PSCI
5301 Proseminar in Democratization, Globalization,
and International Relations (3 semester hours) Studies major theories of democracy,
democratization and globalization, relationships between democratization and globalization,
and their implications for citizen politics, government performance, and regime
legitimacy.(3-0) Y
PSCI 5302 (PA 5302 and POEC 5302) Law and The Policy Process (3 semester
hours) Provides the legal perspective on public policy and emphasizes the role
of the judicial system in the recent evolution of public policy in selected
problem areas. (3-0) T
PSCI 5303 (PA 5303 and POEC 5303) Proseminar in
Public Policymaking and Institutions (3 semester hours) Surveys the major
institutions associated with policymaking, including Congress, the Presidency,
the bureaucracy, and interest groups. These institutions are studied by linking
them to the decision-making theories or organizations, social choice and incrementalism. (3-0) Y
PSCI 5304 (PA 5304) Policy Processes, Implementation and Evaluation (3
semester hours) Applies models of the policy system to the analysis of
legislative, administrative and judicial processes at different points in the
policy cycle. Uses case studies, empirical analysis, direct
observation, and group projects. Prerequisite: PSCI 5303 or consent of
instructor. (3-0) Y
PSCI 5305 Proseminar in Decision Making and Public
Management (3 semester hours) Examines current scholarship on decisions
made by public managers and associated efforts to calculate and examine the
relative risks involved with the outcomes of management decisions. Considers management decisions that are internal to organizations,
such as human resource decisions, and external decisions such as environmental
management. Examines the mathematics and science of
risk management. (3-0) Y
PSCI 5315 (PA 5315) Public Management (3 semester hours) The application of ideas and techniques of public management
and decision making to examine the various roles of the general manager in
public organizations. Uses the case method. (3-0) Y
PSCI 5350 Logic, Methodology, and Scope of Political Science (3 semester
hours) Promotes understanding of how and why research projects are conducted,
and when and why research programs cease to contribute to knowledge production.
Attention also is paid to major modes of analysis in Political Science, the
state of the discipline, and future directions in field-specific, cross-field,
and cross-disciplinary research. (3-0) T
PSCI 5352 Empirical Democratic Theory (3 semester hours) Encourages
critical and constructive thinking about complex and simple, as well as stable
and variable, developments in citizenship, government, and politics. Additional
consideration is given to formal, game-theoretic, and other approaches to
individual action, institutional design, and individual-institutional
interactions. (3-0) T
PSCI 5360 Data Collection and Analysis in Political and Social Science
(3 semester hours) Provides students with basic understanding of methodological
issues in doing systematic empirical research. Covers the
collection of survey and aggregate data, measurement, descriptive and
inferential statistics, and introductory regression analysis. Uses statistical software, such as SPSS and STATA, together with
individual- and aggregate-level data on government, politics, and public
opinion. (3-0) Y
PSCI 5362 Multivariate Models for Analyzing Political and Social Science
Data (3 semester hours) Focuses on the specification and analysis of
multivariate models of individual- and aggregate-level data in the political
and Economic, Political and Policy Sciences. Topics covered include the
analysis of continuous and limited dependent variables, model diagnostics,
model comparison, and exogeneity testing. Introduces structural equation modeling, with emphasis on the
confirmatory factor analysis of multivariate measurement models.
Prerequisite: PSCI 5360 or consent of instructor. (3-0) Y
PSCI 5363 Mathematical Models in
Political and Social Science (3 semester hours)� Introduces students to a variety of
models in the Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, including primarily
rational choice approaches but also some computational work. The course will
allow students to understand and compose rudimentary models, including
prisoner�s dilemma, assurance games, and strategic voting. (3-0)
T
PSCI 5364 Public Opinion and Survey Research (3 semester hours)
Introduces students to the principles and practices of survey research.
