Academic Catalog

Political Science

Office: 2040 Faculty/Administration Building; 313-577-2630
Chairperson: Sharon F. Lean
https://clas.wayne.edu/politicalscience

The study of political science is aimed at understanding and illuminating the nature and problems of government and the role of politics in the modern world. This is accomplished through systematic exploration of the structure and processes of government at different levels and across nations, through the study of individual and collective political behavior, and through analyses of policy problems and the processes through which public policies are formulated and administered. The field of political science is of special importance to students whose career goals include:

  1. Professions likely to involve participation in public affairs, including law, engineering, criminal justice, public health, social welfare and education.
  2. Administrative or executive positions in government — local, state or federal, and in non-profit organizations dealing with the public sector.
  3. Teaching of political and social science at the secondary, community college and university levels.
  4. Positions in the diplomatic, foreign and overseas programs of the U.S. Government and of large private concerns doing business abroad.
  5. Leadership, research and staff roles in citizen organizations, political parties, economic and social interest groups, municipal research bureaus and nonprofit organizations.
  6. Positions associated with mass communications, such as radio, television and newspapers, where understanding of public affairs and governmental policies and organization is required for accurate reporting and analysis.
  7. Positions in private enterprise where knowledge of governmental processes is essential, such as in industrial relations, legislative liaison and public relations.
 

BAYBECK, BRADY P.: Ph.D., M.A., Washington University in St. Louis; B.A., University of Michigan; Associate Professor

BLEDSOE, TIMOTHY: Ph.D., University of Nebraska; M.A., University of Arkansas; B.A., Louisiana State University; Professor

BROWN, RONALD E.: Ph.D., M.A., University of Michigan; B.S., Southern Illinois University; Associate Professor

DEEGAN-KRAUSE, KEVIN: Ph.D., M.A., University of Notre Dame; B.A., Georgetown University; Associate Professor

FINO, SUSAN P.: Ph.D., M.A., Rutgers University; B.A., Johns Hopkins University; Professor

GELLER, DANIEL S.: Ph.D., M.A., Rutgers University; B.A., Drew University; Professor

GOLEBIOWSKA, EWA: Ph.D., M.A., Ohio State University; B.A., Wesleyan University; Professor

GRYNAVISKI, JEFFREY D.: Ph.D., M.A., Duke University; B.A., William and Mary; Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Programs

HELFER, ARIEL: Ph.D., M.A., The University of Texas at Austin; B.A., Kenyon College; Assistant Professor

HERRING, MARY: Ph.D., University of Georgia; M.A., B.A., University of West Florida; Associate Professor

JUN, KYU-NAHM: Ph.D., University of Southern California; MPA, Seoul National University; B.A., Ewha Womans University; Associate Professor

LEAN, SHARON F.: Ph.D., University of California, Irvine; M.A.,Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales; B.A., Brown University; Associate Professor and Chair

MARINOVA, NADEJDA K.: Ph.D., University of Southern California; M.S., Georgia Institute of Technology; B.A., Georgia College and State University; Assistant Professor

PARRISH, CHARLES J.: Ph.D., University of North Carolina; M.A., B.A., University of Florida; Professor

PEARSON, FREDERIC S.: Ph.D., M.A., University of Michigan; B.A., Oakland University; Professor

ROTH, BRAD R.: Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley; LL.M., Columbia Law School; J.D., Harvard Law School; B.A., Swarthmore College; Professor

SARBAUGH-THOMPSON, MARJORIE E.: Ph.D., University of Michigan; M.P.A., B.S., Western Michigan University; Professor

SHENG, YUMIN: Ph.D., Yale University; M.A., Beijing Foreign Studies University and Temple University; B.A., Yangzhou University; Associate Professor

STRATE, JOHN: Ph.D., M.A., University of Michigan; B.A., Macalester College; Associate Professor

TAYLOR, KRISTIN T.: Ph.D., North Carolina State University; M.C.P., University of Cincinnati; B.A., Ohio University; Associate Professor

THOMPSON, THOMAS L.: Ph.D., M.A., University of Texas, Arlington; B.J., University of Texas, Austin; Professor

PS 5030 African American Politics Cr. 4

Nature and texture of black politics; various perspectives on politics by blacks; the impact of blacks on American politics. Offered Every Other Year.

