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for California State University, Fresno.

Department of Political Science

COURSES

• Political Science (PLSI)
• Political Theory (PLSI)
• International Relations (PLSI)
• Comparative Government (PLSI)
• American Government (PLSI)
• Local Government (PLSI)
• Public Law (PLSI)
• Public Administration (PLSI)
• Core Program for Master of Arts Degree in International Relations (PLSI) --- Graduate Courses
• Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Political Science (PLSI)

PLSI 1. Modern Politics (3 units)
Prerequisite: G.E. Foundation A2. Introduction to the study of democratic and authoritarian political systems; evaluation of the historical, cultural, and economic contexts of modern politics around the world; institutional structures and functions; political ideologies; individual and group participation in the political process; current issues. G.E. Breadth D3. FS

PLSI 2. American Government and Institutions (3 units)
Prerequisite: G.E. Foundation A2. Meets the United States Constitution requirement and the federal, California state, and local government requirement. The development and operation of government in the United States; study of how ideas, institutions, laws, and people have constructed and maintained a political order in America. Not available for CR/NC grading. G.E. Breadth D2. FS

PLSI 10T. Contemporary Issues in Politics
(1-3; max total 9 units if no topic repeated)
Significant contemporary uses in political theory, world politics, comparative government, American government, local government, public administration, or public opinion.

PLSI 90. Methods of Analysis of Quantitative Political Data (3 units)
An introduction to hypothesis testing in political science, with applications to the analysis of quantitative political data; the formulation of research problems and hypotheses; accuracy and precision in measurements; problems of evidence and inference; basic techniques of statistical analysis. FS

PLSI 102. California Government and Institutions (1 unit)
Not open to students with credit in PLSI 2. Open only to students who have satisfied United States Constitution requirement but have not satisfied California state and local government requirement. Examination of legislative, executive, judicial, and local government problems in California. Not available for CR/NC grading. FS

PLSI 103. California Politics (3 units)
Satisfies California state and local government requirement, if not used for political science major. Emphasis on the historical development of politics in California and the factors and institutions important to contemporary politics: characteristics of the electorate, voter registration, primaries and general elections, candidates and campaigning, party organizations and leaders, interest groups, and current issues.

PLSI 107. Women in U.S. Politics (3 units)
See WS 107. (Formerly PLSI 150T, PLSI 159T)



Political Theory (PLSI)

PLSI 110. Seminar in History of Political Thought to Machiavelli (3 units)
Development of political thought from Plato to Machiavelli: law, justice, the state, authority, forms of government, and church-state relations in light of the philosophy of history. FS

PLSI 111. Seminar in History of Political Thought Since Machiavelli (3)
Freedom and individual rights, democracy, majority rule, equality, law and authority, power, constitutionalism, property, social class and structure, and revolution traced through the writings of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hume, Burke, Bentham, Hegel, Tocqueville, and Mill. S

PLSI 114. Seminar in American Political Thought (3 units)
Analysis of democracy, majority rule and minority rights, constitutionalism, federalism, representation, pluralism, property, separation of powers, and judicial review based on the perspectives of representative early and contemporary American thinkers. S

PLSI 119T. Topics in Political Theory (1-4; max total 8 units)
Possible topics include theories of democracy; the Marxian tradition; political thought of specific authors, historical periods and countries; peace and war; church-state relations; the nature of politics and of political science.



International Relations (PLSI)

PLSI 120. International Politics (3 units)
Prerequisites: G.E. Foundation and Breadth Area D. Dynamics of political interactions of nations; nationalism, imperialism and interdependence; national power and diplomacy; types of conflict, including war; peaceful settlement of disputes; current issues involving competing foreign policies, national development, energy, and national liberation movements. G.E. Multicultural/International MI. FS

PLSI 121. American Foreign Affairs (3 units)
Prerequisite: PLSI 2. Formulation and execution of American foreign policy; constitutional frame work; role of the president and the executive branch, Congress, pressure groups and public opinion; contemporary problems and policies.

