Department of Political Science
This program is intended for students interested in careers teaching political science in a variety of higher education settings from community colleges to universities. Doctor of Arts recipients are prepared to teach a variety of political science courses including those in American politics and in two additional specialties selected from among the fields of public law, political theory, comparative/international politics, and public administration. The program features an interdisciplinary component with nine credit hours of coursework required from Economics and nine credit hours from Sociology. Two required interdisciplinary seminars further strengthen the interdisciplinary orientation of the program.
The D.A. in political science is generalist in nature. The emphasis is on a thorough grounding in political science supported by work in two other social science disciplines. The program places emphasis on teaching political science rather than on the development of a narrow research specialty. A nine-credit-hour component of the program includes the development of pedagogical skills as well as sustained experience in the classroom.
For full admission to the Doctor of Arts program, the applicant must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 for the last two years of undergraduate study, an average score in the 50th percentile or above on the aptitude section of the GRE and a 3.5 GPA in all previous graduate study. At the time of application, the candidate must submit to the Department of Political Science three letters of recommendation and a statement of his/her personal goals.
A candidate entering with a B.A. or B.S. degree must fulfill a minimum of 79 credit hours including the teaching internship and up to a maximum of six dissertation credits. No more than nine credit hours in Sociology and nine credit hours in Economics (exclusive of interdisciplinary seminars) count toward the 79 credit hour minimum requirement. Candidates have the option of completing the M.A. or M.P.A. in political science en route to the D.A.; if they choose the non-thesis M.A. or M.P.A. program, only 30 hours of course work from the M.A. or M.P.A. will apply to the Doctor of Arts program. Candidates entering the Doctor of Arts program with M.A. degrees must complete a minimum of 49 credit hours, including two full-time consecutive semesters in residence, including a maximum six hours of dissertation credit. The total length and number of credit hours of a student's program, above the minimum, is dependent upon the student's academic preparation and his/her committee's recommendations.
Doctoral students are examined in three fields of political science. For all doctoral students the major field of American politics is required.
1. American Politics, and
2. Any two of the following fields:
a. Public Law
b. Political Theory
c. Comparative/International Politics
d. Public Administration
Doctor of Arts students are required to take nine hours of 600-level seminar courses (not including POLS 694) selected from the following courses: POLS 611, POLS 612, POLS 613, POLS 614 and POLS 615 plus a methodology course, POLS 519, 519L. Doctor of Arts students are also required to take POLS 699, Dissertation, for a minimum of 3 credits.
Doctor of Arts students write a doctoral dissertation which may deal with either substantive disciplinary issues or pedagogical innovations or techniques. A draft of the dissertation must be approved by each D.A. candidate's committee before sitting for comprehensive examinations. Faculty and students are invited to the formal presentation of the dissertation.
Students must complete a nine-credit component of pedagogy to include POLS 694, POLS 702, and POLS 703.
Nine graduate credits (specific courses to be determined in consultation with each candidate's graduate committee).
Nine graduate credits (specific courses to be determined in consultation with each candidate's graduate committee).
A minimum of six credits in interdisciplinary classes which integrate concepts from political science, economics, and sociology. Three credits must be selected from among the following courses: POLS 620, ECON 620, or SOC 620; three credits must be selected from among the following courses: POLS 621, ECON 621, or SOC 621. Interdisciplinary courses taken as Sociology or Economics do not count toward the nine (9) credit hour requirement in those disciplines.
A comprehensive written and oral examination is administered at the conclusion of the program which tests the candidate's knowledge of three fields of political science.
This program emphasizes general preparation in political science and research. It is designed to:
1. Provide the first phase of graduate study for students seeking terminal degrees such as the Ph.D. or D.A. and who plan to complete their studies at Idaho State University or at another institution.
2. Train individuals who plan to seek employment upon completion of the M.A. degree in non-teaching governmental positions.
3. Provide in-service opportunities for enhancing the conceptual and research capabilities of persons who are employed in teaching or public positions.
Areas of emphasis in the M.A. program are limited, because of the research nature of the degree, to American governmental institutions and political behavior, public law, political theory, public administration and comparative/international politics.
M.A. candidates are required to present themselves for comprehensive examination on their thesis and/or in three of the five areas of emphasis mentioned above.
In addition to meeting the general requirements of the Graduate School, a student must have achieved an accumulated grade point average of 3.00 during the last two years of undergraduate study and an average score in the 35th percentile or above on the aptitude section of the GRE to be eligible for admission to the graduate program and to candidacy for the M.A. degree in political science. At the time of application, the candidate must submit to the Department of Political Science three letters of recommendation and a statement of his/her personal goals.