Equivalent: AFS 5030

PS 5040 Religion and Politics Cr. 4

Religion and American political culture; religious institutions and religious movements; church lobbying in national, state, and local governments; specific manifestations of religion and politics; African Americans, women and conservative Christians. Offered Every Other Year.

PS 5110 Constitutional Law Cr. 4

Examination of the power of judicial review, barriers to court review, distribution of powers in the national government, federal-state relations, federal-state power to regulate and tax interstate commerce, and protection of property through the due process clause. Offered Yearly.

PS 5120 Constitutional Rights and Liberties Cr. 4

The Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment's due process and equal protection clauses, including rights of criminal defendants, freedom of speech and religion, race and sex discrimination. Offered Yearly.

PS 5560 Biopolitics Cr. 4

Use of the perspective of the life sciences in the study of political behavior, political evolution, political institutions, and contemporary political issues. Offered Yearly.

PS 5630 Statistics and Data Analysis in Political Science I Cr. 4

Introduction to statistical description and inference in the study of politics, administration and public policy. Introduction to statistical analysis using microcomputers. Offered Every Term.

PS 5740 Ethnicity: The Politics of Conflict and Cooperation Cr. 4

Current ethnic (racial, linguistic, religious, and cultural) conflicts regionally, nationally and internationally. Introduction to concepts and analytic perspectives for understanding ethnicity as a factor in nation building and maintenance. Offered Yearly.

PS 5760 History and Development of Islamic Political Thought Cr. 3

Historical analysis of political Islam through study of the precepts and historical vicissitudes impacting the Islamic world from within and from external forces. Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisites: NE 2030 with a minimum grade of D- and NE 3040 with a minimum grade of D-

Equivalent: NE 5110

PS 5820 International Law Cr. 4

Sources of international law (treaty and custom); institutions of the international system and relationship to domestic law and the courts; state sovereignty; role of United Nations and other international organizations. Application of legal norms to contemporary armed conflicts and human rights catastrophes. Offered Every Other Year.

PS 5830 International Diplomacy and Conflict Cr. 3

This course presents career-relevant understanding of international conflict negotiations, mediation and diplomacy. It covers diplomatic history, theories and processes of diplomatic practice and international conflict background and settlement. Students will also enhance practical skills in diplomatic practice and policy-relevant writing through participation in negotiation simulations and preparation of planning and advisory reports. Offered Intermittently.

PS 5850 Human Rights Cr. 4

Theoretical traditions that have inspired the human rights movement; critiques from liberal and conservative perspectives; international human rights treaties and efforts to implement their terms; controversies over cultural relativism, economic and social rights, treatment of women, and the question of non-intervention. Offered Intermittently.

PS 5860 Conflict in the Nuclear Age Cr. 3

Examination of post-World War II historical conflicts using formal mathematical models and games of strategic interaction. Offered Intermittently.

PS 5890 Dispute Resolution Cr. 3

Overview of the processes and actors in the field of dispute resolution including negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and conciliation. Offered Yearly.

Equivalent: CRJ 5994, PCS 5000, PSY 5710

PS 5991 Directed Study: WSU- Salford Exchange Cr. 3-9

Credit earned through approved upper-division course work at the University of Salford, England, as part of W.S.U.- Salford student exchange program. Offered for undergraduate credit only. Offered Fall, Winter.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.

PS 5992 Political Science AGRADE Internship Cr. 4

Internship to supplement classroom course work with practical experience gained through substantial involvement in a responsible capacity in a public or quasi-public agency or civic organization. Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.

