PLSC 1000 Introduction to American Politics (4 Credits)

Philosophical traditions, historical background, structure and functioning of American government, and political attitudes and behavior. This course counts toward the Scientific Inquiry: Society and Culture requirement.

PLSC 1110 Comparing Politics around the World (4 Credits)

This course introduces students to the study of comparative politics, a sub-field within political science that uses a “comparative method” to compare and contrast countries to understand questions such as Where do ‘states’ come from? Why are only some democratic? How do states promote economic development? Why are some states increasingly rich while others remain poor? Why do people mobilize peacefully to influence politics in some places while they violently attack the established order in others? How do distinct identities rooted in ethnicity, gender, race, and religion influence politics differently around the world? How does globalization affect various countries, and why do some seem to cope with contemporary challenges more effectively than others? This course counts toward the "Scientific inquiry: Society and culture" requirement.

PLSC 1610 Introduction to Political Thought: Citizenship and Action (4 Credits)

This course presents an introduction to some of the key ideas and questions in the study of politics. As an introductory course, it cannot present a systematic overview of the entire study of politics; rather, it seeks to introduce students to some central concerns in the study of politics. In this course we learn about the basic principles of human conduct in social contexts and explain how social scientific methods are used to understand these underlying principles. This course counts toward the Scientific Inquiry: Society and Culture requirement.

PLSC 1810 Introduction to Law and Society (4 Credits)

This course introduces the relationship between law and society, exploring principles of legal conduct in social contexts and explaining how social scientific methods are used to understand these principles. Questions discussed include what is the relationship between the “law-on-the-books” and “law-in-action,” and what can we learn from gaps between formal law and the “real” law that is experienced in society? Empirical examples may include international comparisons and the evolution of law over time. This course counts toward the Scientific Inquiry: Society and Culture requirement.

PLSC 1988 Study Abroad Resident Credit (0-18 Credits)

PLSC 2001 Law and Politics (4 Credits)

Introduces the relationship between law and politics, describing the basic principles of legal conduct in political contexts and explaining how social scientific methods are used to understand these underlying principles. Questions explored may include the following: Where does the law come from? Whose interests does it reflect? Does formal legal change lead to practical political and social change? Why do we comply with the law? What are the limits of enforcement? This course counts toward the Scientific Inquiry: Society and Culture requirement. It also satisfies the department distribution requirement in law. Prerequisite: sophomore standing & either PLSC 1000, 1110, 1610, or 1810.

PLSC 2002 Abortion Politics and Law (4 Credits)

Abortion has been, and continues to be, a defining issue in America politics and law. As the traditional story goes, the country has been locked in a high-stakes and highly controversial fight over abortion since the Supreme Court legalized access in 1973 via the Roe v. Wade decision. While a convenient story, it egregiously oversimplifies both the past and present of abortion politics and law. This class aims to explore the cyclical and complex relationship between law and politics of abortion in America: how it came to become a national issue; how and why its contours have changed over time; what effects it has had on people’s lives and the country’s politics; and how we can constructively think about the new, post-Roe US. In doing so, we will also consider how the case study of abortion can inform our more general understandings of American politics, law, movements, and political parties.

PLSC 2010 Polarization in America (4 Credits)

This course covers major themes surrounding polarization in American politics. From the 1930s through the 1970s, the most conservative Democrats in the Senate were actually further to the right than the most liberal Republicans. Since that time, the parties slowly but steadily distanced themselves from each other, leading to our current state of politics; One defined not by compromise and conference committees, but rather by obstruction, gridlock, and filibusters. Voters mimic this divide, becoming increasingly hostile and antagonistic to their political opponents.

PLSC 2020 Politics of Desire (4 Credits)

This course surveys political theory literatures on the topic of desire—with a focus on sexuality. Readings will survey historical and contemporary theories of relationships, sexual identity, and power, and topics will include the relationships between ideas about desires and ideas about bodies, needs, and preferences. We will think about desire as it manifests in our individual and collective lives, such as its relationship with race, gender, aesthetics, and freedom. We will especially tackle the problem of how to transcend affinities for hierarchy and distinction and in their place generate desires for democratic equality.

