# Political Science (POL SCI) courses UC Irvine · 2026-2027 Catalog · 115 courses Source: https://catalogue.uci.edu/allcourses/pol_sci/ "Offered" lists sections in this catalog year's class schedules: Fall 2026. ### POL SCI 11A — Introduction to Political Science: Political Analysis - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - (III and VIII.) Presents various modes of understanding politics. Emphasis on basic approaches to political analysis, their uses in constructing theories, and their application to particular national political systems. ### POL SCI 21A — Introduction to American Government - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 13 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - (III) Introduction to American political processes and institutions. Topics include elections, political participation, parties, interest groups, the Presidency, Congress, the bureaucracy, and the judiciary. ### POL SCI 31A — Introduction to Political Theory - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 4 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - (III) Types of questions: What is politics? What are the theoretical and philosophical bases for different types of political arrangements? How do these perspectives get translated into reality? Among others, the works of Rousseau, Locke, Mill, and Marx are read. ### POL SCI 32A — Dilemmas of Diversity - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - (VII) Focuses on racial, ethnic, and gender diversity, multiculturalism, and their impact on our social and political ideals. Traces the sources of ideas about difference, equality, and toleration, and examines tensions that occur when forms of identity conflict with one another. ### POL SCI 41A — Introduction to International Relations - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 7 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Restrictions: Political Science majors and International Studies majors have the first consideration for enrollment - (III and VIII.) Analysis of political relations between and among nations with emphasis on explanations of conflict and cooperation. The role of ideologies and their relation to international problems are also examined. ### POL SCI 51A — Introduction to Politics Around the World - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 10 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - (III and VIII) Introduces comparative politics. Compares political systems in a variety of countries. Includes elections, parties, parliaments, presidents, protest movements, and other aspects of national politics. Addresses how to make meaningful comparisons across countries. ### POL SCI 61A — Introduction to Race and Ethnicity in Political Science - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 7 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Same as CHC/LAT 64 - (III and VII.) Examines major theories that attempt to explain the roles of race and ethnicity in U.S. politics. ### POL SCI 71A — Introduction to Law - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 10 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - (III) An introduction to the study of judicial politics. Questions include: what is law?; what is a court?; who are the judges? Analysis of a wide range of judicial decisions illustrates the political importance of courts in the U.S. and elsewhere. ### POL SCI 111 — Public Policy and Evaluation - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** EDUC 15 or SOCECOL 13 or STATS 7 or ANTHRO 10B or COGS 10B or SOC SCI 10B or SOCIOL 10B - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as EDUC 157 - Restrictions: Education Sciences majors and Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Covers qualitative and quantitative research methods relevant for the evaluation of educational programs. Students have the opportunity to plan, execute, and write-up a small evaluation project. ### POL SCI 120 — Public Opinion - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Theories concerning sources of public opinion, processes by which it is altered, organization of citizens’ belief systems, and role of public opinion in government policy. Students analyze survey data as a research project. ### POL SCI 121A — The American Presidency - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Presents a comprehensive survey of the American presidency and considers the question of political power. ### POL SCI 121C — U.S. Elections and Voting Behavior - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Examines how voters evaluate political parties, candidates, and issues in electoral campaigns to reach their decisions. Numerous controversies concerning the degree of issue voting, sophistication of candidate evaluations, and the decline of political parties are discussed. ### POL SCI 121D — Gender and Politics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Examines the role of gender in American politics. We begin by considering women and men as citizens and voters. How do women and men differ in their political opinions and behavior? ### POL SCI 121F — Presidents Since World War II - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** POL SCI 21A - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Reviews the actions and character of presidents from Harry Truman through Bill Clinton. Each week a different president is examined from a variety of perspectives. Students are expected to write a substantial original research paper. ### POL SCI 121G — American Public Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PUBHLTH 132, SOC SCI 152C, UPPP 129 Focuses on the development and implementation of public policy in the United States. Lectures cover theoretical models of the policy process as well as significant problems facing contemporary American decision-makers. ### POL SCI 121HW — Writing for the President of the United States - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** POL SCI 21A. Satisfactory completion of the Lower-Division Writing requirement - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - (Ib) Imagines how White House staffers can help presidents with clear, focused, and