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Course Descriptions

Elective Courses

470.011 – Graduate Writing Workshop (noncredit)
This intensive writing course offers students a foundation in essay composition and provides an in-depth review of sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation. Designed for those students who need to improve their writing skills, the curriculum in Graduate Writing Techniques examines the various techniques writers use to compose their sentences, to establish syntactic relationships within paragraphs, to draft thesis and transitional sentences, and to relate syntactic structure to ideas.

470.302 – Introduction to Graduate Work in Government
This course is an introducution to graduate work and will not count toward your degree, but is designed to help students maximize their performance and excel in graduate studies.  The course will combine classwork with one-on-one advising and tutoring.  The course will cover such topics as research, writing, citation, argument, using evidence, study habits, and managing a graduate-level workload.  Teacher and student will meet at the beginning of the semester to assess areas of greatest need and tailor the course to meet them.

470.608 – Public Policy and the Policy Process
This course is designed to introduce students to the public policy making process, to the basics of policy analysis, and to the substance of some of today's major policy debates. The first half of the course focuses on establishing a framework in which to analyze public policy formulation within the United States. The class also review s the tools for developing and implementing policy.  The second half of the course turns to policy analysis of some critical contemporary issues. Building on earlier readings, we will study current debates in economic/tax policy, education, health care, social security, and national security.

470.609 – Leadership Skills in the 21st Century
This course will assist leaders in identifying their personal approach to leadership; provide tips on motivating staff by building trusting relationships and shoring up their credibility; suggest influence and persuasion strategies that leaders need to employ when working with bosses, colleagues, direct reports, and critical stakeholders, including funding agencies; develop strategies to build effective work teams; and consider approaches to montior organizational performance in an ongoing fashion.

470.610 – American Political Thought
This course explores the founding principles—their origins, rationale, and adequacy—of American government. Students consider the philosophical moorings of our political institutions and follow the debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists in order to assess the manifestation of these principles in our political culture. One of the major questions investigated is whether the principles embodied in America 's founding are sufficient to ensure the health of our liberal democracy or whether, as suggested by de Tocqueville, we need to enlarge the Founders' vision with a "new political science."

470.611 – American Conservative Political Thought
This course examines the different strands of American conservative political thought. Readings from Edmund Burke, Leo Strauss, Michael Oakeshott, Russell Kirk, T.S. Eliot, Friedrich Hayek, and others help students to delineate the intellectual foundations of modern conservative thought. Students focus on the trajectory of American conservative political thought from the founding to the present and compare Southern conservative, neoconservative, religious conservative, and libertarian writers.

470.612 – Bureaucratic Politics
(formerly Politics Inside the Administrative State)
This course investigates the politics of organizational management in the federal executive establishment. Topics include administrative history, public law, the co-managership of the president and Congress, the role of central managerial agencies, the world-view of agency chiefs, government corporations and enterprises, third-party management, quasi-governmental institutions, and current issues of concern to the management of the federal bureaucracy.

470.613 – Political Theory and Social Policy
(formerly Social Justice and Social Policy)
This course examines the longstanding controversies in political theory—such as need, equality, fairness, personal responsibility, the family, and the role of government, the market, and voluntary organization—and their expression in contemporary American social policy. Thinkers explored include Max Weber, Milton Friedman, John Rawls, Sheldon Wolin, and Lawrence Mead. Policy areas examined include welfare reform, "compassionate conservatism," "faith-based initiatives," and "living-wage" campaigns. The course provides students an intellectual framework for understanding the theoretical and political dimensions of contemporary social policy.

470.614 – American Liberal Political Thought
This course examines the development of American liberalism, beginning with its intellectual foundation in 17th- century Europe and ending with contemporary American liberal thought. Readings are from John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, John Stuart Mill, Woodrow Wilson, John Dewey, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr., John Rawls, Betty Friedan, Ronald Dworkin, and others. Students consider what it means to be a "liberal" today.

470.615 – Speechwriting: Theory and Practice
The theory and practice of speechwriting are the focus of our study of the great political speeches of all time and especially those of the American political tradition.  We will examine the content, structure, and purpose of high rhetoric ranging from Pericles to Solzhenitsyn, from Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Franklin D. Roosevelt to contemporary politicians.  Based on their knowledge of the best models, students will draft and deliver their own speeches.

470.616 – Law of Public Institutions
Since laws determine the missions of federal departments and agencies and their ability to carry out these missions, it is crucial that students of American government have a solid understanding of these laws. Focusing on specific institutions and cases, students become familiar with major laws, regulations, procedures, judicial decisions, and their practical consequences for the operation of the federal government. Students also investigate the relationship of government to the private sector.

