The 2000 presidential election that caused a national stir has sparked an idea for an ISU political science course that will be offered next semester.

The two-credit class, “Presidential Election 2000: The Implications for Democratic Theory,” will cover the election and its lasting effect on politics in the United States. Steffen Schmidt, university professor of political science, and Richard Mansbach, professor of political science, will teach the course.

“This election has shown us a lot about the democratic process in America,” Schmidt said.

The eight-week course is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays, and it will be open to 200 students.

The course number, Political Science 312, is identified as a minicourse class that was established in anticipation of political events that could be covered in the course, Mansbach said.

“This election is interesting because it has argued about almost every issue that our founding fathers discussed,” he said. “It is taught in different classes, but this is a live example.”

The professors expect to bring in speakers to discuss different aspects of the election.

“It is going to be a very differently taught class,” Mansbach said. “Schmidt and I our going to be emcee for the class with panels and debates. We are trying to get a variety of speakers, such as politicians and faculty debates, and there will be some surprises along the way.”

The class will have relatively light textbook reading and some reading from the Internet, Mansbach said.

Schmidt is the host for the local National Public Radio program “Dr. Politics,” and he teaches classes in American politics and cyberpolitics.

Mansbach teaches courses in international political theory, international security and identity politics.

To sign up for the course, students should obtain an add slip and use reference number 8810005.