If you have any additional questions or link is broken, please contact Carlie Fieseler (fiesele1@illinois.edu).
PS 300: Special Topics
Selected readings and research in political science. See Class Schedule for current topics.
Spring 2024
Casler (Grand Strategy)
Carroll (State Formation)
Frost (Feminism Bioethics Biopolitics)
Fall 2023
Grossman (Terrorism)
Spring 2023
Dai (International Institutional Order)
Grossman (Politics of the Internet)
Fall 2022
Khoury (Social Movements & Contention)
Khoury (Forced Migration & Refugees)
Grossman (Terrorism)
Spring 2022
Dai (International Institutional Order
Frost (Feminism, Bioethics, and Biopolitics)
Grossman (Politics of the Internet)
Pahre (Research on Environmental Politics)
Fall 2021
Grossman (Terrorism)
Nagashima (Government & Politics of East Asia)
Prorok (Non-State Violent Actors)
Spring 2021
Cho (Law of Democracy)
Frost (Feminism, Bioethics, and Biopolitics)
Leff (Comparative Politics of EU Enlargement)
Fall 2020
Grossman (Terrorism)
Nagashima (Government & Politics of East Asia)
Nagashima (IR of East Asia)
Spring 2020
Frost (Feminism, Bioethics & Biopolitics)
Grossman (Terrorism)
Nagashima (IR of East Asia)
Prorok (Non-State Violent Actors)
Vasquez (World War I & IR Theory)
Fall 2019
Carroll (State Formation)
Leff (Comp Pol of EU Enlargement)
Spring 2019
Grossman (Terrorism)
Kourtikakis (The European Union and Governance)
Nagashima (Government & Politics of East Asia)
Fall 2018
Dai (International Human Rights Politics)
Frost (Feminism, Bioethics, and Biopolitics)
Leff (Eastern Europe and EU Integration)
Nagashima (International Relations of East Asia)
Spring 2018
Cho (14th Amendment and the Evolution of Individual Rights)
Dai (International Human Rights Politics)
Kourtikakis (The European Union and Governance in Vienna, study abroad)
Nagashima (Government and Politics of East Asia)
Vasquez (World War I and International Relations Theory)
Fall 2017
Lynn (The Character and History of Radical Terrorism since the Mid-Nineteenth Century)
Nagashima (International Relations of East Asia)
Orlie (Sustainability)
Prorok (Civil Wars)
Wong (Politics of Racial & Ethnic Diversity)
Spring 2017
Ksiazkiewicz (Biology & Politics)
Miller (Children, Family & Social Justice)
Nagashima (Government & Politics of East Asia)
Rudolph (Public Opinion)
Rumsey (Terrorism)
Uribe-McGuire (Separation of Powers)
Fall 2016
Rumsey (Human Rights)
Rumsey (Terrorism)
Wong (The Politics of Racial & Ethnic Diversity)
Spring 2016
Dai (Politics of International Treaties)
Glisch-Sanchez (Latina/os & the Law)
Leff (Comparative Communist Regimes)
Rumsey (Terrorism)
Uribe (Judicial Politics)
Vasquez (World War I and International Relations Theory)
PS 301: The US Constitution I
Analyzes issues related to judicial interpretation of the constitution; the separation of governmental powers; federalism; checks and balances among the three branches of the national government; and the jurisdiction of federal courts.
Fall 2023- Uribe- McGuire
Fall 2022- Uribe-McGuire
Fall 2021- Uribe-McGuire
Fall 2020 - Uribe-McGuire
Spring 2020 - Seitz
Fall 2019 - Uribe-McGuire
Spring 2019 - Seitz
Fall 2018 - Simmons
Spring 2016- Seitz
PS 302: The US Constitution II
Analyzes issues involved in free speech, freedom of religion, rights of the criminally accused, and government's responsibility to protect persons from discrimination based on race or sexual preference. Pays special attention to the role of law and judges.
Spring 2024- Uribe-McGuire
Spring 2023- Uribe-McGuire
Fall 2022- Seitz
Spring 2022- Uribe-McGuire
Fall 2021- Seitz
Spring 2021 - Cho
Spring 2020 - Uribe-McGuire
Fall 2019 - Seitz
Fall 2018 - Seitz
Spring 2017- Uribe-McGuire
Spring 2016- Uribe
PS 303: The US Congress
Examines the legislative function in government; the structure and organization of Congress; legislative procedures; pressure groups and lobbying; the relation of legislature to other branches of government; and problems of legislative reorganization.