470.617 – The Courts as Agents of Change
Americans traditionally have viewed the courts as—in the words of a constitutional scholar—"the least dangerous branch of government." They are seen as reflectors, not agents, of change. But in an age of government downsizing, the role of the courts bears renewed examination. Students explore the historical and philosophical roots for the notion that American courts, and the lawyers who appear before them, can and should make law and policy, and the alternatives to this function. Students consider prominent areas of public policy that have been shaped by the courts. Such areas include public policy regarding civil rights, family and domestic law, environmental and safety regulation, and the regulation of business and commerce. At the end of the course, students are asked to evaluate the implications of the courts' involvement in important current policy issues such as the regulation of the tobacco and computer industries.

470.618 – Congressional Policymaking
This course deals with the origins of legislation and how bills are processed through subcommittee, committee, and floor activities. Students are introduced to the many variables that influence the progress of a given bill. Students discuss House and Senate leadership and the ways in which congressional leaders contribute to overall policy outcomes.

470.619 – State Politics and Policymaking
This course provides an introduction to the form and function of state governments around the United States and the issues they are currently facing.  During the semester, the course explores the interplay between the U.S. Congress and State Legislatures, the ways in which policies enacted by state government impact our daily lives, and the intricacies of the political process at the state level.  Special emphasis will be placed on key issues currently being debated in many state capitals pertaining to gay marriage, gambling, health care, higher education, transportation infrastructure and the environment.  A visit to the Maryland General Assembly for a visit with the Governor and legislative leaders might be arranged.

470.621 – Public Policy and Participatory Government
The drive toward greater participation in our democracy continues. More openness in the administrative process has resulted in more openness in the policymaking system. Citizen suits, increased use of referenda, and right-to-know legislation have had consequences in each of the branches of government. Students in this course are introduced to the historical background of participatory democracy. They then explore the specific kinds of participation possible in the modern technological age. Case studies of policy areas such as health care and environmental protection help to assess what more participation and more public access mean for the policy process and our system of representative democracy.

470.622 – Interest Groups, Lobbying, and Policymaking
This course examines the role of interest groups in American politics and how they seek to influence public policymaking. The media and many Washington observers believe interest groups and lobbyists exert too much influence; many political scientists take an opposite view. This course weighs each position. Other topics include the role of PACs and grassroots programs; the tactics and techniques employed by Washington lobbyists; the influence of foreign interests; recent lobbying reforms and the need, if any, for further reform.

470.623 – Money and Politics
Many consider money to be the root of all evil in politics. They believe campaign contributions distort elections and corrupt Congress, leading to favors for corporations, the rich, and other special interests. Such critics say money is destroying democracy in favor of the rule of a wealthy elite. These criticism led Congress to pass laws regulating money in politics in 1974 and 2002. This course will examine both normative and empirical questions about money in politics. The normative side will focus on values like equality, electoral integrity, and freedom. The empirical part will consider what scholars have discovered about money in politics (including the effects of money, the role of political parties, and presidential fundraising), what Americans believe about money and politics, and how regulations have worked. Guest speakers will discuss and debate the role of money in politics and policymaking.

470.624 – Business and Human Rights in the Global Economy
Corporations operating around the world today are finding their overseas business practices subject to greater scrutiny from human rights and other civil society groups and, at times, national governments and international organizations as well. An understanding of, and strategy for addressing, the implications of this changing business environment is critical to those making policy decisions within corporations, non-governmental groups, and many parts of government. This course will examine the different facets of the evolving relationship between business, civil society, and government with an eye toward identifying ways to respond effectively to new policy challenges.

470.625 – Developing Institutions for Democracy
This course is designed to explore issues in comparative public administration from an international perspective. This segment focuses on public administration technical assistance to the emerging democracies in Eastern Europe . Particular attention is given to the countries of Slovenia, Czechoslovakia, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, and others emerging from the former socialist and communist regimes. The course emphasizes the link between public administration reform efforts, their success and failure, and the establishment of democracy. The instructor has recently returned from the Republic of Macedonia where she was responsible for the national government reform efforts in civil service, ethics, administrative procedures, and citizen participation.

470.626 – Understanding the Media: Old and New
No one who works inside the beltway, whether in government or the private sector, can escape the impact of the mass media. This course helps students understand the role and practices of the news media. It teaches critical skills in analyzing and interpreting the news and in assessing its impact on government and public policy. Students explore media ethics and First Amendment issues and hear from several guest lecturers who share their expertise.

