Political Science (PSCI) Courses

PSCI1001 Introduction to Political Science

Political Science is the study of how human beings create governments, leaders, laws and policies. This foundational course explores how and why politics involves all aspects of our everyday lives. The dynamics of politics center on acquiring, distributing, and/or restricting access to power held by citizens and states. From local politics to international relations, the study of politics enables understandings of who ultimately gets what, when, where, why and how - or not. This course therefore explores the major ideas that drive the ways in which leaders govern, the systems in which they operate, motivations and barriers for citizens to participate in political life, how institutions of government work, and the role of money and media in the making of politics, from Main Street to Wall Street. This course also considers the modes by which citizens drive change in their governments, from Facebook and the ballot box to mass-scale protests driving political revolutions of the 21st century.
Offered at Online, Providence
3 Semester Credits

PSCI1030 Introduction to Political Theory

This course examines the major political propositions and ideas advanced in Western political thought that address and analyze core political controversies. By considering many of the primary thinkers and classic texts influencing political thought, this course explores the foundational concepts of political science. Students are equipped with the intellectual tools to comprehend and rationally question political concepts such as justice, liberty, rights, equality, power, authority, law and sovereignty.
Offered at Providence
3 Semester Credits

PSCI2001 International Relations and World Politics

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the study of international relations, core concepts and key theories of world politics. Presented in this course are foundational ideas for understanding major historical and contemporary events in world politics, the behavior of states, and their relationship to the global order. This course prepares students to interpret world politics through analysis of particular trends, patterns, crises and global change. The chronic nature of war and ceaseless search for peace are considered, exploring how twentieth century historical events contribute to the twenty-first century nature of international relations. Politics and economics are also considered, focusing on economic relations among advanced post-industrial economies and issues of development of non-western nations, emphasizing the Global South. The role of post-colonial legacies and the failure of states is an important theme of the course. Additional topics include critical and emerging analyses that imagine possible future systems of international relations; imperialism; cold war politics and its legacies; national security theory including deterrence and the role of international political and monetary organizations in world politics.
Offered at Providence
3 Semester Credits

PSCI2100 Comparative Politics and Government

This course introduces students to the vital role that comparing systems of governments and political life plays in understanding the complex world of the 21st century and its politics. Through a focus on basic theories, analytical methods and questions in the field of comparative politics, students explore how political systems differ, how ideologies play a key role in defining political systems and governments, and the ways in which socio-cultural factors are a force in the making of particular models of government. Topics include the purpose of government and the role of the modern nation-state; autocratic and democratic structures of government; parliamentary and presidential democracies; elections and electoral systems; revolutions and political change; the influence of economics, religion and culture on government; globalization; and how governmental structures and institutions ultimately impact the lives of those governed. Country-specific case studies are examined throughout the course.
Offered at Providence
3 Semester Credits

PSCI2200 Race, Politics and Power in America

This course explores the pivotal question of why and how race matters so greatly to the making of politics and governance in historical and contemporary America. The course begins at the earliest formations of the U.S., underscoring the pivotal part that race played in defining citizens and rights during this era. Focus is on these foundational-period linkages to race and political rights and their political implications for the post-modern civil rights movement. Historical factors, status changes of minority communities in the U.S., and the idea of a post-racial society are compared and contrasted.
Offered at Online, Providence
3 Semester Credits

PSCI3005 Political Ideologies and the 21st Century

Historical events and processes of the 20th century help us to grasp the rising political ideologies of the 21st century and the emerging ways in which these ideologies are expressed as organizations, such as ISIS. Political ideologies of the past and of this century often stand in opposition to each other, as demonstrated in globalization/anti-globalization movements. Movements such as anarchism, perceived as marginal in the U.S., play a considerable role in shaping political events abroad. Digital movements of disruption, such as Anonymous, represent new modes of ideology, power and expression. The fate of ideologies with their roots in the 19th and 20th centuries, such as environmentalism, feminism, fascism, and radical-right-wing and anti-government groups in the 21st century is explored. Emerging and splinter hate groups, insurgent, anti-state movements and alternative political models and organizations are examined in global context, from Canada to New Caldonia.
Prerequisite(s): ENG1021 or ENG1027, sophomore status.
Offered at Online, Providence
3 Semester Credits

PSCI3200 Women in American Political Life

This course explores the role played by women in American politics and the effect of political decision making on women from the founding of the United States until the present day. Topics include women's acquisition of political power, including the struggle for suffrage and for the vote; the role played by women in creating public policy and the effect of policy on women; and women as reformers and political activists. Emphasis is on the role played by women of color as political actors in their communities and on the national stage.
Prerequisite(s): ENG1021 or ENG1027, sophomore status.
Offered at Providence
3 Semester Credits

PSCI3500 Special Topics in Political Science

This course focuses on a different area, issue or theme each semester, depending on student interest and faculty opportunities to teach and lead innovative course initiatives. Possible topics include study of Congress, the presidency, Washington political culture and the role of the media, national security, political campaigns, public social policy, political violence, and regional studies (e.g., European Union, Middle East). Additional fees may apply depending on specific course section offered.
Prerequisite(s): Sophomore status.
Offered at Providence
3 Semester Credits

PSCI3550 Inside Washington: Contemporary American Politics in Critical Perspective

This course explores the contemporary American political landscape as it is constituted and impacted by regular midterm and presidential election cycles; ongoing deep political polarization among the electorate; radical politics on both the left and right; the role of mainstream, alternative and social media in American politics; issues of campaign financing; dynamics driving levels of prevailing voter attitudes and turnout, and emergent domestic policy issues. The point of departure for this course is an engaged examination of the themes, factors, variables and actors that constitute the complex American political landscape, as broadly examined during The Washington Center’s Inside Washington intensive seminar. This course enables students to examine more specifically those issues, events, trends, patterns, precipitous political happenings, and current political science research of interest to them, on an individualized basis.
Prerequisite(s): Sophomore status.
Offered at Providence
3 Semester Credits