Humanities & Social Sciences - Political Science

List of Courses

PSG110
PSG120
PSG130
PSG242
PSG250
PSG261
PSG270
PSG301
PSG302
PSG312
PSG315
PSG321
PSG331
PSG332
PSG352
PSG415
PSG422
PSG425
PSG430
PSG440
PSG501
PSG504
PSG505
PSG513
PSG517
PSG518
PSG521
PSG522
PSG526
PSG527
PSG620
PSG630
PSG635
PSG640
PSG645
PSG660
PSG699


* All credit hours are based on the current term, this may vary for previous terms.

PSG110 - Fundamentals of Political Sc. (3 credit hours)
Old code/ no: PSG 310 This course introduces students to the study of politics and its main sub-division: political philosophy, comparative politics, and international relations. It examines different important concepts like the state, government and its branches, political system, democracy, and political ideology. By the conclusion of this course, students will understand the basic political concepts, the purposes and functions of government, the types of political systems, the contributions and influences of major political thinkers and ideologies, and the structure, methodology and research tools of political science.

Prerequisite:
  1. ENGU1304 or ENGU1305
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG120 - Government & Politics of UAE (3 credit hours)
Old code/no: PSG 320 The course analyzes the government and politics of the United Arab Emirates. It concentrates on the constitution and other authorities in the state, including political institutions, the federal political structure and the internal decision making process. Furthermore, the relationships among the three branches of government are studied, as well as the relationship between the federal authority and the local authorities.

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG130 - Int.to Public Administration (3 credit hours)
Old code/no: PSG 330 This course examines the work of public administrators in different kinds of organizations. It seeks to provide a clear understanding of the political and historical context in which public organizations operate. It also examines the many technical functions such as planning, organizing, budgeting, personnel, decision making process, leadership and evaluation, with which public administrators must be familiar.

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG242 - Methods of research in PSG (3 credit hours)
Old code/no: PSG 340 This course introduces students to the logic and practice of systematic research within political science. Topics include the philosophy of social science, research design, measurement principles, probability sampling, data collection methods, data analysis, hypothesis testing, and data presentation.

Prerequisite:
  1. PSG110 or PSG310
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG250 - Principles of Internationl Rel (3 credit hours)
Old code/no: PSG 350 The course is designed to acquaint students with the core concepts, processes, and issues of international relations. The course deals with the concept and definitions of international relations, examines the actors in international relations and how the foreign policy is made. The course examines major forms of interaction between states, and focuses on contemporary and future problems in the international system.

Prerequisite:
  1. ENGU1304 or ENGU1305 or BNCHFORMIN.SCOREOF5.0
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG261 - Political Thought (3 credit hours)
Old code/no: PSG 360 The course covers examples of Western political thought from ancient times to the present. It also deals with the evolution of modern political thought through the study of some basic philosophical concepts such as natural law, the social contract, individualism, liberalism, conservatism, and socialism, etc.

Prerequisite:
  1. ENGU1304 or ENGU1305
  2. PSG110
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG270 - Comparative Political Systems (3 credit hours)
Old code/no: PSG 370 The course introduces a comprehensive theoretical and comparative basis for the study of contemporary political systems. This includes an analysis of the specific nature and the salient characteristics of each system, as well as the main variables that influence its evolution. The range of comparative analysis extends to include Western, Eastern, and Third World countries.

Prerequisite:
  1. PSG110 or PSG310
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG301 - International Organizations (3 credit hours)
Old code/no: PSG 412 The course analyzes international and regional organizations, examining their history, charters, infrastructure, and operations focusing on the United Nations, the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The influential role that international organizations play in consolidating interdependence and integration among nations under the umbrella of the new world order is also discussed and evaluated.

Prerequisite:
  1. PSG250
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG302 - Diplomatic Systems (3 credit hours)
Old code/no: PSG 411 The course analyzes the general basis and the roles that guide and control the close relationship between foreign policy and diplomacy. Studying diplomacy is accomplished in accordance with legal procedures, diplomatic and strategic objectives of the state system. The course focuses on studying the theoretical as well as the practical dimensions of diplomacy.