Fall 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2018, & Fall 2016 - contact Professor Sin (gsin@illinois.edu) for a copy of the syllabus.
PS 304: The US Presidency
Examines the multiple roles of the president; the determinants and growth of presidential influence; presidential decision making; the president's role in the formulation and implementation of public policy; and the president's multiple constituencies.
Fall 2016- Selin
PS 305: The US Supreme Court
Examines how the modern Supreme Court resolves major issues in American constitutional politics.
Spring 2023- Pryor
Fall 2022- Pryor
Spring 2021 - Pryor
Summer 2017- Thomas-Ward
PS 306: Judicial Politics
Introduction to the study of courts and judges as political institutions and actors. Focuses primarily on federal courts in the United States, but also covers courts in the American states. Addresses topics such as how judges are selected; who or what determines which cases are heard; the influence of ideology and the law on judges' decisions; the relationships that exist between the courts in the judiciary; the role of the president and the Senate in judicial decisions; and judges' decisions that run contrary to the public's wishes.
Fall 2023- Uribe- McGuire
Fall 2021- Uribe-McGuire
Fall 2019 - Uribe-McGuire
PS 309: State Government in the US
Surveys the origins and evolution of state government in the United States. Topics include history, structure and dynamics of state governments, laws and the judiciary, state legislatures, political parties, organized interests, bureaucracies, demographic change and electoral patterns, and political conflicts, and coalitions.
Fall 2023- Gaines
PS 312: Politics and the Media
Examines the processes of mass-mediated political communication in democratic societies. Special emphasis will be given to the role of news media in democratic theory, factors shaping the construction of news such as journalism routines, media economics, and the strategic management of news by political elites.
Fall 2023- Althaus
Fall 2022- Althaus
Spring 2022- Althaus
Fall 2020 - Althaus
Fall 2018 - Althaus
Fall 2016- Althaus
PS 313: Congress and Foreign Policy
Examines cases of foreign-policy making over 100 years with a focus on the struggle between the legislative and executive branches, constitutional questions, explanations for changes in behavior, and the impact on democratic process.
Spring 2020 - Henehan
Fall 2019 - Henehan
Fall 2018 - Henehan
Fall 2017- Henehan
Fall 2016- Henehan
Spring 2016- Henehan
PS 314: Political Psychology
Explores the psychological processes that underlie political attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, we will take theories from social, personality, cognitive, and evolutionary psychology and apply them to political phenomena. Topics will include how politics is affected by cognitive biases, emotions, persuasion, social influence, identity, prejudice and discrimination, personality, and evolution and genetics. We will also explore what we can learn about basic human psychology by studying politics carefully.
Fall 2021- Mondak
Spring 2021 – Ksiazkiewicz
Fall 2019 - Ksiazkiewicz
Fall 2018 - Ksiazkiewicz
PS 316: Latina/Latino Politics
Examines the role of Latino electorates in shaping state and national politics. Reviews the histories of Latino national origin groups, examines public policy issues of concern to Latinos, successes and failures of Latino empowerment strategies, and the electoral impact of Latino votes. Focus will be primarily on Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cuban Americans and an assessment of the degree to which their political agendas are likely to merge over the coming years.
Spring 2024- Rodriguez
Fall 2023- Rodriguez
PS 318: Interest Groups and Social Movements
Focuses on two important forces in American politics that provide ways for citizens to affect public policy: interests groups and social movements. Examination of organized interest groups, including their organization, growth, activity, and impact in American politics. Examines the formation and role of social movements.
Spring 2021 - Hinchliffe
Spring 2019 - Hinchliffe
Fall 2017- Hinchliffe
Spring 2016- Burge
PS 320: Public Opinion
Examines the nature of public opinion in contemporary American politics. Considers the extent to which public opinion is organized by ideology, values, party identification and other group-related identities. Will analyze both the sources and consequences of public opinion and the nature of public support for democracy and democratic institutions. Will investigate the relationship between public opinion and policymaking.
