Examines the paradox of military power in democracies, exploring civilian-military relations and societal impacts.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025 Explore prerequisite map →
Browse all Political Science courses →
The department at a glance
All recorded grades average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
How grades break down
Grades over time
Red: department · Gray: UW–Madison
About these statistics
GPA and percentages are weighted by recorded letter grades. UW comparisons use the same terms. Cross-listed courses count once within this department and once across UW; department totals should not be added together. Grade counts are not unique students. Offering counts reflect captured records, not a complete historical schedule.
Fall 2026
Recorded this termcourses with offerings
instructors recorded
Grades have not been recorded for this term. Historical results remain in the overview above.
Find your next class
68 coursesHistorical grades cover up to five years through the selected term. Grade sorting prioritizes courses with at least 100 letter grades.
Introduction to the politics, political economy, history, and theory of European integration.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course features heavy readings and is graded primarily on four to five major assignments, including tough, heavily studied midterms and essay exams.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2024POLISCI 342 explores state-building, examining how states form, maintain power, and influence society through political, economic, and historical lenses.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2025–Fall 2025 · limited samplePOLISCI 347
Terrorism
3 creditsPOLISCI 347 examines the causes, strategies, consequences, and counterterrorism policies related to terrorism.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Andrew Kydd: Students must complete a 4000-word term paper, though they have ample time to work on it and seek help.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2024–Fall 2025POLISCI 349
Global Access to Justice
3 creditsExamines the varying roles and status of lawyers across countries and their impact on citizens' access to justice.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2024–Fall 2024 · limited samplePOLISCI 350
International Political Economy
3–4 creditsPOLISCI 350 analyzes the interaction of politics and economics in the international arena, focusing on trade, monetary, and financial relations in developed and developing economies.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Reviewers describe the workload as heavy, with one noting exams are eight-page papers and another calling them long. A third reviewer found midterms involved writing and were unclear, emphasizing the need to read and attend.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Examines the intellectual origins and evolution of American political thought from the Puritans to the Civil War.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2024–Spring 2026 · limited samplePOLISCI 369
Environmental Political Thought
3–4 creditsPOLISCI 369 examines environmental political thought paradigms and their links to social inequity and political action.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
POLISCI 372
Political Violence
3–4 creditsPOLITICAL VIOLENCE introduces the study of political violence in the modern world, examining its causes, consequences, and resolution.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
POLISCI 400
Topics in Political Science
1–4 creditsPOLISCI 400 is an umbrella course for variable credit topic courses, including summer forums and intensive sessions.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical coursework was manageable with attendance, featuring optional reading not tested on exams.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026POLISCI 401 explores current issues in Political Science as a topics course.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Erica Simmons, Jessica Weeks, Katherine Cramer: Workload varies by instructor; Erica Simmons offered minimal homework and study guides, while Jessica Weeks required extensive writing for the final. Katherine Cramer’s readings were accessible despite seeming daunting.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026POLISCI 405 examines the structure of state government and the politics of public policy-making across the fifty states.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Historical examination of American constitutional thinking regarding government powers and structures from founding to present.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Howard Schweber: Schweber’s course involves dense lectures requiring extensive note-taking and long take-home exams that demand consistent attendance.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2025POLISCI 417
The American Judicial System
3–4 creditsAn examination of the American judicial system, focusing on court structure, process, and the political impact of judicial decisions on public policy.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
A historical review from 2006 by Bert Kritzer provides a quality rating of 5, though the comment field is empty.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2023–Fall 2025POLISCI 470
The First Amendment
3–4 creditsPOLISCI 470 examines First Amendment principles, cases, and literature, focusing on historical and contemporary controversies.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course features heavy reading expectations and three major papers that require significant preparation. While some find the legal writing challenging, Fischer provides advice and availability to support student success.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2025Intensive study and research in selected problems within the constituent fields of political science.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Fall 2024POLISCI 681
Senior Honors Thesis
3–4 creditsPOLISCI 681 is a Senior Honors Thesis course focused on political science thesis research and writing.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
POLISCI 682
Senior Honors Thesis
3–4 creditsPOLISCI 682 is a senior honors thesis course focusing on political science thesis research and writing.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
A seminar for senior honors students to conceptualize, design, and write their political science thesis.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
A seminar for senior honors students to write their thesis, focusing on research design and political science issues.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026 · limited samplePOLISCI 691
Senior Thesis
3 creditsPOLISCI 691 is a senior thesis course where students write a thesis in consultation with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
POLISCI 692
Senior Thesis
3 creditsPOLISCI 692 is a senior thesis course where students write a thesis in consultation with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
POLISCI 698
Directed Study
1–4 creditsDirected study projects for juniors and seniors as arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
POLISCI 699
Directed Study
1–4 creditsPOLISCI 699 offers directed study projects for juniors and seniors arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited samplePOLISCI 800 describes major political science approaches and explores professional development and career issues.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
POLISCI 801 is a dissertation proposal research and writing seminar providing structured support and mentorship for political science doctoral students.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2022 · limited sampleAn introductory statistics course for Ph.D. students covering probability theory, inference, and multivariate least squares and maximum likelihood.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited samplePOLISCI 817 introduces empirical research methods for political inquiry, covering both quantitative and qualitative approaches.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Fall 2025 · limited samplePOLISCI 818 develops the theory of maximum likelihood estimation and applies it to models for discrete and limited dependent variables common to political and social science data.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Fall 2025 · limited samplePOLISCI 820
Experimental Methods
3 creditsPOLISCI 820 teaches experimental methods in political science, covering the logic of experimentation and how to investigate social phenomena.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Across course levels
Recorded this termNo released grades for this term.
Recorded offerings over time
Offering snapshots currently cover Fall 2026. Earlier grade records do not provide a complete offering history.