470.627 – Government and the American Economy
Many Americans believe that there was a time when citizens were free of government controls. But there always have been significant government controls, which in our day we call public policies. This course analyzes major economic policy tools and their advantages and disadvantages. It provides an overview of issues confronting the American economy today including productivity, employment, international trade, and distribution of wealth and incomes. Students explore specific policy tools available to influence economic outcomes, among them monetary and fiscal policy, trade regulation, grant making, entitlement spending, and specialized interventions such as health care.

470.628 – Parties, Campaigns, and Elections
Situating recent elections in broader historical context, this course examines the structures, activities, and functions of American political parties and their roles in campaign and electoral processes.  What strategies do parties employ and how are individual campaigns organized?  What roles do ideology, interest, and party organization play in connecting political elites and mobilizing voters?  How do political parties function in an electoral context increasingly dominated by candidate-centered campaigns, mass media politics, professional consultants, and independent voters?

470.629 – The Politics of Health Care Policy
This course introduces students to the political actors and influences that determine the nature of health care policy. Particular emphasis is placed upon the following areas: the debate over public versus private provision of health care; the availability of health insurance; health promotion; harm reduction; the role of alternative and complimentary medicine; and proposed reforms to the current system, from adoption of a so-called “single payer” system to medical and health savings accounts. The obesity epidemic is featured as a real-time case study in the interaction between science and politics. To improve their ability to perform comparative analysis, students are introduced to other nations' health care systems. Particular emphasis is placed upon Canada 's Medicare system and the United Kingdom 's National Health Service.

470.630 – Government, Banking, and the Financial System
(formerly Government, Banking, and the Financial System)
Credit markets are in turmoil and policymakers fear a spillover to the larger economy. Policymakers are rushing to enact changes in the mortgage market and for credit cards, student loans, and other credit products. We will look at key issues: Why did lenders make many loans that borrowers could not repay? How does the subprime mortgage market work? What about the rest of the mortgage market? What are special needs of low-income and first-time borrowers? How do credit rating companies work? What protections do consumers need? How do we deal with many homeowners facing foreclosure? What are benefits and costs of reform proposals?

470.632 – Defense Policy I
(formerly Defense Policy)
Today's military is undergoing dramatic transitions from its Cold War force structure to the force structure suited to an interwar period with respect to great power conflict. This course provides students with an understanding of defense policymaking in a period characterized by strategic uncertainty. It poses the question of whether the United States is producing a smaller Cold War military or a different force aligned with present needs. The course pays particular attention to the character, organization, and equipment of the uniformed services, the civilian leadership in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the senior uniformed leadership in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and congressional and executive office participation in the budget process. Course materials respond to current events.

470.633 – Analyzing Military Policy
This course will cover several approaches for evaluating military issues.  Methodologies range from simple quantitative tools for understanding combat to structured use of military history to defense budget calculations to simple assessments of military technology.  The course will address four main subjects, spending roughly comparable time on each: the defense budget and decisions on defense resource allocations; modeling and simulating combat; understanding issues in military technology such as missile defense and the hypothesis that a revolution in military affairs is underway; military transport, supply, and logistics including airlift, sealift, and ground transport.

470.634 – Foreign Policy in the Age of Global Terrorism
(formerly Foreign Policy)
This course examines the key challenges facing U.S. foreign policy in the new international security environment of the 21st century. Foremost among these challenges are the threats of global terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the increasing prospects for terrorists groups to acquire such weapons. The various strategies and policies of the United States for coping with these threats are evaluated, including consideration of the constraints that act to impede realization of U.S. objectives. Case studies of coercive diplomacy are given special attention as are U.S. efforts to build international security regimes and regional security structures. The rise of radical Islamic fundamentalism is given sustained attention. Other topics considered in the course include the increasing role of the United States in the politics of Central Asia ; the emergence of serious rifts in the transatlantic alliance; the growing concerns of the United States regarding the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran ; and the U.S. role in promoting democracy abroad.

470.635 – Executive Politics and Policymaking
The founders may have envisioned Congress as the premier branch of the federal government, but in the 20th century the president and the executive branch have typically occupied that position. This course examines presidential and bureaucratic power in the American political system. Students explore the political and policymaking dynamics at the top executive levels and within the bureaucracy. They also investigate the factors that account for variations in the power exercised by officials and consider the relationship between the executive branch and other centers of power in American politics. Finally, students will learn the processes and tools utilized by policymakers in the executive branch. In the final part of the course, students will participate in a simulation that will offer them the opportunity to see firsthand how the policymaking process operates in the executive branch.

