Political Science (POLS) Courses

POLS 100 Curr Events, Careers, Politics (3) Provides students with an introductory broad approach to the discipline of political science. This course relates current events at the global, national, local, and state levels to a wide array of political science scholarship. This course also includes a career opportunities component, which will feature speakers from the community who can speak to the questions of "What can you do with a major in Political Science?" (Attributes: DS)

POLS 101 Am Politics: National (3) Organization and functioning of the American political system at the national level. (Attributes: DS)

POLS 101G Am Politics: Ntl Citizenship (3) Organization and functioning of the American political system at the national level. Includes applied learning component. (Attributes: ALEX, DS, GCC)

POLS 201 Intro to Political Theory (3) Approaches to the study of political theory. Analysis of major themes in ancient, modern, and postmodern political theories, including: human nature; the individual and the community; liberty; power; political identity. (Attributes: DS)

POLS 220 Intro to Law and Legality (3) Within the subfield of public law in the discipline of political science, the study of law and legality includes an integrated inquiry into the formal institutions of justice (e.g. courts, Constitution) as well as the associated cultural, social, and political contexts of governance (e.g. power, authority, and resistance) in everyday environments. (Attributes: DS)

POLS 242 Intro To World Politics (3) The theory and substance of international politics, with emphasis on the international behavior of nations. Topics include war, regional integration, the United Nations, and the gap between rich and poor nations. (Attributes: DS)

POLS 251 Intro to Comparative Politics (3) Comparative study of politics, government and economic development in several different countries including Britain, Japan, Russia, China, Mexico, India and Egypt. (Attributes: FGB)

POLS 300 Hist Poli Thought: Anc To Mod (3) Political thought from ancient political philosophy to the advent of modern liberal democracy. Major thinkers include Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes and Locke.

POLS 303 Feminist Political Theory (3) An examination of the progression of feminist political thought. Topics covered include the roles of women in the history of western political thought, early feminist writings, and contemporary feminist theories related to liberalism, radicalism, and postmodernity. (Same as WS 303)

POLS 304 Liberalism and Globalism (3) Classical liberalism, neoliberalism, and their critical appraisals, with emphasis on the global dimensions of liberty, equality, and democracy in economic and political life. (Attributes: ALEX, DS, GCC)

POLS 320 Mock Trial (3) Experiential learning in a courtroom trial setting. Preparation includes knowledge of functions and roles of court personnel, elements of proof, techniques of direct and cross-examination. Includes role-playing in six mock trial cases.

POLS 321 Constitutional Law (3) Civil rights and civil liberties. The relationship between the individual and the government in such matters as freedom of expression, freedom of the press, religious freedom, the rights of the accused, freedom from discrimination, and the right of political participation. Pre: POLS 220 or instructor's consent.

POLS 322 Criminal Justice (3) An examination of the criminal justice system, its structure and its function, with emphasis on the rights of the accused as exemplified in appellate court decisions. Pre: POLS 220 or instructor's consent. (Same as AJ 322)

POLS 323 Criminal Law and Procedure (3) This course addresses the basics of criminal law and procedure. Topics will include the fundamental principles of criminal law and procedure, how they were established, and how they are commonly practiced Pre: POLS 220 (Same as AJ 323)

POLS 324 Criminology (3) Examines patterns of crime, types of offenders, theories of crime, police, courts, prisons, probation, and parole in relation to criminal behavior. Pre: SOC 100 or instructor's consent. (Same as SOC 324)

POLS 325 Legal Geography (3) In this course, we will explore and examine a variety of places that upon first consideration, do not seem either legal or political. We will investigate a variety of types of places and spaces that carry legal and political weight in our everyday lives. Themes of consumption, expression, access, accommodation, culture, sex, race, living, national identity, community, discipline, and property will guide our inquiry into the relationship between law, politics, and spatial habitation. (Same as GEOG 325). (Attributes: ALEX, GCC)

POLS 326 Juvenile Delinquency (3) Examination of the causes and control of juvenile delinquency. The major theories of juvenile delinquency will be reviewed. The course will also explore the organization and process of juvenile justice. Pre: SOC 100 or instructor's consent. (Same as SOC 326)

POLS 327 Law and Identity (3) In this course, will politically engage with the legal construction of who we are as individuals and our presence within different communities. The relationship between law and identity involves politically contested frameworks of sexuality, gender, race and ethnicity, ability, and ownership according to both judicial doctrine and contemporary scholarship. As these frameworks shift and evolve, the politics of legal identification sculpt our own social horizons. Pre: Junior or senior standing (Same as WS 327).