Spring 2024- Rudolph
Spring 2023- Rudolph
Fall 2021 - Rudolph
Spring 2021 - Rudolph
Fall 2019 - Rudolph
Fall 2017- Rudolph
PS 321: Principles of Public Policy
Examines different approaches to evaluating the performance of public sector organizations, including private sector accountability principles. Focuses on how to improve the performance of governmental agencies, as well as corporate social responsibility.
Spring 2023- Hinchliffe, Planty
Fall 2022- Planty
Fall 2021 - Hinchliffe, Planty
Spring 2021 - Planty
Fall 2020 - Hinchliffe, Planty
Fall 2019 - Hinchliffe
Fall 2018 - Lee
Fall 2016- Hinchliffe
PS 322: Law and Public Policy
Examines the nature of law, law makers, and law appliers; the determinants of law-making; and the societal impact of law.
Spring 2024- Hinchliffe
Fall 2023- Hinchliffe
Fall 2022- Hinchliffe
Spring 2022- Hinchliffe
Spring 2020 - Hinchliffe
Fall 2018 - Hinchliffe
Spring 2017 Hinchliffe
Spring 2016- Hinchliffe
PS 323: Law and Representation
Examines political and legal policies related to electoral representation including constitutional protections of voting rights and related topics such as a gerrymandering, vote counting, majority minority districts, and the Voting Rights Act.
Fall 2023 - Cho
Fall 2021 - Cho
Fall 2020 - Cho
Fall 2018 - Cho
Fall 2017- Cho
Spring 2017- Cho
PS 328: Introduction to Biology and Politics
Examines the biological processes that underlie political attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, we will take theories from behavioral and molecular genetics, psychophysiology, neuroscience, and evolutionary psychology and apply them to political attitudes and behaviors. Topics will include how evolutionary adaptations shape political life, how genes affect political traits, the effects of physiological differences on how people experience the political world, and what political insights can be drawn from studying differences in brain structures and functioning.
Fall 2023- Ksiazkiewicz
Spring 2021 - Ksiazkiewicz
Fall 2020 - Ksiazkiewicz
Spring 2020 - Ksiazkiewicz
Fall 2017- Ksiazkiewicz
PS 329: Immigration and Citizenship
Examination of the conceptual issues associated with citizenship and immigration, considering current political debates from a variety of perspectives: empirical, historical, and normative. Focuses on the United States but will also examine the immigration and citizenship processes of other nations as well. Among topics considered: why people migrate; consequences of migration; efforts to integrate immigrants; public opinion, citizenship traditions and rationales; membership; belonging, and national identify; post national citizenship.
Fall 2023- Wong
Fall 2022- Wong
Fall 2021 - Wong
Spring 2020 - Wong
PS 330: Introduction to Political Behavior
Analyzes the relationship between political attitudes and public opinion formation. The course also discusses political participation, political tolerance, and attitudes toward political leaders.
Fall 2023- Mondak
Fall 2021 - Ksiazkiewicz
Fall 2020 - Ksiazkiewicz
Fall 2019 - Ksiazkiewicz
PS 343: Government and Politics of China
Introduces the government and politics of modern China.
Fall 2023- Yang
Spring 2022- Yang
Spring 2021 - Yang
Fall 2020 - Yang
Spring 2020 - Guo
Spring 2019 - Guo
PS 344: Government and Politics of Japan
This course will examine a range of topics relevant to understanding the development of Japanese politics in the postwar era. A central theme of the course will be to understand the processes of continuity and change through various lenses, including but not limited to history, culture, and institutions.
Fall 2023- Nagashima
Spring 2023- Nagashima
Spring 2022- Nagashima
Spring 2021 - Nagashima
Fall 2019 - Nagashima
PS 345: Government and Politics of Southeast Asia
Provides a comparative analysis of the political development of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and other nations in South Asia. Emphasis is placed on the differing approaches to governance and public policy formation, as well as the economic, social, historical, geographical and cultural influences on political development.
Fall 2022- Winters
Spring 2021 - Winters
PS 347: Government and Politics of the Middle East
Analyzes the transformation of Middle Eastern society from Morocco to Iran, as case studies in political modernization. The politics of the area are studied with special reference to causes and character of modernization, role of leadership, ideologies and institutions, methods and theories for analyzing political systems undergoing fundamental transformation, and implications for U. S. policy.
