2017-2018 Catalog 
    
    May 16, 2024  
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2017-2018 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Courses

Browse the entire list of course offerings below, or use the course filter search to view a course or selection of courses.
 

Economics
  

  • ECON145 CM - International Money and Finance

    Presents basic elements of balance of payments and exchange rate theory and policy, open economy macroeconomics, international financial management, and the evolution of the international monetary system.

    Prerequisites: ECON 101 CM  and ECON 102 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON145 CM
  

  • ECON149 CM - International Accounting, Taxation, and Transfer Prices

    An introduction to global accounting, cross-listing on national exchanges, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the cost of capital and international accounting standards, U.S. taxation of international transactions, and the allocation of international income among members of a controlled group.

    Prerequisite:  ECON 150 CM   

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON149 CM
  

  • ECON150 CM - Asset and Income Measurement (Intermediate Accounting I)

    This course examines both conceptual foundations and practical measurement of assets and income. The course mainly takes the financial statements preparer’s perspective using generally accepted accounting principles. However, a second theme in the course emphasizes interpretation and analysis of accounting information from a user’s perspective.

    Prerequisite:  ECON 086 CM   

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON150 CM
  

  • ECON151 CM - Strategic Cost Management

    Explores different systems for measuring organizational costs. Topics include traditional cost measurement systems, such as Job-Order, Process, and Standard Costing Systems, and newer cost measurement systems such as Activity Based Costing and Target Costing Systems. Emphasis is placed upon the use of cost data for managerial decisions.

    Prerequisites: ECON 086 CM  and ECON 101 CM   

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON151 CM
  

  • ECON152 CM - Tax Planning

    Surveys the consequences of a variety of tax plans based on discretionary principles of tax recognition and treatment. Basic planning concepts are introduced for addressing the tax interests of business units and individual investors.

    Prerequisite: ECON 086 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON152 CM
  

  • ECON154 CM - Financial Statement Analysis

    Combines finance and accounting in a user-oriented, financial statement analysis approach. The goal is to expose students to the usefulness of accounting information for valuation and bankruptcy prediction. Part I introduces ratio analysis and discusses accounting information strengths and limitations. Part II is decision model oriented. It deals with the uses of accounting information for valuation of common stocks and corporate bonds in an efficient market.

    Prerequisites: ECON 086 CM  and ECON 150 CM  or permission of instructor

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON154 CM
  

  • ECON155 CM - Valuation and Reporting of Financial Liabilities and Equity (Intermediate Accounting II)

    This course examines both conceptual foundations and practical measurements of liabilities and equity. The course emphasizes the effects of alternative valuation and measurement techniques on the financial statements and the related impact on financial markets. An important theme of the course is the preparation and use of financial information for interpretation and analysis.

    Prerequisite:  ECON 150 CM  

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON155 CM
  

  • ECON156 CM - Accounting Ethics

    A case-method survey of ethical problems confronted by individuals making accounting decisions. Course emphasizes cognitive processes and ethical decision making in accounting, corporate governance, financial statement fraud and auditor responsibility, and the legal, regulatory, and professional obligations of auditors and accounting professionals.

    Prerequisite:  ECON 155 CM  or permission of instructor

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON156 CM
  

  • ECON158 CM - Auditing

    A study of standards and independent verification procedures for business, government, and tax-exempt organizations; methods for surveying adequacy and effectiveness of accounting systems and internal controls; practice in applying auditing procedures and preparing working papers.

    Prerequisite: ECON 150 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON158 CM
  

  • ECON159 CM - Accounting Theory and Research

    An intensive study of the evolution and development of accounting standards, with emphasis on the normative rather than the descriptive model as well as enhancing the student’s research capabilities.

    Prerequisite: ECON 150 CM  or permission of instructor 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON159 CM
  

  • ECON165 CM - Industrial Organization

    Covers the latest theories and empirical evidence concerning the organization of firms and industries. It compares the traditional structure-conduct-performance paradigm with recent advances based on microeconomic theory including transactions cost economics, game theory, strategic behavior, contestability, and information theory. The focus is on applying theories of industrial organization to common business practices and on evaluating U.S. antitrust policy toward these practices.

    Prerequisites: ECON 101 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON165 CM
  

  • ECON167 CM - Law and Economics

    An analysis of the importance of law in the allocation of economic resources and of economics in the operation of the legal system. Topics include property and externalities, contracts, torts, criminal law, civil procedure, and the rationing of justice.