effective writing. Through a variety of formats, students study, hone, and practice writing skills that will prove useful in and out of the White House. ### POL SCI 121J — John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Investigates the politics of the 60s through the lens of the presidents who defined them: John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ). Studies each president’s campaign and election, options and actions, successes and failures. ### POL SCI 124A — The Politics of Protest - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as ASIANAM 144 - (VII) Examines the Civil Rights, Black Power, and women’s movements in relationship to the Asian American movement. Uses social movement theories to illuminate the cases, and the cases to critique and revise the theories. ### POL SCI 124B — Latinos in U.S. Politics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as CHC/LAT 151 - (VII) Comparing the political issues facing Latino groups by examining their migration histories, voting behavior, nonelectoral participation, and policy issues. Latino issues are examined on the national, state, and local levels, including formal representation, immigration, affirmative action, and language policy. ### POL SCI 124D — Black Political Thought - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Due to Black people’s existence on margins of Western society, Black political thought necessarily opens up new possibilities beyond the political present and towards a free future. Surveys texts that re-imagine the state beyond its current formation. ### POL SCI 124E — African American Politics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as AFAM 152 Examines politics of African Americans in order to gain a broader perspective of the American political process. Major developments in African American politics (including the civil rights movement, Black presidential bids), continuing problem of racism, responsiveness of key governing institutions. ### POL SCI 125A — The United States Congress - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Does the Congress do a good job of representing the American citizenry? Is it the most appropriate mechanism for the creation, resolution, and implementation of public policy? ### POL SCI 126C — U.S. Immigration Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as CHC/LAT 163 - (VII) Examines selected immigration policy debates since the nineteenth century, rationale and consequences of immigration law since 1965, problems of administration, implementation and enforcement, impact of immigration policy on foreign relations, and contemporary debate regarding the future of U.S. policy. ### POL SCI 126F — Politics of Animal Rights - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as ASIANAM 168 - Restrictions: Political Science majors and Asian American Studies majors have the first consideration for enrollment Examines animal rights/welfare movement’s efforts to transform moral, practical, and legal standing of nonhuman animals in contemporary U.S. Explores intersection of racism, sexism, and speciesism informed by theories of race and ethnicity, including Asian American Studies. ### POL SCI 126G — Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll: The Politics of Prohibition - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) Why and how does the U.S. government prohibit, regulate, or try to control sex, drugs, and rock and roll? Reveals the motivations and politically strategic decisions that underpin these governmental efforts. ### POL SCI 127A — Mass Media and Politics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) Examines the ways in which news and popular media constitute a major American institution by influencing public attitudes and government outcomes. Discusses the main functions of media, and how they are shaped by the particular medium. ### POL SCI 128BW — Political Ideologies: The Way We View Our World - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** Satisfactory completion of the Lower-Division Writing requirement - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - (Ib) Politics has become divisive and ideological. But ideologies are poorly understood and have become mere labels for identifying friends and enemies. Course analyzes the nature of ideology, focusing on liberalism, conservatism, fascism, socialism, and contemporary "liberation" ideologies. ### POL SCI 128C — Political Psychology - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as COGS 176A Examination of how psychological theory and research may be used to better understand political thought and behavior. Drawing on theories of learning, cognition, and personality, discusses such topics as the formation of political attitudes, and the process of political decision-making. ### POL SCI 129 — Special Topics in American Politics and Society - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Studies in selected areas of American politics and society. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### POL SCI 130A — Game Theory and Politics I - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as SOCIOL 134, SOC SCI 103A - Restrictions: Social Policy and Public Service majors, Political Science majors, International Studies majors, and Sociology majors have the first consideration for enrollment Introduction to game theory and a survey of its political applications. Examples of topics covered include voting in small committees, legislatures, and mass elections; interest group activities and environmental issues; institutional design, and the evolution of cooperative behavior. ### POL SCI 131C — Modern Political Theory - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Examines major thinkers and intellectual movements in the political thought of the 17th and 18th centuries. ### POL SCI 131F — Modern Political Theory - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** POL SCI 31A - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Examines major thinkers and intellectual movements in the political thought of the 20th century. ### POL SCI 134F — Social and Political Theory - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Focus