Prerequisite:
  1. PSG250
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG312 - Foreign Policy of Arab States (3 credit hours)
Old code/no: PSG 421 The course analyzes the political, economic, social, and constitutional factors that influence the making and implementation of the foreign policies of a number of Arab states. Emphasis is given to the comparative analysis of patterns of interactions, functions, and performance. Some current vital issues such as: Arabs and the new international order, the Arab regional system since the eruption of the second Gulf crisis, the evolution of the peace process in the Middle East, national quarrels over the division of water resources in the region are all introduced and analyzed.

Prerequisite:
  1. PSG250
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG315 - International Pol. Economy (3 credit hours)
Old code/ no: PSG 410 The course is a survey for the politics of international trade and economic policies. The course examines the theoretical and practical aspects of international political economy, such as liberal economic policies, mercantilism and protectionism, critical theories of international political economy, economic cooperation, wealth and power, and structures of international political economy including security, finance, production, and knowledge structures. The course also explores state public policies dealing with migration, poverty, and remittances.

Prerequisite:
  1. PSG250
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG321 - Gulf & Arab. Peninsula Affairs (3 credit hours)
Old code/no: PSG 441 The course studies the geopolitical and economic importance of the Arabian Gulf region and Arabian Peninsula. It focuses on the analysis of the behavior of the states of the region towards those regional and national issues that affect their national interests. Special emphasis is placed on security considerations. Attention is also given to the role of oil, challenges of development, expatriate labor force, and prospects of integration.

Prerequisite:
  1. PSG270 or PSG370
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG331 - Local Gov. & Local Admin. (3 credit hours)
Old code/no: PSG 451 This course covers the concepts of centralization and decentralization in public administration and governance by exploring local government, its theoretical and practical principles. The course examines the functions of local governments, comparison of different systems of local government and administration with emphasis on the U.A.E., the management of cities and city councils, the political, economic, and legal relationship between local and central governments, challenges and opportunities of local government, and the role of local government in sustaining development.

Prerequisite:
  1. PSG130 or PSG330
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG332 - Europe & The United States (3 credit hours)
Old code/no: PSG 432 This course analyzes historical and contemporary trends pertaining to evolution of the political institutions and processes in Western democracies. European integration is dealt with through studying the political institutions and processes of the European Union. It also examines the interactions between the domestic politics of the EU member-states and the United States.

Prerequisite:
  1. PSG270
Corequisite:
Semester: Spring Go To Index


PSG352 - Governmental. Budgeting (3 credit hours)
Old code/no: PSG 452 The course focuses on public budgeting and finance and demonstrates its role as an instrument in managing development and economic stability. It also explains managerial functions provided by the management of public budgeting and finance in the area of planning, follow-up and evaluation, with the presentation of budgeting organization steps from classical methods to modern ones, such as planning and programming budgeting, performance budgeting and zero base budgeting. The course explores taxes, foreign debt, budget deficit, budget surplus, and role of public finance in economic and social development.

Prerequisite:
  1. PSG130 or PSG330
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG415 - Public Governance (3 credit hours)
The purpose of this course is to take a broad view of governance in the UAE, and international context. First, the concept and characteristics of governance are examined. Second, the course will undertake a depth analysis of the impact of good governance on variety of contemporary issues like transparency, accountability, e-management, administrative reform, and administrative corruption.

Prerequisite:
  1. ENGU1304 or ENGU1305
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG422 - Foreign Pols.of Great Powers (3 credit hours)
This course surveys the basic principles and factors that affect the process of making the foreign policies of the great powers, with emphasis on their objectives and dimensions within the context of a rapidly changing world. Special attention is given to the analysis of bilateral relations between each great power and developing countries, particularly Arab and Islamic states.

Prerequisite:
  1. PSG350 or PSG250
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG425 - Public Policy-TA- (3 credit hours)
Old code/ no: PSG 420 This course identifies wider governmental system and analyses the basic principles of public policy. The course is to appreciate a full life cycle of public policy. Students are required to formulate policy proposals with recommendations for policy responses, including comparisons of possible instruments, and the essentials for possible implementation, delivery, compliance and evaluation.