Spring 2021 - Livny
PS 348: Government and Politics in Western Europe
Examines the major governmental systems of continental Europe; the evolution, structure, and functioning of the political institutions of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the Scandinavian countries.
Fall 2023- Kourtikakis
Fall 2022- Kourtikakis
Fall 2021 - Kourtikakis
Spring 2021 - Kourtikakis
Fall 2020 - Kourtikakis
Fall 2019 - Kourtikakis
Fall 2018 - Kourtikakis
PS 351: Government and Politics of Post-Soviet States
Examines the evolution, structure, and functioning of post-Soviet governments.
Spring 2020 - Leff
PS 353: Government and Politics of Latin America
Examines the origin and development of Latin American political institutions.
Fall 2023- Canache
Fall 2022- Canache
Fall 2021 - Canache
Fall 2020 - Canache
Fall 2018 - Canache
PS 355: Democratization
Examines the global process of democratization, with special attention to gains and failures in selected areas since 1974.
Spring 2024- Canache
Spring 2023- Canache
Spring 2022- Canache
Fall 2020 - Canache
Spring 2019 - Canache
PS 356: Comparative Political Economy
Examines the effect of domestic political processes on economic performance, including monetary, fiscal, and trade policies. Topics include partisan influences on policy, interest group intermediation, political accountability for economic outcomes, and consequences of product and capital market internationalization.
Fall 2021 – Webb Williams
Fall 2020 – Webb Williams
PS 357: Ethnic Conflict
Explores the bases of nationalist and ethnic identities across a variety of different national and cultural contexts, and how these are related to conflict at the intrastate and interstate levels. Consideration is given to the characteristics and patterns of ethnic conflict with special emphasis on how and when ethnic tensions become manifested in violent conflict. The course concludes with consideration and evaluations of various domestic and international approaches to conflict management and resolution.
Spring 2023- Diehl
Spring 2022- Diehl
PS 358: Comparative Political Behavior
Examines themes of political behavior such as political participation, electoral politics, political culture, and contentious politics from a cross-national perspective.
Spring 2023- Canache
Spring 2022- Canache
Spring 2021 – Canache
Fall 2018 – Canache
PS 359: Government and Politics of East Asia
Examines the government and politics of postwar East Asia by covering themes and topics relevant to the region. The countries covered include the People’s Republic of China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the Republic of China (or Taiwan). Given the multifaceted and diverse nature of the region, the course explores various topics, both independently and comparatively. Topics include the region’s history, democratic consolidation, economic development, and political institutions. In addition to addressing theoretical and empirical questions, current events shaping the region will be discussed.
Fall 2023- Nagashima
Fall 2022- Nagashima
PS 370: Justice in the Law
Explores fundamental questions about the ideal of a just society. Introduces students to the close connection between theories of justice and legal reasoning used by courts. Court cases and topics include enforcing sexual morality, protecting free expression, religious liberty, regulating labor markets, guaranteeing the rule of law, ensuring equal opportunities through schools and elections, establishing group rights, and regulating reproductive rights.
Spring 2024- Miller
Spring 2023- Miller
Spring 2022- Miller
Spring 2021 – Miller
Spring 2020 – Miller
PS 371: Classical Political Theory
Considers the major works of Greek and Roman political theory, stressing their relevance to modern political analysis and action.
Fall 2022- Miller
Spring 2021 – Miller
Fall 2019 – Miller
PS 372: Modern Political Theory
Provides critical analysis of political theories from the fifteenth century to the present. The discussions focus on topics such as the development of conceptions of human nature, the role of the state, justice, legitimacy, obligation, individual rights, equality, and mechanisms of maintenance and change.
Spring 2024- Frost
Spring 2021 – Frost
Spring 2020 – Frost
PS 373: Democratic Theory
Examines theories of the nature and conditions of democracy; compares and analyzes contemporary democratic institutions.
Fall 2022- Seitz
Fall 2021- Seitz
Fall 2018 – Seitz
PS 374: Future Politics
Examines visions of the future drawn from science fiction literature as a way to engage with political and social theory and to cultivate the political imagination.
