2024-2025 University of Wyoming Catalog
School of Politics, Public Affairs, and International Studies
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Arts and Sciences Building, Room 208
(307) 766-6484
Web site: www.uwyo.edu/sppais
School Head: Stephanie Anderson
SPPAIS Faculty:
Professors:
STEPHANIE B. ANDERSON, B.S.F.S. Georgetown University 1989; M.Sc. The London School of Economics and Political Science 1990; Ph.D. University of Cambridge 1996; Professor of Political Science 2017, 2005.
R. MCGREGGOR CAWLEY, B.A. Kearney State College 1971; M.A. Colorado State University 1974; Ph.D. 1981; Professor of Political Science 1997, 1987.
ANDREW D. GARNER, B.S. Kennesaw State University 2002; Ph.D. University of Mississippi 2007; Professor of Political Science 2014, 2008.
JEAN A. GARRISON, B.A. University of Wyoming 1990; M.A. University of South Carolina 1992; Ph.D. 1996; Professor of Political Science, International Studies 2010, 2001.
BRENT L. PICKETT, B.A. Wichita State University 1989; M.A. University of Colorado at Boulder 1991; Ph.D. 1995; Professor of Political Science - Casper 2010, 2005.
ROBERT A. SCHUHMANN, B.S. Appalachian State University 1987; M.P.A. 1989; Ph.D. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 1995; Professor of Political Science 2013, 1995.
Associate Professors:
NEVIN AIKEN, B.A. University of Western Ontario 2003; M.A. 2004; Ph.D. University of British Columbia 2010; Associate Professor of Political Science and International Studies 2016, 2010.
YI-LING CHEN, B.S. National Taiwan University 1989; M.S. 1992; Ph.D. Rutgers University 2000; Associate Professor of International Studies and Geography 2015, 2010.
NICHOLAS CRANE, B.A. The Ohio State University 2006; M.A. 2008; Ph.D. 2014; Assistant Professor of Geography and International Studies 2016.
ZOE PEARSON, B.A. University of California Los Angeles 2005; M.A. Ohio State University 2010; Ph.D. 2016; Assistant Professor of Geography and International Studies 2016.
JUSTIN T. PICCORELLI, B.A. Loyola Marymount University 2004; M.P.A. Cleveland State University 2009; Ph.D. 2014; Assistant Professor of Public Administration 2015.
THOMAS R. SEITZ, B.S. University of the State of New York 1988; M.A. University of Kent at Canterbury 1989; Ph.D. University of Cambridge 1997; Associate Professor of International Studies 2015, 2009.
Assistant Professors:
JASON B. MCCONNELL, B.S. University of Wyoming 1998, MA 2003, J.D. 2005; Ph.D. Washington State University 2017; Assistant Professor of Political Science 2018.
GABEL C. TAGGART, B.S. Brigham Young University 2010; M.P.P. 2013; Ph.D. Arizona State University 2017; Assistant Professor of Public Administration 2018.
RYAN D. WILLIAMSON, B.A. University of Alabama at Birmingham 2011; Ph.D. University of Georgia 2017; Assistant Professor of Political Science 2023.
Senior Academic Lecturer:
ANNE ALEXANDER, B.B.A. New Mexico State University, 1991; M.S. 1993; Ph.D. University of Wyoming, 2001; Senior Academic Lecturer, 2019, 2013; Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs 2020.
Associate Lecturer:
RUTH BJÖRKENWALL, B.A. University of California at Berkeley, 1989; M.A. 2004; Associate Lecturer 2018, 2013.
Professors Emeriti:
Winberg Chai, Larry Hubbell, James King, Garth Massey, Margaret M. Murdock, Stephen C. Ropp, Oliver Walter
Associate Professor Emeritus:
Alan E. Schenker
Adjunct Faculty:
(see department section following name for academic credentials)
Tanja Börzel, political science, Freie Universitaet Berlin
Roger Coupal, agriculture and applied economics
Michael Harkin, anthropology
Mark Peterson, management and marketing
Thomas Risse, political science, Freie Universitaet Berlin
Amy Roberts, elementary and early childhood education
Chris Rothfuss, international studies
Mona Schatz, social work
Ed Sherline, philosophy
J.J. Shinker, geography
Jim Thurman, international studies, political science - Central Wyoming College
International Studies
Undergraduate Learning Outcomes
- Goal 1: International Studies majors learn to recognize and rigorously examine economic, political, and social-cultural dimensions of international processes and issues.
- Goal 2: Majors develop expertise in an interdisciplinary concentration of their choice, either “Development Studies” or “Security Studies,” both of which are in high demand in public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
- Goal 3: Majors learn the importance of distinctions between world regions, as well as to explain the global economic, political, and social-cultural processes by which they are interrelated.
