| POSC 120-01 |
American Government
Instructor: Curtis Edmonds
Course Description:
A basic introductory course in American federal government which emphasizes its structure and operation. Special attention is given to the executive, legislative, and judicial processes.
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10:30 AM-11:20 AM, MWF
DENNY 203 |
| POSC 120-02 |
American Government
Instructor: Curtis Edmonds
Course Description:
A basic introductory course in American federal government which emphasizes its structure and operation. Special attention is given to the executive, legislative, and judicial processes.
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11:30 AM-12:20 PM, MWF
DENNY 203 |
| POSC 150-01 |
Comparative Politics
Instructor: Diego Vega
Course Description:
An introduction to comparative political analysis with applications to political systems, processes, and issues worldwide. The purpose of the course is to learn to observe political life systematically, analyze a wide range of political phenomena, and distinguish and evaluate the assumptions underlying alternative approaches to the study of politics. The course may address topics such as democratization, authoritarian challenges to democratic systems, social inequality and underdevelopment, sustainability, political corruption, human rights, and political violence.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
DENNY 104 |
| POSC 170-01 |
International Relations
Instructor: Andy Wolff
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 170-01. An introduction to global politics which examines the interaction of states, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in the world arena. Topics covered include traditional concerns such as war, balance of power, the UN and international law along with the more recent additions to the agenda of world politics such as international terrorism, human rights, and economic globalization. This course is cross-listed as INST 170.
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09:30 AM-10:20 AM, MWF
DENNY 304 |
| POSC 170-02 |
International Relations
Instructor: Rachel Jacobs
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 170-02. An introduction to global politics which examines the interaction of states, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in the world arena. Topics covered include traditional concerns such as war, balance of power, the UN and international law along with the more recent additions to the agenda of world politics such as international terrorism, human rights, and economic globalization. This course is cross-listed as INST 170.
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09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
ALTHSE 201 |
| POSC 170-03 |
International Relations
Instructor: Kristine Mitchell
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 170-03. An introduction to global politics which examines the interaction of states, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in the world arena. Topics covered include traditional concerns such as war, balance of power, the UN and international law along with the more recent additions to the agenda of world politics such as international terrorism, human rights, and economic globalization. This course is cross-listed as INST 170.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
DENNY 203 |
| POSC 180-02 |
Political Philosophy
Instructor: John Harles
Course Description:
Cross-listed with PHIL 180-02. An introduction to the history of political thought, focused on such problems as the nature of justice, the meaning of freedom, the requirements of equality, the prevalence of moral dilemmas in political life, the question of whether we ought to obey the law, and the importance of power in politics. We will also discuss how these issues continue to resonate today.This course is cross-listed as PHIL 180.
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10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
DENNY 203 |
| POSC 202-01 |
Recent Political Thought
Instructor: Toby Reiner
Course Description:
Cross-listed with PHIL 280-01. This class aims to show the breadth and vitality of the field of political theory today. It does this by deepening and broadening the account of the discipline offered in POSC 180, discussing the most important recent accounts of justice, freedom, and equality, and adding consideration of democracy, rights, power, culture, community, and cosmopolitanism. We will also explore issues of exploitation and exclusion relating to gender, class, race, and human interaction with the natural environment, and consider how recent theorists have tried to challenge these practices. The class also explores the contours of political theory as an academic field of study, considering the disciplinary contributions of fields such as philosophy, political science, international relations, legal studies, and history, and major ideologies such as liberalism, conservatism, socialism, anarchism, and feminism. Prerequisite: 180. This course is cross-listed as PHIL 280.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
DENNY 203 |
| POSC 208-01 |
Justice in World Politics
Instructor: Toby Reiner
Course Description:
Cross-listed with PHIL 285-01. An examination of how states ought to make ethical decisions about policies of global scope. Should asylum seekers and economic migrants be granted access to social services? How must states fight wars? How ought resources to be distributed between countries? We will explore the philosophical underpinnings of the arguments that have been developed in response to at least two of these questions. Prerequisite: 180. This course is cross-listed as PHIL 285.
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TF
DENNY 203 |
| POSC 220-01 |
Constitutional Law
Instructor: Stephanie Saxton
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LAWP 222-01. This course provides an overview of Constitutional Law. We will first examine the roots of the American Constitution in English common law and existing political arrangements. We will cover the different ways scholars interpret and read the Constitution, and how social movements use the Constitution. The Constitution has been interpreted to the ends of inclusion or exclusion over time, and we will be guided by questions such as the legal scholar, Dahl, asked: "How democratic is the American Constitution?" This course provides an overview of Constitutional Law. We will first examine the roots of the American Constitution in English common law and existing political arrangements. We will cover the different ways scholars interpret and read the Constitution, and how social movements use the Constitution. The Constitution has been interpreted to the ends of inclusion or exclusion over time, and we will be guided by questions such as the legal scholar, Dahl, asked: "How democratic is the American Constitution?"