470.636 – Political Communications: The National Stage
This course teaches the skills to both participate in and understand modern media and examines how communications influence public opinion. Guest speakers with senior-level experience in modern communications policy will discuss their roles in how the media and communication strategies influence public opinion. The course will address competitive writing, communications strategy, communication planning and execution, news analysis, and basic rules of media relations. A comparison of executive and legislative branch communications and strategies, the importance of visuals in modern communications, and how communications has changed over time will also be examined.

470.638 – Negotiating as a Leadership Skill
Conflict is part of organizational life. People in public sector agencies and nonprofit and for-profit organizations disagree over the meaning of regulations, the use of financial resources, office space, leave time, and many other issues. Managers must have the ability to diagnose disputes and to negotiate effectively to resolve conflicts. This course provides the theoretical background and conceptual framework needed for successful negotiation and mediation. Through presentations and discussions students become familiar with the tools necessary for conflict resolution in their agencies and organizations. Analysis of a party's interests, identification of the necessary style, awareness of communication skills, and planning and feedback are part of the process of becoming an accomplished negotiator. Students practice their negotiating skills by getting involved in hypothetical cases.

470.639 – The Nature of Nonprofits: Culture, Governance, and Management
This course examines the nature and culture of nonprofit organizations. Students consider the strengths, constraints, and unique characteristics of a sector that has captured surprisingly little attention from policy analysts, but upon which government and the public increasingly rely for social services, education, and health care. Case studies help to illustrate and define the decision-making processes, management, and operational style of this important part of the nation's service delivery infrastructure.

470.640 – Media And Politics
Will the media rule the next presidential campaign? With firsthand testimony from veteran reporters and political operatives, this course will illuminate the interaction of journalism and politics that has transformed the way Americans choose their presidents. The lectures and readings will demonstrate that practitioners of both professions bear responsibility for the flaws of the modern system. From the seminal year of 1968 to the Bush-Gore cliffhanger of 2000, students will analyze the lessons of past struggles for the White House and use them as a prism for viewing the early skirmishes of the incipient campaign of 2004 and, more broadly, as a guide to a fuller understanding of national politics.

470.641 – Government By Contract: The 20th Century Reform of American Government, Its Legacy, and the Future
(formerly From Government to Governance: Privatization, Contracting Out and the New Public Service)
Halliburton, Blackwater, CACI – contractors in the mess halls, on the battlefield, in Abu Ghraib prison.On the homeland security front, stories of contractor reliance also were front page news – the Coast Guard betting its future on an out of control multibillion dollar contract, a 70 million dollar contract to hire baggage checkers ballooning to $700 million, and a contract to bring FBI case management into the 21^st century almost grinding the FBI to a halt. In fact, today’s federal reliance on private contractors to perform the basic work of government is neither an accident nor a recent development.It is the predictable and predicted product of a great mid-20^th century reform in American government.This course will examine the past and the present of this ongoing reform, place it in historical and comparative (cross-country) perspective, and provide students with an opportunity to consider and debate the paths that Congress, the President and citizens may take to assure that the public interest is served as private actors increasingly perform the work of government.

470.644 – Democracy and Its Modern Critics
Much of international politics in the last century can be described as a conflict between liberal democracy and its modern critics. During this period the values and political structures of liberal democracy have been extended to more parts of the world then ever before. Yet the same era also saw the emergence of powerful challengers to liberal democracy from both the right and the left. The resulting clash of ideologies defined such conflicts as World War II and the Cold War. In this course we will survey the intellectual roots of Fascism, National Socialism, Communism. We will also examine the question of Islam and democracy looking at both its proponents and its radical critics in the Islamic world. Through this study we will gain insight into the doctrines and appeal of ideologies that have provided the dominant challenges of American foreign policy. Among those whose writings we will examine are Karl Marx, V.I. Lenin, Benito Mussolini, Carl Schmitt, Charles Maurras, Syed Qutb, Ali Shariati, Muktedar Khan, and Ruhollah Khomeini.

470.645 – The Budgetary Process
The federal budget process is an enormously complex mixture of administrative routines and mechanisms designed to bias decisions, avoid blame, or reduce conflict. This course explores the structures of federal budgeting in terms of its varied goals and in the context of the wider governing process. The course will review the budgetary process in both the executive and congressional branching, as well as the interaction of those two systems. In order to gain understanding of the difficult policy choices and political pressures policymakers face, students will be asked to do a simulation of a budget process within the executive branch. The role of entitlements, scoring issues, and tax policy will be examined in the context of the debate over budget policy. The course will start with a short primer on finance theory.