Topics include the selection of an appropriate survey method, questionnaire
design and testing, response problems, interviews and surveys, and the analysis
of survey data, including those on political attitudes and public opinion
dynamics. Also examines how these data are used in developing successful
political campaign strategies. (3-0) T
PSCI 5366 Statistics in Law (3 semester hours) Course reviews topics in
elementary statistics and data analysis, and examines the use of statistics in
the legal profession, particularly in trials in appellate decisions, as well as
in models of judicial decision making. (3-0) T
PSCI 6301 Constitutional Law (3
semester hours)� This
class addresses the evolution of the American Constitution.� The course will examine major constitutional
concepts that are important to an understanding of American Government.� Additionally, major interpretations of the
Constitution and the role of courts in the American legal system will be
explored. (3-0) Y
PSCI 6302 Capstone in Legal Studies
(3 semester hours)� The
American legal system will be examined through seminar presentations by
speakers experienced in judging and in legal practice. (3-0) Y
PSCI 6303 Legal Reasoning and Writing
(3 semester hours) The process of reaching legal
decisions by relying on precedent, history, policy concerns, and tradition will
be studied.� Additionally, techniques for
researching and citing case law and statures will be examined. (3-0) Y
PSCI 6304 Internship in Constitutional
Law Studies (3 semester hours)�
Students will gain practical legal experience by working as an intern in
a law office, court, or in the office of a legal organization such as a
district attorney's or public defender's office. (3-0) Y
PSCI 6305 Workshop in Constitutional Law
Studies (3 semester hours) Students will undertake a major research topic
on a law-related matter which will develop skills in legal research and
writing, quantitative research, or field research. (3-0) Y
PSCI 6306 Human
Rights and International Law (3 semester hours) This
course explores international agreements and their effects on individual rights
in a variety of contexts such as international conflicts, civil wars, and
oppressive political regimes. (3-0) R
PSCI 6309
International Political Economy and Organizations (3 semester hours) An overview of important developments in the study of
conflict and cooperation among countries, especially in the economic arena.
(3-0) T
PSCI 6310 (POEC 6319) Political Economy
of Multinational Corporations (3 semester hours)The Political Economy of
Multinational Corporations will approach the rise of international firms and
their behavior from a social scientific approach, utilizing research in
economics, political science, and other disciplines. In addition to the
historical rise of international firms, the course covers the economic theory
of the firm, MNCs as political actors, the dynamics of foreign direct investment,
and the relationship of MNCs to developing countries. The aim of the course is
to understand the causes and effects of the behavior of transnational
corporations, particularly in regard to economic policy. (3-0) T
PSCI 6315 (POEC 7370 and ECON 6315) Time
Series Analysis (3 semester hours) The course
considers several important topics in applied time series analysis including
the specification and testing Box-Jenkins transfer function/intervention
models. Other topics include pooled cross-sectional time series models, VAR,
the LSE Approach, unit-roots, cointegration, error
correction models, encompassing and exogeneity tests,
and ARFIMA models. Students also learn how to use programs such as Eviews and RATS. (3-0) Y
PSCI 6320 (POEC 6320, PA 6320 and SOC 6320) Organizational Theory (3
semester hours) Focuses on bureaucracy and rationality, formal and informal
structures, and the role of the environment. Organizational factors such as
technology, power, information and culture, as well as the implications of
organizational theory for public policy are examined. (3-0) Y
PSCI 6323 Public Choice (3 semester
hours) This
course covers the application of economic reasoning to non-market decision
making in situations involving collective choice.� Topics include market and government failure,
collective action, properties of different voting rules, design of
constitutions, and the behavior of candidates, elected officials, bureaucrats,
and voters.� Prerequisite:� POEC 5305 Microeconomics� (3-0) R
PSCI 6324 Local and State Government and Politics (3 semester hours)
Examines public policy institutions and processes at the local and state levels
in the United States, with particular attention to developments in the Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex and the
State of Texas. Addresses issues of policy convergence,
divergence, and representation. (3-0) R
PSCI 6325 Decision Theory (3 semester hours) Explores
the development of decision-making models and theories across organizational
and institutional environments. Includes details analysis of
decision making under conditions of certainty, risk and uncertainty.
