2010-2011 Bulletin 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
2010-2011 Bulletin [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

Politics, MA


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American Politics Concentration


The Master of Arts in American Politics (MAP) degree at CGU is designed to prepare the political professional for real-world work in the rough-and-tumble world of American politics. The MAP is a practical program that focuses on developing the knowledge base and skill set essential to the person who wants to shape society’s future through political action. Recent college graduates and mid-career professionals working in political and not-for-profit environments will benefit from the comprehensive training a Master of Arts in American Politics degree provides.

The MAP is a nine/twelve-course program (36/48 units) that provides students with a rich and nuanced understanding of American politics. Seminars survey the broad spectrum of American political life by examining current research and thinking on the institutions and behavior that together form the fabric of our national political life.

Although our students are broadly trained, they also focus on the aspects of U.S. politics that most serve their personal and career interests. The core seminar and the elective tracks introduce students to the full spectrum of political institutions and behaviors as political science has come to understand them. MAP students are also given the analytical and communication skills necessary to be effective. Classes in statistical analysis and applied research projects prepare students for work in campaigns, legislative offices, and the world of political advocacy.

National Institutions Track

  • PP305 Executive-Congressional Relations
  • PP306 Legislative Process & Public Policy
  • PP307 The Modern Presidency
  • PP315 Deliberative Democracy
  • PP326 American Constitutional Law I: Civil Liberties
  • PP327 American Constitutional Law II: National Powers

 

Individual & Collective Behavior Track


  • PP301 American Political Development
  • PP302 American Political Behavior
  • PP308 Political Psychology
  • PP309 Women and the Political Process
  • PP313 Representation and Elections
  • PP314 Political Parties in the U.S.
  • PP323 Racial, Ethnic & Social Minorities in American Politics
  • PP 329 Public Opinion

 

Research Tools (8 units)


  • PP481 Quantitative Research Methods, AND
  • PP482 Advanced Quantitative Research Methods, OR
  • PP483: Legal Research Methods, OR
  • PP484 Experimental and Qualitative Methods, OR
  • SPE315 Game Theory

Electives (4-16 units)


  •  One to Four courses (to meet 36 or 48 unit requirement)

36 Units + Master’s Research Paper, or 48 units and no research paper


 36 UNITS + MASTER’S RESEARCH PAPER, OR 48 UNITS AND NO RESEARCH PAPER

Political Philosophy Concentration


Political Philosophy Concentration. The Study of Political Philosophy grounds the student in an appreciation of historical responses to similar issues. It asks students to recognize the interconnection among ideas, principles, and institutions within a historical context and to apply these insights to contemporary problems. Students are taught to understand the character and bases of regimes and political processes that go beyond the level of current-day operations.

Political Philosophy has always proceeded as a dialogue with the past. Students learn to understand and to argue with previous philosophers, their value systems, and the formation of institutional structures that embody and sustain those values. It trains one to think critically and theoretically. One learns to appreciate and to evaluate key assumptions that underlie beliefs and arguments about institutions, regimes, and the values that animate them. Students will primarily address how those concepts are treated by philosophers within the Euro-American tradition and to some extent by “non-western” philosophic traditions, including the Chinese, Indian, and Islamic.

Subfields (complete one course in each subfield-12 units):


  • Ancient & Medieval Theory
  • Modern Theory
  • Contemporary Theory

Expertise in Depth (8 units):


  • Choose two (2) additional courses in one of the subfield areas (One of these should be a thematic or issue course; the second should focus in depth on the work of one theorist)

Research Tools (4 units)


  • TNDY 401I The Nature of Inquiry: Transdisciplinary Perspectives, OR
  • PP483: Legal Research Methods

 

Electives (8-20 units)


  • Two to Five courses (to meet 36 or 48 unit requirement)

36 Units + Master’s Research Paper, or 48 Units and No Research Paper


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