUBLIC POLICY
Liberal constitutionalism and political economy in relation to public policy. Critics of liberal tradition.

PLSC 679. SEMINAR IN SELECTED TOPICS IN POLITICAL THEORY
Exploration of special topics in history and/or applications of political theory in political science, arising from special interests of students and faculty. Topics vary; may be repeated for credit.

Other

PLSC 599. THESIS 1-12 credits

PLSC 697. INDEPENDENT STUDY 1-4 credits

PLSC 698. PREDISSERTATION RESEARCH 1-9 credits/semester
Independent reading and/or research in preparation for comprehensive examinations for admission to PhD candidacy, and/or preparation of dissertation prospectus. Graded on S/U basis only.

PLSC 699. DISSERTATION 1-12 credits/semester
Research for and preparation of the dissertation.

PLSC 700. CONTINUOUS REGISTRATION 1 credit/semester
Required for maintenance of matriculated status in graduate program. No credit toward graduate degree requirements.

PLSC 707. RESEARCH SKILLS 1-4 credits
Development of research skills required within graduate programs. May not be applied toward course credits for any graduate degree. Prerequisite: approval of relevant graduate program directors or department chairs.

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