PLSC 2025 Youth Political Participation: Comparative Perspectives (4 Credits)

This advanced undergraduate seminar examines how young people engage in politics across the world, comparing patterns of participation, disengagement, and mobilization across generations. Students explore major debates in youth political participation and citizenship studies through scholarly readings, documentaries, and discussions of current events. This course fulfills the international/comparative politics subfield requirement for political science majors.

PLSC 2070 Power, Politics and Religion in Sub-Saharan Africa (4 Credits)

Focusing primarily on Anglophone cases and the growth and diversification of Christianity over time, this course examines religious justifications for independence struggles, the anti-Apartheid movement, and church-led campaigns for democratization and international debt relief. It also explores the contemporary rise of born-again Christian nationalism in many African states and its policy implications. It uses a combination of audiovisual and written materials, guest speakers, student presentations, lectures, and discussions. This course counts toward the comparative/international politics sub-field requirement for PLSC majors and counts as an equivalent to RLGS 2071 (Religious Studies).

PLSC 2100 Political Psychology of Identity (4 Credits)

This course introduces you to the interdisciplinary field of political psychology with a focus on exploring the various foundations of social identity and the implications of these identities for political outcomes in the United States. Throughout the quarter, we’ll compare the influence of different identities and examine the psychological and political implications of social identities. The class focuses on two key identities: gender and race. We’ll examine the psychological foundations of gender and racial stereotyping and prejudice, how race influences perceptions of the criminal justice system, and the ways in which White identity shapes citizens behavior and opinion in American politics. We finish the quarter with a focus on new, emerging scholarship that further complicates the relationships between human psychology and gender and racial identity.

PLSC 2200 Politics of China (4 Credits)

Napoleon Bonaparte allegedly said, "let China sleep, for when she wakes up, she will shake the world." Two hundred years later, China is indeed waking up, and the world is feeling the dragon’s hot breath. In this class we will examine the fall and rise of the Chinese state, with a focus on its political and economic trajectories after the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. Some of the key issues to be examined are: China’s "economic miracle," when, if ever, will China democratize, its potentially explosive relations with Taiwan, its challenges to America’s global hegemony, etc.

PLSC 2220 Comparative Democratization: East and West (4 Credits)

This course brings the contested notion of democratization into the East Asian context and tests its relevance for countries at various stages of political and economic development in the region. After introducing the general debates over what democratization is and tracing its emergence in Western Europe and North America, class explores the rise of democratization movements in East Asia and examines the various forms of democratization in different political and economic settings. Satisfies the department distribution requirement in comparative/International politics. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

PLSC 2235 Politicized "Ethnicity": Cross-Disciplinary Approaches to the Study of Identity Politics (4 Credits)

What are racial and ethnic identities? Are they more likely to influence political outcomes than other types of identity (e.g., gender, profession, class), and if so, why? This course introduces competing concepts of ethnic identity and connects them to the historical construction of race and national identities. By studying these issues in cases outside of the United States, you will gain unique comparative perspective about the idiosyncrasies of U.S. politics and history. Course materials include readings, podcasts, videos and documentary footage from political science, sociology, legal studies, and other disciplines. Why take this course? Gaining insight into the construction of ethnic, racial, and national identities will help you better understand yourself, your relationships, political campaigns, activist tactics, and episodes of political violence, among other things. The course satisfies the departmental sub-field requirement for majors in comparative/international politics. Recommended before taking this course: one introductory level course in political science.

PLSC 2250 Democratic Erosion: Comparing Experiences Across Countries and Over Time (4 Credits)

As the conclusion of the Cold War spurred a tidal wave of democratization around the globe, western policy makers and pundits often assumed that even in weak, poverty-impacted states attempts to democratize were bound to succeed – at least eventually. By 2008, however, the discourse of democratization had been transformed. “Celebrations of democracy’s triumph are premature,” wrote a noted scholar of democratization; “in a few short years, the democratic wave has been slowed by a powerful authoritarian undertow.” Recently, both the quality and quantity of “democratic” states have declined. Even the world’s oldest, most taken-for-granted liberal democratic regimes increasingly flout democratic norms and policies. We consider a range of comparative cases from across world regions. Along the way, we engage with several prominent theories of democratic backsliding or authoritarianization. The course satisfies the departmental sub-field major requirement in comparative/international politics.