Prerequisite:
  1. PSG110 or PSG310
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG430 - Special Topics (3 credit hours)
The course deals with topics in the fields of specialization that are not ordinarily offered through courses in the curriculum. It is intended to provide students with the most up-to-date and latest developments in the discipline of Political Science, on the one hand, and make use of the various fields of specialization, knowledge, experiences, and interests of the department staff and visiting scholars, on the other hand.

Prerequisite:
  1. PSG250 or PSG350 or PSG270 or PSG370
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG440 - Internship (3 credit hours)
Old code/no: PSG 405 Students are placed an appropriate institution where they can apply their curricular knowledge in a practical setting. The student should spend a minimum of 150 hours at the internship site. An alternative module is for internship students to function as undergraduate research assistants within the Department of Political Science and possibly across the CHSS, through the mentorship of a researching faculty member.

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG501 - Pub. Pol. Ana.: Theory & Prac. (3 credit hours)
The multi-sector policy challenges, in the present globalized world, call for an understanding and appreciation of policy impacts of other policy process, and require the policy makers to analyze public policy issues from multiple perspectives looking across other policy sectors. Analytic and evaluation skills are important, but not enough anymore, for policy analysis. This course identifies wider governmental system and analyses the basic principles of public policy. The course examines how issues emerge, ideas are framed, priorities are established, and policy agenda are set and managed, and considers factors like the political and bureaucratic actors, the non-state actors (organizations and networks), emerging models of stakeholder analyses and engagement, etc. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG504 - New Public Man. & Gov. (3 credit hours)
This course goes beyond examining the aspects of ‘new public management’ (corporatization, privatization, managerialism, strategic planning and program management, etc.) focusing on a comprehensive analysis of the state-of-the-art of public management. The course will focus (following Osborne 2010) on theoretical perspectives on public governance, governance of inter-organizational partnerships, governance of contractual relationships, governance of inter-organizational networks, and governance of policy networks. The course will examine the issues related to meta-governance. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG505 - Research Meth. for Pol. Ana. (3 credit hours)
The course will examine the practical applications of empirical methods to real-world public policy issues focusing on designing research, collecting, analyzing, and making sense of information and data. The main objective of the course will be to help the participants comprehend the types of research that can lead to convincing policy analyses and to become proficient in dealing with (and make sense of) small as well as large sets of data. The participants will be exposed to issues likely to rise while establishing relationships among different social phenomena. The course may concentrate primarily on public program evaluation research techniques, design, and implementation. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG513 - Glob., Inte. Agen., & Pub.Pol. (3 credit hours)
The course will examine the implications of globalization and international political economy on the substantive and procedural aspects of policy making. It introduces the participants to a range of theoretical perspectives on international political economy, globalization and development. The course will examine the growth and respective impacts of international and supranational organizations on domestic public policy. The course will study the impacts of major global issues on domestic public policy, the ‘internationalization’ of domestic issues, and influence of the international and supranational organizations. Finally, the course will deal with global public policies and its making and influences on domestic public policies. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG517 - Gov., Leadership, & Pub. Man. (3 credit hours)
The main objective of this course is to examine organizational leadership issues, and organization architecture in the context of a dynamic policy environment in a globalized world in the management of the public sector. The course introduces the participants to the main functions and responsibilities of managers and leaders in public organizations, and how organizations and leadership are structured within the context of their larger social, political, and economic environments. One major objective of the course is to examine the importance of meeting the needs of the organization and that of productivity while ensuring high performance through motivated and satisfied employees. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG518 - Public Policy Design and Tools (3 credit hours)
Modern governments use varied instruments and tools to influence or control actions, events, objects, persons or relationships to achieve identified policy goals. The objective of this course is to equip students with the knowhow of designing public policies and the instruments and tools employed in the process. The course is divided into two parts. The first part addresses the process by which policies are designed both through technical analyses and through political and administrative processes. The second part allows students scope to learn why and how to use certain policy instruments and tools in given cases. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG521 - Envir. Poli. & Sust. Dev. Man. (3 credit hours)
