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Arts & Humanities Social Sciences Joint Programs Dean's Office AHSS Institutes Performing Arts Center Development Office Faculty Information Student Information |
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Department of Political Science |
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course offerings:
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:
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Welcome to the Department of Political Science! The Department of Political Science encourages students to develop the ability to think critically about institutions of governance and political processes, including voting, litigating, and expressing concerns through interest organizations. Students can then link their understandings of how the political world actually works to longstanding concerns in political theory about the meanings of concepts such as justice, democracy, totalitarianism, rights and responsibility. Finally, we encourage our students to do an internship in one of the many organizations in Denver, which brings their learning to life. We aim to develop a capacity to think and act in the world that will serve students long after they graduate. The department emphasizes undergraduate education.Our classes are small, allowing faculty to work closely with students on their reading and writing. Faculty also participate in the University's First Year Seminar Program and in Core. Our finest students write honors theses during their senior year, providing one-on-one work between faculty and students.We have participated in many of the university's initiatives to enrich undergraduate education,inviting speakers from around the world on important topics such as European integration, the regulation of immigration, and philosophical interpretations of political issues. We also develop students' critical thinking skills by integrating quantitative reasoning in many of our courses. Political and legal internships place our students in the offices of local and national officials and in interest groups. As Colorado's capital and major city, Denver offers myriad opportunities. In short, we provide many opportunities for faculty and student engagement and for student engagement with the community. The focus on undergraduate education has led members of the department to sponsor more than fifteen PINS awards, in which faculty and students are partners in research. These awards have allowed students to interview interest group and community members in Denver who worked for cleanup of a toxic waste site, to do research on the initiative process in Colorado, and to explain how the local criminal courts work, through participating via an internship and observing. These are only a few examples of the fine work students have done in conjunction with faculty. Faculty are also engaged in research, which informs their teaching. The research fellowships the faculty have received make them an excellent resource for students, and enrich the international perspective of our student majors. Our faculty have been awarded Fulbright fellowships to study in England, China and Germany, and a Jean Monnet Fellowship that affords a faculty member to spend a year at the University Institute in Florence, Italy. Faculty have also, served as liaisons for the university's Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement at the University of Bologna, Italy. The Department of Political Science offers a program that encourages students to develop the capacity to learn, participate in public life in an increasingly global environment, and to do so having learned to read and write thoughtfully.
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