PLSC 2260 Politics of Japan (4 Credits)

How did Japan rapidly catch up with more advanced industrial powers? Can other developing countries copy the Japanese model? What was the "darker side" behind Japan's economic miracle? How do we come to terms with the sudden burst of Japan's "Bubble Economy?" Will Japan’s current economic recovery process, which started in 2002, be sustainable? Is a genuine international reconciliation between Japan and its neighbors possible? These are just some of the questions we will examine in this class. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PLSC 2290 Comparative Politics of Latin America (4 Credits)

Latin America is home to the uneasy marriage between politics and economics. This course will focus on two major themes in Latin American politics. First, this course will examine why Latin American countries swing between democratic and authoritarian regimes. Second, the course will examine how local and global economic forces interact with politics in the region. The course will also cover some contemporary issues in Latin America such as corruption, inequality, migration, and climate change.

PLSC 2320 Pohjoinen Maa: Exploring a Nordic Alternative in Everyday Life, Politics, and Policy (4 Credits)

While a relatively young, small, and remote country, Finland has been a world leader in areas as diverse as public education, social welfare, sustainability, design, arts, sport, and increasingly, international relations and defense. Most popularly, though, Finland is known for its multi-year consecutive run as the world’s happiest country. Simply seeing the country and culture through the happiness lens, however, flattens the complexity of Finland’s history and its present. This class will use in-person meetings and immersive field study experiences to better understand how Finland presents a different model for life and governance, and to ask what lessons this northern country–this Pohjoinen Maa–might offer for you, Colorado, and the United States.

PLSC 2355 Race and the Right to Vote in the United States (4 Credits)

This course introduces students to historical and contemporary topics related to race and voting rights in the United States. Seminars cover the historical development of the franchise from the founding to today. The majority of the course will focus on contemporary topics in voting rights. Readings will be drawn from law review articles, political science academic journals and books, primary sources, and popular press outlets. Although this class does not exclusively focus on quantitative investigations, students will be expected to engage with quantitative research methods related to voting rights and voting rights litigation (having already taken Political Inquiry–PLSC 2901–will be an advantage). Students will spend most of their time devoted to this course reading, participating in classroom discussion, in-class activities, and working on a final project. Students are not required to have any prior experience with political science, law, or quantitative studies to take this course. Pre-reqs: PLSC 1000, PLSC 1110, PLSC 1610, or PLSC 1810.

PLSC 2360 Settler Colonialism and Indigenous Resistance in Three Continents (4 Credits)

This course explores historical and contemporary aspects of racialized power structures as they have specifically impacted indigenous peoples in Australia, the United States, and Latin America. How did the dynamics of imperialism, capitalism, liberal state-building, and racialist (and racist) ideology combine to devastate indigenous communities around the world? How did distinct perspectives on time, space, property, and community allow colonizing populations to conquer native populations even while advocating the most egalitarian political structures ever attempted? Satisfies department distribution requirement in comparative/international politics. Sophomore standing required.

PLSC 2370 International Politics of Tariffs, Money, and Migration (4 Credits)

International Politics of Tariffs, Money, and Migration examines the interplay between politics and economics within and across nation-states in response to international politics and economics. The course explores the effect of political factors on international economic relations and the impact of international economic factors on domestic and international politics. The objective is to evaluate various theories of the global political economy through observation of the international political-economic system. Satisfies the department's distribution requirement in comparative/international politics. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

PLSC 2410 American Government Simulation (4 Credits)

