GVPT -- Government and Politics

GVPT 401 Problems of World Politics (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 200. A study of governmental problems of international scope, such as causes of war, problems of neutrality, and propaganda. Students are required to report on readings from current literature.

GVPT 402 International Law (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 200. A study of the basic character, general principles and specific rules of international law, with emphasis on recent and contemporary trends in the field and its relation to other aspects of international affairs.

GVPT 403 Law, Morality and War (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 200. An exploration of fundamental moral and legal issues concerning war.

GVPT 405 Defense Policy and Arms Control (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 200. Contemporary issues of military strategy and international security are covered, including: nuclear war, conventional (limited) war, guerrilla insurgency, arms control, disarmament, moderation of war, defense policy processes, and defense economics.

GVPT 406 Problems of International Cooperation (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 200. The analysis of the problems inherent in international cooperation with applications to such specific international issues as the environment, human rights, economic development and conflict resolution.

GVPT 407 International Political Economy (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 200. Introduces the field of international political economy, which analyzes the ways in which economic and political changes produce both economic and political reactions.

GVPT 409 Seminar in International Relations and World Politics (3) Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs. Reading, writing, and research on topics in international relations and world politics. Both substantive issues and methodological approaches will be considered. Primarily for government and politics majors.

GVPT 411 Public Personnel Administration (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 210. A survey of public personnel administration, including the development of merit civil service, the personnel agency, classification, recruitment, examination techniques, promotion, service ratings, training, discipline, employee relations, and retirement.

GVPT 412 Public Financial Administration (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 210. A survey of governmental financial procedures, including processes of current and capital budgeting, the administration of public borrowing, the techniques of public purchasing, and the machinery of control through pre-audit and post-audit.

GVPT 414 Administrative Law (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 210. A study of the discretion exercised by administrative agencies, including analysis of their functions, their powers over persons and property, their procedures, and judical sanctions and controls.

GVPT 419 Seminar in Public Policy (3) Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs. Reading, writing, and research on topics in public policy. Both substantive issues and methodological approaches will be considered. Primarily for government and politics majors.

GVPT 422 Quantitative Political Analysis (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 220. Introduction to quantitative methods of data analysis, including selected statistical methods, block analysis, content analysis, and scale construction.

GVPT 423 Elections and Electoral Behavior (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 220. An examination of various topics relating to elections; the focus includes the legal structure under which elections are conducted, the selection and nomination process, the conduct of election campaigns, and patterns of political participation and voting choice in different types of elections.

GVPT 424 Topics in Formal Theories of Political Behavior and Politics (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 221 or permission of department. The focus of this course will vary both by its theoretical core and its applications. The theories are likely to be those of games, social choice, and voting. The applications will usually be to problems of distributive and social justice, community organizing, responsive public policy, institutional design, alliance and coalition formation, etc. Some of the topics will involve research projects.

GVPT 426 Public Opinion (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 220. An examination of public opinion and its effect on political action, with emphasis on opinion formation and measurement, propaganda and pressure groups.

GVPT 427 Political Sociology (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 220. A study of the societal aspects of political life including selected aspects of the sociology of group formation and group dynamics, political association, community integration and political behavior.

GVPT 428 Topics in Formal Theories of Political Behavior and Politics (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 221 or permission of department. Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs. An evaluation of theories of political behavior such as game, social choice and voting theory, and their applications to problems of distribution and soical justice, community organizing, responsive public policy, institutional design, and alliance and coalition formation.

GVPT 429 Problems in Political Behavior (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 220. The problem approach to political behavior with emphasis on theoretical and empirical studies on selected aspects of the political process.

GVPT 431 Introduction to Constitutional Law (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 231. A systematic inquiry into the general principles of the American constitutional system, with special reference to the role of the judiciary in the interpretation and enforcement of the federal constitution.

GVPT 432 Civil Rights and the Constitution (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 231. A study of civil rights in the American constitutional context, emphasizing freedom of religion, freedom of expression, minority discrimination, and the rights of defendants.

GVPT 433 The Judicial Process (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 231. An examination of judicial organization in the United States at all levels of government, with some emphasis on legal reasoning, legal research and court procedures.