470.646 – Social Welfare Policy
What are the rights of the poor? What should they be? What has been the role of government in mediating the contradiction between poverty and equality? What should it be? This course will examine these and related questions through a focus on income policy for the poor from 1900 to the present. Readings will consider the constitutional invisibility of poverty; stratification within the welfare state; the interaction among poverty discourse, poverty policy, and regulation of the poor; and legal, political, and ethical claims for a right to economic assistance. This course will be framed analytically by an intersectional approach to legal and policy responses to poverty over time.

470.647 – International Security and America's Role in a Troubled World
This course examines the changing requirements for global security and considers the response of the U.S. to meet new kinds of threats. Using domestic policy debates as a backdrop, students explore U.S. security objectives that include strategic and military dimensions but also economic and environmental concerns. In a world that is becoming increasingly interdependent, ethnic nationalism, international migration, and environmental and economic mismanagement pose new challenges to the world community in general and to the only remaining superpower in particular. This course focuses on the various kinds of international and regional organizations required to meet the global community's need for security. Students also consider how American foreign policy and diplomacy can make an effective contribution.

470.648 – The U.S. and the European Union: Allies, Partners, or Rivals
In our age of increasing transatlantic tensions and troubles the course, "The U.S. and the European Union: Allies, Partners or Rivals?," will analyze, discuss and debate the importance of the vast business, economic, political and cultural relations that exist between the U.S. and the major European nations and between the U.S. and the EU. The world's largest trade and investment partnership is between American and European companies. The flow of trade across the Atlantic is enormous and profitable for both sides. The course will look at the trade, business and economic component of the transatlantic partnership and the rivalries that also exist.

American foreign policy towards the European Union and towards the U.K. , France and Germany and the Eastern European nations will be explored. We will look at how America and Europe have grown apart in many ways since the disagreements over the Iraq War. The Cold War kept us together but today the external threat is from terrorism. How are we working together to combat terrorism?

The European Union is a strange and unique type of government. The course will study the history of the European Community from its beginnings in the 1950's to its becoming the European Union of today with its own currency, the euro, and its evolving foreign policy. We will look at the inner workings of the EU and see how the European Commission makes trade and foreign policy. We will meet with European Commissioners and other high ranking EU officials through field trips to Rome and other European capitals. We will go to Rome and meet with senior Italian government officials to discuss their role in the EU, Italian foreign policy and U.S. foreign policy and Italy.

470.649 – The Constitution and the Separation of Powers
(formerly Politics of Government Reform)
This course considers a fundamental characteristic of American constitutionalism: the manner in which ambition is made to counteract ambition in our constitutional structure. Students will undertake advanced study of the nature and scope of the constitutional powers of the three branches of the federal government and their relationship to, and interactions with, one another. The course will consider judicial review and the authority of Congress to place limitations upon court jurisdiction, as well as conflicts between the President and the Congress. In particular, significant time will be devoted to inter-branch controversies concerning the content and execution of federal legislation, control of the administrative state, fact-finding and investigative oversight, the allocation of foreign policy and war powers, and impeachment. The course will draw on lessons from constitutional case law and historical materials, and will encourage students to contemplate the role of both the courts and the political process in resolving disputes between the branches.

470.650 – The American Experience Post 9/11
(formerly American by Experiment and Design)
From the Founding Fathers to the denizens of today's think tanks, a central question for American government has been whether "good government" can be established by "reflection and choice" or whether societies are destined to depend on "accident and force." Beginning with the drafters of the Constitution, a document that was to initiate a "great experiment," and continuing through the Progressive Era, the New Deal, and the Great Society, lay and professional experts—including prominent Johns Hopkins graduates and faculty such as Woodrow Wilson, and John Dewey—have sought to provide intelligence, purpose, and method to the course of government. The end of the Cold War and 9/11 may again bring America into a new age of great experimentation.

470.651 – Corruption and Other Pathologies of Government
A disturbing number of governments in the world are bad; they are corrupt, tyrannical, incompetent, or destructive. Authoritarian, self-serving leaders misallocate national resources, steal elections, terrorize citizens, and line their own pockets. Social programs are neglected and the will of the people ignored. Corruption becomes a way of life. Democracy and the rule of law are frustrated, and pathological policies and practices are made legal. Regulations, instead of protecting the public, become instruments of tyranny and petty bureaucracy. How do these things happen? How do we tell them when and why governments become "pathological"? The nature of such pathologies will be examined and frameworks for evaluation presented, drawing on theoretical work, as well as real life international examples and case studies from the U.S. and around the world. Most important, the course will analyze how government pathologies can be prevented, mitigated, or resisted. Various practical means for the detection and reduction of corruption will be examined.