- Goal 4: Majors achieve basic proficiency in a second language and appreciate the benefits of that language for engaging with international processes and issues, including through experiential learning in a foreign locale.
- Goal 5: Majors develop critical reading, writing, analysis, and engagement skills that prepare them for work in internationally oriented government agencies, private enterprises, nonprofits, and nongovernmental organizations
Graduate Learning Outcomes
All students who graduate with a Master’s degree in international studies will be able to:
Engage in independent empirical inquiry that makes an original contribution to the field of study;
Think critically and reason logically about a problem and the ways it can be answered;
Employ the best recognized methods appropriate to their research;
Effectively develop alternative explanations, use theories and concepts to guide the research project, and conduct the work in such a way that disproof is possible; and
Present their work intelligently, with both written and oral capability at a level of professional expectations.
They will have a broad understanding of:
International affairs;
The diversity of national cultures and social structures;
Political and economic systems;
Major global trends and problems
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Political Science
Political Science is the study of how societies govern themselves and interact with one another. Courses of instruction in the Political Science major are offered in the following subfields: American politics, comparative government, international relations, political philosophy, public law, and public administration. Areas of focus include analysis of government structures and processes, citizens’ influence on government, policy content, philosophical concepts and traditions, political systems of other states, and resolution of conflicts between nations. By developing critical thinking and analytical skills, the major prepares students for effective participation in the political process, successful careers in the public and private sectors, and further study in law, political science, and public administration.
In 1925, the state legislature passed a law requiring the study of the U.S. and Wyoming constitutions by all University of Wyoming students. Political Science 1000 satisfies this requirement, but the requirement can also be satisfied by special examination given periodically by the School of Politics, Public Affairs, and International Studies.
Learning Outcomes
We continuously and actively assess the Political Science undergraduate curriculum to ensure that the following learning outcomes are being met for each of our graduates:
- Acquisition of a knowledge and understanding of the values, beliefs, and institutions that constitute governing processes;
- Acquisition of an understanding of the distinctions among the major subfields of the discipline including: American politics and law; international relations; comparative politics; and political theory;
- Development of a knowledge and understanding of citizens’ roles within governing processes;
- Acquisition of a knowledge of the theories and analytic skills necessary to evaluate conflicting arguments, assemble and present appropriate evidence, and make reasoned conclusions from the evidence available;
- The ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in written form.
Undergraduate Major
In addition to the university and college requirements listed elsewhere in this bulletin, a major in political science requires 33 department hours. Students are required to complete the following four introductory courses: POLS 1000; POLS 1200 or POLS
1250; POLS 2310; and POLS 2460 or POLS 3600. Students are also required to take at least one seminar in political science
(and its prerequisites); 8 hours of a single foreign language or equivalent credit by examination as determined by the
Department of Modern and Classical Languages; STAT 2050 or STAT 2070; and a minimum of 9 hours of upper division credit in political science. A maximum of 6 hours of internship credit may be applied toward the 33 hours required for the political science major. Only those political science courses in which a grade of C or better has been earned may be used to satisfy departmental requirements.
Most university studies courses and lower division political science courses should be completed prior to the junior year. Additional information about the political science major may be obtained from the School of Politics, Public Affairs, and International Studies: www.uwyo.edu/sppais.
Undergraduate Minors
The school offers optional undergraduate minors in American politics, international relations and comparative government, public law, and political theory. Eighteen hours are required in each minor, including 9 hours of upper-division courses and one seminar. A maximum of 3 hours of internship credit may be applied towards the 18 hours required for the political science minor. At least 12 credit hours in a minor must be from courses not counted toward the student’s major. Information relating to specific courses fulfilling minor requirements may be obtained from the School of Politics, Public Affairs, and International Studies: www.uwyo.edu/sppais.
Teacher Education
The teacher certification program in Secondary Social Studies Education, with a concurrent major in Political Science is available through the College of Education. A minimum 2.500 UW grade point average and a 2.500 grade point average in Political Science and Social Studies content are required to change majors. Further information may be found under the College of Education section in this Catalog.
Graduate Study
The Master of Arts and the master of public administration are offered by the School of Politics, Public Affairs, and International
Studies. The school’s mission is to give graduate students an understanding of the theories and methods necessary for success in (1) research or in post-baccalaureate study in any of the subfields in political science, (2) high school teaching in social science, or (3) careers in policy analysis or public administration in local, state, or federal government, or international governmental, non-profit, or non-governmental organizations. Our graduate students have progressed to senior positions in government, the U.S. Foreign Service, and international organizations; they have pursued rewarding careers in education and the private sector; and they have advanced to Ph.D. programs in political science and related fields.