    Prerequisite: ECON 101 CM 

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON167 CM
  

  • ECON171 CM - Environmental Economics

    The course explores the economic foundations for public decision-making regarding environmental quality utilizing tools from intermediate microeconomic theory. The course examines the role of the environment within the theory of market failure with particular focus on public goods, externalities, and asymmetric information. Economic incentive-based approaches to correcting environment-related market failures including pollution taxes, cap and trade programs, liability, and information disclosure requirements are emphasized. The course also examines the process of benefit-cost analysis and related methods for valuing improvements in environmental quality.

    Prerequisites: ECON 101 CM  and ECON 120 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON171 CM
  

  • ECON173 CM - Economic Development

    This course explores contemporary economic thought and practice in the field of international development. It examines causes, consequences, and possible solutions of central problems of underdevelopment. In the first part of the course, we explore the meaning of “development”, analyze global patterns in economic indicators, consider causes of disparities across countries, and examine simple macroeconomic models. We then shift our focus to a microeconomic perspective for the remaining parts of the course, to investigate issues such as health, education, gender, informal financial tools, microfinance, and the environment. Emphasis is placed on assessing empirical evidence in the context of appropriate conceptual frameworks, and on understanding practical approaches to eradicating poverty – successes, failures, and the complexities involved.

    Prerequisites: ECON 120 CM  or equivalent, and either ECON 101 CM  or ECON 102 CM 

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON173 CM
  

  • ECON174 CM - Economics of Entrepreneurship

    This course will provide students with a deeper understanding of different aspects of entrepreneurship, from a research economist’s perspective. We will study topics such as returns to entrepreneurship and behavioral aspects, networks and peer effects, the role of gender and family in entrepreneurship,innovation and intellectual property rights, productivity and job growth. Prerequisite: ECON101 and ECON120.

    Prerequisites:   and  

    Offered: Every Year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON174 CM
  

  • ECON175 CM - Labor Economics

    This is an introductory survey of modern labor economics. The first part of this course develops simple models of labor demand and supply. These analytical tools are then used to analyze the determinants of earnings inequality, including issues such as human capital accumulation, labor market discrimination, unionization, and worker-firm contractual arrangements.

    Prerequisites: ECON 101 CM  and ECON 120 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON175 CM
  

  • ECON180 CM - Seminar in Research Methods

    This one-half credit course is a complement to preparation of a senior thesis in economics. The department strongly recommends this course for all majors who are preparing a senior thesis in economics, and the course is required for all students seeking to qualify for honors in economics. Students may take the course either the semester before enrolling in thesis, or take it concurrently with the senior thesis. Topics include identifying research questions, developing and testing hypotheses, analyzing and critiquing literature, empirical and theoretical methodology, and oral presentation. Course must be taken Credit-No Credit. Students may earn a maximum of 2 credits for a senior thesis project including this course.

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 0.5

    Course Number: ECON180 CM
  

  • ECON186 CM - Public Economics and Welfare

    When making decisions for the collective welfare of the public there are many potential pitfalls and the free market may not be optimal. Thus we assess the rationale for government intervention in the economy by analyzing the benefits of possible government policies and the response of economic agents to the government’s actions. Topics covered include tax policy and inequality, social insurance programs, public goods, environmental protection, and the functions of nonprofits.

    Prerequisite: ECON 101 CM  

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON186 CM
  

  • ECON187 CM - The Economics of Poverty, Inequality, and Discrimination

    This class will explore issues of poverty and discrimination from an economist point of view. The first part of the class will focus on understanding the causes and consequences of poverty, along with the different policies that have been used to address these issues. We will then consider issues of inequality such as measurement, trends, and consequences. The final part of the course will focus on racial inequality and discrimination. Several theoretical models of discrimination will be developed and then evaluated within the context of the current empirical work. Finally, we will consider the various connections between the discrimination literature and the broader issues of poverty and inequality discussed at the outset of class.

    Prereqisite: ECON 101 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON187 CM
  

  • ECON191 CM - Business Law

    An introduction to the American legal system emphasizing commercial transactions. Topics include: torts, property, contracts, sales, commercial paper, secured transactions, securities regulations, and bankruptcy.

    Prerequisite: ECON 050 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON191 CM
  

  • ECON193 CM - Entrepreneurial Finance and Venture Capital

    The course provides students an understanding of the economics of entrepreneurial finance and private equity, especially venture capital. We will address financing and strategic issues faced by entrepreneurs in the early stage of a firm. Financial modeling will be used to determine how much money can and should be raised and from what source, and how the funding should be structured. Specific topics include: methods of valuing private firms, simulation to make better strategic choices, business plans, economics of contracts that underlie new venture finance venture capital partnerships (agreements, term sheets, etc.), financing sources, creating value through financing contracting, and exit strategies (initial public offerings, merger, other).

