Kenneth
D.
Wald
Distinguished Professor
303 Anderson Hall
(352) 273-2391 or 392-0262
Home
Undergraduate Courses
CPO 4000 Selected Studies in Comparative Politics: Israel
Beyond the Arab-Israeli conflict, Israel faces a range of
contentious domestic issues that challenge government and
society. This
course will examine Israel’s
internal political life, focusing on the contemporary
meaning of
Zionism
and the character of the state, the search for effective
and responsive
governance, and the management of domestic cleavages over
religion,
nationality,
ethnicity, and gender. Students should be aware this is
not a course
that
deals in great detail with the Arab-Israeli conflict,
Middle East wars,
foreign policy, nor with Israel’s world role. But because
these
regional
and international forces cannot be separated completely
from Israel’s
domestic
political life, they are considered insofar as they affect
the internal
politics of the state. (May also be taken for Jewish
Studies
credit.)
POS 4291 Religion and Politics in the United States
This course is intended to acquaint students with the
significance and variability of religious influence in
contemporary
American political life. "Religion" refers not only
to formal
theological creeds but also
to the social beliefs, organizations and subcultures
associated with
various
religious communities. We examine the impact of religion
on the major
dimensions of politics in the United States. Why does
religion play
such a strong role in American political life? How does
religion affect
voting, opinion, public policy. What are the political
tendencies of
various religious groups? How does religion both enhance
and detract
from the quality of public life? (May also be taken for
Jewish Studies
credit)
CPO4727
Judaism
& Politics
As one of the oldest
civilizations on the earth, Judaism has a long if
incomplete tradition
of governance. This course explores the operation of that
tradition
over time and in several diverse contexts. There are two
central
questions to be examined: How
do Jews govern themselves (often referred to as
communal
governance)?
and
How do Jews relate to
the
political system where they live? Following a
historical survey
of the Jewish political tradition from the Biblical to the
early modern
period, we examine the contrasting political situation of
Jewry in the two primary areas of Jewish concentration
today--the
United States and Israel--as well as in the former Soviet
Union and the
United Kingdom. (May also be taken for Jewish Studies
credit)
POS 4931 Survey Research
Survey Research is designed to prepare students to conduct, analyze and assess opinion surveys and polls. Although it is open to all students, the course was developed specifically to assist students who are considering, planning or currently working on research projects with a survey component. By the end of the semester, you should be able to decide whether and when surveys are appropriate means of data collection, have a good idea of how to put together a survey, conduct basic quantitative analysis of survey data, and report the findings. The goal is also to make you aware of the pitfalls that face would-be survey researchers. This course is intended to help students prepare for writing a senior thesis under the Department Honors Program.
POS 4931 Religion and Public Policy
This course has the
purpose of equipping intelligent
citizens and
public managers with an understanding of the role of
religion in
American public policy. The course is motivated by two
major concerns.
First, as reading a local newspaper will show you, many
conflicts
between religious organizations and the state could be
avoided if
public managers understood what the law allows and
disallows regarding
religion in the public square. Second, many otherwise
well-informed
citizens are confused or unaware about the role played by
religion in
American public policy. Accordingly, the course is
organized to remedy
these problems. We will examine the law of church and
state, how
religious organizations organize to influence public
policy, and the
many domains where religion contributes to the formation
and execution
of public policy. (May be taken for Minor in Public
Leadership)