This course explores American politics by simulating the legislative process of the federal government. Students play either a member of the House of Representatives or a member of the Executive Branch. The simulation requires that students seek the goals related to their position. By putting theory into practice, students gain a better understanding of Washington politics. Satisfies the department distribution requirement in American politics. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

PLSC 2415 Campaigns and Elections (4 Credits)

The U.S. holds hundreds of elections every year, but presidential elections stand alone as the only truly national contests. What influences presidential selection? What information can we gain as citizens and scholars from national presidential debates? These elections are guided by distinct rules (including nominations via primaries and caucuses, evolving campaign finance laws, and the strict requirements of the Electoral College) with ever-changing strategies to maximize support under these rules. This class provides students with the historic context and political science concepts and theories to better understand the many steps involved in electing U.S. presidents.

PLSC 2420 American Presidency (4 Credits)

Historical development and current role and powers of the U.S. presidency. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PLSC 2425 Religion in American Politics (4 Credits)

This course offers a broad, critical overview of the relationship, and some of the tensions, between religion and politics in the United States. We first review how the historical presence of a variety of American religious groups and perspectives on the relationship between church and state have impacted the nation's often conflicted sense of identity as well as the tenor of our ongoing debates about - and within - religion in American politics. That gives us a foundation for exploring a number of current "hot button" issues like debates over "moral values" and faith-based initiatives. Satisfies the department distribution requirement in American politics. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PLSC 2430 Political Parties & Interest Groups (4 Credits)

Evolution and structure of political parties; how they mobilize voters and provide leadership of political issues. Satisfies the department distribution requirement in American politics. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PLSC 2435 US Conservatism in Context (4 Credits)

This class explores elements of modern US conservatism by looking at both its roots in the mid-20th Century, as well as issues that help animate its current form. As such, students will consider, among other things, what defines US conservatism; who the members of the contemporary conservative coalition are, why; and what issues help define and maintain the present movement as a whole. Pre-requisite: PLSC 1000, 1110, 1610, or 1810.

PLSC 2450 Latina/x/o/e Politics in the United States (4 Credits)

This class will examine the political trajectory of the Hispanic/Latina/e/x/o/@ population in the U.S. political system. This course serves as an intensive introduction to the scholarship on Latino Politics. The first half of the class will cover different Latin American national origin groups separately. The readings on national origin groups will examine and analyze political outcomes such as political behavior and preferences. The second half of the course will focus on policy outcomes, political behavior, and recent elections as they pertain to Latinos in the United States.

PLSC 2470 State and Local Politics (4 Credits)

This course examines the general and the unique traits of the politics, institutions, and policy processes of state governments. We will, in addition, take advantage of our location and focus on the government and politics of Colorado. Satisfies the department distribution requirement in American politics. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

PLSC 2480 U.S. Congress (4 Credits)

Structure and functions of U.S. Congress and congressional behavior. Satisfies the department distribution requirement in American politics and counts toward the Scientific Inquiry: Society and Culture common curriculum requirement. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PLSC 2500 Political Psychology (4 Credits)

This course examines the intersection of politics and psychology. Students will examine how emotion, cognition, and group psychology influence political actors and policy outcomes. Students will apply these concepts to voting, foreign policy decision-making, and the formation of belief systems.

PLSC 2503 Women, Gender, and Law (4 Credits)

How have U.S. courts understood women and gender both historically and today? This course will begin with questions about who “counts” as a woman and how different groups of women have been treated by our legal system. We’ll then examine topics such as economic rights, access to academics and athletics, domestic violence, and reproductive rights through an examination of court cases and secondary sources. Students will have the opportunity to analyze these topics through varied theoretical lenses such as substantive versus formal equality, autonomy, and non-subordination.

PLSC 2510 Women in U.S. Politics (4 Credits)

This course focuses on the role of women in U.S. politics, with an emphasis on voting, elections, and representation. Topics include the woman suffrage movement, women’s voting patterns, women as candidates, and women holding elected office. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PLSC 2520 Public Opinion & Political Behavior in the US (4 Credits)

Why do people believe the things they believe about American politics? Why do people get involved in politics at all? Through this course, we’ll explore the attitudes, beliefs, and behavior of the American voter though traditional participation like voting, higher cost activities like volunteering for campaigns, or less traditional forms like running for office or participating in protests. This class provides a strong background on the scholarly literature surrounding participation and opinion and helps to dispel common myths about voters.