Fall 2023- Bowers
Fall 2022- Bowers
Fall 2021 - Bowers
Fall 2020 - Bowers
PS 375: Feminist Political Theory
Provides analysis of how insights from liberal, Marxist, and post-structural political theory traditions shape contemporary feminist political theory. Examines how different epistemological arguments shape political analysis and uses those insights to explore the political forces that make us into gendered and racialized people. Explores how different traditions of thinking in feminist political theory generate different accounts of justice and political transformation.
Fall 2021 - Frost
Fall 2019 - Frost
PS 376: American Political Theory
Surveys American political thought from colonial times to the present.
Spring 2022- Seitz
Spring 2020 - Seitz
Spring 2019 - Seitz
PS 377: Topics in Contemporary Political Theory
Examines specific topics and writers of contemporary political theory. Recent themes have included conceptions of power, rights, justice, and radical political thought.
Spring 2019 - Miller (Justice in the Law)
Fall 2018 - Miller (Justice in the Law)
PS 379: International Relations and Domestic Politics
Examines conceptual linkages between international relations and domestic politics. Emphasizes theoretical explanations of and empirical evidence for these linkages.
Fall 2023- Casler
PS 380: International Cooperation
A study of cooperation among states. Cooperation dilemmas and their solutions, with focus on institutional arrangements that are aimed to facilitate cooperation among states.
Fall 2022- Dai
Fall 2021 - Dai
Fall 2019 - Dai
Fall 2018 - Dai
PS 381: International Relations of East Asia
Examines the salient issues and dynamics that structure the international relations of East Asia, which includes China, Taiwan, Japan, and the two Koreas. This course examines both theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding the dynamic, yet stable nature of East Asian international relations. The central theme of this course is to examine whether the region is moving towards increasing conflict or cooperation.
Fall 2023- Nagashima
Spring 2023- Nagashima
PS 385: Politics of the European Union
Considers the history of the European Union and its current functions and operations. Focuses on the ongoing process of political and cultural integration. Consists of sections in Illinois and abroad, interacting extensively via the worldwide web.
Fall 2023- Kourtikakis
Fall 2022- Kourtikakis
Fall 2021 - Kourtikakis
Spring 2021 - Huh
Fall 2020 - Kourtikakis
Spring 2020 - Zhong
Fall 2019 - Kourtikakis
Fall 2018 - Kourtikakis
PS 386: International Law
Analyzes the concepts and bases of public international law. Topics include sources and subjects of international law, as well as issues of jurisdiction, territory, law of the sea, and use of military force.
Spring 2024- Diehl
Fall 2022- Diehl
Fall 2021 - Diehl
Spring 2019 - Powers
Fall 2018 - Powers
PS 387: National Security Policy
Examines principal theories of international security and evaluates their capacity to explain the security behavior of states and other key international actors.
Fall 2018 - Grossman
PS 389: International Communication
Provides an interdisciplinary approach to international communications; its structure and content; the role of international communications in conflict and conflict resolution; the semantics of international communication; the technical and economic aspects of international mass communications; and government-industry relations in communications.
Fall 2018 - Lin
PS 390: American Foreign Policy
Considers the major foreign policy decisions currently confronting the United States government: analyzes their background, principal issues, and alternative actions, as well as the policy formulation process.
Fall 2023- Grossman
Fall 2022- Grossman
Fall 2021- Grossman
Fall 2020 - Grossman
Fall 2019 - Cho
Spring 2018 - Grossman
PS 391: Soviet & Post Soviet Foreign Policy
Surveys Soviet and Post-Soviet foreign policy from 1917 to the present, with emphasis upon the forces shaping this policy; special attention to the interplay of ideology and national interest in policy formulation.
Spring 2019 - Leff
PS 392: International Organizations and Regionalism
Examines regionalism and regional international organizations and their consequences for multilateralism cooperation, and conflict.
Spring 2023- Kourtikakis
Spring 2022- Kourtikakis
PS 393: Democratic Studies Practicum
Practical introduction to the study of international organizations, consisting of three parts: academic modules in Urbana-Champaign; guest lectures and site visits in Vienna, Austria, and field trips TBA; and a final research paper based on fieldwork in Vienna, extending into late June. Enrollment requires prior admission to the Vienna Diplomatic Program.
