The aim of this course is to examine the role of borders in today's world. The format of the nation-state, in which we all live today, is based on the assumption that states are produced and defined at their borders. This is the place where entry is granted or denied both to people and goods, and the location where different laws, regulations and rights start tor cease to exist. But what is the relevancy of borders and nation-states in today's world? Is the frequent movement of goods, people, and laws require us to rethink these concepts? And what about culture, do borders still divide between people who are the same culture? These are some of the topics that we will be exploring during the semester.

The recent history of Afghanistan has highlighted the complexities of national and state building. This course explores these two terms and what they mean. Is there a single universal definition and a singular path to modernity or are there multiple definitions and pathways to modernity? The first part of the course will examine the various theories of development with this question in mind. The second part of the course will focus on one developing country. By concentrating on their development pattern we draw out some lessons about tensions and contradictions that accompany development.

: Examines how civic values, dispositions, and practices affect the quality of a democracy, with attention to democratic participation beyond the ballot box, media literacy, patterns of civic engagement, policy making institutions at the national, state and local levels, creating democratic institutions and procedures, democracy simulations, and decision-making.

Is another world possible? Could we have inherited a different global order? We examine the pillars of current global order, such as the rise of capitalism, emergence of state, violence, imperialism, rise and fall of dominant states, and emergence of democratic values and institutions. We particularly examine how we as individuals interact and help maintain the current global order with an understanding that we can change the current order for a better order in the future. The second part of the course examines various theories of how to understand the global order ranging from realism, liberalism, Marxism, to globalization, human security and feminism.

A study of the importance of public education as a public good and a right; policy making institutions at both the national and state level; and analysis of the output—public education outcomes with an emphasis on how schools are funded in the US and its implications for present and future.

Transfer credits ONLY from another accredited institution not equivalent to a UW-Superior course.

Structure of American government on the national, state and local levels; federalism; behavior patterns of public officials; modes of citizen participation. Not open to Political Science majors.

What role does government play in preparing for a potential biowarfare/bioterrorist act? Preventing such attacks or outbreaks? This course reviews the powers of the state to prevent and respond to attacks, including a background in the history, origins, motivations, and techniques used by terrorists. The course will cover the potential for biowarfare/bioterrorist acts, how destruction is produced, and government preparedness, response, and recovery from such attacks. Bioterrorism and its various dimensions is the primary focus and thus topics covered in this class. For most weeks, however, we will ask (and attempt to answer) the question ‘what role does/should government have in addressing this issue?’

Same-sex marriage, welfare reform, stem cell research, urban poverty, the legalization of medical marijuana...these and other contemporary issues incite tremendous passion among the public, leading to policy debates, disputes over the role of government in American society and controversial social policy. This course goes beyond the surface-level debates and explores the political and social context of contemporary political controversies as well as the ramifications of government policies.

This course is an interdisciplinary examination of various theories of the causes of conflict and conflict resolution within the specific historical context of the disintegration of Yugoslavia during the 1990s, and particularly the Bosnian was of 1992-95. Using those historical events and the questions they raise as a test-case, the course will try to come to some general conclusions about the nature and causes of ethnic conflict and how it differs from interstate conflict; the reasons for and methods of international intervention, including negotiation, arbitration, adjudication, and mediation; the factors that contribute to the success or failure of various methods of intervention and conflict resolution; the challenges involved in re-building societies after war; and the long-term prospects for fostering peace, security, justice, and human rights through such efforts. Code 1. RE.

This course is an interdisciplinary examination of various theories of the causes of conflict and conflict resolution within the general historical context of the rise and demise of the British Empire, and particularly the Northern Ireland question. Using those historical events and the questions they raise as a test-case, the course will try to come to some general conclusions about the nature and causes of ethnic conflict and how it differs from interstate conflict; the reasons for and methods of international intervention, including negotiation, arbitration, adjudication, and mediation; the factors that contribute to the success or failure of various methods of intervention and conflict resolution; the challenges involved in re-building societies after prolonged civil war; and the long-term prospects for fostering peace, security, justice, and human rights through such efforts. Code 1. RE.

Northern Ireland Study Abroad

This course consists of two parts. The first part will be online and cover the background information to the conflict (namely who are the parties to the conflict, what happened, and how each party views the past). The second part of the course will involve the actual trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina to evaluate how the peace agreement has failed or succeeded in terms of addressing issues of justice, truth, security and stability. There will be a special focus on housing and school segregation after the conflict.

Transfer credits ONLY from another accredited institution not equivalent to a UW-Superior course.

