2008-2009 Catalog - Virginia Wesleyan College

146 POLITICAL SCIENCE359 Political Science Study Abroad (3)Offers students the opportunity to combine the study ofpolitical science with travel abroad. This faculty-led coursefocuses on subfields such as theory, comparative politics,international relations and/or public policy in a meaningfulforeign location. Offered on demand.360 The Media and 20th CenturyAmerican Foreign Policy (3)Tells the story of American foreign policy in the 20thCentury, “The American Century” as Henry Luce put it,focusing not only on traditional themes and interests, suchas Isolationism, Imperialism, The Open Door,Interventionism, Internationalism, and Anti-Communism,but also on the interplay of media, public perceptions andopinion, and foreign policy choices by presidents and otherdecision-makers in the pursuit of national security, theAmerican way of life, and prosperity during times of peaceand war. Prerequisite: junior status or consent. Offered fallof odd-numbered years.371 Constitutional Law I:The Federal System (3)Government regulation of business, privacy, abortion,the origins and extent of the Supreme Court’s authority,and due process of law are among the specific topics thatthis course considers, using the case study method in lightof current historical and political analyses. We focus on therelationship of the federal government to the states and theSupreme Court to the Congress and the president, as wellas the role played by the court and the judicial philosophiesof individual justices. Prerequisite: junior/senior status orconsent. Offered fall of even-numbered years.372 Constitutional Law II:Substantive Rights (3)Privacy rights, rights of accused criminals, racial,economic, and sex discrimination in schools, jobs, andhousing, reverse discrimination, and freedom of expressionand religion are particular concerns of this course, whichexamines through the case study method, together withhistorical and political analyses, the nature of the SupremeCourt’s authority and its relationships to other branches ofAmerican government, equal protection of the laws, andFirst Amendment rights. Prerequisite: junior/senior statusor consent. Offered spring of odd-numbered years.373 Conflict Management (3) (S) WExamines conflict processes within and between organizationsand alternative approaches to conflict management,drawing on the contributions of several disciplines andexperience in organization, community and labor disputemanagement. Identical to CJ 373 and MBE 373. Offeredeach fall.374 Conflict Management II (3)Identical to CJ 374.380 Arab-Israeli Conflict (3)A political history of the Arab-Israeli conflict at multiplelevels of analysis. Not only does it examine traditionalmacro-level (interstate and national) accounts of theconflict, but it also draws from supplementary academicarticles and works of fiction to illustrate a variety ofadditional perspectives, including individual and grouplevelexperiences. Offered spring of odd-numbered years.433 Political Theory: Ancient (3) WIntroduces students to the classic works in ancientpolitical philosophy. The readings and discussions center onthe works of ancient philosophers, historians, andplaywrights. How did political philosophers such as Platoand Aristotle deal with issues such as justice, obligation,equality, the common good, the role of reason, the aims ofgovernment and the nature of politics? Many of theproblems that political theorists confront in light of certainfundamental questions about society and politics areexamined. The work of theorists from Plato to Aquinas areincluded. Prerequisite: junior status or consent. Offeredeach fall.434 Political Theory: Modern (3) (V)Students analyze and evaluate some of the major themesin modern political theory such as natural rights, politicalequality and distributive justice. Selections include theworks of Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Mill,Smith, Marx, and Nietzsche. Our goal is to consider theideas of these authors and to understand more clearly theprofound and complex role that ideas have played, andcontinue to play, in society. In addition, we deal with somecontemporary responses to their work. Offered each spring.435 Contemporary Theories of Justice (3)In this seminar, students read and discuss four of themost important texts in contemporary liberal debates aboutjustice. The aim is to understand the alternative views ofpolitical society and justice presented in these texts and toconsider the choice worthiness of each alternative. Thebooks read are: Anarchy, State, and Utopia; A Theory ofJustice; Justice Gender and the Family; and The Limits ofJustice. Offered on demand.440 Seminar: American Foreign Policy (3)Examines American foreign policy formation. The firstsection focuses on the foreign policy process, while thesecond section is devoted to case studies of specific foreignpolicy decisions in American history. Provides a frameworkfor informed evaluation of American foreign policy.Prerequisite: junior/senior status or consent. Offeredintermittently.465 Wisdom of the Sages:Chinese Political Thought (3) (V) WA survey of Chinese political thought from classicaltimes to the 20th century. Included are works from the