A thesis (six credits), 24 additional credits approved by the Department of Political Science and the Graduate School, and a reading knowledge of one foreign language are the basic requirements of the graduate program in political science. Subject to department approval, a non-thesis program is available. Subsequent to the approval of the Department of Political Science, the student may elect to satisfy the language requirement by satisfactory completion of a course in methodology, demonstrating a comprehensive theoretical and practical understanding of a relevant research method.
Required courses are POLS 519 and POLS 519L, Political Research Methods, 4 credits, and POLS 650, Thesis, 6 credits. Other requirements include a total of 30 credit hours in graduate level courses approved by the Department of Political Science and the Graduate School; a minimum of 15 credit hours taken at the 600 level and a comprehensive oral examination in government covering the student's graduate course work, the literature of the field, and the M.A. thesis.
Required courses are the same as the thesis program with the exception of deleting POLS 650, Thesis, 6 credits. Other requirements include a total of 36 credit hours in graduate level courses approved by the Department of Political Science and the Graduate School; a minimum of 15 credit hours taken at the 600 level; a comprehensive written examination in political science covering the student's graduate course work and the department's graduate bibliography; and a final oral examination which, like the final written exam, may be taken no more than twice.
The Master in Public Administration degree is an inter-university cooperative graduate program offered jointly by Boise State University, Idaho State University and the University of Idaho. The purpose of the program is to provide present and prospective public administrators with the basic intellectual preparation necessary to understand and to adjust to a changing and challenging environment, through an introduction to the theories and practices of administration, management and social science research as these relate to effective performance in public organizations. The MPA program is coordinated through an inter-university committee comprised of the Chair of the department of political science at the cooperating universities, a representative of the Office of the State Board of Education, and a representative of cooperating government agencies. The essential features of this inter-university cooperative program are:
1. General coordination and policy control by the inter-university committee
2. Unrestricted transferability of credits earned at any of the participating universities to apply to the MPA degree awarded by any one of the participating universities
3. Coordination among universities in scheduling and offering courses in the MPA program
4. The establishment of a basic core of courses at all three cooperating institutions plus optional areas of emphasis which may vary among the universities (reflecting the particular areas of specialization available at the respective universities)
The inter-university MPA program has been designed in accordance with the Guidelines and Standards for Professional Master's Degree Programs in Public Affairs and Public Administration prescribed through the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA).
Students may enroll in the MPA program by applying to one of the participating universities. Acceptance by any one of the three universities admits a student into the MPA program. New and transfer students admitted to ISU's MPA program must meet the standards set by ISU Graduate School. This includes scoring at an acceptable level on the GRE's. A matriculated student should complete graduate studies at the institution which offers the area of specialization which s/he wishes to emphasize. Each student's program will be established by an advisory committee consisting of three faculty members. It is anticipated that students will come from widely differing academic preparations, since no specific undergraduate program is required in preparation for the MPA program. However, some course work in humanities and social sciences is essential to the foundation of the MPA program for all students.
In addition to the general requirements of each graduate school, students seeking admission must have completed a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, demonstrate satisfactory academic competency by attaining an overall undergraduate GPA of 2.75, achieve an average score placing them at or above the 35th percentile (current norms) on the aptitude section of the GRE, and submit three letters from individuals who are qualified to evaluate the applicant's academic potential. Students must also submit to the Department a personal statement of goals.
The MPA degree may be achieved through the successful completion of at least 30 semester credit hours of approved course work plus 6 credits of public service internship. Fifteen credit hours must be completed in courses selected from prescribed "core areas" with 15 additional credit hours completed in designated optional areas of emphasis. Students may follow a thesis or non-thesis option in pursuing the MPA. The thesis counts as 6 creditstoward completion of the degree in lieu ofcourse work selected from the student's area of emphasis. All MPA candidates must complete final examinations. Those following the thesis option will complete an oral examinationcovering the thesis and program course work.The non-thesis option requires a written and anoral examination over program course work. The academic program of each student must satisfy the general requirements of an integrated program designed to meet career objectives of the student in public administration.
The specific course requirements of the MPA program are set forth in a list of courses which has been approved by the inter-university committee. This list is available through each of the cooperating universities. Courses are available at each institution in the "core areas." The optional "areas of emphasis" may vary among the universities according to the resources and competence which exist in the respective departments. A description of those areas of emphasis which are presently operational at each institution and admission forms to the MPA program are available through the Political Science Department at Idaho State University or the departments of Political Science at Boise State University or the University of Idaho.
