American Government, Politics and Law

Faculty

• MICHAEL COMBS, Professor
  Ph.D., Washington University (St. Louis), 1978.
  Fields: Judicial Politics and Constitutional Law, Black Politics, Urban Politics.
• JOHN COMER, Professor
  Ph.D., The Ohio State University, 1971.
  Fields: Public Opinion, Political Parties and Interest Groups
• JOHN GRUHL, Professor
  Ph.D., University of California-Santa Barbara, 1976.
  Fields: Judicial Process, Constitutional Law, Civil Liberties, Criminal Justice.
• JOHN HIBBING, Professor
  Ph.D., University of Iowa, 1980.
  Fields: American Politics, especially legislative politics and public opinion, Comparative Politics, especially Europe.
• BYRON D'ANDRA OREY, Assistant Professor
  Ph.D., University of New Orleans, 1999.
  Fields: American Politics, Black Politics, Voting Rights, Elections and Political Behavior with special emphasis on African Americans
• KEVIN SMITH, Professor
  Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1994.
  Fields: Public Policy, Public Administration, American Politics
• ELIZABETH THEISS-MORSE, Professor, Department Chair
  Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 1989.
  Fields: Public opinion, political psychology, and political behavior.
• MICHAEL WAGNER, Assistant Professor
  Ph.D. Indiana University, 2006
  Fields: Political Behavior, Public Opinion, Political Psychology, Media, Congress, Political Parties, and Presidency.

Undergraduate Courses

POLS 100, 100H. Power and Politics in America (3 cr)
Introduction to American government and politics.

POLS 105. American Ways (HIST 105) (3 cr) [ES][IS]
A historical perspective on current American political problems. Prereq: Open to freshmen only. Not open to students with credit in HIST 201 or 202 or POLS 100.

POLS 221. Politics in State and Local Governments (3 cr) [ES][IS]
Broad introduction to the political structure and operations of state and local governments. Role and power of state and local governments; government institutions; political parties and interest groups; public policy; state constitutions.

POLS 225. Nebraska Government and Politics (3 cr)
Various aspects of Nebraska government and politics. Unicameral Legislature, the governor and executive branch, the courts, political parties in Nebraska politics, political participation, and current issues of concern to Nebraskans.

POLS 227. The Presidency (3 cr) [ES]
Creation, development, structure, powers, and functions of the office of the President of the United States.

POLS 230, 230x. Elections, Political Parties, and Special Interests (3 cr) [ES]
Roles of political parties and interest groups in government and politics, focusing on their efforts of elections and lobbying.

POLS 232. Public Issues in America (3 cr) [ES][IS]
Major public issues in American politics. Government spending, civil rights; welfare and health care; poverty; education; urban problems; crime, violence and repression; defense policy; agricultural policy; environment/energy policy.

POLS 234. Government Regulation (3 cr) [IS]
Development of regulatory agencies, their functions, intended and unintended impact, and organizational and philosophical critiques of existing regulation. Relationship of regulation to the constitutional separation of powers and tenets of democracy. Emphasis on questions of democratic accountability and other aspects of political context in which regulatory agencies operate. Proposed reforms evaluated.

POLS 238. Blacks and the American Political System (ETHN 238) (3 cr) [ES][IS]
Role of the Blacks in the American political system, with emphasis on strategies used to gain political power and influence decision makers; problems faced in the southern and urban political settings.

POLS 325. Legislative Process (3 cr) [ES][IS]
Legislature's role in the American arrangement of legislative-executive-judicial responsibilities. Attention to the internal operation of the Congress with focus on the standing committee stage. State legislative experiences and proposals to reform the legislative system emphasized.

POLS 334. Polls, Politics and Public Opinion (COMM 334) (3 cr) [ES]
Attitudes and behavior of citizens with respect to politics, how these attitudes and behaviors are shaped, how they are measured, and what influence they have on government.

POLS 338. Women and Politics (3 cr) [ES][IS]
Survey of women as political actors: participation in political life, barriers to participation, political attitudes, issues of special concern to women, and issues of particular concern to women of color.

POLS 345. Courts, Judges, and Lawyers (3 cr) [ES]
Role of courts, judges, and lawyers in the American legal system and political process. Covers all federal and state courts but emphasizes the US Supreme Court.

POLS 350. Myths and Realities of the Justice System (3 cr)
American criminal justice system from arrest through sentencing. How the system appears to operate. How the system actually operates.

POLS 414. Intergovernmental Relations (3 cr)
Analysis of the nature and problems of the American federal system, with emphasis on the politics and administration of federal grants; problems in national-state and national-local governmental coordination in administration.

POLS 425. Congress and Public Policy (3 cr) [IS]
The policy making role of the Congress including the institutionalization of the House and the Senate, an analysis of congressional behavior, the committee process, and the policy responsiveness of Congress.

POLS 426. Topics in American Public Policy (3 cr) [IS]
Focuses on a significant public policy in American politics. Topics include but are not limited to: science; technology; education; and health politics. This course may be taken twice assuming the specific policy covered is not the same.

POLS 430. Political Communication (3 cr) [IS]
Role of communication in the political process, with emphasis on communication strategies in political campaigns. Includes communication variables important in the political process, an application of communication theory and principles to political rhetoric, and analysis and criticism of selected political communication events.

POLS 441. Constitutional Law (3 cr) [IS]
Supreme Court doctrine determining the distribution of powers within the national government and between the national government and the state governments.

POLS 442. Civil Liberties: Freedom of Expression and Conviction (3 cr) [IS]
Supreme Court doctrine interpreting the First Amendment, covering freedom of speech, assembly, and association; freedom of the press; and freedom of religion.

POLS 443. Civil Liberties: Issues of Fairness and Equality (3 cr) [IS]
Supreme Court doctrine covering the rights of the accused, the right to privacy and the right to racial and sexual equality.

Graduate

POLS 820. Core Seminar in American Government (3 cr)
Treats the field of American government including national, state, and local political institutions and processes, and political behavior.

POLS 920. Research Seminar in American Government (3 cr maximum 12)
Content varies among the following topics: national institutions and processes, state and local institutions and processes, legal institutions and processes, and political behavior.