PLSC 2530 Race & Ethnicity in U.S. Politics (4 Credits)

This course addresses the issues of race and ethnicity in American politics through two lenses: the crafting and implementation of domestic policies (such as welfare, education, and the criminal justice system) and the framing of political decisions. After an introduction to historical, sociological, and psychological approaches to the study of race and ethnicity, we apply these approaches to studies of American public policy. The course then transitions, examining the explicit and implicit racialization of political decisions. Throughout the course, students consider the role of institutional design, policy development, representation, and racial attitudes among the general public in shaping the American political environment.

PLSC 2540 Race, Crime, and the Law (4 Credits)

This class examines the ways that race structures a multitude of components in the U.S. criminal justice system. Over the course of the quarter, students are introduced to various approaches to understanding how race structures the American criminal justice and legal systems. Students also learn about the importance of race and racial attitudes to the political development of legal structures and representation in American politics. Finally, students will study the political and social consequences of racialization in the criminal justice and legal systems.

PLSC 2620 Quest for Community (4 Credits)

This course explores how political theory over the past several decades has grappled with the benefits, limitations, and paradoxes of liberalism in the post-modern world. Inquiry revolves around whether and how liberalism can deal with the identities, differences, and distributive inequalities that complicate our world today. Is liberalism -or its successor ideology, neoliberalism- an appropriate model for political community, or should it be replaced with a different paradigm? What would it mean to think beyond liberalism to something more radical and democratic? Satisfies the department distribution requirement in political theory. Junior standing required.

PLSC 2630 American Political Thought (4 Credits)

Where do distinctly "American" values and beliefs come from and why are they so fiercely held? Are there viable alternatives to the classic ways in which Americans tend to address our social and political problems? This course offers an exploration of these questions from the perspective of a diverse array of American political thinkers. Starting before the Founding and continuing to political thinkers of the present day, this seminar-style course will examine different interpretations of American identity—and the unique ways they intersect—in American political speech and theory. Satisfies the department distribution requirement in either American politics or political theory.

PLSC 2660 Feminist Political Thought (4 Credits)

This course surveys political theory literatures on feminist thinking and activism. Readings will survey historical and contemporary theories of gender, identity, patriarchy, misogyny, and liberation. Course will center trans and of-color feminist narratives thinking and practices. Emphasis on critical analysis of various feminist texts in writing and in class discussion.

PLSC 2670 Radical Democracy (4 Credits)

What does it mean to say “the people acted”? What is democracy, or what could it be? This course pursues answers to these questions through an exploration of works in political theory. We will read texts that attempt to move beyond procedural forms of democracy such as elections and representation and argue for more substantive forms of democracy in the form of deliberation, racial justice, and disagreement. To think about the ideas in these texts as resources for enacting radical democracy from within less than democratic institutions, we will also conduct voter registration and/or education on or off campus.

PLSC 2701 Topics in American Politics (4 Credits)

Focuses on specific issues in politics of the United States. PLSC 2701 satisfies the department's distribution requirement in American politics. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PLSC 2702 Topics in Comparative Politics (4 Credits)

Focuses on topics in comparative and/or international politics. Satisfies the departmental sub-field requirement in comparative/international politics. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PLSC 2703 Topics in Law and Politics (4 Credits)

Focuses on topics in law from a political science perspective. Satisfies departmental distribution requirement in law. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PLSC 2704 Topics in Political Theory (4 Credits)

Focuses on topics in political theory. Satisfies departmental sub-field requirements in political theory. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PLSC 2706 Politics of Money (4 Credits)

This course is a study of the relation of ideas about property, labor, rights, exchange, capital, consumption, the state, pleasure, production, theology, leisure, poverty, sex and gender difference, needs and luxury, race, morality, procreation, and markets. We will focus on how people have articulated relations among these concepts and others as foundations or manifestations of power, especially prior to some of these topics becoming widely seen as integral and systematic parts of “the economy.”.

