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2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Course Descriptions
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Course Numbering System
The following lists include all courses normally offered at Albion College. However, not all courses are offered every year. When possible, courses offered in alternate years are designated. For details, students should consult the Class Schedule for each semester, available online at: www.albion.edu/registrar. The College reserves the right to add or withdraw courses without prior announcement, as conditions may require.
Unless otherwise stated, 100 level courses are intended for freshmen, 200 level for sophomores, 300 and 400 level for juniors and seniors.
A list of courses which meet the core and category requirements, organized by departments, is available online at www.albion.edu/registrar.
Further information may be obtained at the Registrar’s Office in the Ferguson Student, Technology, and Administrative Services Building.
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Political Science: American Politics and Policy |
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PLSC 101: Politics of American Democracy
(1 Unit)
An overview of the dynamics and structure of the American political system: the Constitution, civil liberties, Congress, the Presidency, bureaucracy, interest groups, political parties, and voting behavior. Contrasts the principles of democratic action with a behind-the-scenes examination of how public policy is actually made. Dabney, Grossman, Rose.
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PLSC 214: Congress and the Presidency
(1 Unit)
An examination of the changing roles and responsibilities of Congress and the presidency with a focus on the changing political environment and the potential for leadership. Grossman.
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PLSC 225: American Citizenship in Theory and Practice
(1 Unit)
Focuses on the ways in which the concept of American citizenship has changed over time in response to various historical events such as the founding of the American republic, the abolition of slavery, the expansion of suffrage rights, the waves of immigration from Europe and Asia, and other circumstances. Grossman, Rose.
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PLSC 229: Film Images of World War II
(1 Unit)
The history of the Second World War and world films made about the war from 1939 to the present. (Film fee.) Offered in alternate years. Same as HIST 229 . Cocks, Grossman.
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PLSC 302: Public Policy, Interest Groups, and the American Welfare State
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing, PLSC 100 and PLSC 101.
This seminar analyzes the United States and the development of a robust middle-class welfare state: i.e., the “hidden” welfare state. While US centric, the seminar does not ignore a comparative analysis of other types of welfare states. The seminar analyzes key scholarship on contemporary state theory and American political development (APD) and engages broad questions about public policy, state formation, bureaucratic development, and the rise and fall of the New Deal/Administrative State (1932-1980). Emphasis will be on the fundamental role that interest group liberalism (IGL) has on the public policy arenas of: race relations, civil rights & civil liberties, healthcare, education, urban affairs, rural politics, and the way that IGL has configured law, legislation, and liberal democratic structures in the USA are the primary areas for analysis. The seminar will provide an opportunity for students that wish to in a purposely cross-disciplinary approach: an approach that draws heavily on scholarship in politics, history, and political sociology. Staff
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PLSC 310: State and Local Government
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 101 or permission of instructor.
This course will cover state and local government and politics with an emphasis on Michigan’s state government and local governments. Topics will include the challenges facing government at both levels, including education, housing, economic development, revitalizing urban areas, and the changing relationship with Washington, D.C. Sections of the course will cover specific themes including campaigns and the Michigan political landscape; the Michigan economy; political leadership; and the legislative processes at both the state and local levels. McLean
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PLSC 312: American Political Development
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 , PLSC 101 .
Considers rotating topics: war, race, and organizational and institutional changes in historical context. Seminar themes include: the periodization of American history, national state formation, the political economy of industrialization and urbanization, and the social dynamics of continuity and change in the American political system. Grossman.
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PLSC 315: Presidential Campaigns and Elections
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 , PLSC 101 .
The continuing evolution of both the presidential nominating process and the fall general election campaign. A look at the role played by political parties, candidate-centered organizations, money, issues, images and the mass media in the presidential selection process. Offered in those years when the presidential election campaign is at its peak! Dabney, Staff.
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PLSC 317: Political Parties in the United States
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 , PLSC 101 .
Examines the evolution of the party system in the U.S. and roles political parties play in contemporary American politics. Looks at party realignments, third party movements and advancements, party infighting and bipartisan cooperation. Addresses the question of party decline and the rise of alternative institutions of interest articulation. Dabney.
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Political Science: International Relations and Comparative Politics |
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PLSC 102: Introduction to Comparative Politics
(1 Unit)
Examines the political institutions and processes of countries around the world. Emphasizes how to make meaningful comparisons between systems in different countries. Covers conditions for and functions of democracy, with an emphasis on how different kinds of democracies work. Provides a framework for comparison and considers the United States in comparative perspective. Topics include the vibrancy of democracy, the centrality of political and electoral institutions, the possibility of revolution, and the power of ethnicity. Dabney.