PS 5993 Writing Intensive Course in Political Science Cr. 0

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Writing Intensive Competency

Disciplinary writing assignments under the direction of a faculty member. Must be selected in conjunction with a designated corequisite; see section listing in Schedule of Classes for corequisites available each term. Satisfies the University General Education Writing Intensive Course in the Major requirement. Required for all majors. Offered Every Term.

Prerequisites: (AFS 2390 with a minimum grade of C, ENG 2390 with a minimum grade of C, ENG 3010 with a minimum grade of C, ENG 3020 with a minimum grade of C, or ENG 3050 with a minimum grade of C) and PS 3000-6999 with a minimum grade of D-

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.

PS 5999 Special Topics in Political Science Cr. 1-4

Topics to be announced in Schedule of Classes . Offered Every Term.

Repeatable for 16 Credits

PS 6010 Political Psychology Cr. 3

Political attitudes and behavior of both ordinary citizens and political elites using theory and research that adopt a psychological perspective. Topics include: political socialization, ideological belief systems, role of mass media in shaping beliefs and attitudes, race and gender stereotypes and their psychological and political consequences, personality and the dynamics of political leadership. Offered Yearly.

Equivalent: PSY 6020

PS 6020 Intergovernmental Relations and American Federalism Cr. 3

Legal, fiscal, political and administrative relationships among governments in the American federal system. Current issues and public policies which affect or are affected by intergovernmental relationships. Offered Every Other Year.

PS 6050 Class, Race, and Politics in America Cr. 3

Historical and analytic investigation into the role of class and race in American politics. Offered Intermittently.

PS 6100 Introduction to Graduate Peace and Security Studies Cr. 3

Survey of the peace and security studies fields at the graduate level. Offered for graduate credit only. Offered Fall, Winter.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Equivalent: PCS 6100

PS 6340 Public Sector Labor Relations Cr. 3

History, present functions, problems and current controversies surrounding public sector unions. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 6440 Regional, State, and Urban Economic Development: Policy and Administration Cr. 3

Examination of regional, state, and local economic development theory, analysis, policy and administration. Offered for graduate credit only. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Equivalent: ECO 6650, UP 6550

PS 6640 Statistics and Data Analysis in Political Science II Cr. 3

Modern statistical theory applied to the study of politics, administration, and public policy. Multivariate analysis: multiple regression, logistic regression, path analysis, and factor analysis. Offered Yearly.

Prerequisite: PS 5630

PS 6700 Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations Cr. 3

Conducting financial management in nonprofit organizations. Topics include: legal responsibilities, cash versus accrual basis accounting, financial statements, fund accounting, fixed assets and depreciation, contributions and budgeting. Offered Yearly.

PS 6720 Marketing, Development, and Grant Writing for Nonprofit Organizations Cr. 3

How nonprofit organizations locate and secure resources from the private sector, individual philanthropists, foundations, and governments, through marketing, development, and the writing and submission of grants. Offered Yearly.

PS 6830 Civil War and Conflict Processes Cr. 3

Introduction to literature on civil wars: origins, variables affecting their duration, termination. Peace making and peace agreements studied comparatively. Recent Balkan and African civil wars. Offered Every Other Year.

PS 6850 International Organizations Cr. 3

Covers origins and significance of international institutions in world politics. Reviews theoretical approaches to international institutions and global governance, including realist, institutionalist and constructivist. Examines problems of cooperation, delegation of power, disparities of power and the development of robust international regimes in a variety of areas of global governance (security, economic, human rights). Offered Intermittently.

PS 6860 American Foreign Policy Cr. 3

Contending paradigms of realism and liberalism as they relate to programs for American foreign policy. Offered Yearly.

PS 6870 United States Foreign Relations Law Cr. 4

U.S. constitutional law and politics relating to the branches' competencies in conduct of foreign affairs and to incorporation of international law in U.S. courts; war powers, counterterrorism, treaties, human rights litigation, immunities. Offered Every Other Year.