GVPT 434 Race Relations and Public Law (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 231. A political and legal examination of the constitutionally protected rights affecting racial minorities and of the constitutional power of the federal courts, congress, and the executive to define, protect and extend these rights.

GVPT 436 The Legal Status of Women (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 231. Also offered as WMST 436. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: GVPT 436 or WMST 436. An examination of judicial interpretation and application of common, statutory, and constitutional law as these affect the status of women in American society.

GVPT 439 Seminar in Public Law (3) Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs. Reading, writing, and research on topics in public law. Both substantive issues and methodological approaches will be considered. Primarily for government and politics majors.

GVPT 441 History of Political Theory: Ancient and Medieval (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 100. A survey of the principal political theories set forth in the works of writers before Machiavelli.

GVPT 442 History of Political Theory--Medieval to Recent (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 100. A survey of the principal theories set forth in the works of writers from Machiavelli to Nietzsche.

GVPT 443 Contemporary Political Theory (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 100. A survey of the principal political theories and ideologies set forth in the works of writers from Karl Marx to the present.

GVPT 444 American Political Theory (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 100 or GVPT 170. A study of the development and growth of American political concepts from the Colonial period to the present.

GVPT 445 Marxism and Postmarxism (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 100. The study of Marxist thought and an assessment of the critical transformations and reassessments of the theory and practice of Marxism.

GVPT 446 Psychoanalysis and Politics (3) Prerequisites: GVPT 100 and GVPT 340. Psychological sources of individual and group behavior as applied to political phenomenon such as voting, war, revolution, and genocide.

GVPT 447 Islamic Political Philosophy (3) The writings of one or several authors from the rise of Islamic philosophy until today are examined in order to see how they understand the conflicting claims of revelations and unaided human reason about the best regime, justice, and human virtue.

GVPT 448 Non-Western Political Thought (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 100; permission of department required for repeat. Examination of works by major authors and general themes of political thought originating in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. This is not a survey of all non-western political thought, but a course to be limited by the professor with each offering.

GVPT 449 Seminar in Political Philosophy (3) Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs. Reading, writing, and research on topics in political philosophy. Both substantive issues and methodological approaches will be considered. Primarily for government and politics majors.

GVPT 450 Comparative Study of Foreign Policy Formation (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 200. The opportunity to learn the theoretical underpinnings of foreign policy decision-making and to apply this knowledge in a simulation of a "real world" negotiation arena.

GVPT 451 Foreign Policies of Russia and the States of the Former Soviet (3) Union Prerequisite: GVPT 280 or GVPT 282. A study of the development of the foreign policies of Russia and the other states of the former Soviet Union, with attention paid to the processes of policy formation and the forces and conditions that make for continuities and changes.

GVPT 453 Recent East Asian Politics (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 280 or GVPT 282. The background and interpretation of recent political events in East Asia and their influence on world politics.

GVPT 454 Contemporary African Politics (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 280 or GVPT 282. A survey of contemporary development in the international politics of Africa, with special emphasis on the role of an emerging Africa in world affairs.

GVPT 455 Contemporary Middle Eastern Politics (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 280 or GVPT 282. A survey of contemporary development in the international politics of the Middle East, with special emphasis on the role of emerging Middle East nations in world affairs.

GVPT 457 American Foreign Relations (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 200. The principles and machinery of the conduct of American foreign relations, with emphasis on the Departments of State and Defense, and an analysis of the major foreign policies of the United States.

GVPT 459 Seminar in Comparative Politics (3) Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs. Reading, writing, and research on topics in comparative politics. Both substantive issues and methodological approaches will be considered. Primarily for government and politics majors.

GVPT 460 Problems in State and Local Government (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 260. A study of the structure, procedures and policies of state and local governments with special emphasis on the state level and on intergovernmental relationships, and with illustrations from Maryland governmental arrangments.

GVPT 461 Metropolitan Government (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 260. An examination of administrative problems relating to public services, planning and coordination in a metropolitan environment.

GVPT 462 Urban Politics (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 260. Urban political process and institutions considered in the light of changing social and economic conditions.

GVPT 473 Legislatures and Legislation (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 170. A detailed survey of lawmaking and the legislative process, emphasizing the U.S. Congress and its members.

