Political Behavior and Institutions consists of several sub-fields, including: (a) the presidency, executive and policy process, and comparative political elIites; (b) congress and legislative processes; (c) public law and judicial processes; (d) federalism and intergovernmental relations; (e) political parties and political behavior; and (f) comparative state politics and comparative urban politics.
Comparative Politics involves the study of politics across national and cultural boundaries. It encompasses a subject matter (i.e. political experience beyond but including the United States) and a methodology (i.e. systematic comparison). Students are expected to become familiar with attempts to conceptualize and theorize as a result of cross-national comparisons of phenomena such as political development, national integration, elites, interest groups, political parties, and policy-making processes. In addition, the student should become knowledgeable about the nature of the political system in the modern democratic, developing, and transitional settings.
International Relations encompasses the study of the interactions of persons from one nation with those of another. Traditionally, the substantive core of international relations study has been the interaction of governments of sovereign states (international politics). Today, this core has broadened to include the relations of non-state actors (guerilla organizations, multinational corporations, and other international nongovernmental organizations). The sub-fields of International Relations are: (a) international security affairs; (b) international law and organizations; (c) international relations; (d) peace and world order research; and (e) United States foreign policy.
Political Theory, in the broadest sense, aims at a comprehensive understanding of politics. It tries.to give a coherent account of political experience, both at present and in the past, and to elucidate types of inquiry suitable for the study of such experience. Leading questions of political theory deal with the nature and purposes of politics, including the normative aspirations motivating political action. At the same time, there is a concern with the relationship between ideal standards and actual political behavior. Students of political theory thus are attentive to normative and empirical dimensions of political life. In addition, political theory deals with the epistemological questions involved in political inquiry and analysis, and effort is made to disentangle the premises or assumptions about human knowledge which underline competing frameworks or approaches.
Public Policy/Public Administration, is designed to provide students with theoretical perspectives, methodological skills, and substantive knowledge for analyzing the formulation, implementation, and consequences of public policies. The field is divided into three broad sub-fields: (a) administrative systems and behavior; (b) policy analysis; and (c) substantive issue area studies.