    Prerequisites: ECON 134 CM  and ECON 086 CM 

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON193 CM
  

  • ECON194A CM - Seminar in Investment Management

    This year-long course is designed to add an academic component to the CMC student investment fund. The course is designed to be a blend of theory and practice. We will extend the basic principles of security analysis, asset pricing theory, portfolio construction, and performance evaluation necessary to manage a mutual fund. Half credit each semester. Course must be taken Credit/No Credit.

    Prerequisite: ECON 134 CM  and one prior year of participation in the student investment fund.

    Offered: Every fall

    Credit: 0.5

    Course Number: ECON194A CM
  

  • ECON194B CM - Seminar in Investment Management

    This year-long course is designed to add an academic component to the CMC student investment fund. The course is designed to be a blend of theory and practice. We will extend the basic principles of security analysis, asset pricing theory, portfolio construction, and performance evaluation necessary to manage a mutual fund. Half credit each semester. Course must be taken Credit/No Credit.

    Prerequisite: ECON 134 CM  and one prior year of participation in the student investment fund.

    Offered: Every spring

    Credit: 0.5

    Course Number: ECON194B CM
  

  • ECON196 CM - Advanced Macroeconomics

    An introduction to modern micro-founded theories of macroeconomic phenomena. Topics include equilibrium and wait unemployment theory, foundations of aggregate supply and demand, inflation and monetary policy, budget deficits and fiscal policy, business cycle fluctuations, and long-run growth. Concepts are illustrated with textbook mathematical models, complemented by discussion of academic papers reviewing empirical evidence. Students will complete a term paper exploring a topics of interest in depth.

    Prerequisites: ECON 101 CM , ECON 102 CM , and ECON 125 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON196 CM
  

  • ECON197S CM - Special Topics in Economics

    These courses explore topics of current interest to faculty and students. Topics vary from year to year. The course is repeatable for different topics.

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON197S CM
  

  • ECON198 CM - Economics of Innovation

    This course guides the student through several topics and economic models that focus on innovation. The material considers the impacts of firm decisions, public policies and the surrounding environment on the nature and amount of the innovations generated and the impacts those innovations have on subsequent firm behavior and market outcomes. Links between the course content and the internship experience are developed. The focus is on innovation in firms, but many of the insights apply to all types of organizations. Silicon Valley Program students only. Letter grade only.

    Prerequisite: ECON 101 CM  

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ECON198 CM
  

  • ECON199 CM - Independent Study and Research

    Students who have the necessary qualifications and who wish to investigate an area of study not covered in regularly scheduled courses may arrange for independent study under the direction of a faculty reader.

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 0.5 or 1

    Course Number: ECON199 CM

English
  

  • ENGL012 AF - Introduction to African American Literature

    See Pitzer College Catalog for course description.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ENGL012 AF
  

  • ENGL125C AF - Introduction to African American Literature: In the African-Atlantic Tradition

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ENGL125C AF
  

  • ENGL140 PO - Literature of Incarceration

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ENGL140 PO
  

  • ENGL167A CH - Chicano Movement Literature

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: ENGL167A CH

Freshman Humanities Seminar
  

  • FHS010 CM - Freshman Humanities Seminar

    The Freshman Humanities Seminar (FHS) program aims to give first-year students an introduction to some of the questions fundamental to individuals in their relationship to society and the world. Each section engages one or more critical themes such as the notion of the self, the community, individual and communal values, modes of understanding, and creative expression, and the relationships each one has with the others. In doing so, all FHS courses include historically significant texts: texts that have become objects of academic discourse in part because of their enormous impact in non-academic contexts. Letter grade only.

    Click here  for more information and a sampling of topics.

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FHS 010 CM

Freshman Writing Seminar
  

  • FWS010 CM - Freshman Writing Seminar

    The Freshman Writing Seminar, directed by the Department of Literature, aims to enhance the writing skills and literary acumen of first-year students through intensive composition and revision and the study of significant texts and models. Each seminar focuses on a literary theme chosen by the instructor, and each ranges across periods and genres. All of the seminars seek to instill rigor of argument, clarity of presentation, and stylistic grace. Students will be expected to write no fewer than seventy-five hundred words during the semester. Letter grade only.

    Click here  for more information and a sampling of topics.

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FWS 010 CM

French
  

  • FREN001 CM - Introductory French

    Acquisition of four basic skills: comprehension, speaking, reading, writing, with emphasis on aural comprehension and oral communication. This course includes laboratory work and tutorial sessions each week. Letter grade only.

    Offered: Every fall

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN001 CM
  

  • FREN002 CM - Continuing Introductory French

    A continuation of FREN 001 CM . Intensive practice in speaking, reading, and writing. Laboratory work and tutorial sessions each week. Letter grade only.

    Prerequisite: FREN 001 CM , or placement.