Prerequisite: 120, or permission of the instructor. This course is cross-listed as LAWP 222.
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
DENNY 204 |
| POSC 233-01 |
Gender, Politics, and Policy in the U.S.
Instructor: Katie Marchetti
Course Description:
Cross-listed with WGSS 202-01. Overview of gender and politics in the United States. Examines the roles women play in the U.S. policy process, how public policies are "gendered", and how specific policies compare to feminist thinking about related issue areas. The course also discusses gender-based differences in political participation inside and outside of government.This course is cross-listed as WGSS 202. Prerequisite: 120 or AP credit equivalent.
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10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
DENNY 103 |
| POSC 239-01 |
Research Methods
Instructor: Katie Marchetti
Course Description:
Helps the student answer (in the affirmative) the question, "Is political science a science?" Students will learn how to generate and test hypotheses through creating and executing research designs. Survey research, experimentation, content analysis, participant observation, and other methodologies will be studied. Although no prior knowledge of statistics is necessary, Math 121 is helpful. This class is especially recommended for prospective graduate students in the social sciences.
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
DENNY 203
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
DENNY 112 |
| POSC 250-01 |
West European Government and Politics
Instructor: Kristine Mitchell
Course Description:
This course is an introduction to the politics of contemporary Western Europe. It provides an overview of comparative political development and examines varieties of national political structures, electoral systems, and party systems. Students will also become familiar with important contemporary political issues.
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10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
DENNY 110 |
| POSC 273-01 |
International Political Economy
Instructor: Natali Chwalisz
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 273-01. This course examines the politics of global economic relations. Specific topics discussed include: trade and protectionism, international monetary relations, foreign direct investment, global institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and World Trade Organization (WTO), regional economic integration (e.g. the European Union [EU] and North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA], economic development, and the economic emergence of China and India. The larger issue serving as the backdrop to all of this is economic globalization -- its significance, sources, and consequences. Prerequisite: 170, or permission of the instructor. This course is cross-listed as INST 273.
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09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
ALTHSE 110 |
| POSC 277-01 |
International Politics of the Middle East
Instructor: Ed Webb
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 277-01 and MEST 266-01. This course examines key factors and events in the formation of the modern Middle East state system and evolving patterns of conflict and cooperation in the region. Students will apply a range of analytical approaches to issues such as the conflicts between Arabs and Israelis, Iraq's wars since 1980, and the changing place of the region in global politics and economics. Prerequisite: one course in any of International Studies, Middle East Studies, or Political Science. This course is cross-listed as MEST 266 and INST 277.
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TF
DENNY 103 |
| POSC 280-01 |
American Foreign Policy
Instructor: Andy Wolff
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 280-01. A survey of U.S. foreign policy since World War II. American approaches to such issues as containment, detente, arms control, deterrence, international law, and foreign aid will be discussed. Students will also address issues of U.S. foreign policy formulation, including the roles of the public, Congress, and the president in the foreign policy process. Prerequisite: 170 or INST 170 or permission of the instructor. This course is cross-listed as INST 280.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
STERN 103 |
| POSC 290-01 |
Authoritarianism
Instructor: Neil Diamant
Course Description:
At the end of the Cold War in 1991, it was not uncommon to hear, in one version or another, that liberal democracy and free market capitalism not only emerged victorious in the realm of competing political ideas, but also that the political world in the near and distant future would be full of states adopting these ideas. At that time, countries such as China, Iran, Iraq, Vietnam, Cuba, Laos, and North Korea were considered outliers, that, like dinosaurs, would soon be extinct. Much has changed since then. Around the world liberal democracy is in decline, while authoritarianism, in one form or another, is both resilient where it currently exists and on the rise in places such as Hungary and the United States. More than this, authoritarian leaders insist that their political model is superior in achieving goals the public considers important, such as economic growth and the provision of public order. This course offers students a comprehensive survey of authoritarianism as a political theory and practice, in comparative perspective. Looking at cases such as China, South Korea, the USSR/Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Singapore and the United States, we will examine why certain people are inclined to support authoritarian regimes, their fundamental features, how they gain and maintain support, how they work in practice, and how they collapse, among other topics. Under what circumstances can authoritarian regimes succeed in providing security, economic growth and more equality. Why are some authoritarian regimes durable whereas others are unstable and weak? Why do some collapse, and how do their legacies influence the kinds of political regimes that emerge in the aftermath?
