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The following courses are required for Political Science majors. Although the department does not have prerequisites for its upper-level courses, we recommend that majors enroll in the core courses in each subfield before taking the high-level ones (for example, taking PSC 10200 Introduction to Political Theory before taking PSC 27400 Modern Political Thought.)

PSC 10100 American Government and Politics                                  

(Previously PSC 10100: United States Politics and Government)

An overview of American government. Analysis focuses on three major areas: the Constitution and the debates of the Founding era, America’s political institutions and processes, and the political behavior of the American public. Attention is also paid to major public policies.    3 hr./wk.; 3 cr.

PSC 10200 Introduction to Political Theory

(Previously PSC 12400: Political Ideas and Issues)

Students examine fundamental questions in Western political thought from the Ancient Greeks to the present. The course will cover such themes as justice, political legitimacy, citizenship, democracy, freedom, equality, and human rights.  3 hr./wk.; 3 cr.

PSC 10300 World Politics

(Previously PSC 10400: Introduction to World Politics)

This course analyzes patterns of contemporary world politics using the basic tools developed by students of comparative politics and international relations. It examines the rise of the international state system, the causes of conflict and cooperation, and how global actors and institutions approach topical issues such as migration, trade, human rights, civil conflict,  and climate change. 3 hr./wk.; 3 cr.

I. United States Politics

PSC 12500 - Introduction to Public Policy                                                            

Public policy encompasses much of governmental and even non-governmental activity. This course introduces students to the problems of bounding the phenomenon of public policy and of understanding the policy process, including agenda-setting, problem-definition, policy evaluation, and public accountability. 

PSC 12600 - Introduction to the Legal Process

The basic institutions, procedures and theory of the administration of justice. Students examine typical proceedings, civil and criminal, and the operation of administrative as well as judicial tribunals. The legal process in relation to the American political system.

PSC 20700 - The Politics of Criminal and Civil Justice

The uses and limitations of law as a vehicle for achieving and securing a just political and social order. Special attention to the persistence of discrimination and inequality in the establishment and operation of legal systems.

PSC 20800 - American Political Thought                           

This course explores the ideals that established the United States and their continuing influence on the political system.  We also talk about how these ideals have changed, dealing with topics like writing a constitution, the separation of church and state, civil liberties, slavery and abolition, and modern movements for civil rights and gender equality. 

PSC 21000 Urban Politics                                          

The politics and policy problems of urban areas throughout the United States, but with an emphasis on New York City and its relationship to the state and federal governments. Several approaches to the study of urban politics are presented and contrasted.  

PSC 21200 - Constitutional Law

Survey of the historical and political role of the Supreme Court, focusing on leading decisions. These deal with central problems of judicial review and democracy, the federal system, and the scope and limits of congressional and presidential power. 

PSC 21300 - Civil Liberties

The conflicts between majority rule and minority rights in leading Supreme Court decisions. Major attention to the more recent decisions concerning freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and other civil liberties, as well as social legislation and regulation of business.. 

PSC 21600 - Political Parties and Interest Groups

Interest groups and pressure politics. The rise of new groups in the political process. The nature and functions of parties under the American system of government; major and minor parties; party finance and political machines; national campaign issues and techniques. 

PSC 21700 - Mass Media and Politics

The political questions raised by the growth, methods and technology of the mass media. Includes exploration of alternative theories of communication; the development of special media-oriented social roles and events; and the relationship between mass communication, symbolic politics, and political behavior at both the individual and societal level. 

PSC 21800 - Early American Political Development      

Early American Political Development studies the institutional, intellectual, legal, and political development of the United States from the late colonial era through the time of Abraham Lincoln.  The questions at this course’s focus are: “Are we to be a nation?” and “What kind of nation are we to be?” The course examines a wide range of primary sources – including constitutions, laws, examples of political argument, and other documents – and a sampling of the best, most up-to-date scholarship. 

PSC 22000 - The Judiciary

This course is concerned with the structure and development of the judicial system in the U.S; how the court system is constituted and staffed; how legal change happens; and whether and how the courts contribute effectively to social and policy change.  The readings focus on whether law is separable from politics; how the judiciary has evolved in form and function over time, whether courts protect those whom they purport to serve, and why we look to the courts to settle political and policy questions.

