William Niemi
William L. Niemi Professor of Politics and Government. B.A., University of California-Santa Cruz; M.A., University of California-Santa Barbara; Ph.D., University of California-Los Angeles. Taylor Hall 306-F; 970.943.7078; wniemi@western.edu
Dr. Niemi has been at Western State College of Colorado for ten years. He is currently serving as Chair for the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences.
Professor Niemi's scholarship is primarily in the area of political theory and is focused on questions about democratic theory and democracy's historical development. Where does democracy come from and why did it come about? How is it justified? What are the most important citizen and institutional practices for a successful democracy and why? What are the main arguments of the critics of democracy and how tenable are such criticisms?
Professor Niemi's teaching interests are in the areas of history of political thought and constitutional law. Professor Niemi is also the pre-law advisor at Western.
Courses Taught:
POLS 117: Introduction to Political Ideas
POLS 300: Constitutional Law I
POLS 309: Political Theory I: Ancient to Early Modern
POLS 310: Political Theory II: Late Modern and Contemporary
POLS 376: American Political Thought I: From Puritans to Slaveholders
POLS 476: American Political Thought II: American Capitalism and Democracy
POLS 485: Studies in Political Theory
Updated 08/2007