is on recent major work in social and political theory. An in-depth analysis of a relatively small body of writing. Authors discussed include Jurgen Habermas, Anthony Giddens, and Richard Rorty. ### POL SCI 135B — Just War Revisited - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) Examines the evolution of the doctrine of the just war across the history of Western political thought, the importance of changes in the doctrine and whether it applies today; examines international relations case studies to determine today's relevancy. ### POL SCI 136BW — Cannibals and Conquistadores: The Philosophy of the Other - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** Satisfactory completion of the Lower-Division Writing requirement - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Overlaps with POL SCI 136B - (Ib) Examines critically the notion of the "other" by looking at the philosophical challenges difference poses in the context of the European discovery of the New World. Seeks to understand the naissance of the concept of human rights and tolerance. ### POL SCI 138AW — Moral of the Story: Introduction to Ethics - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** Satisfactory completion of the Lower-Division Writing requirement - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - (Ib) Focuses on how we learn about ethics from stories, in the form of fables, bedtime stories, religious stories, soap operas, television, and movies as adults. Students bring in stories that informed their own ethical development. ### POL SCI 138CW — Ethics of Difference - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** Satisfactory completion of the Lower-Division Writing requirement - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment - (Ib) Examines differences traditionally judged politically salient—race, ethnicity, religion, gender. Personal interviews with an elderly person encourage students to understand the social construction of difference and to reexamine their own attitudes by putting themselves in the place of another. ### POL SCI 138DW — The Moral Life During War - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** Satisfactory completion of the Lower-Division Writing requirement - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment - (Ib) Can people keep their humanity during war? What does the term humanity signify when simply surviving requires faith, courage, and desperation? When facing wartime brutality, must we abrogate morality? What does it mean to compose a moral life during war? ### POL SCI 139 — Special Topics in Political Theory and Methods - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 3 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Studies in selected areas of political theory and methods. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### POL SCI 141 — International Security - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Introduces students to debates in the subfields of security studies, peace and conflict studies within the field of International Relations. Topics explored range from causes of war, civil wars, nuclear deterrence, human security, peacekeeping, peace processes to peace-building. ### POL SCI 141B — International Political Economy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - (VIII) Examination of problems in global political-economic relations through competing conceptual lenses or grand theories: mercantilism, liberalism, and Marxism. Surveys North-North and North-South issues relating power and wealth. ### POL SCI 141C — International Political Economy of East Asia - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - (VIII) Integration of theoretical perspectives in international political economy with the study of economic development in East Asia, with special emphasis on regional integration. ### POL SCI 141E — US Foreign Policy Toward Asia - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule U.S. policy toward the countries of East Asia: bilateral and regional security relationships, U.S. economic relations with the major Asian countries, the development of regional institutions, and human rights. ### POL SCI 142B — The International Relations of East Asia - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Restrictions: Political Science majors and International Studies majors have the first consideration for enrollment Surveys various aspects of relations between the nations of East Asia. Topics include the historical development of the region; current political and security relations, including the impact of the American military presence. ### POL SCI 142D — U.S. Foreign Policy I: Globalism and Cold War - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Political Science majors and International Studies majors have the first consideration for enrollment Looks at changing international perspectives, policy responses, and military strategies of presidential administrations from Truman to Reagan. In assessing the motives and objectives of U.S. foreign policy leaders during the “Cold War” era, the concept of “national interest” is examined. ### POL SCI 142J — U.S. Intervention in Latin America - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as HISTORY 166, INTL ST 177D, CHC/LAT 150 Explores political, economic, social, and cultural ties that bind Latin America to the United States. Focuses on U.S. intervention and Latin American response from early nineteenth century to present day. Case studies include Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Chile, and Central America. ### POL SCI 143D — East Asian Security - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Provides an overview of issues in East Asian security including U.S.