    Offered: Every spring

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN002 CM
  

  • FREN022 CM - Intensive Introductory French

    Designed for students with some previous experience in French, who are too advanced for FREN 001 CM . Students will complete in one semester the equivalent of FREN 001 CM  and FREN 002 CM , and then enroll in FREN 033 CM . The class includes laboratory work and tutorial sessions (times arranged). Letter grade only.

    Prerequisite: Placement

    Offered: Every fall

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN022 CM
  

  • FREN033 CM - Intermediate French

    Review and reinforcement of basic skills. Emphasis on conversation, reading, and writing. Laboratory and conversation groups arranged. Letter grade only.

    Prerequisite: FREN 002 CM , FREN 022 CM , or placement

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN033 CM
  

  • FREN044 CM - Advanced French: Reading in Literature and Civilization

    Readings in Literature and Civilization. Selected texts are read with emphasis on interpretation and comprehension. Development of correct personal style in students’ oral and written expression. Discussion groups with a native assistant arranged.

    Prerequisite: FREN 033 CM  or equivalent 

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN044 CM
  

  • FREN100 SC - French Culture and Civilization

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN100 SC
  

  • FREN104 SC - History, Memory, and Loss: Vichy (1940-45) in Contemporary France

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN104 SC
  

  • FREN106 SC - The French Business World and Its Language

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN106 SC
  

  • FREN107 SC - Headline News: Advanced Oral Expression and Conversation of Current Events and Culture

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN107 SC
  

  • FREN110 SC - France in the ‘Hood: Nationhood, Immigration, and the Politics of Identity in France

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN110 SC
  

  • FREN111 SC - French Cinema: Images of Women in French Film

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN111 SC
  

  • FREN117 CM - Novel and Cinema in Africa and the Caribbean

    This course will examine works by writers and filmmakers from French-speaking countries of Africa (e.g., Senegal, Cameroon and Burkina Faso) and the Caribbean (Martinique, Guadeloupe and Haiti). Special emphasis will be placed on questions of identity, the impact of colonialism, social and cultural values, as well as the nature of aesthetic creation.

    Prerequisite: FREN 044 CM  or equivalent 

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN117 CM
  

  • FREN119 CM - Advanced French Creative Writing

    This course will allow students to improve their French writing skills and to expand their knowledge of the French language. Guided by various exercises, students will express their creativity by writing different types of texts, including poems, songs and short stories. Multiple drafts will be required for each writing assignment and individual attention will be given to each student.

    Prerequisite: FREN 044 CM 

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN119 CM
  

  • FREN120 CM - Order and Revolt in French Literature

    A study of selected writers from the 18th century to the present who have confronted, in particularly significant ways, dominant social values and literary conventions. A historical perspective will be provided to explicate the various dimensions of the literary text in its relationship to society, history, and culture. Readings will include works by major French and Francophone authors.

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN120 CM
  
  

  • FREN124 CM - The Novelist and Society in France

    A study of the major trends in the French novel from the 17th century to the present. Particular attention will be given to the social and intellectual factors that influenced the evolution of the tradition of the novel in France.

    Prerequisite: FREN 044 CM  or equivalent

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN124 CM
  

  • FREN130 SC - French Theater From Text to Stage I: Theatricality and “Mise en Scene”

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN130 SC
  

  • FREN132 CM - North African Literature After Independence

    In the 1950s and 1960s the people of many colonized countries across the African continent waged struggles for national independence. In North Africa, as elsewhere, once independence was gained other struggles emerged though with different objectives and in different forms and contexts. After independence, national culture has been a central issue. Writers in particular have played a key role addressing some of the major debates concerning religion, national tradition, language, music, and even the form of everyday life. In the past decades, writers have been engulfed in a new wave of cultural change as the North African populace has been deeply influenced by new Islamicist movements, and the politics of Arabicization. In this course, we will examine the situation of the writer in North Africa, “post-Independence.”

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN132 CM
  

  • FREN133 CM - Africa in France: The French of African Ancestry through Text and Film

    Since the late 1960s, new generations of French citizens has emerged to redefine France and Frenchness. These new generations are French citizens whose parents or grandparents were originally from North Africa or sub-Saharan Africa, yet who grew up or were born in France, often in the suburbs of major French cities. This course will focus on their experience and more broadly the experience of being African in France in the 21st Century, an experience rooted in migration and colonial history between France and the African continent. Specifically, however, we will also examine the place this new generation occupies in France today through close readings of selected literary and critical texts and through a range of media, old and new, aural and visual.

    Prerequisite: FREN 044 CM  or higher.

