Courses at the 300-level
Focus is on societal responses to disasters and the systems created to deal with such phenomena. Included are causes of disasters and plans formulated to cope with them. (Formerly GEOG 313.)
4 credit hours
The extent and variety of natural resource use is examined, the environmental impacts thereof, and the management philosophies and efforts to regulate this use for the benefit of contemporary and future populations.
4 credit hours
The historical development of the United States is examined from a geographical perspective. Emphasis is on the interaction of physical and cultural elements that contribute to the emergence of distinctive landscapes. (Formerly GEOG 312.)
4 credit hours
Discussion centers on the geographic elements in the history and development of Rhode Island. Rhode Island's place in the New England, national, and world scenes is assessed. (Formerly GEOG 305.)
4 credit hours
Discussion centers on the geographic elements in the history and development of Rhode Island. Assessment is made of Rhode Island's place in the New England, national, and world scenes.
3 credit hours
Skills and methods in theoretical and applied geography are covered. Interpretation of maps and data gathered through remote sensing is followed by the application of spatial data to problem solving in the social and environmental sciences.
3 credit hours
The diverse geographic aspects of the land-sea interface are analyzed. Topics include coastal geomorphology and climate, fisheries, and other natural resources, patterns of land use, and coastal regionalism. (Formerly GEOG 320.)
4 credit hours
GIS is used by students in the computer laboratory to produce complex, multi-layered maps of various spatial phenomena at a level designed to promote proficiency with the latest analytical software.
4 credit hours
- GEOG 202
New England’s rich legacy of historical landscapes form the basis for this field-trip course. Topics include urbanization, traditional land uses, industrialization, leisure landscapes, maritime activities, and the evolution of landscape architec-ture. (Formerly GEOG 407.)
3 credit hours
- completion of any course in a social science or consent of department chair.
Field studies are conducted of maturing twentieth-century New England landscapes. Topics include the coastal zone, the metropolis, the rural/urban fringe, and rural New England. (Formerly GEOG 408.)
3 credit hours
The historical development of the United States is examined from a geographical viewpoint. Emphasis is on the interaction of physical and cultural elements that contribute to the emergence of distinctive landscapes, past and present.
3 credit hours
Focus is on societal responses to disasters and the systems created to deal with such phenomena. Included are causes of disasters and plans formulated to cope with them.
3 credit hours
The diverse geographic aspects of the land-sea interface are analyzed. Topics include coastal geomorphology and climate, fisheries and other natural resources, patterns of land use, and coastal regionalism.
3 credit hours
Geographic and political analyses are used to study the growth of cities. Discussion includes the role of cities on local, national, and world scales. Students cannot receive credit for both GEOG 337 and POL 337.
3 credit hours
- completion of any 100- or 200-level geography or political science course, or consent of department chair
City planning and housing development are studied within the context of how and why neighborhoods change over time. Attention is given to land use plans, zoning maps, and the city building process.
3 credit hours
The historic growth, subsequent decline, and modern renaissance of Providence are examined. Topics include local politics, public policies, and major public building projects.
3 credit hours
Emphasis is on the central role of public budgets in policy formation and on the search for balance among a representative public work force, neutral competence, and political responsiveness. (Formerly Politics of Public Management: Budgeting and Personnel Administration.)
4 credit hours
- POL 301 or consent of department chair
The approaches and methods of empirical political science research are surveyed. Emphasis is on research design, data collection, and interpretation.
4 credit hours
- POL 202
- or consent of department chair
The art and science of public administration is introduced. Focus is on the administrative leadership necessary to manage government agencies within the American political system.
4 credit hours
- POL 202
- or consent of department chair
Both twentieth-century international organization and the place of evolving international law are considered with respect to the settlement of disputes and the maintenance of peace.
4 credit hours
- POL 203 or consent of department chair
Students develop skill in the preparation, analysis, and interpretation of data. Lecture and laboratory. Students cannot receive credit for both POL 304 and SOC 404.
4 credit hours
- POL 300 or SOC 302
- or consent of department chair
Students examine the political structures, processes, policies, and power distributions in state and local governments in the United States. Topics include intergovernmental relations, executive leadership, and legislative policy making.
3 credit hours
- POL 202
Students examine how individuals interact with the American political system. Topics include political socialization, political psychology, public opinion, voting behavior, and other forms of mass political participation.
4 credit hours
- POL 202
Students learn the art and science of political analysis by critically reading and writing about political controversies currently in the news while learning to use the tools and data available to political scientists.
4 credit hours
- POL 202
Focus is on the increasing involvement of women in the politics and issues of contemporary America. Women's political socialization, voting behavior, and political roles in government are also discussed.
4 credit hours
- POL 202 or consent of department chair.