-China relations, economic interdependence, global supply chains, South China Sea, environmental cooperation, COVID-19, and others. Includes Oxford-style debates. ### POL SCI 143G — Homeland Security - **Units:** 4.0 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as INTL ST 141B Examines the 9/11 origins of the concept of homeland security; assess the evolution, structure, and operations of the Department of Homeland Security; critically examines the evolution of threat assessment to the U.S. and the utilization of risk management methodologies. ### POL SCI 147CW — International Humanitarianism - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** Satisfactory completion of the Lower-Division Writing requirement - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as SOC SCI 147CW - (Ib) Examines, analyzes, and evaluates the humanitarian phenomenon, the actors involved in it (including states, international organizations (IOs), and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)), the rise of a body of international humanitarian law, and the problems and debates associated with international humanitarianism today. ### POL SCI 147D — International Organizations - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Active learning course that examines origins, decision-making processes, activities, and evolution of leading international organizations (e.g. U.N., NATO, EU, AU, WTO, World Bank, IMF). Activities include drafting reforms, applying theory, assessing dysfunctions, and participating in U.N. negotiation simulations. ### POL SCI 147E — Critical Investigations into Humanitarianism in Africa - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as SPPS 102 - Repeatability: May be taken for credit 1 time - (VIII) Explores the complex phenomenon of aid to Africa (emergency and development aid), and the representational, cultural, historical, and other reasons why some participants and many observers critique it. Students occasionally engage with peers and faculty in African institutions. ### POL SCI 148B — War, Peace, and Gender - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Focuses on the diverse ways that gender affects human security, civil wars, peacekeeping, peace processes, and post-conflict peacebuilding, among other topics in the field of peace and conflict. ### POL SCI 149 — Special Topics in International Relations - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 3 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Studies in selected areas of international relations. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### POL SCI 151B — Political Power in Contemporary China - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as INTL ST 176C - Restrictions: Political Science majors and International Studies majors have the first consideration for enrollment Analyzes the sources of political power in contemporary China, including historical legitimacy, political institutions, and Chinese Communist Party power. Identifies challenges to the CCP’s rule and rising socio-political issues such as mass protest, censorship, and the environment. ### POL SCI 151H — Voting and Political Manipulation - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as ECON 154, SOC SCI 121T - Restrictions: Business Economics majors, Political Science majors, International Studies majors, and Social Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Introduction to social choice and cooperative games. Topics include majority rule, types of voting methods, apportionment and proportional representation, agenda manipulation, coalition formation, voting power, political consequences of electoral laws. ### POL SCI 152B — Gender and Power - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Examines the intersection of gender and development, focusing on gender influences and shapes experiences within political, economic, and social institutions. Explores why gender disparities persist in various sectors and investigates the role of gender in development outcomes. ### POL SCI 152C — Politics of Decolonization - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule The politics of colonization and decolonization are explored with examples from around the world. We begin looking at global political history as well as specific histories of colonial subjects in the Americas, including the United States; Africa; Asia; Europe; Mideast. ### POL SCI 152D — Politics of Global Development - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Examines how politics shapes global development. Evaluates how social, political, and economic institutions influence development prospects. The guiding question is: What political factors help explain patterns of development – pertaining to health, education, prosperity, and security? ### POL SCI 152F — Politics of Genetics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule The politics of identity, especially the politics of genetic identity are explored. Begins with a discussion of the politics of identity including especially racial and ethnic identity. How do these identities matter for politics, if at all? ### POL SCI 152JW — Political Economy of Development - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - (Ib) Why are some countries rich and some countries poor? In Political Economy of Development, students assess and evaluate competing hypotheses on what drives social, economic, and political development around the world. ### POL SCI 152K — Immigration Politics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Examines immigration politics in advanced democracies, analyzing trends and policy from the postwar period through to today. Topics include citizenship, immigrant integration, asylum, the far-right, and a rotating focus on contemporary issues, e.g., terrorism, birthright citizenship. ### POL SCI 153G — Cuban Society and Revolution - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as INTL ST 177E, HISTORY 166C, CHC/LAT 157 Explores the causes, development, and legacy of the 1959 Revolution. Themes include economic dependency, democracy, race, gender, culture, and the always volatile relations between Cuba and the United States. ### POL SCI 154F — Peoples and Cultures of Post-Soviet Eurasia - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as INTL ST 162B, ANTHRO 164P - (VIII) Examines the cultures and political conflicts of the more than 130 indigenous ethnic groups in the European and Asian territories of the former U.S.S.R. Emphasis is on the theoretical issues of ethnicity, nationalism, and conflict management. ### POL SCI 154G — Conflict Resolution in Cross-Cultural