The course is to deal with the fundamentals of environmental policy and theories of sustainable development imparting essential knowledge and skills for environmental policy making and management. Topics may include national and international regulations related to mining and petroleum, nature conservation and protected areas, water management, environmental pollution, climate change, etc. Resources from the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water and the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (and the other emirates, as and when available) will be used for professional development of the participants. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG522 - Impl.Eval.&Moni.Strat.To.&Iss. (3 credit hours)
Implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of public policies are the most important aspects of a successful public policy regime, and require a congenial organizational structure, process, and relationships. This course will deal with contemporary frameworks and techniques essential for implementing and evaluating public policy by maintaining organizational performance to achieve policy objectives. The course will enhance knowledge and skills of strategic planning, performance measurement and management, organizational structure, project management, and organizational change. The course will be studied on a comparative basis including examples, as possible, from different political entities and socio-economic contexts. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG526 - Comparative Political Inst. (3 credit hours)
Public policy does not function in vacuum, and is bound by political institutions, law, and the governmental procedures. The prime objective of the course is to provide a comprehensive and comparative understanding of the structure and relationships of the above using examples from different Western and Eastern countries. The way in which the political institutions (in a broad sense) influences and are dealt with for public sector ethics, different forms of accountability mechanisms, transparency, etc. will also be the focus of the course. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG527 - Sem. in Gov.&Pub.Pol.in UAE (3 credit hours)
This course is to give the students opportunity to pursue a supervised study and analysis of any policy area or policy related topic (approved by the instructor) and prepare seminar presentations. The course may be based on case study of one (or many) public policy arena(s) in the UAE following the basic theoretical foundation. The case study may be substituted by reviews of case study/studies or other literature (e.g. peer reviewed publications) related to UAE public policy or public service analyses. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG620 - Pub. Policy Theory& Practice (3 credit hours)
This course is designed to provide doctoral students a detailed familiarity with the context of public policy studies, including both institutions and practices. It will provide an overview of the core literature, including: intellectual bases of public policy studies, the history of public policy studies, analysis of institutional structure, and other topics. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG630 - Public Finance&Budgeting (3 credit hours)
This course provides academic immersion into public budgeting theory and research. The course requires exploration of the scholarly foundations of finance and governmental budgeting as well as past and current reform efforts. The state of the practice in public budgeting is examined for evidence of its intersection with theoretical perspective. The course presents normative and descriptive considerations of public budgeting, the scholarly bases behind various orientations to process, and the knowledge base regarding enduring issues surrounding this vital governmental process. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG635 - Global Public Policy Issues (3 credit hours)
This course will introduce students to the contemporary study of international political economy, or how politics and economics interact at the global, regional and national levels. The course will highlight the major analytical frameworks in the field of International Political Economy and how these can be applied to empirical questions concerning the structure of the global public policy issues, the sources and implications of globalization, the nature of international institutions, and national economic policy choices. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG640 - Research Methods in Pub.Policy (3 credit hours)
This research methods course on the fundamentals of qualitative and quantitative analysis that will enable students to interpret findings of social research found in leading public administration and public affairs journals. Students will be introduced to the real world of methods with assignments which reflect the true challenges of doing research: constructing a survey methods instrument, conducting ethnography in the field, learning to analyze census data, reading a Ph.D. dissertation and so on. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: Fall Spring Go To Index


PSG645 - Smnr. in Pub. Pol. Iss. inUAE (3 credit hours)
This course will examine some of the foundational policy frameworks of the Emirati Social Contract, including Health and Education policy, to determine how well they continue to achieve their stated policy objectives and identify how UAE could achieve better alignment between policy objective frameworks and outcomes. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG660 - Directed Reading (3 credit hours)
This course is the directed program designed to expose the student to a breadth of political science and public policy topics. During the course, the student will read a large volume of reference literature (at least 50 pages per day, 6 days a week for 16 weeks) from a pre-selected list determined by the course instructor. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index


PSG699 - Master Degree Thesis (3 credit hours)
The students will be required to work on primary research to complete a thesis working over two semesters. All students, at first, will have to work on a policy research design (based on the PSG 505: Research Methods for Policy Analysis) and prepare a research proposal to be approved by the student’s advisory committee (as per the Departmental/Faculty guides, as developed in future). The thesis must adhere to the minimum criteria (of length and quality) to be adopted by the Department/Faculty in future. (MA Course)

Prerequisite:
Corequisite:
Semester: All Go To Index