Political Science

PS237 American Government and Politics (3)
This course will provide students with a basic understanding of the political institutions of the American Government as well as its strengths and weaknesses. Students will study the structure and purpose of the U.S. Constitution; the various levels and branches of government; the rights and responsibilities of citizens;
the processes of government action; the social, economic, and geographic influences of government action; the roles of interest groups, elections, and the concepts of civil rights, liberty, freedom and equality. Offered fall of odd years.

PS 325 Public Opinion and Propaganda (3)
Formation of public opinion in a democracy and its role. Analysis of mass communication and the uses of propaganda in democratic and non-democratic states. Focus will be on intention, message and effects of uses of propaganda. Offered in alternate years.

PS 336 History of the Constitution (3)
This course focuses on the historical ideas, events, and perceptions that led to the creation of the U.S. Constitution. Special emphasis will be placed on the motivations of the framers, the rationale of the Federalists and anti-Federalists, the Bill of Rights, the evolution of the government including the key concepts of liberty and freedom. Moreover, the course incorporates a degree of flexibility, which will allow for the
accommodation of themes or issues in constitutional history that are of particular interest to the class participants. Offered in spring of even alternate years.

PS 337 Comparative Social and Political Systems (1)
Serving as an overview of selected social and political systems worldwide, this course provides students with the opportunity to reflect upon macro-level policy issues that affect US and global populations. The students will use the experiences that they have had through the course pre-requisites to compare world and U.S. social and political systems. Insight and experiences from Defiance College faculty, community members, and students will be shared and discussed in order to relate “on-the-ground” learning experiences to current theories and models related to
global political and social systems. Offered in spring semesters. Prerequisites MC371, 372, or 373 and either HI336 or PS237 or permission of the instructor.

PS 371 Constitutional Law (3)
A study of the U.S. constitution through analysis of major Supreme Court decisions and the impact of those decisions upon the American political process. Offered in alternate years.

PS 495 Special Topics
These courses may be taken in political science. See descriptions of these courses under the Criminal Justice section.