Transfer credits ONLY from another accredited institution not equivalent to a UW-S course.

Transfer credits ONLY from another accredited institution not equivalent to a UW-S course.

Transfer credits ONLY from another accredited institution not equivalent to a UW-S course.

Transfer credits ONLY from another accredited institution not equivalent to a UW-S course.

Transfer credits ONLY from another accredited institution not equivalent to a UW-S course.

Study Abroad

Field trips designed by the department faculty to give students direct experiences in foreign countries. Each program includes preparatory reading, orientation meetings, a faculty-supervised study tour, and a detailed written evaluation of learning situations associated with the course. With consent of the relevant program and content adaptation, programs provided by other agencies can be considered for this credit. Students must obtain approval for taking these courses prior to participation. Otherwise the course may not count. For specific degree requirements, consult your advisor. The course can be repeated only if content is different.

The course explores research methods used in social science to study human thoughts, behaviors, interaction, institutions, and populations. The study of research is meant to provide students with the practical tools of doing social science research, including formulating their own research questions and developing analytical strategies to evaluate those questions. In addition, the course provides the theoretical background for reading, evaluating and interpreting existing empirical research.

Comparative study of the political behavior and institutions of the state and local governments in the United States; current structural and functional problems confronting these political systems.

This course examines various political theories in terms of their relevance to the question of war and peace. Specially, how does each theory define peace (negative or positive) what should be done to preserve and maintain peace; whether war is inevitable; and under what conditions is it legitimate to resort to war. The following "traditions" will be covered in the course; realism, liberalism, Marxism, globalization, feminism, post-colonialism, post-colonialism, post-modernism, constructivism, international justice, green, globalization and human security.

The first part of the course examines how economic, social, political, environmental and legal policies facilitate movement towards peace in a broad context. The emphasis will be to link policies that enable us to move towards a more just world. The second part of this course examines various approaches to peace from simple peacekeeping to peacebuilding.

The first part of this course examines how we define human rights by examining the treaties that serve as the foundation of human rights such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This section also examines the various institutions that have been created to monitor and enforce these treaties such as the UN Human Rights Council and the European Court of Human Rights. The second part of the course examines the text of various international treaties that relate to subjects such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, torture, gender discrimination, racial discrimination, and refugees. The course will conclude with an evaluation of the emerging institutional framework to better monitor and enforce these laws, most notably the International Criminal Court.

In a representative democracy, active participation in elections is essential to ensure elected officials remain faithful to constituent interests. Does this ideal adequately reflect the nature of elections in the current political system? This course is designed to expose students to the contemporary state of Congressional and Presidential campaigns in the American political system with focus on campaign strategy, the role of the media and campaign finance. The course also investigates contemporary elections, examining who votes and why, and the mechanics of the electoral process.

This course provides participants understanding of the politics and process of environmental policy-making in the US. The class begins by examining how environmental issues arrive on the public agenda and the role of political institutions – along with scientists, non-profits, and the general public – in crafting environmental policy. This, in the effort, to equip participants with a theoretical understanding of the policy-making process as well as the practical political forces that predominate today. Emphasis is placed on the use – or misuse – of scientific information in the policy making process. This is intended to provide students an understanding of the various approaches used by governmental and non-governmental actors in the creation of environmental policy, and the necessary trade-offs actors must make given the constraints of the system. At the end of the term, students should be able to discuss the circumstances necessary for environmental policy change as well as a better understanding of the current environmental policies concerning the management of the Great Lakes watershed.

This course explores the politics of power and resistance. It introduces different concepts of modern and pre-modern power and control, and examines instances of resistance from around the world, traversing different time periods, geographies, and cultures. Examples range from peasant revolts to labor movements, feminist struggles to antiwar mobilizations, prisoner uprisings to popular wars. The course inquires into the social forces involved, what they seek to resist, the methods and goals of resistance, and the reception of this resistance by its purported audience. This course incorporates theoretical and historical texts as well as visual material and movies.

In the United States, women hold 18% of the seats in the 112th Congress, marking the nation 85th in its level of representation for women. Globally, women constitute 15% of all members of parliament, although significant regional variation persists. How do gendered hierarchies continue to shape and structure political systems? Why have women not yet reached parity in elected office? Should women be represented as women? What difference do women bring to elective office? These and other questions are explored throughout the course, with particular attention to the historical exclusion of women from the public arena, the methods used by women to enter electoral and activist politics, and the current political status of women in the United States and globally. Cross-listed as POLS/GST 374.