POLS 328 Rights (3) This course is an examination of the socio-legal evolution of rights in the United States. Topics include theoretical approaches to rights and rights discourse as well as contextual applications of equality and power involving the Fourteenth Amendment and social movements in the areas of race and ethnicity, sex, gender, religion, education, property, and mobility, Pre: POLS 220. (Same as PHIL 328)

POLS 331 Presidency And Congress (3) An examination of the institutions of the Presidency and the Congress and an analysis of the history, major office holders, processes, and functions of these American institutions. (Attributes: DS)

POLS 332 Politics Of Race & Gender (3) A survey of the historic, legal, political, and social forces shaping society's construction of race, ethnicity, and gender. Notions of power and the political significance of race and gender are explored. (Same as WS 332).

POLS 334 Pol Bvr, Campaigns & Elections (3) An examination of the influence of individuals, interest groups, mass movements and elections on the democratic process. Topics covered include electoral rules, candidate strategies, campaign finance, voting, and political mobilization. (Attributes: ALEX, DS, GCC)

POLS 335 Envir Politics & Policy (3) An examination of the major environmental and natural resource problems facing society today. Topics covered will include air and water pollution, energy development, and land use. (Formerly POLS 435)

POLS 337 Politic of Hawaii: State/Local (3) An examination of the institutions and political forces shaping Hawaii's contemporary state and local governance, focusing on executive, legislative and judicial institutions and their relations, political culture, leadership patterns and recruitment, voter participation in politics, electoral analysis, political economy, local political parties and interest groups. (Attributes: GAHP)

POLS 338 Public Policy Process (3) An examination of the American public policy-making process, with emphasis on the stages of the policy process, including agenda setting, policy formulation and adoption, policy implementation, and policy evaluation. Public policy issues covered include economic policy, social security and welfare, defense and law enforcement, and environment.

POLS 340 U.S. Foreign Policy (3) The policy-making process with special attention to the role of the President, the Congress, the military, organized lobbies, and the public. Pre: POLS 101 or consent of instructor. (Formerly POLS 440)

POLS 342 International Law (3) Development, functions, and sources of public international law. Survey of major areas: law of the sea; laws of air and space; laws of warfare; pacific settlement of disputes; and rule-making in international organizations. Pre: POLS 242 or instructor's consent. (Attributes: DS)

POLS 343 Int'l Conflict Management (3) An examination of a variety of international conflict management strategies that employ diplomacy or coercion, such as negotiation, mediation, economics sanctions, peacekeeping, and humanitarian intervention. (Attributes: DS)

POLS 345 Model United Nations (3) An examination of the organization of the United Nations, its rules of procedure and major UN issues. The course prepares selected students to represent the University at the National MUN (New York) or Western MUN (San Francisco). May be repeated three times for credit, but only six credits may be applied to the major.

POLS 346 International Organizations (3) Survey of the theories of international political integration, the United Nations and its specialized agencies, the European Union, NATO, the Organization of American States, OPEC, and other supraregional and regional economic, security, and political international organizations. (Attributes: DS)

POLS 348 International Human Rights (3) An examination of the theory and practice of international human rights including debate on universalism, empirical cases of human rights violations, the roles of states, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations, and effectiveness of enforcement of human rights. (Attributes: DS, GCC)

POLS 351 Politics Of China (3) This course will study contemporary Chinese politics and government. Major topics include the Chinese Communist Revolution, Mao Zedong’s socialism, Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms and opening policy, recent development and changes, the Party-state political system, the Hong Kong and Taiwan issues, and the peaceful rise foreign policy. Pre: POLS 251 or instructor's consent. (Attributes: DS, GAHP, HPP)

POLS 353 Politics Of Japan (3) Aspects of Japanese politics, emphasizing the post-1945 period. Topics include political development and change, the political economy of Japan, major political institutions and organizations, policy-making processes, and controversial political issues. (Same as JPST 353) (Attributes: DS, GAHP, HPP)

POLS 355 Internatl Political Economy (3) Topics include world powers and the world economic systems, the third world economic development, political and economic reforms, and Asian development models. Pre: ECON 100 or POLS 242 or instructor's consent.