All students must take 15 credit hours of core area courses. One course must be taken from each of the four areas listed below. An additional course from one core area completes the core requirement.
POLS 551 Organizational Theory & Bureaucratic Structure
POLS 505 The Administrative ProcessPOLS 554 Public Personnel Administration
POLS 541 Administrative Law
POLS 552 Financial Administration and Budgeting
POLS 556 Labor Organization
POLS 519 Political Research MethodsPOLS 553 Public Policy Analysis
POLS 506 Intergovernmental RelationsPOLS 503 The Presidency
POLS 504 The Legislative Process
POLS 542 Constitutional Law
POLS 555 Environmental Politics and Policy
POLS 612 Seminar: State and Local Politics
POLS 614 Seminar: American Politics - Institutions
All students must take 15 credit hours from one of the specialized areas listed below. Courses taken to fulfill core area requirements cannot be used to fulfill the specialized area requirement. Please note specific specialized area requirements.
POLS 505 The Administrative ProcessPOLS 506 Intergovernmental Relations
POLS 508 Metropolitan and Urban Studies
POLS 509 Community and Regional Planning
POLS 519 Political Research Methods
ECON 538 Public Finance
ECON 539 State and Local Finance
POLS 541 Administrative Law
POLS 552 Financial Administration and Budgeting
POLS 553 Public Policy Analysis
POLS 554 Public Personnel Administration
POLS 555 Environmental Politics and Policy
POLS 556 Labor Organization
POLS 557 Grantwriting
POLS 612 Seminar: State and Local Politics
POLS 614 Seminar: American Politics - Institutions
POLS 669 Independent Problems
POLS 650 Thesis (optional)
POLS 505 The Administrative ProcessPOLS 506 Intergovernmental Relations
POLS 519 Political Research Methods
SOC 531 Criminology
POLS 541 Administrative Law
POLS 542 Constitutional Law
POLS 543 Constitutional Law
POLS 552 Financial Administration and Budgeting
POLS 553 Public Policy Analysis
POLS 554 Public Personnel Administration
PSYC 554 Clinical Psychology and the Law
POLS 557 Grantwriting
POLS 612 Seminar: State and Local Politics
POLS 614 Seminar: American Politics - Institutions
POLS 669 Independent Problems
POLS 650 Thesis (optional)
Must include at least three classes from Group I, two from Group II. Fifteen credit hours in total are required
POLS 505 The Administrative Process
POLS 506 Intergovernmental Relations
POLS 519 Political Research Methods
POLS 553 Public Policy Analysis
POLS 554 Public Personnel Administration
POLS 557 Grantwriting
POLS 669 Independent Problems
POLS 650 Thesis (optional)
HCA 575 Health Care Law
HCA 582 Health Services Organization and Delivery
HCA 583 Epidemiology
Psychology and COUN courses by permission:
Examples:
PSYC 555-556 Behavioral Assessment
PSYC 601 Family Assessment I
PSYC 635 Marital and Family Therapy (4)
COUN 601 Family Assessment I
COUN 608 The Family and Chemical Dependency (2)
COUN 609 The Family and the Aged (2)
COUN 636 Medical & Health Problems in Special Education (2)
Must include at least two courses from Group I:
POLS 555 Environmental Politics and Policy (required)
POLS 505 The Administrative Process
POLS 506 Intergovernmental Relations
POLS 519 Political Research Methods
POLS 553 Public Policy Analysis
POLS 557 Grantwriting
POLS 669 Independent Problems
POLS 650 Thesis (optional)
GEOL 506 Environmental Geology
HIST 530 Environmental History
BIOS 521 Ecological Concepts
BIOS 552 Population Ecology
BIOS 587 Environmental Science & Pollutants (PREREQ: BIOS 521)
ENGR 570 Survey of Hazardous Waste Management Problems
ENGR 606 Environmental Law and Regulations
***Numerous programs offer graduate courses on environmental issues on a specific topics basis which may be added to Group II.
POLS 559 MPA Internship
Internships are arranged in consultation with MPA Director, Dr. Mark McBeth.
POLS g301 Political Parties and Interest Groups 3 credits. The nature and development of political parties and interest groups as exemplified in the United States.