GVPT 474 Political Parties (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 170. A descriptive and analytical examination of American political parties, nominations, elections, and political leadership.

GVPT 475 The Presidency and the Executive Branch (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 170. An examination of the U.S. presidency in historical and contemporary perspective: nomination and electoral politics and the president's place in policy-making, administration, and public opinion.

GVPT 476 The Business Government Relationship (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 270. Examines the structures, process, and outcomes of business and government and the politics and products of their cooperative-adversarial relationship in the United States. The design integrates interest group and administrative politics and the public policy process.

GVPT 479 Seminar in American Politics (3) Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs. Reading, writing, and research on topics in American politics. Both substantive issues and methodological approaches will be considered. Primarily for government and politics majors.

GVPT 480 Comparative Political Systems (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 280 or GVPT 282. A study, along functional lines, of major political institutions, such as legislatures, executives, courts, bureaucracies, public organizations, and political parties.

GVPT 481 Government and Administration of Russia and the States of the (3) Former Soviet Union Prerequisite: GVPT 280 or GVPT 282. A comparative study of the governmental systems and political processes of the states of the former Soviet Union.

GVPT 482 Government and Politics of Latin America (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 280 or GVPT 282. A comparative study of the governmental systems and political processes of the Latin American countries.

GVPT 483 Government and Politics of Asia (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 280 or GVPT 282. A comparative study of governments and politics of Asian countries.

GVPT 484 Government and Politics of Africa (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 280 or GVPT 282. A comparative study of the governmental systems and political processes of the African countries, with special emphasis on the problems of nation-building in emergent countries.

GVPT 485 Government and Politics of the Middle East (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 280 or GVPT 282. A comparative study of the governmental systems and political processes of the Middle Eastern countries, with special emphasis on the problems of nation-building in emergent countries.

GVPT 486 Comparative Studies in European Politics (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 280 or GVPT 282. Comparative studies in the forms of governance, political processes, and public policies in European countries.

GVPT 492 The Comparative Politics of Race Relations (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 280 or GVPT 282. Impact of government and politics on race relations in various parts of the world. The origins, problems, and manifestations of such racial policies as segregation, apartheid, integration, assimilation, partnership, and nonracialism will be analyzed.

GVPT 599 Teaching Political Science (1) Problems in teaching political science. Topics covered include lecture and discussion strategies, creation of an active learning environment, construction and evaluation of examinations, department and university policies, and dealing with various types of teaching problems. This course does not carry credit towards any degree at the University.

GVPT 622 Quantitative Methods For Political Science (3) Introduction to quantitiative methods of data analysis, with emphasis on statistical methods and computer usage. Measures of association, probability, correlation, linear regression estimation techniques, introductory analysis of variance, and use of package computer programs.

GVPT 700 Scope and Method of Political Science (3) Required of all Ph.D. candidates. A seminar in the methodologies of political science, and their respective applications to different research fields. Interdisciplinary approaches and bibliographical techniques are also reviewed.

GVPT 708 Seminar in International Relations Theory (3) Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs. An examination of the major approaches, concepts, and theories in the study of world politics with special emphasis on contemporary literature.

GVPT 722 Advanced Quantitative Methods For Political Science (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 622 or permission of instructor. Introduction to multivariate analysis. Elementary matrix algebra, multiple linear and curvilinear correlation and regression, analysis of variance, canonical correlation and regression, discriminant analysis, and several types of factor analysis.

GVPT 729 Special Topics in Quantitative Political Analysis (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 622 or permission of instructor. Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs. An intensive examination of special topics in quantitative methods of political analysis in such areas as survey research methods, exploratory data analysis, advanced data management techniques, or advanced methods of policy analysis.

GVPT 730 Methods of Formal Political Theory (3) An introduction to the methods of formal theory, with emphasis on selected aspects of philosophy of science and on propositional and quantified logic. The limitations and potentialities of formal theory in both normative and empirical political science.

GVPT 741 Political Theory (3) A graduate level introduction to the history of political philosophy and political theory.

GVPT 761 International Political Economy (3) Recommended: GVPT 708. Major issues in international political economy including such matters as the monetary system, trade, debt, and development.

GVPT 770 Seminar in American Political Institutions (3) Reports on topics assigned for individual study and reading in the background and development of American government.