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PLSC 103: Introduction to International Politics
(1 Unit)
Examines and evaluates competing theoretical approaches (“paradigms”) which seek to explain inter-state war, international institutions and the global economy. Explores scholarly debates about the implications of international anarchy and national sovereignty. Focuses on the causes of violent conflict, the emergence of human rights norms and international courts, the dilemmas of humanitarian intervention, and the implications of global inequality. Part I examines competing theoretical perspectives in the discipline; Part II,approaches to studying war, violence and conflict; Part III, international institutions; Part IV, issues related to the global economy and international development. Grossman, Walling.
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PLSC 207: Transitional Justice
(1 Unit)
How does a government build a secure, democratic society built on the rule of law and principles of human rights in the aftermath of mass atrocity? How do people live together peacefully in the aftermath of mass atrocity? Explores the set of practices, mechanisms and concerns that arise when a new government attempts to come to terms with a legacy of past human rights violations following a period of conflict, civil strife or government repression, e.g., amnesties, reparations, truth commissions, and criminal prosecutions in order to ensure accountability, serve justice, discover truth and achieve societal reconciliation. Walling.
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PLSC 235: American Foreign Policy
(1 Unit)
Exploration of the history of American foreign policy, covering leading theories that explain its shifting style, goals, and outcomes. Grossman.
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PLSC 237: Controversies in Global Politics
(1 Unit)
How do we achieve justice beyond borders in an increasingly complex and interdependent world? By examining different traditions of political, ethical, and legal thought, students acquire the tools necessary to make reasoned judgments about urgent political problems in international politics. These problems include but are not limited to: global poverty, human rights, immigration, global climate change, nuclear proliferation, terrorism, and sea-level rise. Walling.
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PLSC 256: Human Rights
(1 Unit)
Introduces the key concepts and theoretical tools for understanding human rights and human rights policy in the context of the modern world. Examines human rights in a global comparative context with emphases on all the major world regions. Draws on the central theories and concepts of comparative politics and international relations to explain how and why governments protect (or fail to) human rights and to examine the intersection among citizens, governments, and non-governmental organizations that work to investigate and protect against human rights abuses. Walling.
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PLSC 301: International Organizations
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 ; PLSC 102 or PLSC 103
This course examines why states create international organizations and considers whether or not they are significant and effective actors in international politics. Students will expolore the processes of global governance across a wide range of issues and become acquainted with the institutional and legal structures of inter-state cooperation in multiple regions of the world. This course will emphasize security cooperation wnd global governmental organizations liek the United Nations, NATO and the International Criminal Court as well as non-governmental organizations like the International Committee for the Red Cross and Amnesty International.
Lecture
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PLSC 306: Democratization and Democratic Breakdown
(1 Unit)
This class examines democratic transitions and democratic erosions worldwide. When examining the issue of democratic transitions, we will try to understand why, how and when do they occur, while also paying special attention to political, cultural, social and economic conditions that foster good democratic governance. Students will learn to identify the key attributes of democracy in both theory and practice, and gain an understanding of how political scientists measure democracy. This course will also examine the conditions under which once consolidated democracies, erode. Our analytical focus will therefore turn to critically analyzing developments in economically well-developed countries, including the United States, that undermine democratic institutional structures. Both processes – democratization and democratic erosion – will include case studies from various regions in order to better understand their causes and consequences. Staff
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PLSC 336: International Relations
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 and one of either PLSC 102 or PLSC 103 .
A study of the behavior of nations, including topics such as: national power, balance of power, deterrence, diplomacy, collective security, international law, international organization and disarmament. Grossman, Walling.
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PLSC 338: International Political Economy
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 and one of either PLSC 102 or PLSC 103 .
An introduction to the study of political economy, i.e., the reciprocal relationship between political and economic activities and institutions, through an examination of the pursuit of wealth and power in the international system. Considers the strengths and weaknesses of different theoretical, analytical and ideological approaches to understanding the international political economy in both historical and contemporary settings. Specific issues include trade, international finance, foreign investment, economic development, structural adjustments and globalization. Grossman.
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PLSC 352: The Comparative Politics of Developing Nations
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 and one of either PLSC 102 or PLSC 103 .