470.652 – International Comparative Government
Valuable lessons can be learned about governing from the experience of other countries as, for example, from the radical changes in the former Soviet bloc, the evolution of less developed countries, and the extraordinary experiments in government in China , India , and Russia . This course deals with the crucial problems of public management, including economic development, social services delivery, public regulation, and performance of governments themselves. Students compare U.S. practices with those in other countries, and discuss the practical problems of delivering public services in environments far more difficult than in the U.S. Students examine new approaches to government efficiency, shifts of roles to the private sector, intergovernmental devolution, and management innovation as they are tested in governments around the world.

470.653 – Contemporary Russian Politics
When the coup aimed at saving the Soviet Union collapsed in August, 1991, a Russian literary critic said, "For the first time in this century, God has smiled on Russia." This course will examine the fall of the Soviet Union, perhaps the most important event of the second half of the twentieth century, and the rise of the new Russia. Beginning with an explanation of the ideas that gave rise to communism, it will examine the nature of the Soviet Union, the sources of its power and also its critical although often ignored weaknesses. It will also examine the fate of post-Soviet Russia, including the rise of organized crime and the authoritarian regime that exists today. The course will consider the meaning of the Russian attempt to create "heaven on earth," which has lessons for dealing with the religious fanaticism that threatens the world today, as well as the requirements of a transition from totalitarian domination to a system that is democratic in more than just name.

470.653 – Contemporary Russian Politics
When the coup aimed at saving the Soviet Union collapsed in August, 1991, a Russian literary critic said, "For the first time in this century, God has smiled on Russia." This course will examine the fall of the Soviet Union, perhaps the most important event of the second half of the twentieth century, and the rise of the new Russia. Beginning with an explanation of the ideas that gave rise to communism, it will examine the nature of the Soviet Union, the sources of its power and also its critical although often ignored weaknesses. It will also examine the fate of post-Soviet Russia, including the rise of organized crime and the authoritarian regime that exists today. The course will consider the meaning of the Russian attempt to create "heaven on earth," which has lessons for dealing with the religious fanaticism that threatens the world today, as well as the requirements of a transition from totalitarian domination to a system that is democratic in more than just name.

470.654 – Government and the Global Economy
This course seeks to give students a thorough understanding of the economic and political forces that have shaped what states, both historically and presently, can and cannot do in the world economy. The focus is both historical and analytical, beginning with state responses to the Great Depression in the 1920s and ending with the development of new sources of uncertainty and crisis in the "globalized" institutions of banking, finance, and trade of the present era.

470.655 – Multinationals and Governments in the Age of Globalization
(formerly Democracy, Development, and Globalization)
Multinational corporations seem to rival national government in their power and influence, yet Microsoft can be humbled by obscure government lawyers at home and abroad. The battle of wills between the private sector and government continues but now is often eclipsed by the requirement of the global economy. International arrangements such as the Doha Round, free trade agreements and global environmental treaties, seek to dictate corporate and government action. International conventions and the organizations they engender, compel industry and government to engage in extensive lobbying and expend significant resources. New responsibilities have devolved on business managers and government professionals to acquire expertise in obscure treaty language, become versed in complex jargon and recite global acronyms without hesitation. This course seeks to help prospective corporate managers and government leaders navigate this globalization minefield.

470.656 – The American Presidency
This course is intended to expose students to various approaches political scientists have taken to the study of the American  presidency. It will also focus on institutional contributions various presidents have made to the contemporary office.  In addition to the assigned texts, the instructors and the students will pay attention to the 2009 presidential contributions and key developments during the 44th president's "first hundred days" and beyond.

470.657 – Politics,Media, and Presidential Campaigns


470.657 – Politics, Media, and the Presidential Elections
When it comes to electing a president, how well do the news media play their part? This course will attempt to answer the question by monitoring day-to-day coverage of the 2008 presidential election as it unfolds. News and political professionals involved with the campaign will debate their roles and responsibilities. The course will look at how well the news media are doing in providing essential information on the candidates and the issues facing the nation they aspire to lead. Once the election is over, the course will critique the overall coverage and suggest what needs to be changed for the next election. Students will make case studies with special scrutiny given to what happens when the media itself become an issue in the campaign. The course will review the coverage of the pre-primary and primary campaigns and utilize selected readings and newsclips from previous elections to illuminate the 2008 campaign.

470.658 – Religion and American Political Culture
The relationship between religion and politics in the American context is one of peculiar complexity in the American context. This course has 3 main objectives: 1) to examine in general terms the role of religion in American public and political life as reflected in the debates concerning the use of religious symbolism and discourse in the public sphere; 2) to analyze how religiously informed moral argument has helped to shape public debate on key issues of public policy including the issues of civil rights, abortion, war and peace, and economic policy; and 3) to provide the necessary historical and philosophical context to help understand the present day intersection of religion and politics, and to see how previous generations of Americans approached similar problems.