Equivalent: LEX 7888

PS 7020 The New Institutionalism Cr. 3

Applies concepts of rational choice theory to explain the development of political institutions. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7030 American Political Processes Cr. 3

Political socialization, public opinion, and political behavior. Role of political parties and interest groups in the political process. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7040 American National Institutions Cr. 3

Examination of the functions, structure and processes of major American governmental institutions with special emphasis on the Congress and the courts. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7099 Topics in American Politics Cr. 3

Topics chosen by faculty; may include: gender politics, political socialization, voting behavior, political parties, and interest groups. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7240 Urban Public Policy Cr. 3

Overview of major theoretical approaches to understanding urban/regional problems and politics. Focus on following regional issues: interdependence of populations across municipal borders, municipal fragmentation, racial and economic segregation, mobility of labor and capital within and across regions. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7250 Seminar in Urban Administration Cr. 3

Administration in agencies with urban-related policy and program functions. Focus on: public services delivery; urban systems development; program-project design, implementation and evaluation; and intergovernmental relations. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7300 Public Administration and its Environment Cr. 3

Emergence and evolution of public administration as both a profession and a field of study. The role of public bureaucracies in the political process and efforts to ensure administrative accountability and responsiveness to the democratic system. Administrative relationships with elected executives, legislatures, the judiciary, the media and interest groups. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7310 Public Management Internship Cr. 1-3

Internship designed to integrate graduate course work with practical knowledge and experience gained from employment in a responsible capacity in a public agency or nonprofit organization. Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 6 Credits

PS 7320 Organization Theory and Behavior Cr. 3

Study of major theoretical approaches to the structure, functioning and performance of organizations and the behavior of groups and individuals within them. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7330 Public Budgeting and Finance Cr. 3

Processes of public budgeting in the United States; political dynamics of budgetary decision-making; assessment of efforts to change budget systems; basic concepts of fiscal analysis of expenditure patterns and revenue sources. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7340 Public Personnel Management Cr. 3

Examination of the public personnel systems of American governmental units; analysis of current practices and techniques for recruiting, selecting, training, promoting, compensating and removing public employees. Major issues in public personnel management such as collective bargaining, equal employment opportunity, civil service reform and employee productivity and performance. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7350 Managing Public Organizations and Programs Cr. 3

Processes and techniques for managing public organizations and providing public services. Topics include: total quality management, communication and information management, motivation and supervision of subordinates, planning and decision making. Relying on for-profit and nonprofit organizations in service delivery. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7375 Professional Development Seminar Cr. 1-2

Analysis of managerial techniques and practices currently used by administrators in the public sector. Emphasis on managerial applications of information technology, administrative writing and presentation skills, and organizational and behavioral approaches and techniques. Content areas will vary with yearly offerings. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7410 Policy Formation and Implementation Cr. 3

Analysis of the processes through which public policy is made and implemented. Examination of the factors that promote or impede the development and realization of rational, effective, and responsive public policy. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7460 Program Evaluation Cr. 3

Theory and practice of program evaluation. Role of program evaluation in the policy process. A number of theories of evaluation will be presented, followed by a discussion of techniques. Topics include total quality management, bench marking; utilization of evaluation. Offered Yearly.

Prerequisite: PS 5630

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7470 Comparative Public Policy Cr. 3

Provides a comparative introduction to the field of public policy for graduate students. Topics covered include actors and institutions involved in policy making, key concepts, major policy theories and frameworks. After establishing this conceptual foundation, students will explore substantive policy in the U.S. and international context, with attention to the sources of policy differences, such as political institutions, economic conditions and culture. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7480 Policy Analysis for Administration Cr. 3

Introduction to the conceptual foundations of public policy analysis as well as training in various policy analysis tools. Opportunities for students to do policy analysis. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7550 Topics in the History of Political Thought Cr. 3-6

Survey of selected political theorists by period or theme; emphasis on interpretation of major works. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7560 Contemporary Political and Social Theory Cr. 3-6