PLSC 2755 Legal Actors and Institutions (4 Credits)

This course examines the legal system from the points of view of those who work within it. It considers the social characteristics of lawyers, judges, regulators, elected officials and non-state actors, and how they matter to the social construction of law. The emphasis is on the social organization of law and the everyday interactions that bring meaning to the legal system. It considers and seeks to understand how legal roles, legal institutions and power relations within the law influence its development and practice. Throughout the course, students are required to think critically about how society and the social relationships of law influence law's outcomes. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

PLSC 2820 Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties (4 Credits)

This course addresses major ideas and principles of U.S. constitutional law, with a focus on equal protection of the law, fundamental rights, and freedom of speech and religion. Within each of these areas, we will consider the development of court rulings over time, economic and political influences on court decision-making, and policy implications of these rulings. While PLSC 2860 complements this course, it is not necessary to take both courses. Satisfies the department distribution requirement in law. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

PLSC 2825 The Politics of Rights (4 Credits)

This course examines rights and rights-claims as complex and contingent resources for political actors. The class aims at equipping students to be better able to identify, understand, and critically evaluate how, why, and to what end rights claims are used in politics. Particular attention is paid to social and political movements that use rights-claims, as well as the various advantages, limitations, and problems that can accompany rights-based political appeals. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or above.

PLSC 2830 Judicial Politics (4 Credits)

This course considers the role of courts, especially the Supreme Court, in the U.S. political system. Topics include the the potential dangers and benefits of allocating significant power to un-elected justices, judicial decision-making, Court-Congress interaction in developing public policies, the social and political effects of court rulings, and legal interest groups.

PLSC 2835 European Union law and politics (4 Credits)

This course explores the law and politics of European integration in the postwar era, examining how and why states that invented sovereignty became bound by a supranational legal system that regulates the largest single market in the world and diverse communities across European countries. Questions include the following: What is the origin and future of the European Union (EU)? Why did Russia invade Ukraine about a decade after the EU won the Nobel peace prize for its promotion of peace, prosperity, and democracy in Europe? What are the causes and consequences of the United Kingdom's (UK) withdrawal from the EU, in a process called "Brexit" (British exit)? How has the EU responded to the erosion of democracy and the rule of law in multiple member states? This course may count toward the Scientific inquiry: Society and culture common curriculum requirement and either the law or comparative politics sub-fields of the Political Science major.

PLSC 2840 International Law & Human Rights (4 Credits)

This course explores the role that international law plays in promoting human rights. Why did states first commit to international human rights protections after the Second World War? Why did states voluntarily surrender their sovereignty by signing and ratifying human rights treaties that limit their freedom to act domestically? Does this international law influence governments’ human rights practices? Who enforces international human rights law? Which countries are leaders or laggards when it comes to international human rights? This course can count toward the sub-field requirement for PLSC majors in either law or comparative/international politics.

PLSC 2850 Politics of Criminal Justice in the US (4 Credits)

Problems and reforms in American criminal justice system; causes and extent of crime, excessive use of force by police, systemic racism, bail reform, probation and parole; prisons and police/community relations. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PLSC 2855 Conservative Politics and the Courts (4 Credits)

This course focuses on the reasons for and uses of litigation and judicial politics in the pursuit of conservative ends. As such, the class critically examines the different major sub-groups that define modern American conservatism; how these subgroups compare to and interact with one another; the conditions that allow for political movements generally to use courts in pursuing policy ends; and the specific steps that various American conservative groups have taken in order to influence courts, law, and policy. Introduction to American Politics (PLSC 1000) is recommended, but not required.