470.660 – Foundations of Law & Justice
This is a survey course that examines the conflicting demands, roles, and choices that face law enforcement in a democratic society. This critical analysis explores the challenges confronting the senior practitioner, as well as those that policymakers in the area of law enforcement must consider. It examines such areas as recruitment, training, socialization, the police subculture, management and organization, ethics, police deviance, minorities in law enforcement, and the use of force.

470.661 – Constitutional Law
This survey course is designed to introduce students to the foundations of our constitutional system and constitutional analysis. Discussions will focus on the law as well as related policy, political, and societal implications of constitutional interpretation. The course will explore such areas as the roles and powers of the branches of federal government, separation of powers, federalism, and the commerce clause. It will also cover individual rights, due process, equal protection, church and state, and economic liberties.

470.662 – Special Topics in Criminal Investigation
This course is designed to allow the criminal justice professional, policymakers, and others to understand better the impact of international and domestic threats on political and governmental institutions. These threats are a tool used by some by some groups to achieve social change. These threats have two sets of victims: those immediately affected by the act and the entire society which loses a sense of security and confidence that governmental institutions can maintain social order. The emphasis of the course is both a descriptive and an analytical approach to international and domestic threats.

470.663 – Administering Homeland Security
Working with other agencies, the new Department of Homeland Security must protect the country from a broad range of potential threats. High performance is essential. How should the government carry out its responsibilities? How should the federal government coordinate with healthcare providers and state and local public health departments? What are the tradeoffs between citizen rights and homeland security? How can the federal government work with private organizations to protect important national infrastructure and systems? This course will take a "tools of government" approach to these and other questions of administering homeland security.

470.664 – Humanity, Morality, and War
This course examines the nature of war and its relationship to morality. It is not a course in either philosophy or theology; rather it assesses case studies drawn from history and literature to address issues that penetrate to the heart of war and its relationships to humane behavior and morality (if any). Assigned books include The Western Way of War; War and Peace; We Were Soldiers Once...and Young; A War to Be Won, Fighting the Second World War; The Peloponnesian War; The Trojan Women; Dereliction of Duty; and Downfall. This course is part of the Aitchison Public Service Undergraduate Fellowship in Government program offered by Johns Hopkins in Washington , D.C. , beginning fall 2003.

470.667 – The Administrative State: How Washington Regulates
The regulatory process is neither simple nor straightforward. Congress writes the laws, which authorize or require the federal agencies to act (or prohibit them from acting). This course will explore why Congress delegates to the agencies, how much it may delegate, and how it influences the use of the power it has delegated. Most of the federal agencies are in the executive branch of the government, headed by the president; the rest are so-called independent regulatory agencies. How much authority does the president have in appointments and removal and in policy guidance, and what means does he use to exercise that power? What are the procedural requirements the agencies must follow in developing regulations? What are the substantive requirements (e.g., the role of science and economics)? What influence does the public have, including the general public, the states and local governmental entities, and the special interests? The course will conclude with the role of the courts, which ultimately must decide questions of statutory interpretation and constitutional law.
(Cross-listed with the Biotechnology Program)

470.669 – Seminar in Homeland Security Administration
The United States faces a broad range of threats. Major homeland security efforts include border security, immigration control, protection of infrastructure, biodefense, and incident response. This course will explore these and other selected topics in depth. Students will be expected to produce an advanced research paper on an approved topic relating to homeland security. By the end of the class students will have a good picture of the process of administering homeland security—our progress, and shortcomings in critical areas.
Prerequisite: completion of a course on administering homeland security or instructor approval.

470.670 – Government and Strategic Communications
The federal response to Hurricane Katrina was the largest, fastest and most effective in our nation's history. Yet, because responding agencies failed to execute a strategic communications plan almost every American believes that Katrina is synonymous with government failure. This class will examine each of the four realms of the strategic communications: public affairs, information operations, public diplomacy, and psychological operations. It will address how they are integrated into government policy and make use of detailed cases studies of the use or misuse of strategic communications during the War in Iraq , The Global War on Terrorism, and Hurricane Katrina. Students will develop a thorough understanding of the government's strategic communications infrastructure as well as how communications plans are designed and executed. In addition, students will explore how the structure of the current media environment can enhance or ruin even the best laid plans.

