Legislative Affairs Course Listings
The Graduate School of Political Management offers a variety of courses covering politics, communications, and advocacy. Students should consult the GW Registrar to determine what courses are available in a given semester.
IMPORTANT NOTE: These course listings and syllabi should be used for guidance. Only order books or complete assignments based on syllabi that your professor posts on Blackboard.
6201 Politics and Public Policy
Examination of political processes that influence policy formulation, policy implementation, and the uses of policy analysis. Syllabus
6202 Legislative Politics
Theory, structure, and process of the U.S. Congress, with emphasis on member-constituency relations, individual and collective decision making, party and committee activities, executive-legislative relations, and interest-group activities.
Syllabus
6203 Executive-Legislative Relations
Political and institutional relationships between executive and legislative branches of the federal government. Syllabus
6205 Legislative Data and Analytics
Qualitative and quantitative techniques, tools, and processes used to wield data for effective decision-making in the legislative arena.
6212 Congressional Committees
Overview of the history, function, and influence of Senate and House committees in the U.S. Congress.
6217 Budgetary Politics
Examines major economics, budget, and tax issues in American politics.
6219 The American Presidency
Personalized and institutionalized aspects of the presidency, with emphasis on the politics of contemporary policymaking. Syllabus
6220 Congress and the Courts
Institutional and political relationship between the U.S. Congress and the federal courts.
6221 Executive Branch Decision Making
6222 American Political Parties and Elections
Nature and function of American political parties; organizational status, nominating and electoral politics, and role in governing. Syllabus
6223 Public Opinion and Political Socialization
Sources and dynamics of public opinion and political socialization.
6224 Interest Group Politics
Theory, structure, and activities of interest groups in American politics. Syllabus
6228 Media and Politics
Role of the media in American politics, with emphasis on television news coverage, political debates, political advertising, and their impact on the electorate.
6233 Comparative Legislatures
Selected problems of legislative theory and behavior from a comparative perspective, with particular reference to the parliamentary systems of Germany, France, and Britain.
6234 PACs and Congress
Selected problems of PAC management and their interaction with Members of Congress. Special emphasis on the laws governing PAC participation in political and policy debates. Syllabus
6235 Ethics and Congress
The role of ethics in the U.S. Congress.
6240 Special Topics in American Politics
Congress and Trade Policy Syllabus
Running and Representing: A Member's Perspective Syllabus
Legislative Writing and Research Syllabus
Advanced Legislative Procedure Syllabus
Congressional Committees Syllabus
Ethics in Congress Syllabus
Legislative Drafting
Politics of Non-Profits
Congress and National Intelligence Policy Syllabus
Congress and Security Policy Syllabus
Religion and Politics Syllabus
Managing a Congressional Office Syllabus
Race and Ethnicity in American Politics Syllabus
Congress and the Courts Syllabus
6241 Legislative Writing and Research
Using specialized databases and policy journals and communicating research findings to a sophisticated, policy-driven audience.
6242 Legislative Drafting
Introduction for non-lawyers to the process of legislative drafting in the U.S. Congress.
6243 Advanced Legislative Procedure
Detailed study of the rules, procedures, traditions, and constitutional underpinnings that govern the work of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
6244 Running and Serving in the U.S. Congress
Running for and serving in Congress from a member's perspective.
6246 Congress and U.S. Foreign Policy
The role of Congress in setting foreign policy. Syllabus
6247 Managing a Congressional Office
Practical consideration of the proper structure, organization, and management of a Congressional office.
6248 Religion and Politics
The influence of religion on politics in the United States.
6249 National Security Policy
The role of Congress in setting defense policy.
6251 Budgetary Policy
Analysis of U.S. monetary and fiscal policy.
6260 Special Topics in Domestic Policy
Recent special topics have included:
Budgetary Politics Syllabus
U.S. Health Care Policy
Congress and Telecom Policy
6261 Congress and Defense Policy
The role of Congress in U.S. defense policy.
6262 Congress and Intelligence Policy
The role of Congress in U.S. intelligence policy.
6263 Congress and Cybersecurity Policy
The role of Congress in U.S. cybersecurity policy.
6264 U.S. Energy and Environmental Policy
An overview of energy and environmental policymaking in the United States.
6266 Congress and Trade Policy
The role of Congress in setting U.S. trade policy.
6267 Congress and Healthcare Policy
The role of Congress in U.S. healthcare policy.
6270 Special Topics in Foreign Policy
Recent special topics have included:
Congress and Defense Policy Syllabus
Domestic Energy Policy Syllabus
Congress and Homeland Security Policy Syllabus
Congress and Cybersecurity Syllabus
6271 Race and Ethnicity in American Politics
The role of race and ethnicity in American politics.
6272 Congressional and Political Reforms
Contemporary political reform in the United States, both inside and outside of Congress.
6273 Congressional Oversight
Historical origins, constitutional foundation, and purpose of Congressional oversight in the U.S. government.
6281 Congress and Federalism
The role of federalism in the U.S. Congress.
6290 Independent Study
Directed readings in a topic related to Congress and public policymaking. Limited to Legislative Affairs degree candidates. Written permission of the program director required.
6298 Capstone in Legislative Affairs
Application of legislative strategies, tactics, and situational considerations to advanced political problems. This course should be taken in a student's penultimate or final term.