GVPT 780 Seminar in the Comparative Study of Politics (3) An examination of the salient approaches to and conceptual frameworks for the comparative study of politics, followed by the construction of models and typologies of political systems.

GVPT 799 Master's Thesis Research (1-6)

GVPT 802 Seminar in International Law (3) Reports on selected topics assigned for individual study and reading in substantive and procedural international law.

GVPT 803 Seminar in International Political Organization (3) A study of the forms and functions of various international organizations.

GVPT 804 Seminar in Law, Morality, and War (3) Recommended: GVPT 708. Different moral arguments and the legal regulations that relate to the use of armed force. This includes the moral and legal arguments regarding the just war, the rules of warfare, and the matter of individual responsibility for war crimes.

GVPT 805 Theories of International Conflict (3) Recommended: GVPT 708. Major topics in the study of international conflict.

GVPT 807 Comparative Studies in International Relations (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 708; or GVPT 780; or permission of department. Studies in the historical, areal, structural, social and economic contexts of international relations and the influences of international relations on domestic politics, social relations and economics.

GVPT 808 Selected Topics in Functional Problems in International Relations (3) An examination of the major substantive issues in contemporary international relations.

GVPT 810 Governmental Organization Theory (3) A study of recent developments in the area of organizational theory with an emphasis on empirical studies of organizational behavior.

GVPT 813 Problems of Public Personnel Administration (3) Reports on topics assigned for individual study and reading in the field of public personnel administration.

GVPT 827 Seminar in Political Sociology (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 427 or equivalent. Inquiries into the conceptual and theoretical foundations of and empirical data in the field of political sociology. Individual readings and research problems will be assigned, dealing with the social contexts of politics and the political aspects of social relationships.

GVPT 828 Selected Problems in Political Behavior (3) Individual reading and research reports on selected problems in the study of political behavior.

GVPT 831 Formal Theories of Politics I (3) Survey of major formal theories of politics, with emphasis on those theories based on the assumptions of rationality. The theory of public goods, game theory, coalition theory, and the theoretical properties of voting systems.

GVPT 832 Formal Theories of Politics II (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 831. Theories of justice, the voters paradox, the liberal paradox, the effects of costly information, and theories of regulation.

GVPT 838 Topics in Formal Political Theory (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 831 or permission of instructor. An examination of selected topics in formal theory.

GVPT 841 Great Political Thinkers (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 441. Intensive study of one or more political thinkers each semester.

GVPT 842 Man and the State (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 442. Individual reading and reports on such recurring concepts in political theory as liberty, equality, justice, natural law and natural rights, private property, sovereignty, nationalism and the organic state.

GVPT 843 Psychoanalytic Applications to Political Theory (3) Recommended: GVPT 741. Freudian, object relations and Lacanian traditions in psychoanalysis as they illustrate traditional questions and authors of political theory.

GVPT 844 American Political Theory (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 444. Analytical and historical examination of selected topics in American political thought.

GVPT 845 Marxist Political Theory (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 443 or permission of instructor. Intensive study and analysis of the leading ideas of Marx and Engels and their development in the different forms of social democracy and of communism.

GVPT 846 Theories of Democracy (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 442. A survey and analysis of the leading theories of democratic government, with attention to such topics as freedom, equality, representation, dissent, and critics of democracy.

GVPT 847 Seminar in Non-Western Political Theory (3) Intensive study of selected segments of political theory outside of the Western European tradition.

GVPT 848 Current Problems in Political Theory (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 443. Intensive examination of the development of political theory since the Second World War.

GVPT 856 International Human Rights (3) International law and politics of human rights viewed as a set of global issues involving civil and political as well as economic, cultural and social rights.

GVPT 857 Seminar in American Foreign Relations (3) Reports on selected topics assigned for individual study and reading in American foreign policy and the conduct of American foreign relations.

GVPT 859 Selected Topics in Public Policy (3) Prerequisite: GVPT 750 or permission of instructor. Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs. An examination of selected topics in public policy, such as judicial education, health, welfare, and resources policy.

GVPT 860 The Democratic State (3) An examination of the political economic constitution of democratic regimes. Includes both empirical and normative analyses.