PLSI 122. Politics of Foreign Aid (3 units)
Theory and practice of foreign aid, including U.S. policy, current debates, continuing challenges, approaches, issue-areas, and key actors (governmental, non-govemmental, domestic, international organizations.) (Formerly PLSI 128T)

PLSI 125. Russian Foreign Policy (3 units)
Historical and ideological sources of foreign policy of Russia and other former Soviet republics; continuity and change in methods, strategy, and tactics; policy formulation and application in specific geographic and subject matter areas.

PLSI 126. International Law and Organization (3 units)
The sources and subjects of international law; state jurisdiction and responsibility; international agreements; the regulation of force and the peaceful settlement of disputes through international law and organization, including the League of Nations, the United Nations, and regional organizations. F

PLSI 128T. Topics in International Relations
(1-4; max total 8 units if no topic repeated)
Politics of military power; arms limitation and control; peace theory; ecopolitics; regionalism and cooperation; shifts in balance of power; nationalism; imperialism; neutralism and nonalignment; foreign policies of specific nations.

Comparative Government (PLSI)

PLSI 140. Approaches to Comparative Politics (3 units)
Prerequisite: PLSI 1. Exploration of theories, models, and conceptual frameworks for the comparative study of political systems and subsystems; methodological rather than an area emphasis. FS

PLSI 141. Russian Politics (3 units)
A study of the political systems of Russia and other former Soviet republics. Changes in relations between state and society; change and continuity in political culture; trends in policy making; issues of relations between nationality groups.

PLSI 142T. Area Studies in Western Europe
(1-4; max total 8 units if no topic repeated)
Government and politics of Western Europe (Britain, France, Germany, and Italy), Northern European Countries (Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden); or government and politics, of selected countries.

PLSI 143T. Area Studies in Eastern Europe
(1-4; max total 8 units if no topic repeated)
Government and politics of Eastern Europe; or government, politics, and institutions of selected countries.

PLSI 144T. Area Studies in Africa and Middle East
(1-4; max total 8 units if no topic is repeated)
Government and politics of Sub-Sahara Africa, Middle East; or government, politics, and institutions of selected countries.

PLSI 145T. Area Studies in Asia
(1-4; max total 8 units if no topic repeated)
Government and politics of selected countries in East and Southeast Asia.

PLSI 146T. Area Studies in Latin America
(1-4; max total 8 units if no topic repeated)
Possible topics include politics of South America; politics of Central America and Caribbean countries; roles of selected groups in Latin American politics.

PLSI 147. East Asian Politics (3 units)
Examines the governments, institutions, politics, and policy of China, Japan, North and South Korea, and selected Southeast Asian Nations.

PLSI 148. Latin American Politics (3 units)
Discusses the role of the military and violence in Latin American politics, the role of civilian groups with emphasis on democratization, and the influence of other nations - especially the United States - on Latin American politics.

PLSI 149T. Seminar in Comparative Government
(1-4; max total 8 units if no topic repeated)
Parliamentary systems, problems and goals of developing nations, federal systems, comparative local government, parties and pressure groups, and multi-party systems.



American Government (PLSI)

PLSI 71. Introduction to Environmental Politics (3 units)
Prerequisite: G.E. Foundation A2. Introduction to study of environmental politics and policy making in the United States; a brief history of environmentalism; basic principles in environmental policy making, including policy making for interest groups, legislatures, and levels of government; and selection of current topics in environmental issues. G.E. Breadth D3.

PLSI 150. Public Policy Making (3 units)
Examines the institutional and political processes by which public policy is formulated, adopted, and implemented. Individual instruction on student papers (students with fundamental writing deficiencies will be required to enroll in ENGL 1L, 1 unit, concurrently). FS

PLSI 151. Political Participation and Political Parties (3 units)
Political parties; nature and extent of citizen political activity; election of public officials; political organization of government.