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN133 CM
  

  • FREN135 CM - L’Art de la Nouvelle

    An introduction to critical reading, literary interpretation and analysis, and the application of various literary approaches to the genre. This course will allow students to perfect their reading comprehension and writing skills through the concentrated study of one genre: the short story. Focusing on some of the major French and Francophone short story writers such as Maupassant, Colette, Tournier, Yourcenar, Duras, Hébert, Djébar, Daviau, we will look at point of view, narrative structure, character development, and other issues related to style and language. The course also allows students to expand their knowledge of French language and style – and express their creativity – by writing a short story of their own.

    Prerequisite: FREN 044 CM  or equivalent

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN135 CM
  

  • FREN137 CM - The Algerian War and the French Intelligentsia

    Since the 1950s the Algerian war and its consequences have been significant for the development of French culture and society. Indeed, the ghost of the Algerian war still haunts debates about immigration, French identity, the veil, and the idea of the French Republic. In this course we will investigate the ways the Algerian war has mediated and possibly shaped debates in literature, films, philosophy, and cultural life since the beginning of the war (including the events of May 1968 in Paris) until today.

    Prerequisite: FREN 100 SC 

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN137 CM
  

  • FREN148 CM - Special Topics in French

    Topics vary by semester and instructor.

    Prerequisite: FREN 044 CM  or equivalent

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN148 CM
  

  • FREN154 SC - The 18th-Century Novel: Experimentations in Form

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN154 SC
  

  • FREN172 SC - Baudelaire and the Symbolist Aesthetic

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN172 SC
  

  • FREN173 SC - Wit and Ridicule in the French Salon

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: FREN173 SC
  

  • FREN199 CM - Independent Study in French

    Students who have the necessary qualifications and who wish to investigate an area of study not covered in regularly scheduled courses may arrange for an independent study under the direction of a faculty reader.

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 0.5 or 1

    Course Number: FREN199 CM

Geology
  

  • GEOL020A PO - Intro to Geology: Geohazards

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GEOL020A PO
  

  • GEOL112 PO - Remote Sensing of Earth’s Environment

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GEOL112 PO

Government
  

  • GOVT020 CM - Introduction to American Politics

    Introduces the student to the scholarly study of government and politics with special reference to the political principles and constitutional structure of the American system, interpreted in the light of political philosophy, the dynamics of public opinion, interest groups, political parties, and public policy.

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT020 CM
  

  • GOVT030 CM - Internship in Government, Politics, and Public Policy

    Taken as part of one of the two off-campus government internship programs. Students gain experience in a government, political, or public policy setting through placement arranged with the program director (Professor Spalding for the Washington Program and Professor Lynch for the Southern California Program); or students may seek and propose a position in consultation with the appropriate director. Letter grade only.

    Prerequisites: GOVT 020 CM , ECON 050 CM , and participation on Washington, D.C. internship semester

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT030 CM
  

  • GOVT055 CM - Introduction to Research Methods in Political Science

    This course introduces students to the philosophy and practice of political science research. Students will learn how to identify a problem worthy of study, develop testable hypotheses, design a research strategy, gather data, analyze data, and interpret and present the results. The course focuses primarily on regression analysis, but also introduces students to the use of surveys, experiments, field methods, and case studies in political science research.

    Prerequisite. GOVT 020 CM . This course is not available to students who have earned credit for any other course in statistics including: ECON 120 CM , MATH 052 CM , or PSYC 109 CM .

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT055 CM
  

  • GOVT060 CM - Introduction to Comparative Government

    This course introduces students to the basic concepts of comparative government that are used to analyze political institutions and processes. We will explore fundamental political phenomena such as power, authority, legitimacy, political culture, and the nation-state in order to understand better major world events and larger political trends. Special attention is given to democratization and socioeconomic change in either the developing world, or Europe and the industrialized world.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT060 CM
  

  • GOVT070 CM - Introduction to International Politics

    This course studies relations among states and between states and other groups through close reading and intensive discussion of books and articles about international theory, history, and philosophy. Among the topics examined are: the sources of global conflict; diplomacy; war; terrorism; religion in world affairs; and the politics of economic, social, and political development.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT070 CM
  

  • GOVT071 CM - Special Studies in International Relations

    This course allows students selected to be CMC Model United Nations Committee Chairs to earn 0.5 credit for the written work they produce as part of their Chair responsibilities. Working with a faculty reader, each student will select one or two current topics in international relations relevant to his or her committee’s focus, conduct research on the topic(s), and produce written product(s) consistent with the CMCMUN guidelines and with his or her faculty reader’s expectations. The students will develop in-depth knowledge of contemporary foreign affairs while further developing their research, writing, and critical thinking skills. The course will be offered each spring and can be taken no more than twice.

    Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

    Offered: Every spring

    Credit: 0.5

    Course Number: GOVT071 CM
  

  • GOVT080 CM - Introduction to Political Philosophy

    An introduction to several fundamentally different philosophical understandings of political life, both ancient and modern. Authors studied include Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT080 CM
  

  • GOVT097 CM - Public Policy Analysis

    This course provides an introduction to public policy analysis. Drawing on the principles and tools of political science and economics, students will hone their ability to analyze complex public problems. The course uses the case method, immersing students in real-world scenarios and placing them in the role of decision maker. Students will learn to write professional policy memos and to use Excel for basic data analysis. Cross-listed as ECON 097 CM .

    Prerequisites: GOVT 020 CM  and ECON 050 CM  

    Offered: Every fall

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT097 CM
  

  • GOVT100 CM - Domestic Public Policy Analysis with Lab

    This course will explore the politics and process of domestic policymaking in the United States, the analytical tools for policy creation, and client-based experiential approach to policy research and formation. Through a case study approach, students will gain the knowledge and skills required to produce professional policy studies. In addition to instruction and class projects, students will work in a policy laboratory with a Washington, DC-based client to conduct research and analysis on a real world policy question.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM  

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT100 CM
  

  • GOVT101 CM - The United States Congress

    Examines congress in terms of participant roles, committee systems, party influence and leadership, legislative functions and representative democracy, legislative-executive relations, and current efforts at reform.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT101 CM
  

  • GOVT102 CM - The American Presidency

    Investigates the domestic and international sources of power which have led to the dominant position of the presidency, and the current reassessment of that position.

    Prerequisite: GOVT020 CM

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT102 CM
  

  • GOVT104 CM - The Electoral Process

    An introduction to election politics in the United States, focusing on the organization, strategies, techniques, and financing of political campaigns. The course, which employs simulations, also involves consideration of party organization, election law, and problems of reform.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT104 CM
  

  • GOVT105 CM - Organization of Health Care and Public Policy

    This course will examine the evolution of health care occupations and organizations in the United States with comparative references to other industrialized nations. There will be a focus on the increasing bureaucratization of health care, the increased involvement of government, private reorganization around HMO’s and managed care, and the continued push for various forms of “universal health care.” Politics and policies regarding sources and allocations of costs and benefits, access and treatment of increasingly diverse populations, advent of health care teams, “wellness” movements and alternative health and medical treatments, and increasingly complex technology, and - related to this - ethical issues regarding birth, life, and death will be addressed.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT105 CM
  

  • GOVT106 CM - Politics of Interest Groups

    The course examines the role of interest groups in American politics, particularly how they influence the formulation and implementation of public policy. Specifically, the course focuses on strategies and tactics and other integrated requisites to building a viable interest group. In addition, numerous case studies are examined.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT106 CM
  

  • GOVT109 CM - Juvenile Delinquency and Public Policy

    This course examines the social and political changes that gave rise to the concept of “childhood,” the subsequent rise of the juvenile justice system, and further modifications of that system’s strategies for prevention and treatment. Course topics include the causes of juvenile delinquency, changes in the nature and distribution of juvenile crime and deviance, and the history and changing forms of gang activity in the U.S. Guest speakers and documentaries supplement lectures, discussion, and readings.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT109 CM
  

  • GOVT110 CM - American Culture Wars

    In recent decades Americans have been increasingly divided over such issues as abortion, gay marriage, and the appropriateness of religion in the public square. This course will explore the sources and origins of such divisions. For instance, do activists on the left and right really exist in two distinct cultures? What are the philosophical assumptions and beliefs that hold their various political opinions together? What is their view of the human person and how does it shape the way they see the world? Do they each offer equally rational ways of comprehending the world? We will also investigate how deeply our nation is divided. Is it the case, for instance, that only a handful of radicals wage these wars while most Americans are actually quite moderate? Are our political divisions really rooted in separate cultures? In addition, we will ask whether the culture wars have been good or bad for American democracy. For example, have the culture wars prevented a descent into mass apathy or coarsened public life?

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT110 CM
  

  • GOVT111 CM - Politics and Population

    Explores the social and political implications of the population explosion. Touches on problems of social forecasting and problems of individual and institutional response to short-run and long-run needs. Considers the question of optimum population from social, economic, biological, and political points of view. Assesses current efforts and prospects for establishing and implementing population policies.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Every third year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT111 CM
  

  • GOVT112 CM - Public Opinion and American Democracy

    This course is concerned with understanding the political opinions that citizens hold and the relationship between these opinions and American democracy. We will consider what public opinion is, how it is measured, and the many influences that form it.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT112 CM
  

  • GOVT112A CM - Constitutional Law: National Powers

    An introduction to the Supreme Court’s treatment of the constitutional structure and powers of government in the United States, including such features as judicial review, states rights and federalism, separation of powers, and economic and environmental regulation. The course also considers the strengths and weaknesses of the legal method in examining public policy issues.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM  