A survey of the principal arguments about global inequality and the developmental paths of countries outside the industrialized West. Includes an examination of the roles major powers and international and non-governmental organizations have played in the political and economic histories of developing countries. Dabney.
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PLSC 372: Gender, Sex and International Politics
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 and one of either PLSC 102 or PLSC 103 .
Explores how gendered norms and assumptions shape international politics. Introduces feminist approaches to international politics in order to answer questions like “where are the women?” and “how do women experience international politics differently than men because of their biological sex?” Also evaluates the ‘gendered hierarchies’ of international relations—gendered expectations of individuals, state and other actors. Walling.
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PLSC 404: Causes of War
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 and one of either PLSC 102 or PLSC 103 .
Student must be a political science major or minor with junior or senior standing, or permission of instructor. Explores the central issues regarding the use of military force in international politics. Why do states turn to military force and for what purposes? What are the causes of war? What renders the threat to use force credible? Can intervention into intra-state wars stall bloodshed and bring stability? How can states cope with new challenges posed by asymmetrical warfare and the threats of would-be terrorists? What are the rules and laws of war? How do states diminish the threat of war? Part I examines the causes of inter-state war and the strategies states employ to diminish the threat of war and handle its effects; Part II, the growing trend of intra-state conflict; Part III, the global governance of war, specifically the institutions, rules and norms associated with war-fighting and conflict prevention; Part IV, other forms of political violence including asymmetrical warfare, rebel insurgencies and terrorism. Grossman, Walling.
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PLSC 405: National Security Policy
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 and one of either PLSC 102 or PLSC 103 .
Student must be a political science major or minor with junior or senior standing, or permission of instructor. Explores the new security challenges facing the United States and other nations in the post-Cold War period. Introduces security studies, looking at the issue of nuclear weapons and its integration into strategic policy planning. Considers alternative ways to comprehend the concept of security and security studies in light of economic globalization, asymmetrical warfare, terrorism, democratization, the changing character of sovereignty, and the problem of weapons (conventional and non-conventional) proliferation. Grossman, Walling.
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Political Science: Law, Jurisprudence and Political Thought |
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PLSC 105: Introduction to Political Thought
(1 Unit)
Offers an introduction to political theory. Explores major debates within the field, both in contemporary and canonical work. Proceeds both thematically, examining such themes as liberty, justice, democracy, political resistance, and power, and historically, situating theorists’ writings within the historical context in which they were written and read. Also considers the relationship between political theory, political practice and the other subfields of political science. Rose.
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PLSC 224: Constitutional Law and Politics
(1 Unit)
Explores the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in political struggles over the distribution and uses of power in the American constitutional system. Covers issues including the division of powers between state and national governments, and the branches of the federal government; economic powers of private actors and governmental regulators; the authority of governments to enforce or transform racial and gender hierarchies; and the powers of individuals to make basic choices, such as a woman’s power to have an abortion. Emphasizes how the tasks of justifying the Supreme Court’s own power, and constitutionalism more broadly understood, contribute to logically debatable, but politically powerful constitutional arguments. Also examines the politics of constitutional interpretation. Readings include Supreme Court decisions and background materials on their theoretical, historical and political context. Rose.
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PLSC 322: Crime, Politics and Punishment
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 , PLSC 105 .
Whom a society punishes and how it punishes are key political questions as well as indicators of the character of the people in whose name it acts. This course examines connections between punishment and politics with particular reference to the contemporary American situation. Rose.
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PLSC 324: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 , PLSC 105 .
Examines the American Constitution and some of the rights protected by it. Topics to be covered include: the role of the judiciary in protecting individual rights in a democratic context, methods of constitutional interpretation, incorporation, the right to bear arms, economic liberty, abortion and privacy rights, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of the press, the death penalty, and equal protection before the law. Rose.
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PLSC 351: Modern Political Thought
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 , PLSC 105 .
Critical examination of the work of modern writers on enduring themes of political life. Covers such thinkers as Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hegel and Marx, through careful reading of the texts. Explores topics such as equality, democracy, women’s rights and contending definitions of freedom. Rose.
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PLSC 357: International Law and Politics
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 , PLSC 105 .
Examines international law using a broad range of analytical tools to enable students to think critically about the origins and impact of international law. How do we explain where particular laws and norms come from? How do they affect the shape of global politics and the outcomes of particular events? How often do states obey international law, and why? Also examines substantive areas of international law such as the law of armed conflict, international humanitarian law, human rights, international criminal law and environmental law. Walling.