Analysis of selected major problems, topics, and themes in recent political and social theory. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7580 Political Theory of Public Law Cr. 3

Legal restraints on exercise of public power as conceived in works of early modern theorists (e.g., Machiavelli, Locke, Montesquieu, and Madison), and as applied in constitutional arrangements that have emerged in a range of historical settings. Topics include: role of law in totalitarian political systems; emergency rule; comparative approaches to judicial review. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Equivalent: LEX 7659

PS 7660 Research Methods in Policy and Politics Cr. 3

Analytic methods in the study of politics and public policy: formulating researchable problems, use of models, research design, measurement, data collection, and computer-based data analysis. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7700 Foundations of Nonprofit Management Cr. 3

Topics include: nonprofit organizations and their history; nonprofit policy fields; organizational types and characteristics; governance and leadership; nonprofit strategy; nonprofit management; nonprofit advocacy and lobbying; resource development. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7710 Seminar in Comparative Politics Cr. 3

Research-oriented seminar in which students learn basic approaches to the study of domestic policy-making through the comparative method, including structural, cultural, institutional, elite, and rational choice approaches. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7711 Advanced Seminar in Comparative Politics Cr. 3-6

Analysis of selected major issues, topics, and debates in the field. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 99 Credits

PS 7720 Comparative Politics of Advanced Industrial Democracies Cr. 3

Provides an in depth at the political structures and institutions of advanced industrial democracies and at the methods, concepts and theories of comparative politics that further our understanding of those countries. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7730 Seminar: Comparative Politics of Developing Countries Cr. 3

Intellectual questions and methodological strategies political scientists are addressing in the study of politics in the developing world. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7740 Political Economy Cr. 3

Seminar course; comprehensive survey of political economy: interaction between the government and the economy; microeconomics of politics. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7810 Seminar in World Politics Cr. 3

Major theoretical approaches. Students evaluate the extent to which theses that devolve from realist, idealist, Marxist, culturalist, decision-making, and alternative approaches allow us to explicate phenomena in world politics. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 9 Credits

PS 7811 Advanced Seminar in World Politics Cr. 3

Examination of broad range of substantive topics; student develops ability to conduct independent research in world politics subfield; introduction to alternative theoretical approaches and different methods for conducting empirical research. Major performance objective is student development of a research design. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 6 Credits

PS 7995 Directed Study Cr. 1-6

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7997 Research in Political Science Cr. 1-9

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 7999 Master's Essay Direction Cr. 1-3

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment limited to students with a class of Candidate Masters; enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 8000 Readings in Political Science Cr. 3

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 6 Credits

PS 8600 Philosophic Problems of Social and Political Inquiry Cr. 3

Required of all doctoral students. Exploration of competing philosophies of science and their relevance to the study of politics. Study of selected problems in political inquiry, including objectivity, commensurability, and progress. Review of disciplinary history and assessments of contemporary approaches to the study of politics. Offered Every Other Year.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 8999 Master's Thesis Research and Direction Cr. 1-8

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment limited to students with a class of Candidate Masters; enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 8 Credits

PS 9990 Pre-Doctoral Candidacy Research Cr. 1-8

Research in preparation for doctoral dissertation. Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 12 Credits

PS 9991 Doctoral Candidate Status I: Dissertation Research and Direction Cr. 7.5

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 9992 Doctoral Candidate Status II: Dissertation Research and Direction Cr. 7.5

Offered Every Term.

Prerequisite: PS 9991 with a minimum grade of S

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 9993 Doctoral Candidate Status III: Dissertation Research and Direction Cr. 7.5

Offered Every Term.

Prerequisite: PS 9992 with a minimum grade of S

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 9994 Doctoral Candidate Status IV: Dissertation Research and Direction Cr. 7.5

Offered Every Term.

Prerequisite: PS 9993 with a minimum grade of S

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PS 9995 Candidate Maintenance Status: Doctoral Dissertation Research and Direction Cr. 0

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Material Fees: $416.08

Repeatable for 0 Credits

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