(3-0) T
PSCI 6326 (PA 6326) Decision Tools for Managers (3 semester hours)
Course introduces students to the variety of analytical and mathematical tools
intended to improve management decision making. Tools range from soft decision
analysis to techniques of management science. Uses available
software for management science studies. (3-0) T
PSCI 6328 (PA 6328) Management Process and Analysis (3 semester hours) This course examines rigorous methods for analyzing
management processes and decision-making. Focuses on the
examination, critique and design of management systems. (3-0) Y
PSCI 6329 (PA 6329) Quantitative Models
of Public Management (3 semester hours) This course
addresses models of public management that have been tested with quantitative
research. The course discusses quantitative models of human resource
management, budgeting, implementation, and organizational development. In
addition to discussing the findings of this research, the course examines the
foundations of quantitative social science research on public management. (3-0)
T
PSCI 6330 Campaigns and Elections (3
semester hours) This course surveys the state of the
art research on campaigns and elections in American politics with a focus on
Congressional and Presidential elections.�
(3-0) T
PSCI 6331 (PA 6331 and POEC 6331) Executives, Legislatures and Public Policy
(3 semester hours) An investigation of the role played by executives and
legislatures in shaping public policy in the United States. (3-0) T
PSCI 6332 The
U.S. Congress (3 semester hours) This course examines the most recent
research on the legislative branch of the United States.� We examine the role of parties, incumbency,
elections, and organized interests on who gets elected to Congress, how
Congress organizes itself, and how Congress makes public policy. (3-0) T
PSCI 6333 Political and Civic
Organizations (3 semester hours) An institutional perspective on political
parties, interest groups, and other organizations such as labor unions and
non-profit organizations that are important actors in political and civic
affairs.� The emphasis is on internal
operations of organizations, their strategic behavior, and interactions with
government, including both regulation by the state and attempts to influence
public decision makers. (3-0) T
PSCI 6335 (POEC 6335) Institutions and Development (3 semester hours) An
overview of leading theories, institutional perspectives, issues and policy
debates concerning urban, regional, national and global development. Topics may
include economic growth, technology and innovation, shifts in industrial
structure, spatially imbalanced change, and their welfare consequences. (3-0) T
PSCI 6336 (PA 6336) Bureaucracy and Public Policy (3 semester hours)
Examination of processes involved in arriving at administrative decisions
within the structure of the regime. Reciprocal ties of
influence and control between official organizations and other public and
private organizational actors, as well as organizational dynamics such as
communication, power, and decision making in administrative agencies.
(3-0) T
PSCI 6337�
Comparative Institutions (3 semester hours) A comparative
analysis of political and economic institutions in different settings. Includes a consideration of different theoretical approaches to the
comparative study and design of institutions in the
PSCI 6339 Election Law and Electoral
Systems (3 semester hours)� An examination of election law in
America from redistricting to ballot access to campaign finance.� We also spend time looking at different
electoral systems in the
PSCI 6340 Texas Legislative Affairs
Workshop (3 semester hours) The Texas Legislative workshop is a course
offered during semesters when the Texas Legislature is in session.� This course is designed to afford students
the opportunity to explore the working of the Texas Legislature up close with
sessions held in both Dallas and Austin.��
Students enrolled in this course will have the opportunity to interact
with members of the Texas Legislature and their staff as they examine the
current public policy issues confronting
PSCI 6341 Texas Legislative Process (3
semester hours) This course examines the legislative
process in the Texas Legislature. Students will learn the intricacies of
passing legislation by examining the constitutional rules of
PSCI 6642 Legislative Affairs Internship
(6 semester hours) The Legislative internship is a 6-hour course offered
during the summer term.� Students will
work with the professor to identify an internship with a relevant government
office approved by the professor.�
Students will be asked to participate in the daily operations of that
office and learn the intricacies of staffing from a first
hand perspective. (6-0) T
PSCI 6344 (POEC 6344) Categorical and Limited Dependent Variables (3
semester hours) This course examines several types of advanced regression
models that are frequently used in policy analysis and social science research.