POLS g403 The Presidency 3 credits. Evolution and development of the office of the president; its major responsibilities in domestic and foreign affairs, with emphasis on particular power problems that confront the president.
POLS g404 The Legislative Process 3 credits. Nature and functions of the U.S. Congress. Topics covered: Legislative campaigns, the politics of law-making, congressional investigations, and major problems facing the Congress.
POLS g406 Intergovernmental Relations 3 credits. Analysis of patterns of intergovernmental relations including changing patterns of program and fiscal responsibility in the federal system. The emerging role of new federal structures, state and substate regional organizations will be reviewed in the context of "new" federalism and its implications for intergovernmental relationships.
POLS g408 Metropolitan and Urban Studies 3 credits. Analysis of metropolitan and smaller urban systems with emphasis on relationships among general groups, political organizations and institutions. Federal, state and interlocal programs will serve as a focus for analyzing particular problems of metropolitan and urban systems in the 20th century.
POLS g409 Community and Regional Planning 3 credits. Steps involved in planning will be analyzed in the context of community and regional decision-making processes. Two perspectives willbe stressedthat of the decision-maker, the social structure within which the decision-maker operates and strategies for implementing decision; and thatof the citizen or group interest which lies outside the power structure of the community. Each perspective will be used as a framework for analyzing power configurations, techniques of identifying patterns of decision making, and various forms of citizen participation.
POLS g427 Voting and Public Opinion 3 credits. Analysis of the way citizens and government communicate with each other. Elections, public opinion, and media influence are studied.
POLS g453 Public Policy Analysis 3 credits. Theoretical and practical analyses of public policies, including theories of policy formation and their political implementation through governmental institutions. Case studies will provide the means of analyzing specific policy problems.
POLS g455 Environmental Politics and Policy 3 credits. Study of the political forces affecting environmental policy and investigation of several specific policies affecting the environment, such as pollution control, energy production, hazardous chemicals, and the public lands.
POLS g456 Labor Organization 3 credits. Evolution of economic systems and labor's response to changing patterns of production is studied, and a counter perspective to traditional management views of "efficiency" is presented. Emphasis is on governmental employee unions.
POLS g412 Modern Political Analysis 3 credits. Methods of political inquiry and theories and doctrines of politics, with emphasis on modern developments.
POLS g419 Political Research Methods 3 credits. This class investigates the theory and application of various research methods and statistical techniques common to the social sciences, with particular reference to their use in political inquiry.
POLS g419L Political Research Methods Lab 1 credit. Application of, and practice in research methods.
POLS g405 Administrative Process 3 credits. Analysis of the principles of public administration with an introduction to theories of organization and administration.
POLS g441 Administrative Law 3 credits. Introductory survey of the legal principals defining governmental administrative processes. Topics include judicial review, tort liability of governments and offices, rules and rule-making, due process, and the limits of administrative discretion.
POLS g451 Organizational Theory and Bureaucratic Structure 3 credits. Introduction to the study of complex organizations and organizational behavior in the administration of public policy. Emphasis on public institutions.
POLS g452 Financial Administration and Budgeting 3 credits. Emphasis on different approaches to financial administration, ranging from incremental and short-term planning to more recent and comprehensive emphases on management by objectives and zero-based budgeting. The development of the Office of Management and Budget and its relationship with the President, Congress and the Federal bureaucracy will be considered as well as political, organizational andbehavioral constraints on budgetary decisionmaking.
POLS g454 Public Personnel Administration 3 credits. Operations and processes of personnel management in public institutions. Major topicsinclude personnel processes, public employee rightsand duties, employee motivation and morale, the political environment of public personnel administration,and the impact of professionalism, technology, andparticipatory democracy on public personnel practices.
POLS g457 Grantwriting 3 credits. Steps involved in the grantwriting process from strategic planning, research, writing to finding appropriate grant sources.
POLS g318 Topics in Political Theory 3 credits. This course requires examination, analysis andinvestigation of selected texts and topics in politicalphilosophy. May be repeated for a maximum of 6credits.
POLS g411 American Political Theory 3 credits. Political ideas in the United States from Colonial and Revolutionary times through the controversies of the Civil War to the present.
POLS g420 Contemporary Political Theory 3 credits. Recent 20th century political philosophies and theories ranging from democratic, Marxist, and existentialist thought to Critical Theory and postmodernism.
POLS g421 Democratic Political Thought 3 credits. Historical and contemporary models of democracy as well as contemporary debates in democratic thought. Democracy is treated as a contested idea.
