POLS 1121 - State and Local Politics and Government

1. Explore topics and methods associated with the discipline of political science.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the different subfields of the discipline, such as political theory, international relations, comparative government, American politics, and political behavior.
3. Recognize the diversity of political motives and interests of others.
4. Analyze political ideologies and explain how these lead to different goals and political conflict.
5. Examine the relationships among various values, principles, institutions, and traditions, as well as the economic, political, legal, and social orders.
6. Analyze the principles, institutions, and practices of democracy and the rights and responsibilities citizens possess in democratic societies.
7. Analyze the empirical and normative dimensions of political relationships.
8. Apply core concepts such as rights, obligations, justice, liberty, power, and (in)equality to specific issues.

1. Constitutional theory and framework
2. Federal-state political structure
3. State-local interrelationships
4. Varieties of municipal governance
5. County systems
6. Special districts (e.g., school districts)
7. Metropolitan regional governments
8. The revenue sources
9. Expenditure patterns
10. Changing patterns of responsibility (i.e., devolution)
11. Criminal justice systems
12. Political participation
13. Economic development
14. Community development and the neighborhood movement