American Politics

The influence of historical, political, and sociological forces on the development of urban America. Focus on poverty, race and ethnicity, crime, education, transportation, and urban sprawl. Special emphasis given to the possibilities for and constraints on public policy, and the capacity of city governments to serve their citizens.

This course analyzes policy-making in the United States. Special attention is given to selected domestic policies to illustrate how policies are developed and adopted and the role played by administrative organizations in implementing them.

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of governmental support for agriculture and sustainable farming practices and the forces and politics involved in shaping nutrition and food security policies in the United States and Europe.

This course examines the major, and often controversial, U.S. Supreme Court cases interpreting the Constitutional allocation of power between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the national government, and between the national government and state governments.

This course examines the major, and often controversial, U.S. Supreme Court cases interpreting the Constitution's protection of our rights and freedoms as U.S. citizens, especially, of course, as they are found in the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment.

This course will consider how environmental problems arise, looking at how a progression of natural and human circumstances becomes an "environmental problem." It will survey the law, politics, and institutions that manage pollution. The course will also look closely at a handful of environmental policy issues particularly in the Columbia River, and the interplay of science, risk, and uncertainty.