PLSI 152. Public Opinion and Political Behavior (3 units)
Examines the origins and expression of political attitudes and beliefs, including voting and other political participation, and how public opinion influences public policy. Special attention is given to partisanship, elections, and voting.

PLSI 153. Presidential Politics (3 units)
Examines the history, development, and operation of the U.S. Presidency. Special attention is given to the rise of the modern presidency, presidential power (constitutional and extra-constitutional), presidential speech, presidential elections, and the importance of public opinion for presidential power. F

PLSI 154. Congressional Politics (3 units)
Examines the history, development, and operation of the U.S. Congress. Special attention is given to congressional elections, congressional-presidential relations, and the policy-making process. S

PLSI 155. Interest Group Politics (3 units)
Covers why people join interest groups, studies the size and ideological diversity of the national interest group system, and looks at the circumstances under which lobbyists for these groups can influence how American public policy is made. (Formerly PLSI 159T)

PLSI 156T. Topics in Political Behavior
(1-4; max total 8 units if no topic repeated)
Voting behavior, political alienation, leadership, political perceptions and knowledge, environmental effects on political participation, group processes, and political socialization.

PLSI 157. Environmental Politics (3 units)
Examines theory, concepts, and practices in U.S. environmental politics and policy. Topics include ecological principles, the history and philosophy of environmentalism, the contemporary political conflict over environmental policy, and environmental policy analysis.

PLSI 158. Internship in Political Science (2-6; max total 6 units)
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Maximum credit toward the political science major, 3 units. Supervised work experience in legislative offices and/or political campaigns to provide student with an opportunity to fuse theory and practice. CR/NC grading only. FS

PLSI 159T. Seminar in American Government and Politics
(1-4; max total 8 units if no topic repeated)
Congressional committee operations, policy making by the courts, political implications of civil service, executive initiation of legislation, minority groups and politics, political implications of news reporting; jurisprudence and legal philosophy; legal institutions; conflict resolution.



Local Government (PLSI)

PLSI 160. State and Local Governments (3 units)
The organization, structure, powers, and functions of state and local governments. F

PLSI 161. Social Movement Politics (3 units)
Covers how and why social movements form, including what kinds of grievances lead to political organization. Studies the tactics movements use and why some movements are successful in their political advocacy while others are not. (Formerly PLSI 159T)

PLSI 163. Municipal Government (3 units)
Organization, powers, and functions of city government; types of city charters, relationship between city and state government; police and fire protection, education, water supply, health and sanitation, city planning, debts and taxation, public utilities.

PLSI 169T. Seminar in Metropolitan Government and Politics
(1-4; max total 8 units if no topic repeated)
Regional and area intergovernmental relations, urban renewal, human relations agencies, and taxation methodologies.

Public Law (PLSI)

PLSI 170. Constitutional Law, the Federal Structure (3 units)
Judicial Review, powers of the president, powers of Congress, federalism, and the contract clause and due process -- economic rights through case studies of leading Supreme Court decisions. F

PLSI 171. Constitutional Law, Civil Liberties, and Civil Rights (3 units)
Free speech and association, freedom of press, commercial free speech, obscenity, religion guarantees, fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth amendment issues, and social and political equality through case studies of leading Supreme Court decisions. S

PLSI 174. Politics and the Court (3 units)
An introduction to the judicial process: jurisprudence, courts and social policy, instruments and limitations of judicial power, fact finding, precedents and legal reasoning, statutory and constitutional interpretation, and the search for standards.

PLSI 175. Water Politics and Policy (3 units)
Focuses on the development of policy regarding the ownership and use of surface and ground water in the American West, California, and the Central Valley. It also examines the political clash between economic and environmental demands for water. (Formerly PLSI 159T)

PLSI 179T. Seminar in Public Law (1-4; max total 8 units)
Administrative law, international law, judicial administration, jurisprudence, legal institutions.