PLSC 2860 Constitutional Law: Governmental Structures and Powers (4 Credits)

This course addresses major ideas and principles of U.S. constitutional law, with a focus on federalism, the growth of national power, and separation of powers. Within each of these areas, we will consider the development of court rulings over time, economic and political influences on court decision-making, and policy implications of these rulings. While PLSC 2820 complements this course, it is not necessary to take both courses. Satisfies the department distribution requirement in law. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

PLSC 2880 Comparative Constitutional Politics (4 Credits)

Many fear that democracy is in decline, in the US and around the world. Citizens in the US and many other countries look to judicial review of written constitutions as a way to preserve democracy while protecting rights. Yet can judges serve effectively as guardians of democracy or rights? Do US-style “checks and balances” violate the “separation of powers” when judges declare that laws – approved by elected representatives in the legislative and executive branches – are unconstitutional and must be overturned? Does this approach of “constitutionalism” create a “juristocracy” – government by judges – that is incompatible with representative democracy? In this course, we examine constitutional politics comparatively, (1) exploring why constitutionalism spread widely during the postwar and post-Cold war eras and (2) analyzing its implications for contemporary democracies and their citizens. As a course in the sub-field of comparative and international politics, cases from outside the US will be the focus of our inquiry, with the US discussed in comparative perspective.

PLSC 2901 Political Inquiry (4 Credits)

Introduces political inquiry within the discipline of political science, examining quantitative, qualitative, and historical research methods with a focus on basic principles of effective research design and data analysis; no previous mathematical background is necessary. By the end of the course, students are able to evaluate scientific research, frame a research question, and design a research study. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PLSC 2988 Study Abroad Resident Credit (0-18 Credits)

PLSC 3290 Capstone Seminar in Politics (4 Credits)

This capstone seminar is required for all majors and explores theoretical and empirical issues of politics with application to specific political developments. Topics vary by section and instructor. All students complete a significant independent research paper based in part on analysis of primary source materials. Senior standing required. Political Science majors only.

PLSC 3701 Topics in Political Science (1-4 Credits)

PLSC 3702 Topics in Political Science (1-4 Credits)

PLSC 3703 Topics in Political Science (1-4 Credits)

PLSC 3704 Topics in Political Science (1-4 Credits)

PLSC 3706 Contemporary Topics in Latin America (4 Credits)

This course examines contemporary (post-2000) topics in Latin America. The course is divided into three sections. Each section concludes with a mini-conference in which students present on these issues, focusing on a Latin American country of their choosing.

PLSC 3982 Political Internship (1-4 Credits)

This is a hybrid on-line/in-class internship course. Students may work on political campaigns at the federal, state, or local level. Students will keep journals structured by questions from a faculty member, meet in a seminar with others doing an internship to reflect on service in their placement, respond to on-line assignments and writing prompts, and write a research paper integrating their experience with relevant scholarship.

PLSC 3983 Internships and Careers in Politics and Law (2-4 Credits)

This 4D Friday course is designed to provide academic support and course credit to accompany student internships in the legal and political fields. We will meet weekly on Fridays. This time will provide space for refletion and discussion of your internship experience, as well as professional development activities that will help you successfully complete your internship and pursue further career opportunities. Students will also complete between 60-120 hours at an internship site of their choosing.

PLSC 3985 Legal Internship (4 Credits)

This is an online class for students working in internships related to the legal profession. Students may work in the local courts, advocacy organizations, the public defender’s office, or the district attorney’s office, either in Denver or elsewhere in the U.S. Students will complete internship hours in addition to engaging in an online course that focuses on professional development, reflections on the internship experience, and relevant legal scholarship. Students are responsible for applying to and securing their own internships (with assistance from the professor), and should plan to begin this process early, typically in advance of registration.

PLSC 3988 Study Abroad Resident Credit (0-18 Credits)

PLSC 3990 Honors Thesis (2-8 Credits)

Independent work on honors thesis. Prerequisite: senior standing.

PLSC 3991 Independent Study (1-4 Credits)

Independent scholarship on a theoretical or empirical project. Prerequisite: faculty approval.

PLSC 3995 Independent Research (1-10 Credits)

Students must get instructor permission and fill out an Independent Study/Research form in order to enroll in an independent research course.