Perspective - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Same as ANTHRO 136D, SOC SCI 183E, INTL ST 183E - (VIII) Examines theories of conflict management. Analyzes how conflict is mitigated in diverse cultures: at the interpersonal level, between groups, and on the international scale. Students discuss readings, hear from conflict management practitioners, and simulate negotiations. ### POL SCI 154H — Arab Uprisings - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Same as SOC SCI 188B - Restrictions: Formerly offered under SOC SCI 189/INTL ST 179/POL SCI 149 Examines political mobilization against authoritarian rule in individual Arab countries, explaining specific outcome in each. Addresses the movement’s second wind nearly a decade later, which affected a new subset of Arab countries. ### POL SCI 154J — Jews and Power - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as HISTORY 130F, REL STD 130F Examines the relationship between the Jewish people and political power over a 3500 year period. How have Jews preserved their communal interests and personal safety? How have they defined the proper relationship of the people to political authority? ### POL SCI 154K — Antisemitism - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - (III and (VII or VIII)) Covers the key concepts, sources, and dynamics of historical and contemporary antisemitism. Topics covered include the politics of anti-Jewish hatred, conspiracy theories, and the Holocaust. ### POL SCI 154KW — US Government in Comparative Perspective - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** Satisfactory completion of the Lower-Division Writing requirement - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment - (Ib) Introduction to the United States in comparative perspective, covering general features of the United States and other countries, such as institutional design and policy choices. Addresses the debates about American exceptionalism and American decline. ### POL SCI 155A — Failed States - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule What is a “failed” state? How is it measured? Covers the theories, processes, and outcomes of state fragility and failure from both comparative politics and international relations perspective. ### POL SCI 155B — Making Government Work - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Government, whether democratic or not, is expected to provide public goods and services to its citizens. With a limited budget but potentially unlimited needs and wants from its citizens, how best should government decide which goods and services to provide. ### POL SCI 155C — Organizations - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as SOCIOL 141 - Restrictions: Political Science majors and Sociology majors have the first consideration for enrollment How bureaucracies, formal organizations, and voluntary associations work, how/why they grow, and where they are going. History and structure of organizational rationality; dynamics of organized groups; behavior in organizations; limits of bureaucratization and attempts to overcome these limits through decentralization. ### POL SCI 156B — Political Violence - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Designed to provide the student with advanced knowledge of main theoretical issues surrounding violence in politics. Although violence is virtually everywhere in political life, focuses especially on the causes and consequences of genocide and war. ### POL SCI 156D — Protests, Movements, and Revolutions - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** SOCIOL 1 or POL SCI 11A or ECON 1 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as SOCIOL 174 - Restrictions: Political Science majors and Sociology majors have the first consideration for enrollment A survey of models of collective action drawn from sociology, economics, psychology, and political science. Focus on areas such as social movements, strikes, crowd psychology, cults, fads, fashions, public opinion, and symbolic and mythical elements in collective culture. ### POL SCI 157B — International Divided Cities - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as UPPP 178, SOCIOL 176 Investigates urban divisions in international cities where deep-seated nationalistic ethnic differences create pressures for intergroup conflicts, autonomy, or territorial separation, and can incite violence. Urban political polarization as it is manifest in the urban setting. ### POL SCI 158D — Introduction to Contemporary Middle East Politics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as INTL ST 165, SOC SCI 188A An overview of basic issues that shape the politics of the Middle East and North Africa. Themes include implication of the colonization era, nation-state formation, inter-Arab relations, nationalism, Arab-Israel conflict, Islamic resurgence, and more. ### POL SCI 159 — Special Topics in Comparative Politics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 6 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Studies in selected areas of comparative politics. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### POL SCI 171AW — Law and Society - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** POL SCI 71A. Satisfactory completion of the Lower-Division Writing requirement - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment - (Ib) Law and its various roles in society. The nature and meaning of law; legality and power in the American system; law as a mechanism for social change; the role of law in dispute processing, social control, compliance with judicial decisions. ### POL SCI 172A — International Law - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** POL SCI 71A - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Same as INTL ST 145A - (VIII) Examination of the origin, changing structure, application of international law, and the role of legal norms in regulating the behavior of states and maintaining international order. ### POL SCI 173A — Law and Race - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule American political culture is principled upon the self-evident truth that all people are created equal, held equal before