PSC 22100 - The Congress

An examination of the role of legislative bodies in our political system. Organization, procedures and operations are the focus of the course. Case studies dealing with contemporary policy-making are integrated throughout the semester. 

PSC 22200 - The Presidency

Assessment of the present and possible future role of the American presidency. The development of the office, its relationship to other institutions and politics, and contemporary problems. Topics include the duties of the President as Chief Executive, legislator, shaper of foreign policy, Commander-in-Chief, party leader, and head of state.

PSC 22400 - U.S. Political Economy

This course examines the intersection between economics and politics in the United States.  The focus is on how American political and economic system have interacted and developed over more than two centuries. 

PSC 22600 - Ethnic and Racial Politics in the United States                                  

An investigation of the political activities of various minority groups and the challenges of governing a plural society. The class also explores the immigrant experience as well as religious identities. Among the specific topics covered are ethno-racial political identities, political mobilization (i.e. social movements and interest groups), political attitudes, voting behavior, and public policies affecting minority groups.

PSC 22700 - The Politics of Immigration

Provide a comparative overview of immigration as a political, economic, and social issue. It develops cumulative themes which define immigration from several perspectives, and builds to an analysis of policy options in the United States and elsewhere.

PSC 22900 - Women and Politics

This course explores the theoretical underpinnings of contemporary feminism and analyzes the changing dimensions of women’s participation in American politics. Electoral, interest group, and elite level political involvement will be discussed and comparisons made with women’s political role in other nations.

PSC 26000 - American Constitutional Development       

The most honored and fundamental principles of the American political system, and many of this country's most divisive crises, have been debated and challenged in terms of constitutional law. This seminar examines the nature and scope of the powers of the federal judiciary, Congress, the presidency, and the relationship between the federal government and the states. One goal of this seminar is to emphasize that answers to questions about the proper ways in which to organize a political system around even the most fundamental principles -- such as separation of powers, federalism, representative democracy, liberty, equality, and the rule of law -- have changed throughout this country's history. The modern constitutional regime is, in complex ways, vastly different from what the Framers of the Constitution imagined. These changes raise fascinating questions about methods of constitutional interpretation, as well as judicial and political fidelity to our constitutional regime - all of which will be covered through a review of these historical developments and the leading cases in the constitutional law canon.

PSC 26100 - The Legal Profession

This seminar will explore the legal profession in the United States as it existed in the past and as it exists in the present.  Students will learn about the structure of the profession, different practice areas, and issues regarding women and minorities.  Guest speakers will directly address life as a lawyer in their specific fields.  Students will be assigned 5 papers throughout the semester.  Students are to meet with the seminar’s writing instructor, to develop and write these papers. Open only to students participating in the Skadden, Arps program.

PSC 30200 - U.S. National Policy Making                 

This course examines the politics of public policy in the United States. It examines how America’s political institutions make public policy. Students will learn about specific policies, including Social Security, healthcare, poverty, affirmative action, criminal justice, education, environmental, immigration, tax and regulatory policy, among others. 

PSC 30300 - Power, Inequality, and U.S Social Policy

This course examines the development of the American welfare state and current conflicts and political debates about its performance and future. The course aims to improve your understanding of the history of social welfare policies in the United States and the political challenges associated with changing these policies. Typically, one policy brief of 15 pages. Two essay exams and three oral classroom presentations. 

PSC 30800 - Jurisprudence

In this seminar, we will address debates about judicial philosophy and legal reasoning, with a special focus on the law/politics distinction.  We will examine scholarship that asks how judges might be constrained in their decision-making – i.e., through precedent, deference to the elected branches, originalism, etc.  As we read work by Dworkin, Scalia, Breyer, critical legal scholars, and others, we will evaluate how the legal interpretation of the common law, statutes, and the Constitution differs from any other type of political decision, and explore what our conclusions imply for the ideology of the rule of law.  Open only to students participating in the Skadden, Arps program.  

PSC 30900 - Advanced Legal Analysis

This course is designed to prepare Skadden Scholars for the rigors of the law school curriculum. Seminar reading assignments include