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT112A CM
  

  • GOVT112B CM - Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties

    An introduction to the Supreme Court’s treatment of constitutional rights and privileges, including freedoms of speech, press, religion, and association; criminal procedure; voting rights; equal protection of the laws; and due process guarantees. Like GOVT 112A CM , this course considers the strengths and weaknesses of the legal method in examining public policy issues. Although a natural sequel to GOVT 112A CM , it may be taken alone.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM  

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT112B CM
  

  • GOVT113 CM - Inequality, Politics, and Public Policy: Class, Race, and Gender

    This course examines the basic dimensions of inequality and the history of changes in the distribution of wealth, power, and patterns of ethnic and gender relations, primarily in the United States but with particular reference to how emerging global markets may be changing inequality patterns in the U.S. Rates of social mobility (who moves up, down, sideways?) are examined. The course deals with current and emerging political and policy issues arising from such developments as: Proposition 187, the changing occupational structure and shifting career opportunities, changing policies on discrimination, affirmative action and work force diversity, generational divides, changes in crime and criminal justice, political and perceptual “gender gaps,” welfare issues and the “tax wars” (who pays, who receives?).

    Prerequisites: Introductory level economics, psychology and/or sociology course recommended. 

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT113 CM
  

  • GOVT114 CM - Philanthropy, Voluntarism, and Nonprofits: Law, Public Policy and Leadership

    You will likely work or volunteer for, lead, or govern a not-for-profit organization. Including churches, universities, museums, and even the Salvation Army and the Gates Foundation, the size, strength, and breadth of the non-profit sector is uniquely American. Why and how do diverse individuals come together to fulfill both their individual needs and those of their communities? Who gives and volunteers and why? This course will broadly address key topics of the non-profit sector, including: leadership, governance, accountability, and the appropriate public policy framework for determining ideal allocations of social problem-solving among government, for-profit, and not-for-profit.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT114 CM
  

  • GOVT115 CM - Politics of Journalism

    Analyzes the relationship between the political decision makers and the news media. Topics include: the structure and organization of print and electronic media; forms of political journalism, such as investigative reporting and commentary; ways by which political figures try to influence the news; the impact of news stories on public opinion.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT115 CM
  

  • GOVT116 CM - Public Policy Process

    This course analyzes the six phases of the public policy process: the origin of policy ideas, estimation of costs and benefits, choice of alternatives by political leaders, implementation by bureaucracies, appraisal of outcomes, and termination of policies. The course pays special attention to policies that affect business and the economy.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT116 CM
  

  • GOVT117 CM - California Politics

    This course focuses on California, the nation’s largest and most complex state. Course elements include California’s political history, dramatic demographic change (population growth and increased racial and ethnic diversity), partisan composition, political institutions (fragmented executive, term-limited legislature, elected judiciary, and direct democracy), major policy challenges, and impact on national politics.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT117 CM
  

  • GOVT118 CM - The Processes of Environmental Policymaking

    This course focuses on how environmental, conservation, and natural-resource policies are developed and chosen in the policy processes of the United States and other countries. This focus permits examination of the methodologies of evaluating environmental policy options, the processes of policymaking, and the institutions involved in conservation, environmental improvement, and other policies that affect the environment. The analytic approaches include the policy sciences framework for understanding the process itself, the methodologies of ecosystem valuation, and the issues involved with different types of policy instruments for environmental and conservation management. This course is cross-listed as ECON 118 CM .

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT118 CM
  

  • GOVT119 CM - Study of Law

    This course is intended to illuminate law by studying it with ideas and methods from several of the other disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. It is also intended to help the students unify their grasp of these disciplines by using them in the study of law considered as a central social phenomenon.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM  

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT119 CM
  

  • GOVT120 CM - Environmental Law and Policy

    This course is intended to introduce students to environmental law through an examination and discussion of a number of currently debated issues. The emphasis of the course will be on the role of law in protecting environmental quality and mediating environmental disputes.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM  

    Offered: Every spring

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT120 CM
  

  • GOVT120E CM - Environmental Leadership

    The purpose of this course is twofold: (1) to provide students with a historical perspective on environmental leadership and (2) to focus on and analyze the elements of modern environmental leadership by interaction with a variety of environmental leaders from the governmental, non-profit and corporate sectors.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT120E CM
  

  • GOVT123 CM - American Political Parties

    This course examines American political parties as electoral organizations, as voting blocs in the general public, and as groups of government officials. It explores linkages of these three dimensions in national, state, and local politics. Topics include: political realignments, minor parties, national conventions, and quasi-parties such as United We Stand.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT123 CM
  

  • GOVT123C CM - Evangelicals & American Politics

    Once at the center of political and cultural life, evangelicals were objects of ridicule by the 1920s. Many responded by withdrawing into something like a religious ghetto. Today, however, evangelicals are once again at the very center of American political and cultural life. This course will explore these developments and the sometimes contentious relationship between evangelicals and the wider society. It will especially scrutinize the ways in which evangelicals have both contributed to and reacted against the cultural and social upheavals of the 1960s. We will further ask whether these developments have contributed to the health of American democracy. Have American evangelicals, for example, contributed to a democratic culture that depends on thoughtful deliberation over the good society or have they undermined common democratic values by seeking a theocratic republic? More generally, what should be the proper relationship between religion and democracy?

