POS 100 - Introduction to Politics

1. Distinguish between different types of government (constitutional democracy, authoritarian, totalitarian).
2. Identify key features of American government.

1. Explain what the terms “politics” and “political science” mean as well as subfields of political science.
2. Identify key political philosophers and political ideologies.
3. Identify features of political development.
4. Comprehend key elements of political socialization, interest aggregation, and political participation.
5. Classify governments by forms of rule and political structure and give contemporary examples of each.
6. Identify key features of American government.
7. Identify and explain conceptual approaches, patterns, and trends in international relations.

1. Politics and Political Science
   1. Definitions and distinctions
   2. Political science and its subfields
2. Political Philosophy and Ideology
   1. Overview of political philosophy through the ages
      1. Ancient political thought
      2. Early and late modern political thought
      3. Modern and contemporary political thought
   2. Political ideologies
      1. Ideologies and utopias
      2. Examples of ideologies
         1. Fascism
         2. Communism
         3. Anarchism
         4. Liberalism
         5. Conservatism
         6. Other ideologies
3. Comparative Politics
   1. Classifying governments
      1. Forms of rule
         1. Totalitarianism
         2. Authoritarianism
         3. Liberal democracy
            1. Direct democracy
            2. Representative democracy
4. Presidential systems
5. Parliamentary systems
6. Representatives: trustees or delegates
7. Political structures
   1. Vertical structures: levels of government and their powers
      1. Unitary states
      2. Federal states
      3. Confederations
   2. Horizontal structures: policymaking institutions
      1. Executive
      2. Legislative
      3. Judiciary
      4. Bureaucracy
   3. Linkage institutions
      1. Parties
      2. Interest groups
      3. Elections, including different electoral systems
      4. Media
8. Brief case studies of selected countries
   1. Global North
   2. Global South
9. Overview of the American National Government
   1. Beliefs and principles of America’s founders
   2. Political system and structure
   3. Historical evolution
   4. Civil rights and liberties
10. International Relations
    1. Approaches to international relations
       1. Historical overview
       2. Realism
       3. Liberalism/idealism
       4. Other approaches
    2. Levels of analysis
       1. Individual
       2. State
       3. Global/system historical and conceptual overview
          1. Unipolar
          2. Bipolar
          3. Multipolar
    3. Actors in the international system
       1. Sovereign states
       2. Nongovernmental actors
          1. International interest groups
          2. Multinational corporations
          3. Terrorist organizations
       3. Intergovernmental organizations
          1. Global
          2. Regional
          3. Single/multipurpose
    4. Patterns of interaction
       1. Cooperation
       2. Competition
       3. Conflict
       4. War
    5. Global trends
       1. Promise and limits of international law
       2. Democratization
          1. Short term
          2. Long term
       3. Globalization’s future
          1. End of history
          2. Clash of civilizations