ProgramsMajorMinorGraduateCourses- AAST 4067 - Race, Gender, Media, and Rhetoric
- ARBC 1010 - First Year Arabic I
- ARBC 1020 - First Year Arabic II
- ARBC 2030 - Second Year Arabic I
- ARBC 2040 - Second Year Arabic II
- ARBC 3050 - Modern Arabic and its Dialects
- ARBC 3060 - Arabic Writing
- ARBC 4990 - Topics in Arabic
- GEOG 3030 - Geography and Development
- GEOG 4500 - The American Landscape
- GEOG 4570 - Cultural Geography
- GEOG 5013 - Political Geography
- GEOG 5500 - Landscapes of the Americas
- INST 1040 - Introduction to International Business
- INST 1060 - World Regional Geography
- INST 1101 - First-Year Seminar
- INST 1200 - Non-Western Political Cultures
- INST 1250 - Introduction to Comparative Government
- INST 1330 - World History since 1750
- INST 2200 - Politics of Europe
- INST 2230 - Introduction to Asian Studies
- INST 2240 - Introduction to African Studies
- INST 2250 - Introduction to Latin American Studies
- INST 2260 - Foreign Locale
- INST 2280 - Introduction to European Studies
- INST 2310 - Introduction to International Relations
- INST 2350 - Introduction to Global Studies
- INST 2490 - Topics in International Studies
- INST 3000 - Social Change
- INST 3050 - Economic Geography
- INST 3100 - Chinese Society
- INST 3200 - Comparative Political Cultures
- INST 3250 - Global Justic
- INST 3400 - Politics and Society of Turkey
- INST 3420 - The Anthropology of Global Issues
- INST 3860 - World Food, Ag, & Development
- INST 3910 - Global Sociology
- INST 3933 - African Philosophy
- INST 4013 - Political Geography
- INST 4050 - Development, Africa, and Culture
- INST 4060 - NGOs, Development, and Culture
- INST 4100 - Global Public Health
- INST 4175 - Gender, Women, and Health
- INST 4200 - China and Globalization
- INST 4215 - European Union
- INST 4240 - Global Sex Work and Trafficking
- INST 4250 - East Asia Society and Economy
- INST 4255 - Politics of Developing Nations
- INST 4260 - Democratization and Regime Change
- INST 4290 - Inter-American Relations
- INST 4315 - History, Politics and Memory of the Holocaust in Europe
- INST 4330 - American Foreign Relations
- INST 4340 - International Organizations
- INST 4350 - Culture Change
- INST 4360 - International Peace and Conflict
- INST 4370 - Global Political Economy
- INST 4375 - Transitional Justice
- INST 4380 - International History of Human Rights
- INST 4385 - Environment and Resource Conflict
- INST 4445 - Drug War Geopolitics in the Americas
- INST 4455 - Energy Security
- INST 4475 - Politics of Natural Resources in Latin America
- INST 4485 - USLatino Diaspora
- INST 4500 - Landscapes of the Americas
- INST 4540 - International Marketing
- INST 4555 - Political Ecology
- INST 4560 - Global Cities
- INST 4570 - Cultural Geography
- INST 4580 - Gender, Global Change, and Development
- INST 4582 - 20th Century USForeign Relations
- INST 4590 - Sustainable Business Practices
- INST 4650 - Women, Gender & Migration
- INST 4705 - Terrorism
- INST 4710 - Why Economies Succeed and Fail
- INST 4881 - International Social Welfare and Social Development
- INST 4950 - Capstone in International Studies
- INST 4970 - Internship in International Studies
- INST 4975 - Readings in International Studies
- INST 4990 - Topics:
- INST 5013 - Political Geography
- INST 5050 - Development, Africa, and Culture
- INST 5060 - NGOs, Development, and Culture
- INST 5100 - Global Public Health
- INST 5200 - Graduate Proseminar in International Studies
- INST 5210 - Seminar in Human Security
- INST 5215 - European Union
- INST 5220 - Graduate Seminar in Development
- INST 5240 - Global Sex Work and Trafficking
- INST 5250 - East Asia Society and Economy
- INST 5255 - Politics of Developing Nations
- INST 5260 - Democratization and Regime Change
- INST 5310 - Seminar in Human Rights
- INST 5315 - History, Politics and Memory of the Holocaust in Europe
- INST 5330 - American Foreign Relations
- INST 5360 - International Peace and Conflict
- INST 5375 - Transitional Justice
- INST 5380 - International History of Human Rights
- INST 5385 - Environment and Resource Conflict
- INST 5400 - International Social Science Research Methods
- INST 5445 - Drug War Geopolitics in the Americas
- INST 5455 - Energy Security
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