Audience
The Department of Political Science and Public Policy has several exciting courses available for Spring 2026. You can consult the class schedule on the portal for more information, but I would like to draw your attention to the following courses in particular:
POSC 100.02 (Introduction to Politics with Matthew Burger)
Description: Political science is concerned with how power is assembled, how and why political decisions are made, and the conditions of politics and government in different types of regimes. This course introduces students to major theories and themes and concepts in political science. The purpose of the course is to provide students with an introductory overview of important perspectives on political power and its sources, political systems and governance, democratic principles and institutions, as well as the sources of conflict and cooperation in domestic and international affairs. This course satisfies the social sciences requirement of LEAD Exploration and it is a requirement for the POSC major and minor, and the PPOL major.
POSC 200.02 (Scope and Methods of Political Science with Seung-Uk Huh)
This course introduces students to principles and techniques used commonly in political science research. Students are expected to learn principles about research designs in social science, to learn principles guiding scientific inquiry, as well as master introductory concepts in descriptive and inferential statistics. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to analyze and assess judgments or conclusions derived from diverse approaches to political science methods. This course satisfies the math requirement of LEAD Exploration and it is a requirement for the POSC major and the PPOL major.
POSC 266.01 (Women and the Law - 2 Credits with Mary Hall)
Description: This course will introduce students to the legal system and to the Constitution as they have traditionally affected women in American political history. There will be a close study of current legal issues pertaining to women: divorce, custody, abortion, rape, employment discrimination, discrimination within the educational system, and the proposed Equal Rights Amendment.
POSC 374.01 (American Political Thought II with Diana Boros)
Description: American Political Thought II explores post-Civil War political thought through the essays, speeches, and literature of famous Americans. Among others, we read the works of Judith Shklar, William Graham Sumner, W.E.B. Du Bois, John Dewey, Martin Luther King Jr., Eugene Debs, FDR, Betty Friedan, and Allen Ginsberg. The course counts as an elective for both the Political Science and the Public Policy major (American track).
POSC 468.01 (Seminar in International Relations with Matthew Fehrs)
Description: This course will drill down on the domestic variables that might influence international outcomes and why this might occur. As such, this course straddles the fields of American, comparative, and international politics, making it a particularly exciting place to research. The course is composed of four separate, though interconnected, sections. First we will examine the nature of regime types and how they influence international relations. The second section will look at the mechanisms by which domestic institutions influence foreign relations. The final faculty-led section of the course will encompass the role of major actors in the system and their influence on foreign policy. The final portion of the course will be a student-led seminar organized around the topics of student research papers. This course counts toward POSC and PPOL, both tracks.
If you have any questions or require assistance registering one of these or other POSC and PPOL, please do not hesitate to reach out to Professor Ugues (augues@smcm.edu).