Public Administration (PLSI)

PLSI 181. Public Administration (3 units)
General analysis of the field of public administration; administrative theories; policy and administration; behavioralism; budgeting, planning, and legal framework. F

PLSI 182. Administrative Analysis:
Management and Organization (3 units)
Administrative organization; methods; systems and procedures; problem solving; systems analysis; reports and records; resources management. S

PLSI 183. Comparative Administration (3 units)
Theories of comparative public administration; cross-national comparisons of administrative processes; institutions, policy formation, and behavior with consideration of cultural, social, and economic environments.

PLSI 184. Public Budgeting and Economy Policy (3 units)
Examines the administrative and political considerations of revenue generation and expenditure; budget types; the budgetary process and analysis; capital budgeting and debt administration; intergovernmental fiscal relations; monetary and fiscal policy. S

PLSI 185. Public Personnel Management (3 units)
Examines the evolution of public personnel administration including the development of merit principles, equal employment opportunity, and affirmative action; recruitment, selection, and career development; classification techniques; theories of motivation; public sector labor relations. F

PLSI 187. Internship in Public Administration (2-6; max total 6 units)
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Maximum credit toward public administration major, 3 units. Supervised work experience in public agencies to provide the student with an opportunity to fuse theory and practice. CR/NC grading only. FS

PLSI 188T. Topics in Public Administration
(1-4; max total 9 units if no topic repeated)
Treatment of current topics and problems in fiscal administration, public personnel administration, and planning.

PLSI 189T. Seminar in Public Administration
(3; max total 6 units if no topic repeated)
The values and philosophy of administration; management and dynamics of change; public relations and communication problems in public administration; planning problems and techniques; systems approach to resource management.

PLSI 190. Independent Study (1-3; max total 6 units)
See Academic Placement -- Independent Study. Approved for RP grading. FS

PLSI 191. Directed Readings (1 unit)
Directed readings and supplemental and original source material for enrichment of regular offerings in the subdiscipline.

Master of Arts Degree
in International Relations, (PLSI)

PLSI 200. Seminar in Methods and Political Systems (3 units)
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Systematic analysis of major political cultures and economic systems. Emphasis upon the leading theoretical models of the contemporary international system, issues of political economy, and methods of cross-cultural research.

PLSI 210. International Relations and Political Theory (3 units)
(Same as AETH 201.) Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Inquiry into philosophies of international relations with particular emphasis on moral foundations of international law in light of Western political theory. Some contemporary problems selected for in-depth analysis and student research.

PLSI 220. Seminar in Politics and Conflict (3 units)
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Analysis of sources of political conflict and methods of conflict resolution with application to selected topics, such as the foreign policy of major powers, the dynamics of political transformation, interaction in regional subsystems, or national defense and arms control.

PLSI 240. Seminar in Politics of Resources and Modernization (3 units)
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Analysis of global interdependence and national examples in selected resource areas. Emphasis on approaches to modernization in developing nations and relations between rich nations and poor nations.

PLSI 250. Seminar in Politics and Policy (3 units)
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation from a comparative perspective. Examines substantive policy issues common to modern industrial and developing nations from the perspectives of policy analysis and decision-making; considers the role of bureaucracy, the welfare state, political economy, and competing ideologies.

PLSI 270. Advanced Research and Writing in International Relations (3 units)
Students will conduct primary research on international relations topics of their choice, deepening their understanding of key issues, literature, and the application of theory. They will gain essential skills in research, analysis, and writing at the journal level standard in international relations.

PLSI 280T. Topics in International Relations (3 units)
Selected international relations topics of interest and importance in the field that are not currently offered at the graduate level. Topics may include, among others, international law and organizations, U.S. foreign policy, foreign aid, and politics of particular regions.

PLSI 290. Independent Study (1-3; max total 6 units)
See Academic Placement -- Independent Study. Approved for RP grading.

PLSI 298. Project Equivalent to Thesis (6 units)*
See Criteria for Thesis and Project. Significant undertaking of a pursuit appropriate to international politics. Must demonstrate originality and independent thinking and be accompanied by written scholarly apparatus. Project examples: documentary film; extensive curricular design; computer design of military strategies. Approved for RP grading.