The key similarity of these models is that they involve dependent variables
that violate one or more of the assumptions of the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS)
regression model. The main models examined in the course are binary logit and probit, multinomial logit, ordinal probit, tobit, and the family of Poisson
regression models. All these models are estimated using maximum likelihood
estimation (MLE). The Heckman correction for selection is also addressed.
POEC 5316 or the equivalent recommended. (3-0) Y
PSCI 6357 (POEC 6357) Political Economy
of Latin America (3 semester hours) Addresses
historical and contemporary issues in Latin American political economy. Uses case studies and cross-regional comparisons to assess
competing explanations. Analyzes the current political
and economic situation facing Latin America in its quest for economic growth
and development. The emphasis is to understand the broad patterns
of development and change in the region and the physical,
historical, social and economic constraints which have affected development,
broadly understood. (3-0) T
PSCI 6362 (POEC 6362) Political Development (3 semester hours) This course surveys different perspectives on and theories of
political development. Topics covered include the role of the state,
democratization, political stability, civil society and environmental concerns.
(3-0) T
PSCI 6363 (POEC 6363) Conflict and
Development (3 semester hours) This module will
explore the nexus between violent intrastate conflict and development. It will
examine some of the key conceptual frameworks advanced to understand conflict
and will explore specific themes which have preoccupied researchers and policy
practitioners in recent years. In addition to assessing the economic costs of
the conflicts, this course will also examine the traditional factors that have
been purported to explain the prevalence of insurgency. (3-0) T
PSCI 6361 (POEC 6361) Political Violence
and Terrorism (3 semester hours) In this discussion-based seminar, we will cover the topics of
terrorism, political violence, and civil war. We will examine
concepts, causes, and consequences of different types of political
violence.� Additionally, we will discuss
topics relevant to research, including discussions of different approaches
(quantitative, qualitative, and formal) and a perusal of different data
sources. We will take advantage of literature from multiple
disciplines. (3-0) T
PSCI 7320 (POEC 7320) International Negotiations (3 semester hours) This course examines both the substance and the process of
international negotiations. Students study the theory and analysis of
negotiations and identify issues, interests and positions of the parties. The
course covers the substantive areas of arms control, trade, and environmental
negotiations. The course moves from the analysis of simple, bilateral
negotiations with only a few issues in contention to complex multilateral
negotiations. (3-0) T
PSCI 7350 Institutions and Citizen Behavior (3 semester hours) Examines
the major theories, concepts and models associated with relationships between
public institutions and citizen behavior, particularly how such institutions as
elections, interest groups, political parties and social movements mobilize
behavior and how behavior, in turn, influences institutional processes and
outcomes. (3-0) T
PSCI 7352 Choice and Decision Making
(3 semester hours)�
This course integrates theories of political choice with models
of decision making in the fields of social cognition, economics, and consumer
behavior. (3-0) T
PSCI 7372 Game Theory for Political
Scientists (3 semester hours) An introduction to
formal models with more than one decision-maker, this course will cover basic
solution concepts in game theory.� The
course will pay particular attention to applications in political science,
rather than the foundational models in economics. (3-0) T
PSCI 7381 Special Topics in Political Science (3 semester hours) Topics
vary semester to semester and are rotated typically among the three fields of
the program. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 9
hours. (3-0) R
PSCI 7V83 Independent Study (3-9 semester hours) Provides faculty
supervision of student�s individual study of a topic that is directly relevant
to dissertation or practicum research and is agreed on by the student and the
faculty supervisor. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor and Political Science
Program Director. (May be repeated for credit.)
([1-9]-0) R
PSCI 8381 Research Seminar in Political Science (3 semester hours)
Promotes faculty-student research collaboration and students� dissertation or
practicum and professional development. (May be repeated for
credit.) (3-0) Y
PSCI 8V99 Dissertation or Practicum (1-9 semester hours) Provides faculty
supervision of a student�s dissertation research. Prerequisite: Consent
of instructor and student�s Advisory Committee. (May be
repeated for credit.) ([1-9]-0) S