470.671 – Criminal Law and the Constitution
This course will survey major themes related to substantive criminal law and to constitutional criminal procedure. The first portion of the course will consider the government’s constitutional and political authority to control undesirable behavior by defining criminal law. Through the use of doctrine, case law , and illustrative crimes such as homicide, rape, and theft, the course will examine the criminal act, intent, causation, attempts and inchoate offenses, justification and excuse, and competing rationales for and theories of criminal punishment and sentencing. The second portion of the course will examine the Constitution’s procedural limits upon the government’s ability to investigate and detect crime. This will include study of searches and seizures, confessions and interrogations, and provisions for the right to counsel, as expressed in the Bill of Rights and Fourteenth Amendment and articulated in the opinions of the United States Supreme Court.

470.674 – Administrative Law
This survey course will cover the foundations of administrative law, such as the role of administrative law in the U.S. legal system and the basis of authority of administrative agencies vis-à-vis the legislative and judicial branches of government. Topics of inquiry will include the rulemaking, investigatory and adjudicatory powers of agencies; due process; scope and implementation of open government laws; judicial review of agency actions; and doctrines of exhaustion, finality and ripeness. Discussions will include consideration of case-law development, policy implications, and political influences of agency actions.

470.675 – Politics, Language, and Culture of the Arab World
An introduction to Arabic politics, language, and culture as a foundatin for understanding today's Arab world.  This course provides students with an introduction to Arabic language and an appreciatoin of Arab political and economic structures, literature and art in the light of recent political, economic and social changes.

470.676 – Understanding Islamist Terrorism
This course looks at al Qaida and its associated community of "Salafi jihadists" through the lens of military thought. The course will consider the influence of Islamic theology and history, Western political thought, and important theories of revolutionary warfare on the evolution of Salafi jihadist revolutionary thought. It will examine competing theories of warfare within the jihadist community and ask to what extent the jihadists are able to implement these theories. It will conclude by considering the implications of these ideas for American strategy and policy.

470.677 – Governing in China and America: Comparisons and Bridges
Everyday Americans open newspapers and other media to find articles about China's remarkable accomplishments and the problems that it still faces. Everyday the Chinese learn about developments in the United States from television or through other media. Yet, China remains a mystery to most Americans and America remains a land of dreams for most Chinese. In the globalizing world, Chinese and Americans increasingly use the same words to discuss issues of the day, but the meanings of the words may differ. This course will bring together students and scholars from two leading universities to provide an introduction to one another of China and American domestic politics and government, of Sino-American relations, and of the way in which scholars and students in China and America see their own countries and one another's countries. The course features interactive teleconferences with a graduate class at Fudan University's Center for American Studies in Shanghai , China . In addition to the teleconferencing, the course will be taught on-line, but also feature a number of guest speakers.

470.678 – Governing in Mexico and America: Trade, Migration and Security
The "immigration issue" with Mexico is being hotly debated as America continues to struggle with immigration policy reform in the post-9/11 era. Other important policy areas of mutual interest to Mexico and America as neighbors are trade, security, environmental and energy issues. This course will explore and compare the government and politics of each country and important cultural differences impacting their governing styles and attempts at cooperation to address critical policy areas. The course will include at least 6 videoconference sessions with faculty and students at CIDE University in Mexico City. There also will be one videoconference session connecting the class with both CIDE and Fudan University (Shanghai, China) to discuss trade and global governance issues which are of interest to all three nations.

470.679 – America and the Globe: Critical Policy Issues
There are a number of critical global issues that students of government and policy need at least a basic knowledge of in order to work with senior policymakers and participate meaningfully in governmental policy decision making. Students will be exposed in each class to an issue of major global significance with the intention that enough foundation is established that further independent study of it can build upon that. While the class will not go into an in-depth analysis on any particular subject, it will provide students with a basic level of knowledge of issues that are critical to understanding today's global environment. Topics will include: the global finance system, terrorism, international trade, pandemics, climate change, energy supply, and integrating emerging world powers.

470.680 – 21st Century Conflict
This class will examine the origin and course of currently raging conflicts and try to make some reasoned predictions on the likelihood and direction of armed conflict in the future. Students will start with a survey of the true nature of war and the morality of conflict. From that basis, the class will move on to a brief overview of wars in the 21st century and how they set the conditions for current conflicts. An in-depth study of current conflicts will include, but not be limited to: the Global War on Terrorism, ethnic/tribal war in Africa, narco-wars in South America and an analysis of the war and insurgency in Iraq. The course will also examine current international stressors that could potentially spark future armed conflicts. Finally, the course will examine the policy choices that could forestall these conflicts along with what can be done to help post-conflict nations and failing states from falling back into the conflict-trap

470.683 – Film, Media, and Politics
 

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