This is a comparative study of English common law and continental European civil law. Students cannot receive credit for both POL 315 and HIST 315.
3 credit hours
- HIST 161
- or consent of department chair
The ideas of major Western political thinkers are reviewed. Students cannot receive credit for both HIST 316 and POL 316. (Formerly POL 310: Political Thought and the Modern World.)
3 credit hours
- POL 204
- or consent of department chair
Relationships of power and authority and their social foundations are examined. Students cannot receive credit for more than one of the following: HIST 317, POL 317, and SOC 317.
3 credit hours
- POL 204
- or consent of department chair
Through field placements in the government of Rhode Island, students are able to integrate classroom theory with political reality. Included is a weekly lecture series involving the participation of appropriate political leaders and academics.
4 credit hours
- Recommendation of the Academic Advisory Committee to the State Internship Commission
Students are assigned to local, state, or national agencies, political parties, or interest groups. Assignments relate field experiences to academic concepts.
4 credit hours
- consent of department chair
Students examine procedural law remedies of regulatory agencies, as well as rule making, adjudication, judicial review of administrative decisions, and the politics of regulation.
4 credit hours
- POL 301
- or consent of the department chair
Students examine the role of courts in forming and implementing public policy. Topics include litigation strategies, the selection of judges, judicial activism, and the impact of court decisions on society.
4 credit hours
- POL 202
Traditional constitutional guarantees of civil liberty and due process in American life are examined. Included is an examination of legal decisions and the justifications offered for those decisions.
4 credit hours
- POL 202
Struggles for legal and political equality are examined, with primary focus on discrimination based on race, sex, and sexual orientation. Interactions among law, political institutions, interest groups, and social movements are also explored.
4 credit hours
- POL 202 or consent of department chair
The nature of law is examined through the analysis of selected theories of jurisprudence. Attention is given to judicial organization and process, judicial administration and politics, and judicial behavior at both the state and national levels.
3 credit hours
- One 200-level political science course
- or consent of department chair
The origins of preindustrial non-Western states are examined as issues of power, class, statecraft, and empire. Students cannot receive credit for both Political Science 336 and Anthropology 336.
3 credit hours
- Any 200-level anthropology or political science course
- or consent of the department chair
Geographic and political analyses are used to study the growth of cities. Consideration is given to the role of cities on local, national, and world scales. Students cannot receive credit for both GEOG 337 and POL 337.
3 credit hours
- Any 200-level geography or political science course
- or consent of department chair
Emphasis is on theories of political development and the analysis of developmental problems, including terrorism, the role of the military, instability, and the alteration of political cultures.
3 credit hours
- POL 203
- or consent of department chair
Students examine economic globalization, including trade, finance, and migration, from different perspectives. Emphasis is on causes and political consequences of globalization.
4 credit hours
- POL 203
- or consent of department chair
The political structures, processes, and policies of the principal West European and Anglo-American postindustrial societies are compared and analyzed.
4 credit hours
- One 200-level political science course or
- or consent of department chair
From an interdisciplinary perspective, the various roles of international nongovernmental organizations are examined. Students cannot receive credit for both INGO 300 and POL 345.
4 credit hours
- 203 or consent of program director.
American foreign policy, decision making, and politics are examined. The policies and decision-making particulars of other governments are developed where appropriate. (For-merly POL 446.)
4 credit hours
- POL 203
Political parties and the American system of elections are analyzed. Also covered are the organizational aspects of the parties, mass voting behavior, the impact of elections on policymaking, and national and state trends. (Formerly Parties, Interest Groups, and the Media.)
4 credit hours
- POL 202
- or consent of department chair
This is an in-depth examination of interest groups and the roles they play in American politics. Topics include group formation and maintenance, lobbyists and lobbying, electioneering, issue advocacy, and campaign finance.
4 credit hours
- POL 202
- or consent of dept chair
Public policy formulation, from input to output, by the major institutions of government is studied. Included are the internal processes and interactions of legislatures and executives. (Formerly POL 455.)
4 credit hours
- POL 202 or consent of department chair
The constitutional and institutional evolution of the presidency is studied, including the demands and resources of the office. Students cannot receive credit for both HIST 332 and POL 357.
3 credit hours
- Any 200-level history or political science course
- or consent of department chair
Students examine the development of Congress and assess its structure, the behavior of its members, and its role in American politics.
3 credit hours
- POL 202
- or consent of department chair
The role media plays in politics is analyzed. Topics include media evolution and regulation and the relationship between media and political institutions/policy in the United States. (Formerly Political and Governmental Communications.)
4 credit hours
- POL 202
- or consent of department chair
The student engages in independent readings.
3 credit hours
- Consent of advisor and instructor
- Major in political science