Fall 2023- Pahre
Fall 2022- Pahre
Spring 2019 - Pahre
PS 394: Crisis Diplomacy
A comparative study of foreign policy decision-making and diplomacy among the major states from 1816-1948 with a focus on crisis bargaining, management, and escalation. Foreign relations of Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Japan, and the United States are covered in light of international relations theories. Emphasis is placed on how domestic political struggles, like those between hard liners and accommodationists, and external factors, like alliances and international norms, affect decision-making. Comparisons are made between those crises that are peacefully settled and those that escalate to war and/or get out of control.
Spring 2022- Holmes
Spring 2021 - Wang
Spring 2020 - Vasquez
Fall 2019 - Vasquez
Fall 2018 - Vasquez
PS 396: International Conflict
Examines the conditions that promote war and peace between states. General topics covered are: historical patterns in warfare; causes of war, including arms races and power distributions; outcomes of war; and approaches to peace.
Fall 2022- Prorok
Fall 2021- Prorok
Spring 2020 - Prorok
Spring 2019 - Powers
Fall 2018 - Prorok
PS 397: Authoritarian Regimes
Examines the various aspects of the politics in authoritarian regimes: their emergence and breakdown, the policy choices and institutions typically adopted, leadership change, and the theories that explain them. Historical case studies and statistical data will be used to examine real-world cases.
Fall 2021 - Yang
Spring 2020 - Guo
Spring 2019 - Guo
Fall 2018 - Guo
PS 398: Strategic International Relations
Examination of basic concepts and tools for analyzing foreign policy and understanding international politics and economy. Simple game-theoretic models will be used to explore the logic and the mechanisms behind key policy issues in international economy, cooperation, security, and institutions.
Spring 2024- Carroll
Spring 2023- Carroll
Spring 2022- Carroll
Fall 2020 - Carroll
Fall 2019 - Carroll
PS 399: Politics of International Treaties
Treaties are agreements between sovereign states governed by international law. This course examines why countries commit to treaties and why they comply with them. It will provide advanced undergraduate students with the opportunity to read a range of scholarly works on international agreements and to conduct their own research on related topics.
Spring 2022- Dai
Spring 2020 - Dai
Spring 2019 - Dai
PS 411: Campaigning to Win
Using a case study approach to illustrate how campaigns attempt to persuade and mobilize voters, students learn how to plan and manage effective political campaigns.
Spring 2023- Althaus
Spring 2021 - Althaus
Spring 2019 - Althaus
PS 418: Language and Minorities in Europe (EURO/GER/ITAL/LING/SLAV/SPAN)
Introduction to political, judicial, linguistic, and cultural issues concerning indigenous and migrant/immigrant languages in the countries of the European Union. Focuses on political and judicial issues, such as legal aspects of bilingual education and minority language use, as well as linguistic and cultural aspects, such as assimilation, language-mixing, and language change. Taught in English.
Spring 2024- Fagyal
PS 456: Democracy and Identity
A normative and empirical examination of the special issues surrounding the development and maintenance of democracy in plural societies. Analyzes the impact of racial, ethnic and religious diversity on citizenship, civil rights, political institutions and public policy, as well as on democratic stability more generally, in established and newly emergent democracies.
Spring 2024- Wong
Spring 2022- Wong
Fall 2020 - Wong
PS 457: Democratic Government in a Global Setting
Examination of the basic concepts and politics associated with the emergence of a global society. Students evaluate competing explanations for the emergence of this new politics and how and why the global society governs itself. It examines the strengths and weaknesses of the nation-state, markets, and democratization as responses, respectively, to the imperatives or order, welfare, and legitimacy in the governance of world's peoples and states.
Spring 2024- Kourtikakis
Spring 2022- Kourtikakis, Yang
Spring 2021 - Kourtikakis, Yang
PS 458: Forced Migration and Refugees
Internal and cross-border forced displacement are at historic levels. Who is a migrant, who is a refugee, and who makes those determinations? Why do people seek refuge, where do they go, and will they return home? Which countries and institutions should aid and host refugees, and do they? Do humanitarians meet refugees’ needs? This course is designed to answer these questions and others by examining the causes, dynamics, and consequences of forced migration.
