POLS 329 - Topics in Political Science

CR: 3
Topics will vary by semester. Topic for Spring 2021: “Judicial Politics.” This course will examine the relationship of politics and appointments to the federal bench, with a focus on appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court. It will also explore the impact of highly controversial court decisions such as Bush v. Gore and Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission on the public perception of the judiciary’s impartiality. Finally, the course will explore constitutional decisions on issues such as abortion, gay rights, and national security that some believe were a response to public opinion rather than a reasoned application of constitution principles. May be repeated for credit when the course content changes. This course cannot be taken on a P/CR/NC grading option. V.7