Political Theory
Political theory is concerned primarily with the foundations of political neighborhood and institutions. It focuses on human nature and the moral purposes of political association. To clarify these concepts, political theorists make use of enduring political works from ancient Greece to today and on various writings by ethical philosophers. Political theory likewise concentrates on empirical research into the way political organizations function in practice. Here political theorists subject beliefs about political life discovered in crucial political writings to re-examination in the light of continuous human behavior. In either case, political theory looks for to eventually deepen political thinking and to stimulate residents to accountable and imaginative political action.POL S 201, Intro to Political Theory, offers students with a summary of the primary lines of thought in political theory. Advanced courses focus on given principles, topics, and believed in political theorizing.
Relative PoliticsComparative politics is a broad field with a variety of approaches and goals. Some scholars and scientists compare contemporary political systems in order to judge which types finest supply specific worths: order, equality, flexibility, or financial security and well-being for their people. Others recommend that the main purpose of relative politics is to provide an understanding of how and why various societies develop different type of political institutions. Still others utilize relative politics as a way of finding basic laws and theories that will explain human political habits and its irregularity.
Comparative politics courses are of 2 fundamental types. One provides contrasts of a particular set of problems or organizations in a variety of various countries. The 2nd type offers in-depth analyses of the fundamental political organizations and processes of a single country or group of nations in a world region.
Most trainees will wish to start their research study of comparative politics with the Intro to Relative Politics (POL S 204), which combines the two primary approaches by consisting of relative discussions of particular problems, problems, procedures, and organizations in a wide array of political settings along with thorough readings and lectures on some of the significant countries in the contemporary world. International Relations
The field of international relations is worried with establishing an understanding of why states and non-state worldwide actors, like the United Nations and multinational corporations, engage as they do. Global relations is a diverse field both in regards to what kinds of habits are studied and how they are studied. International dispute, especially war, continues to be an important focus of the field. Why do wars begin? Who wins and why? How can wars be prevented? What is the function of international law and organizations? As the world has ended up being more synergistic, scholars have ended up being more mindful of the value of global economic activity. As an outcome, scholars are evaluating world trade, communications, advancement, foreign investment, and worldwide finance. How states make foreign policy decisions is another important location of study. National security policy, nuclear deterrence, arms control and defense spending choices are case in points of diplomacy decisions. POL S 203, International Relations, presents the student to International politics. This is the structure for a wide variety of offerings at the 300 and 400 levels, such as American foreign policy, global environmental politics, worldwide political economy, and global conflict.American Federal government and Politics Trainees of American federal government and politics seek an understanding of politics as practiced in the United States. In addition to courses on the American presidency, the U.S. Congress, and the courts, the department provides specialized courses on such topics as the political function of mass media, the politics of race and ethnicity, constitutional law, policy development, state politics, and American political thought.
A few of the broad questions that concern students in this field are: How and why did American political organizations, concepts, and practices establish as they have? How does one tackle examining them? Are American political organizations, concepts and practices unique, or are they similar to other societies? How might American politics be improved? POL S 202, Intro to American Politics, is suggested preparation for many other courses in American Politics. To acquire first-hand experience with the American political system, students are motivated to participate in academic internships in Washington D.C., Olympia, or Seattle. Political Methodology
The subfield of political approach is concerned with the philosophical bases of political science, social science, empirical research study style and analysis, and useful field research experience.
Courses in the political Helpful resources approach field cover philosophical concerns relating to the possibility of a science of politics, the similarities and distinctions in between government and other social sciences, alternative modes of explanation, and the truth of understanding claims. They also analyze the solution of speculative and non-experimental research study styles for making causal inferences about political procedures and behavior and check out the. usage of statistics, mathematics and computers for the analysis of political data created by such research styles. Trainees are also offered a chance to carry out individual and group research jobs through seminars. The political methodology professors have current research and mentor interests in such varied topics as mass media, feminist theory, language politics, political economy, logical choice theory, and public law.