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT123C CM
  

  • GOVT124 CM - Cases in American Political Leadership

    This course will consist of an intensive case study of a single American political leader. The case study, which will change from year to year, will test generalizations about American political ideas, interests, and institutions. The cases may include presidents, lawmakers, and leaders of social movements.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT124 CM
  

  • GOVT125 CM - The President and U.S. Foreign Policy

    This course offers a political-historical view of how Washington, particularly the executive branch leadership, makes U.S. foreign policy. In practical terms, students will focus on the President as a leader and his interactions with the individuals who head the National Security Council, Congress, the State Department, the Department of Defense, and the intelligence community. In thematic terms, students will concentrate on the policies and politics that pertain to national security, diplomacy, development, defense, and intelligence. By the end of this seminar, students will understand the main domestic policymakers, institutions, political factors, and grand strategies that - all in a Washington, D.C., context - go into shaping American foreign policy. Taken as a part of the Washington internship program. Letter grade only.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM  

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT125 CM
  

  • GOVT126A CM - Federal Budget Process

    This course takes an advanced look at the federal budget in all its component parts, including defense and domestic discretionary spending, mandatory programs, and revenue. Students will learn how the President, through the Office of Management and Budget, puts together his annual budget proposal to the Congress and how Congress does its work to fund programs and legislate on the tax code. Most importantly, the course integrates policy and process with politics so students come away with a practical and comprehensive look at the federal budget. Taken as part of the Washington Program. Letter grade only.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM  

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT126A CM
  

  • GOVT126B CM - Problems in Public Policy

    This course will deal with the causes and consequences of public policies, with special attention given to analysis of the roles of national political institutions, of interest groups and of the political environment in shaping public policies. Primary focus will be placed on policies of social import. Taken as part of the Washington internship program. Letter grade only.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM  

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT126B CM
  

  • GOVT127 CM - Research on the Political Process

    This course will focus on the development of skills and methods appropriate to conducting research on politics. The primary goal of the course is the development, in conjunction with the internship, of a research paper on a particular aspect of American National Politics. Taken as part of the Washington internship program. Letter grade only.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM  

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT127 CM
  

  • GOVT128C CM - Civic Leadership & Ethics

    Introduces students to the moral challenges and ethical responsibilities of leadership in the private and the public spheres.  We focus on: 1) leadership and ethics in the private business community; 2) statesmanship in modern constitutional democracies; and 3) political leadership on the economy and immigration in an era of globalization.  Topics: the leading role of private enterprise in confronting global challenges (with Google and Facebook as case studies); case studies of Lincoln, Wilson and FDR, and post-9/11 leadership of Presidents Bush and Obama; and a comparative study of the challenges of immigration and the welfare state in Europe and America.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT128C CM
  

  • GOVT129 CM - Ethics, Character, and American Political Leadership

    Examines the importance of ethics and character for American political leadership. It will address the following questions: Do democratic institutions require leaders with certain kinds of virtues or personal character? What dangers, if any, arise if our leaders are not exemplars of virtue? Are American institutions and our legal system sufficient to check immoral or unethical behavior by leaders? And does the success of American democracy depend at crucial moments on leaders of exceptional virtue or character? The course examines national political scandals since the Watergate controversy of the Nixon administration and the remedies that have been proposed or embraced for combating unethical behavior by public officials. In addition, students will read biographies of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln for insight into the connection between character and leadership.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT129 CM
  

  • GOVT129E CM - What Do Universities Do? Public Policy and Leadership in Higher Education

    What do universities do? Higher education is a provocative topic today. As access has steadily increased, so have expectations for what universities and colleges can and must accomplish. Though rife with seemingly irreconcilable concerns and responsibilities, higher education is also inextricably linked to economic and social opportunities. The stakes are high. In this course, participants will explore the myriad leadership and policy concerns facing higher education. With the aid of diverse readings, guest speakers, and the experience of President Emerita and Professor of Legal Studies Pamela Gann, students will synthesize their understanding in a research project regarding a particular policy concern at a specific institution.

    Prerequisite: GOVT 020 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: GOVT129E CM
 

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