PLSI 299. Thesis (3; max total 6 units)*
See Criteria for Thesis and Project. Approved for RP grading.

_________

* For 298C and 299C courses, see Graduate Studies.

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

MPA 200. Administration and Society (3 units)
How administration acts and is acted upon by institutional forces and values; role of history, cultural, ethical, political, social, and economic values and institutions; an emphasis on: bureaucracy, economy and democracy, centralization vs. decentralization, professionalism and society; alternatives to bureaucracy. (Formerly GPA 200)

MPA 201. Quantitative Applications for Public Administration (3 units)
Exploring different methods of data analysis for understanding how public decisions are made and public policies are evaluated. Data collection, measurement, sampling, and data analysis - including regression - are explored with practical applications. (2 lecture, 2 lab hours) (Formerly GPA 120G, MPA 120G)

MPA 210. Organizational Theory in Public Administration (3 units)
A study of the key issues involved in the management of public organizations. This examination of organizational behavior and theories of complex organizations includes the following: leadership styles, communication, organizational change, hierarchy and organizational structure, and organizational culture. (Formerly GPA 210)

MPA 215. State and Local Government (3 units)
Helps students understand state and local government history and how these governmental units interact with the federal government. Legislatures, executives, courts and city, and county councils are studied, particularly in terms of their emphasis on public policy. (Formerly GPA 215)

MPA 230. Public Budgeting (3 units)
Examines the budget process, the use of economic analysis in evaluating taxation and expenditure issues, and the development and analysis of budget proposals. Also includes discussion of burdens and effectiveness of different taxes and considers potential reforms to the budgeting process. (Formerly GPA 230)

MPA 240. Seminar in Public Management (3 units)
An inquiry into contemporary issues facing public managers. Topics that can be covered include accountability, performance management, development of information technology, e-government, public management reforms, implications of privatization/ contracting out, and public governance. (Formerly GPA 240)

MPA 245. Human Resources Management (3 units)
Explores the development of the merit system in government, hiring and termination, career development, human resource planning, management-labor relations, equal opportunity, affirmative action, workplace diversity, and the legal dimension of the public personnel system.

MPA 250. Ethics and Public Administration (3 units)
(Same as AETH 202.) Prerequisite: MPA 210. The moral dimensions of public administrative decision-making. The nature of public and private morality; psychological and ethical egoism; relativism; utilitarianism and deontological theories; rights and goods in the public service context; sensitive applications of rules in public agencies. (Formerly GPA 250)

MPA 260. Public Policy Administration (3 units)
A study of policy initiation, formulation, and implementation and a public manager's role in them; management processes and functions in the policy process; policy justification and advocacy, policy analysis, and implementation evaluation. (Formerly GPA 260)

MPA 280T. Topics in Public Administration
(3; max total 6 units if no topic repeated)
Selected topics meeting student needs and interests that are not met in other university courses. (Formerly GPA 280T)

MPA 287. Internship in Public Administration (3 units)
Supervised work experience for a realistic exposure to an organizational-bureaucratic environment for students in the M.P.A. program who lack significant work experience in a public or nonprofit organization. CR/NC grading only. (Formerly GPA 287)

MPA 289T. Practitioner's Seminar
(1-3; max total 6 units if no topic repeated)
Prerequisite: Some seminars may have course prerequisites. Selected topics in the administration of public programs and agencies examined from the prospective and experience of practitioners. (Formerly GPA 289T)

MPA 290. Independent Study (1-4; max total 6 units)
See Academic Placement -- Independent Study. Approved for RP grading. (Formerly GPA 290)

MPA 299. Thesis (3)*
Prerequisite: See Criteria for Thesis and Project. Preparation, completion, and submission of an acceptable thesis for the master's degree. Approved for RP grading. (Formerly GPA 299)

_________

* For 299C courses, see Graduate Studies.

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