POLS 357 Politics of the Pacific Rim (3) This course will study politics of the Pacific Rim region, focusing on (1) the political economy of the Asia-Pacific nations, (2) models of development of the U.S., Japan, South Korea, China, Russia, India, and major Southeast nations, and (3) the challenging issues of the region in the twenty-first century. (Attributes: HPP)

POLS 360 Public Administration (3) Public administration as a major component in the American political process and of public policy making and the crucial role administrators play in that process. (Attributes: DS)

POLS 361 Public Leadership & Ethics (3) An examination of leadership and ethics in public administration, with emphasis on the role of public organizations in a democratic society. Topics covered include politics and administrative power, ethical expectations and professional standards, ethical dimensions of administrative leadership, and theory and practice of public sector leadership.

POLS 380 Methods Of Research (3) The logic and approaches used by social scientists; concept formation, design of research projects, choice of techniques and interpretation of results. Pre: POLS 100 or POLS 101 or consent of instructor. (Previously POLS 280)

POLS 391 Internship (3–12) (other) Application of knowledge and skills in a public, private, or government agency/setting. A total of 15 credits of POLS 391 and POLS 481 may be applied to the POLS major. Pre: instructor's consent, preapproved placement, statement of learning objectives, and completed internship contract. (Attributes: ALEX, DS, GCC)

POLS 402 Contemporary Political Thought (3) Political thought from early twentieth century existentialism to postmodernism, feminism and neo-conservatism.

POLS 428 First Amendment (3) This Upper Division Political Science course will explore the broad scope of the First Amendment from a perspective of public law. We will examine theories and applications of First Amendment freedoms pertaining to the areas of religion, expression, environments, association, and the press. Pre: POLS 220.

POLS 433 Politics, Media & Public Opin (3) An examination of the role of mass media in shaping public opinion and influencing governance. Topics include the use of media by candidates, government officials and organized interests; media effects on individuals; determinants of public opinion; public opinion polling; and methods of public persuasion. Pre: POLS 101 or instructor's consent. (Attributes: DS)

POLS 442 War and the State (3) This course will study the major wars between states in the world in the past hundred years, focusing how these wars started and ended and how they shaped the development of nations and the world. We will focus on World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the India- Pakistan conflicts, the Israeli-Arab wars, the Iraq War, the Afghan War, and the recent conflicts in the Middle East.

POLS 457 U.S.-China Relations (3) This course surveys the history of U.S.-China relations to the present and gives in-depth consideration to contemporary issues including China's human rights record, the issue of Taiwan, U.S.-China trade relations, and China's global role in the twenty-first century. (Attributes: HPP)

POLS 470S Seminar in Political Science (3) (other) This is a capstone course that provides an intensive examination of the major concepts, categories and methods of political science. Topics include political ideologies, attitudes, voting behavior, institutions of government, public policy, law, justice and world politics. Pre: POLS 100 or POLS 101, and POLS 380 and junior or senior standing.

POLS 481 Government Internship (3–15) (other) Juniors and seniors may apply for an internship with the Hawaiʻi County Council or, in the Spring, with the Hawaiʻi State Legislature. Legislative interns receive 15 semester hours of credit and a stipend. May be repeated once for credit, but no more than 15 credits of POLS 481 and/or POLS/SOC 391 shall apply to the major. Pre: instructor's consent. (Attributes: ALEX, DS, GCC)

POLS 490 Senior Thesis (3) Individual research in problems of special interest. Pre: consent of instructor.

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POLS x94 Special Topics in Subject Matter (Arr.) Special topics chosen by the instructor. Course content will vary. May be repeated for credit, provided that a different topic is studied. Additional requirements may apply depending on subject and topic.

POLS x99 Directed Studies (Arr.) Statement of planned reading or research required. Pre: instructor’s consent.