the law, and that human rights are inalienable and inviolable. Surveying American legal history and addresses whether it is actually practiced. ### POL SCI 174A — Civil Liberties - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** POL SCI 71A - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Overlaps with CRM/LAW C122 - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Political analysis of selected Supreme Court cases involving claims under the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment. Topics include: race, sex, and other forms of discrimination; criminal justice; privacy; freedom of speech and related claims. ### POL SCI 174B — Justice - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Explores questions related to the endlessly complex concept of justice. Studies various theories of justice (utilitarian, libertarian, Kantian, egalitarian), elements of justice (rights, freedom, equality, virtue, fairness), institutions of justice (state) and frameworks of justice. ### POL SCI 174C — U.S. Supreme Court - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 4 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Overview and analysis of the role played by the U.S. Supreme Court in the American political system. Judicial review, appointment of justices, judicial activism and judicial restraint, process of case selection, court deliberation, land decision-making, impact of Supreme Court decisions. ### POL SCI 174CW — U.S. Supreme Court - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** Satisfactory completion of the Lower-Division Writing requirement - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment - (Ib) Overview and analysis of the role played by the U.S. Supreme Court in the American political system. Judicial review, appointment of justices, judicial activism and judicial restraint, process of case selection, court deliberation, land decision-making, impact of Supreme Court decisions. ### POL SCI 175A — Art of Trial Law - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule A hands-on introduction to trial advocacy and the Rules of Evidence, modeled after traditional law school evidence courses but focused on practical application. Using a fictional case, students break down the components of a trial. ### POL SCI 179 — Special Topics in Public Law - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 2 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary - Restrictions: Political Science majors have the first consideration for enrollment Studies in selected areas of public law. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### POL SCI H180D — Honors Seminar in Political Science - **Units:** 2-4 - **Prerequisite:** Only open to students in the Political Science Honors Program - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times Course for students enrolled in the Honors Program in Political Science. ### POL SCI H182A — Honors Thesis Workshop - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 2 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Restrictions: Open only to students in the Political Science Senior Thesis program A weekly seminar/workshop to facilitate the exchange of ideas and research strategies among students and to review their progress in writing the thesis. ### POL SCI 190 — Senior Thesis - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 28 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Repeatability: May be taken for credit 3 times Thesis research with Political Science faculty. ### POL SCI 190W — Senior Thesis - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** Satisfactory completion of the Lower-Division Writing requirement - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Repeatability: May be taken for credit 3 times - (Ib) Thesis research with Political Science faculty. ### POL SCI 198 — Directed Group Study - **Units:** 1-4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 6 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times Directed group study with Political Science faculty. ### POL SCI 199 — Independent Study - **Units:** 1-4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 29 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times Independent study or research with a Political Science faculty member. ### POL SCI 200 — Research Design - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Introduces the fundamentals of research design. The central goal is to train students to conduct and evaluate research design for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method work. Topics range from case selection to disciplinary standards of replication and transparency. ### POL SCI 210 — Colloquium - **Units:** 1 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Grading Option: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only Doctoral training requires more than learning substantive debates and research methods; it also requires students learn professional practices, routines, and expectations. This workshop offers students a mix of professional development, outside speakers, and discussions regarding research with departmental faculty. ### POL SCI 211A — Introduction to Statistics for Political Science I - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) Serves as the foundational introduction to quantitative methods for political science research. Prioritizes developing a deep understanding of statistical concepts, enabling students to intuitively grasp what statistical output means and how to apply it. ### POL SCI 211B — Introduction to Statistics for Political Science II - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** POL SCI 211A with a minimum grade of B - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Provides an overview of fundamental notions and recent advancements in quantitative social science, with focus on how data- driven approaches can be used to better understand the political world and test theories of politics and political behavior. ### POL SCI 211C — Introduction to Statistics for Political Science III - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** POL SCI 211B with a minimum grade of B - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Builds on POL SCI 211B, focusing on more advanced statistical techniques essential for research in political science. It aims to deepen understanding of theoretical underpinnings of statistical models and equip students with practical skills to apply methods. ### POL SCI 212 — Advanced Qualitative Methods: Analyzing Qualitative Data - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as UPPP 213, MGMTPHD 297K Introduction to the theory and practice of analyzing qualitative data. Students must have already learned about data collection and research design for qualitative research and must have qualitative data they can analyze. ### POL SCI 212B — Ethics Workshop - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Students find an important question in ethics, search literature to assess topic's importance, post question to be researched, propose method of analysis and type of data, analyze data, and note how their works contribute to knowledge in the field. ### POL SCI 219 — Special Topics in Politics and Society - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Current research in politics and society. ### POL SCI 220 — American Politics Field Seminar - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Restrictions: Political Science majors only Introduces students to some of the major works, questions, and debates that have defined the subfield in American political behavior and political institutions. ### POL SCI 221A — Public Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as UPPP 221, CRM/LAW C255 Explores different approaches to public policy analysis, the diverse conceptions of the goals and objectives that should be served by policy, and the appropriate role of the policy analyst. Policy consequences are traced to indirect and subtle incentives and disincentives. ### POL SCI 229 — Special Topics in American Politics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Current research in American Politics. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### POL SCI 230A — Theory Field Seminar: Political Epistemology - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Focuses on fundamental issues of knowledge in the study of politics, especially interconnections and tensions between politics and knowledge. Counts as the Field Seminar in Political Theory. ### POL SCI 230B — Theory Field Seminar: Theories of Textual Interpretation - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Examination of different theories of textual interpretation, including Straussian, hermeneutical, poststructuralist, feminist, postcolonial, and critical race theories. Key questions include: How does one go about the task of interpreting texts? What makes one interpretation better or more insightful than another? ### POL SCI 239 — Special Topics in Political Theory - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Current research in political theory. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### POL SCI 240 — International Relations Field Seminar - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Overview of the major theories guiding research and scholarship in international relations. Focus on major conceptual approaches (realism, neoliberalism, marxism) and levels of analysis (systemic, state, and subnational), as well as on methodological/epistemological debates engulfing the field. ### POL SCI 241E — Research Design in International Relations - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Surveys research design primarily through substantive readings in international relations. The purpose is to familiarize students with choices/dilemmas relevant to IR-specific research. Students at various stages in the graduate program and with different methodological orientations are welcome. ### POL SCI 242 — International Political Economy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Politics of cross-border flows of money, goods, and services, with an emphasis on how ideas, institutions, interests, and structures shape the global distribution of resources in ways that can variously challenge or reinforce power dynamics and inequality. ### POL SCI 249 — Special Topics in International Relations - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Current research in international relations. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### POL SCI 250 — Comparative Politics Field Seminar - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Introduces students to the political science subfield of comparative politics. Readings draw from leading theoretical approaches, including structural, institutional, rational choice, and cultural perspectives, and covers a range of substantive topics, like the state, regimes, identity, and representation. ### POL SCI 252 — Introduction to Voting Theory - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Introduction to voting models. Substantive topics include majority rule, voting methods and their properties, apportionment and proportional representation, agenda manipulation, coalition formation, voting power, political consequences of electoral laws. ### POL SCI 254A — Introduction to Game Theory - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Introduction to non-cooperative games. The prisoner's dilemma, Nash equilibrium, sequential games, subgame perfection. Applications include collective action, agenda-setter models, spatial competition of political parties, models of revolution and arms race. ### POL SCI 259 — Special Topics in Comparative Politics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Current research in comparative politics. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### POL SCI 290 — Dissertation Research - **Units:** 1-12 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 26 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times Dissertation research with Political Science faculty. ### POL SCI 299 — Independent Study - **Units:** 1-12 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 26 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/pol-sci.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times Independent research with Political Science faculty.