Focuses on constitutions, federalism, the development and organization of political parties, public opinion and the role of pressure groups. Selected topics on domestic and foreign policy are included. Selected policy areas will be examined in detail. The Constitution and its development through judicial interpretation. Emphasis is on the distribution of power in the national government, between the national government and the states, and between government and the individual.
Emphasis is on principles related to civil liberties and civil rights.
This course in American legislatures compares the structures and functions of local, state and national legislatures across time and across legislative agendas and interest groups. Topics include the legal environment of national elections, parties and partisanship, voter interest and turnout, theories of voter behavior, campaign finance, the mass media, pubic opinion polls and campaign reform. The study of comparative politics aims at training students in systematically, critically and analytically examining the political, economic and social dynamics of nations in the international political system. More specifically, this course provides students with an in-depth knowledge about a particular region of the world. The region emphasized may differ from semester to semester.