american politics
PLSC 300: Civil Rights Movement and the Courts
Professor Brendan Horan
TTh 11:30am / LSC
This course examines the Civil Rights Movement and its relationship with the judicial system. It focuses on the role of lawyers and the law, and their relationships to direct action and other forms of advocacy in advancing and impeding social change. Among topics included: marches on Washington; the Journey to Reconciliation and Freedom Rides; school desegregation; the murders of Emmett Till and many others; the Montgomery Bus Boycott; Freedom Summer; affirmative action. The course will also consider the conflicts between violence and nonviolence and among law, politics, and morality.
PLSC 319: Women, Law and Public Policy
Professor Susan Mezey
T 4:15pm / LSC
The purpose of this class is to examine the formulation and implementation of public policymaking that governs the legal status of women and men in America. Focusing on federal court decisions as well as legislative and executive actions, the class will deal with the following topics: constitutional legal equality; equal employment opportunity, including equal pay and sexual harassment; educational equality; and reproductive rights.
PLSC 320: Constitutional Law--Due Process
Professor Michael Walsh
M 7:00pm / LSC
This course looks at the criminal justice system and the role of the Supreme Court in determining procedural due process rights. It focuses on the issue of balancing the rights of the individual against the legitimate law enforcement needs of society. Specific topics include the development of constitutional law on reasonable search and seizure, the right to counsel, the death penalty, and the protection against self-incrimination.
PLSC 323: Children, Law and Public Policy
Professor Susan Mezey
TTh 10:00am / LSC
The purpose of this class is to assess the legal and political status of children in U.S. society. The class will focus on recent federal court decisions determining the constitutional rights and freedoms of children in the home, in the classroom, and in the criminal justice system. The reading material will consist of judicial opinions in which constitutional claims of privacy, free expression, equal protection, and due process were made on behalf of children, as well as journal articles and books. Students will be evaluated on the basis of a midterm and final exam as well as on the results of research project focusing on a selected area of state or federal policymaking.
PLSC 385: Introduction to Law
Mr. Geoffrey Steele
W 7:00pm / LSC
This course is an introduction to the American legal system in theory and practice. It will examine issues of jurisprudence (legal philosophy), as well as many of the procedural and substantive areas of the law. The course objectives are: (1) to learn the history and evolution of the American legal system; (2) to develop the logical and analytical skills necessary to comprehend legal reasoning; (3) to come to understand many of the general and specific principles that underpin the legal process; (4) to explore many procedural and substantive areas of the law; (5) to apply legal theory and reasoning to specific, factual, case studies; and (6) to come to a "real world" appreciation of the American legal system in operation.
PLSC 386: Parties and Elections
Profesor Alan Gitelson
TTh 8:30am / LSC
This course is intended to give an overview of the workings and non-workings of the American two-party system and the election and campaign process. In the lecture/seminar atmosphere of the class, we will explore and analyze the roles of interest groups, political action committees, the media, campaign financing, the nomination process and a variety of other institutions as they have an impact on parties and elections. Special focus will be placed on the 2008 presidential and congressional campaigns/elections.
PLSC 387: Politics and the Press
Mr. Jack Smith
TTh 11:30am / LSC
President John F. Kennedy said this about the press: “Always remember that their interests and ours ultimately conflict.” What then are the dynamics between politics and the press? What impact does the media have on campaigns, elections, public policy, and presidents? Is the press more powerful than the political parties? What are the media’s standards for covering politics? Students will examine these issues first, by following the press coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign and election and second, by studying the relationships between the press and presidents of the United States from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush. Each class will open with a discussion of the current press coverage of the presidential candidates. Students will also track the press coverage of President Bush during his final months in office. We will also closely follow press coverage of military and political events in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Finally, the class will study media coverage of Chicago’s two historic mayors, Richard J. Daley and Harold Washington.
PLSC 392: Environmental Politics
Professor Mike Quigley
W 4:15pm / LSC
This course examines the issues, significant actors, and public policies relating to the environment. It begins with a history of environmentalism and a discussion of the basic issues of environmental politics. It then examines the structures of law and government within the United States directed toward environmental concerns. Finally, the course turns to a discussion of the environmental issues addressed by U.S. governments and the controversies and content of contemporary environmental policies.