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PLSC 367: American Political Thought
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 , PLSC 105 .
Explores the history of American political ideas, and how those ideas continue to inform contemporary political thinking. Focuses on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with principal attention given to the Transcendental Movement and the emergence and development of pragmatism. Examines this dominant thread of American thought against the backdrop of liberalism and within the context of four related themes: individualism, equality, community and democracy. Rose.
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PLSC 406: Privacy and the Surveillance Society
(1 Unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 and PLSC 105 .
Student must be a political science major or minor with junior or senior standing, or permission of instructor. Surveillance has become a topic of central importance for citizens and governments alike. As new technologies are developed and deployed, both by government and private entities, once conventional understandings of privacy and personhood have been permanently altered. How should relations between citizen and state, citizen and corporate entities, and among citizens themselves be understood? In what ways might human rights principles be threatened by global flows and exchanges of data? How are concepts like personhood, identity, trust and privacy being transformed and shaped through surveillance practices? How might such developments be challenged and struggled over? What implications does national security policy have for individually situated notions of human security? Topics considered will include: whether or not the state has become more authoritarian via its data collection practices and activities; what issues are raised by surveillance cultures embedding themselves into the everyday fabric of social life and social organization; and, whether there are constitutional tools available to citizens to challenge surveillance protocols and processes. Rose.
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Political Science: Political Research |
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PLSC 100: Introduction to Political Inquiry
(1 Unit)
Examines the history of the discipline, and surveys principal approaches to describing and explaining political phenomena, including qualitative and quantitative analysis and moving from the behavioralism of the late 1940s, to critical theories, interpretive approaches, and rational choice models of later generations, and on to postmodern critiques challenging the idea that political science can be a science. Dabney, Grossman, Rose, Walling.
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PLSC 309: Religion and Research Methods in Comparative Politics
(1 unit)
Prerequisites: PLSC 100 and (PLSC 102 or PLSC 103).
This course intends to expose students to two overlapping concerns: 1) what is the influence of religion on politics, and 2) what kind of research methods do political scientists use to study this relationship? This class is also meant to sharpen students’ analytical skills by challenging them to think systematically about social science methods and how they relate to religion and politics. Since social scientists use different types of analytical models (e.g., game theory, statistical modeling) to simulate how religion affects politics, students in this class will pay special attention to the following concerns: 1) how was empirical evidence obtained and the extent to which the data is both internally and externally valid; 2) does the resulting model allow us to make a prediction about future outcomes, and how accurate these predictions are; 3) what are the limits of modeling in social sciences; and finally 4) in what ways modeling can enhance or inhibit the development of knowledge in social and applied sciences. Although a significant part of the class will focus on the role of religion in America, the in-depth exploration of the subject will also expose students to scholarship examining how religion matters in different cultural and political settings. Tatarczyk
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Political Science: Special Studies |
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PLSC 187: Selected Topics
(1/4 Unit)
An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
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PLSC 188: Selected Topics
(1/2 Unit)
An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
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PLSC 189: Selected Topics
(1 Unit)
An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
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PLSC 287: Selected Topics
(1/4 Unit)
An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
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PLSC 288: Selected Topics
(1/2 Unit)
An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
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PLSC 289: Selected Topics
(1 Unit)
An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
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PLSC 387: Selected Topics
(1/4 Unit)
An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
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PLSC 388: Selected Topics
(1/2 Unit)
An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
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PLSC 389: Selected Topics
(1 Unit)
An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
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PLSC 391: Internship
(1/2 Unit)
Prerequisite: Permission of department.
Offered on a credit/no credit basis. Staff.
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PLSC 392: Internship
(1 Unit)
Prerequisite: Permission of department.
Offered on a credit/no credit basis. Staff.
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PLSC 401: Seminar
(1/2 Unit)
Individual research within context of small group discussion and analysis of a common topic of politics. Staff.
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PLSC 402: Seminar
(1 Unit)
Individual research within context of small group discussion and analysis of a common topic of politics. Staff.
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PLSC 411: Directed Study
(1/2 Unit)
Individual research on a senior thesis under tutorial direction of the faculty. (Students must have a grade point average of 3.0 to take a Directed Study in political science.) Staff.
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PLSC 412: Directed Study
(1 Unit)
Individual research on a senior thesis under tutorial direction of the faculty. (Students must have a grade point average of 3.0 to take a Directed Study in political science.) Staff.
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