POLS g425 Topics in International Politics 3credits. This course requires examination,analysisand evaluation of selected topics in international politics. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits.
POLS g332 Comparative Politics: Change and Political Order 3 credits. The nature of political change is examined in a multifaceted framework consisting of concepts such as political order, progress and decay, revolutionary violence, and political culture. The technological and post-industrial revolutions are examined as they relate to political change and stability in developed societies.
POLS g433 Politics of Developing Nations 3 credits. Study of problems in the political analysis of rapidly changing and unstable "developing" nation states with an emphasis on problems of the political, economic, and social development of selected states.
POLS g442 Constitutional Law 3 credits. Analysis of opinions of the United States Supreme Court concerning the distribution of authority between the national government and the states and the relationship among the branches of the national government.
POLS g443 Constitutional Law 3 credits. Analysis of opinions of the United States Supreme Court with a special emphasis on criminal cases and civil liberties.
POLS g459 Government Internship 1-9 credits. Directed student internship in government and organizations or associations related to public policy and the selection of public officials involving supervised work experience in research, staff management practices, or making and implementing public policies. The student will be placed in a supervised position commensurate with his or her abilities as determined and approved by faculty in the department. May be repeated up to 9 credits.
POLS g491-492 Seminar 1-3 credits.
Research, reading, discussion, and the preparation of reports on selected topics. Ordinarily
for seniorsmajoring in government and having the instructor's consent.
POLS 597 Professional Education Development Topics. Variable credit. May be repeated. A course for practicing professionals aimed at the development and improvement of skills. May not be applied to graduate degrees. May be graded S/U.
POLS 600 Environmental Law: Regulation 3 credits. The legal analysis of regulation as a method of controlling pollution and hazardous waste. PREREQ: ENGR 606.
POLS 601 Environmental Law: Natural Resources 3 credits. Federal and Idaho statutes and regulations as they apply to natural resources such as public lands, endangered species, and the EIS process. PREREQ: ENGR 606.
POLS 611 Seminar: Political Theory 3 credits. Review of the primary and recent literature of political theory.
POLS 612 Seminar: State and Local Politics 3 credits. Analysis of state, local and regional political institutions and processes from the federal and comparative perspectives.
POLS 613 Seminar: American PoliticsBehavior 3 credits. Micro inquiry and analysis into political behavior. Areas relevant to such inquiry may include but are not limited to, political psychology, political socializations, attitude and opinion formation, and voting behavior.
POLS 614 Seminar: American PoliticsInstitutions 3 credits.
Macro inquiry and analysis into the basic institutional structures and
processesof the American political system. Areas of
emphasisinclude, but are not limited to, executive, legislative
and judicial processes, political parties and interestgroups.
POLS 615 Seminar: World Politics 3 credits. World politics is analyzed both from the perspective of relationships between nation-states and the domestic political sources which influence and determine these relationships.
POLS 620 Seminar: Philosophy of Social Science 3 credits. The application of mathematical and scientific methods to the study of social, economic, and political life will be considered through the reading of certain seminal writings. Attention will be given to the fundamental assumptions about thenature of scientific rationality. Required of all D.A.students.
POLS 621 Seminar: Interdisciplinary Topics in Social Science 3 credits. Examination of selected topics in the social sciences from the analytic orientations and perspectives common and peculiar to the disciplines of political science economics and sociology. Required of all D.A. students.
POLS 649 Research Problems 1-6 credits. Independent research on non-thesis and non-dissertation disciplinary questions. Credit hours and subject must be approved by instructor. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 credits.
POLS 669 Independent Problems-Tutorial 3
credits. A directed project emphasizing individual study,
research, or the development of expository
writings according to the needs of the individual student.
POLS 694 Seminar in College Teaching 3credits. Required of all doctoral candidates. Maybetaken concurrently with POLS 702, but mustbesuccessfully completed before matriculation in POLS703.
POLS 699 Dissertation 1-6 credits. May be repeated. S/U grading.
POLS 701 Supervised Administrative Internship in Higher Education variable up to 6credits.
POLS 702 Team Teaching 3 credits. Doctor of Arts candidates team teach an entire course with a faculty member.
POLS 703 Solo Teaching 3 credits. Doctor of Arts candidates assume total responsibility for teaching a class. PREREQ: POLS 694 AND POLS 702.
Idaho State University Academic Information
Revised: May 1, 1996
URL http://www.isu.edu/academic-info/prev-isu-cat/grad96/artsci/polsdept.html