This course examines the nature and origin of human rights, as well as the conflicts and debates that result from the different understanding of the concept. We will explore questions such as; Are human rights individual or collective? Are they universal or should instead be understood as culturally sensitive? Do they include positive rights or only negative rights? And what about economic and social rights? Providing answers to these questions will allow us to understand our own political, economic, and social beliefs, as well as approaches that are different from ours. In order to answer these questions, the course will combine discussions about the concept of human rights with analyses of current cases of human rights violations around the world, including the origin of these violations, desired changes, politics, and effective actions.

The course examines the different approaches to the concept of justice, in the attempt to help students develop their own critical thinking about the topic. The course overviews the leading contemporary conceptions and theories of justice - including utilitarian, libertarian, communitarian, deliberative-democratic, and feminist theories -, and focuses on the relationship between theories of justice and concepts of liberty and equality. The aim of this course is to examine the ways in which each of these different approaches to justice provides a different vision for the political, economic, and social life, and shapes different institutions and values.

Transfer credits ONLY from another accredited institution not equivalent to a UW-Superior course.

The political debates between liberalism and conservatism are ardent. However, while these two terms are used freely and are attached to varied themes, their meaning is uncertain. Hence this class aims to introduce the students to the meaning of American conservatism. While defining conservatism, students will become familiar with the most relevant topics in the American Conservative Thought. The class introduces the political and philosophical heritage of conservatism, as well as examines themes that are relevant to contemporary American politics today. The focus will be on principles of conservatism, not on analyzing policies or proposals. Moreover, aiming to give a balanced view, a variety of perspectives that support and criticize American Conservatism will be presented.

Human reproductive cloning, genetic modification and alteration, personalized genomics, synthetic biology...these are only some of the areas of inquiry in the life sciences that have attracted public interest for their societal, ethical and policy implications. This course examines the political and ethical implications of selected areas of biotechnology that are now a part of the contemporary public debate with particular emphasis on the impact of these technologies on women. Some of the principles examined are legalistic, while others require ethical reasoning evaluating concepts such as human nature, personhood and autonomy. Key questions considered in this course include: Who benefits from these biotechnologies? Who are the primary actors engaged in policy creation? How can emerging technologies best be managed to balance individual freedom and scientific advancement with adequate protections for vulnerable classes? Finally, how do these technologies fit into our belief systems regarding the desirability of emerging biotechnologies in our individual lives and for society more generally?

Seminar course providing a deeper look at feminist thought, building on the introduction provided in GST 150. Through readings and films, examines conversations, controversies, and connections among a range of feminist thinkers. Students explore the intersections of feminist thought and action, reading a variety of calls to action and articulating their own. Cross-listed as POLS/GST 456.

How have the contemporary Congress and President changed over the past two hundred years? Are these changes consistent with the intent of the Founding Fathers? Do we have an imperial Presidency? Why do Americans consistently approve of their member of Congress yet revile Congress as an institution? This course is designed to explore the historical evolution of the Executive and Legislative branches of government, while simultaneously considering the intention of the Founding Fathers. The nature of this interbranch relationship is evaluated through examination of the political parties, elections and the changing electoral and partisan environments.

Structured and focused field experience in a public agency. Students will be assigned duties in various agencies. Prerequisites: Only students with a Political Science major or minor may enroll in this course. Written consent of the instructor must be obtained before registering for this course. Since the internship is an independent learning experience involving the cooperation and assistance of an outside agency, students should notify the instructor in writing of their interest in doing an internship early in the semester before the semester of the actual field experience.

Transfer credits ONLY from another accredited institution not equivalent to a UW-Superior course.

Transfer credits ONLY from another accredited institution not equivalent to a UW-S course.

Transfer credits ONLY from another accredited institution not equivalent to a UW-S course.

Transfer credits ONLY from another accredited institution not equivalent to a UW-S course.

Transfer credits ONLY from another accredited institution not equivalent to a UW-S course.

Transfer credits ONLY from another accredited institution not equivalent to a UW-S course.

Required culminating senior year project which integrates and synthesizes the student's coursework (theories, concepts, skill competencies) into a formal project and experience, negotiated with the student's minor advisor and instructor for final consent and approval. Senior capstone is paired with another course in the minor.

The program offers a specially designed seminar or student-initiated seminar when there is sufficient interest. For further information, see the program coordinator.

Guided research on a selected topic in political science. Each student produces a formal written research paper based on systematic investigation of the question. Individual work in consultation with a faculty thesis advisor will be balanced with collaborative discussions among all students writing theses. The capstone will be a public presentation of each student's research findings.