Spring 2024- Khoury
PS 481: Non-State Violent Actors in World Politics
Examines the life-cycles of violent non-state actors (VNSAs), like ISIS, Sudan’s Janjaweed, and the Mexican Los Zetas Cartel. Some of the most pressing security concerns facing the world’s governments today stem from non-state actors, not other states in the international system. This course examines the development of these organizations, their political and military structures, their activities, the alliances and rivalries they form, and the processes by which they sometimes evolve into legitimate, non-violent political actors.
Fall 2022- Prorok
PS 482: Civil Wars
Civil war is the most prevalent, deadly form of violence in the international system. What causes these internal conflict to break out, and what can be done to end them? This course examines the causes, conduct, and management of violent internal conflict, focusing on factors such as inequality, ideological extremism, and state weakness, which contribute to conflict risk, and international peacekeeping, mediation, and negotiation, which may facilitate conflict settlement.
Spring 2023- Prorok
PS 491: Internship
Students follow a program of study and research related to an approved internship under the direction of the internship director and/or a faculty sponsor. Consult departmental undergraduate advisor or internship director.
Spring 2023- Khoury (Government Internship), Mayer (Illinois in Washington)
Fall 2022- Mayer (Illinois in Washington)
Spring 2022- Mayer (Illinois in Washington)
Fall 2021 - Khan (Local Internships), Mayer (Illinois in Washington)
Spring 2021 - Mayer (Illinois in Washington)
Fall 2020 - Mayer (Illinois in Washington)
Spring 2020 - Henehan, Mayer (Illinois in Washington)
Fall 2019 - Henehan, Mayer (Illinois in Washington), Thomas-Ward (Public Defender's Office)
Spring 2019 - Henehan, Mayer (Illinois in Washinton), Thomas-Ward (Public Defender’s Office)
Fall 2018 - Henehan, Mayer (Illinois in Washington)
PS 492: Undergraduate Research Assistance
Assist departmental faculty in on-going research. Topics and nature of assistance vary. Capstone paper required. 0 to 3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 6 hours. Credit is not given for more than nine hours toward completion of the political science major from any combination of PS 490, PS 491, and/or PS 492. Prerequisite: Evidence of adequate preparation for such study; consent of faculty member supervising the work; and approval of the department head.
Spring 2024- Ksiazkiewicz, Livny
Fall 2023- Frost, Ksiazkiewicz, Livny, Moreira, Prorok, Wong
Spring 2023- Ksiazkiewicz, Livny, Moreira
Fall 2022- Ksiazkiewicz, Livny
Fall 2021- Ksiazkiewicz, Livny, Prorok
Spring 2021-Frost, Ksiazkiewicz, Livny A, B, Prorok
Fall 2020- Ksiazkiewicz, Livny, Prorok
Spring 2020- Livny, Miller
Fall 2019-Ksiazkiewicz, Livny, Vasquez
Spring 2019- Ksiazkiewicz
Fall 2018- Ksiazkiewicz, Livny, Vasquez
PS 494: Junior Honors Seminar
Research, reading, and discussion in selected topics and works in literature of political science. A major research project is required in preparation for PS 495.
Spring 2024- Canache (Comparative Political Behavior)
Fall 2023- Mondak (Political Behavior)
Spring 2023- Dai (Politics of International Treaties)
Fall 2022- Mondak (Politics and Popular Culture)
Spring 2022- Prorok (Civil Wars)
Fall 2021 - Livny (Government and Politics of the Middle East)
Spring 2021 - Dai (Politics of International Treaties)
Fall 2020 - Uribe-McGuire (Judicial Politics)
Spring 2020 - Althaus (Researching Criminal Justice Topics in the News)
Fall 2019 - Guo (Authoritarian Regimes)
PS 495: Senior Honors Seminar
Provides an advanced overview of methodological issues in political science especially identification of research questions and design of research strategies in political science appropriate for a senior thesis. Requires completion of a substantial research proposal.
Fall 2023- Livny
Fall 2022- Winters
Fall 2021 - Ksiazkiewicz & Winters
Fall 2020 - Winters
Fall 2019 - Winters
Fall 2018 - Mondak