GVPT 861 The International Politics of Technology and Resources (3) Recommended: GVPT 708, GVPT 761. A theoretical framework for anticipatory thinking about political futures in the international system.

GVPT 862 Seminar On Intergovernmental Relations (3) Reports on topics assigned for individual study and reading in the field of recent intergovernmental relations.

GVPT 863 Urban Political Economy (3) Recommended: GVPT 770, GVPT 760. An examination of urban problems and politics from a political economy perspective. Particular attention is given to the interplay between private control of investment activity and popular control of electoral office.

GVPT 865 Do Institutions Make a Difference? (3) Recommended: GVPT 770 and GVPT 760. Examines the issue of the extent to which institutional design affects the functioning of a polity.

GVPT 866 Political Economy of Transition to Market-Based Democracy (3) Recommended: GVPT 760, GVPT 761. The political and economic aspects of the transition from communism to market-based democracy in the former Soviet bloc countries.

GVPT 868 Problems of State and Local Government (3) Report of topics assigned for individual study in the field of state local government throughout the United States.

GVPT 869 Seminar in Urban Administration (3) Selected topics are examined by the team research method with students responsible for planning, field investigation, and report writing.

GVPT 870 Interest Groups Politics in the United States (3) Recommended: GVPT 770. The theory and practice of interest group politics in the United States.

GVPT 871 Seminar in Public Law (3) Reports on topics for individual study and reading in the fields of constitutional and administrative law.

GVPT 872 Judicial Process and Behavior (3) An examination and assessment of the various social scientific approaches to the study of judicial behavior and process. The "behavioral" public law, featuring the application of social science research techniques to the study of the legal process.

GVPT 873 Seminar in Legislatures and Legislation (3) Reports on topics assigned for individual study and reading about the composition and organization of legislatures and about the legislative process.

GVPT 874 Seminar in Political Parties and Politics (3) Reports on topics assigned for individual study and reading in the fields of political organization and action.

GVPT 875 Seminar in Judicial Policy Development (3) The role of courts in policy development, the extent and limitations of judicial power, the division of labor among courts in creating policy, and the politics of litigation.

GVPT 876 Seminar in National Security Policy (3) An examination of the components of United States security policy. Factors, both internal and external, affecting national security will be considered. Individual reporting as assigned.

GVPT 877 The Politics of the Presidency (3) Recommended: GVPT 770. The major research topics and issues pertaining to the United States presidency.

GVPT 878 Problems in American Government and Politics (3) An examination of contemporary problems in various fields of government and politics in the United States, with reports on topics assigned for individual study.

GVPT 879 Topics on International Security (3) Recommended: GVPT 876 or equivalent. Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs. A detailed and advanced analysis of particular regional problems on defense policy and arms control.

GVPT 880 Civil Conflict: Theory and Research (3) Recommended: GVPT 780. An overview of historical, theoretical, and empirical analyses of conflict within states. Surveys major approaches to the study of conflict, then examines representative theories and evidence on the causes, dynamics, and outcomes of revolution, protest movements, ethnopolitical conflict, and state repression.

GVPT 881 Comparative Governmental Institutions: States of the Former Soviet Union (3) An examination of government and politics of the former Soviet Union.

GVPT 882 The Government and Politics of Japan (3) Contemporary policy-making process and economic and foreign policies of Japan in the context of postwar reforms, the roles of the bureaucracy, business, and the conservative party, Japanese pacifism, and strategic cooperation and economic relations with America.

GVPT 883 Comparative Governmental Institutions: China (3) An examination of governments and politics within Asia.

GVPT 886 Comparative Governmental Institutions: Europe (3) An examination of governments and politics within Europe.

GVPT 887 Seminar in the Politics of Developing Nations (3) An examination of the programs of political development in the emerging nations with special references to the newly independent nations of Asia and Africa, and the less developed countries of Latin America. Individual reporting as assigned.

GVPT 888 Selected Topics in Comparative Governmental Institutions (3) An examination of special topics in comparative politics.

GVPT 889 Selected Topics in Area Problems in International Relations (3) Special topics concerning regional problems in the relations of states.

GVPT 898 Readings in Government and Politics (3) Guided readings and discussions on selected topics in political science.

GVPT 899 Doctoral Dissertation Research (1-8)