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
DENNY 110 |
| POSC 290-02 |
The Ukraine War & International Relations
Instructor: Russell Bova
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 290-01. By the time this class begins, it is possible that the war in Ukraine will have come to an end. Whether it has ended or not, this war has raised enduring questions about almost every big issue in the study of international relations. After an introduction to Ukraine, its recent history, its historical relationship with Russia, and its geopolitical significance, we will turn to those larger questions. What were the causes of the Ukraine war, and what does this war have to tell us about the future of war more generally? Is the "long peace" over, and is great power war becoming more likely? How stable is nuclear deterrence? Has the nuclear taboo eroded? Was the expectation that economic interdependence is an antidote to war wrong? Do economic sanctions work? In light of Ukraine, does the United Nations still have relevance? What is genocide, and has it occurred in Ukraine? Can Putin be prosecuted for war crimes? How and why do wars end? What paradigm of international relations theory best explains the Ukraine crisis? The goal will be to build on what you learned in the introductory IR class by examining both how IR concepts and theory help us to understand the Ukraine situation and how that situation might require critical rethinking of those very same concepts and theories.
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09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
DENNY 103 |
| POSC 290-03 |
Contemporary Brazilian Politics
Instructor: Diego Vega
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LALC 200-01 and PORT 380-02. This course analyzes the construction and transformation of Brazil's democracy since the end of the military dictatorship in 1985. Part of the semester is an overview of the political and social disputes affecting the country's democratic institutions during this period, using political science research associated with local expressions of political thought. The second half of the course addresses specific topics relevant to Brazil, including social and racial inequalities, environmental destruction (with a focus on the Amazon region), the role of sports in politics, and the military's interference in democratic processes.
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10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
DENNY 204 |
| POSC 290-04 |
The German Political Landscape
Instructor: Antje Pfannkuchen
Course Description:
Cross-listed with GRMN 251-01.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
KADE SEM |
| POSC 290-05 |
Global Security
Instructor: Craig Nation
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 290-04. The course offers an introduction to Security Studies as an academic field and a practical foundation for professional engagement with security affairs. The search for security is basic to all social and political interaction, but security itself is a contested concept that can be applied in different ways to individuals, states, and the global system. Traditionally, the formal study of International Security has focused on the nation-state, including territorial defense, the role of military assets in pursuit of national interests, and the struggle for power. These concerns remain vital, but in the 21st century the security challenge has broadened to include new kinds of issues and approaches. These include the alternative discourse of Human Security as well as transnational challenges such as criminal trafficking, terrorism, environmental disintegration, pandemic disease, etc. Our course will look closely at both traditional and new security challenges. We will confront the problem of global security conceptually, develop a comprehensive portrait of global security challenges, and explore ways and means available to address them.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
STERN 103 |
| POSC 290-06 |
Comparative Law
Instructor: Natali Chwalisz
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LAWP 290-05. This course introduces the field of comparative law by examining major Western legal traditions. First, we consider civil and common law. Thereafter, we will critically analyze the interaction of colonial and indigenous legal systems and explore legal pluralism. The final part of the course considers how legal institutions in democratic nations address challenges related to social polarization and democratic backsliding, analyzing differences in their legal institutions and practices (such as approaches to free speech). The course aims to provide a broad understanding of global legal systems and traditions (both Western and non-Western) and equip students with comparative analysis skills.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
DENNY 311 |
| POSC 390-01 |
Political Violence
Instructor: Rachel Jacobs
Course Description:
Permission of instructor required. This seminar is intended to improve critical thinking and analytical writing skills through the study of intra-state violence. The course will focus on the types of political violence, causes of intra-state conflict, and the reasons individuals participate in violence. The topics will focus primarily on civil war, ethnic conflict and genocide, terrorism, and revolution. The course will also emphasize the research process and the ethics (and ethical dilemmas) of conflict research. The discussions will be guided by three overarching questions: how do structural conditions shape the likelihood of political violence? What are the individual or social factors that contribute to an individual's decision to participate in violence? Why are certain strategies or types of violence used? These questions will be addressed through the readings, seminar discussions, and student research on a case of their choosing. By the end of the seminar, students should be able to ask informed questions and have the social science skills to answer those questions well. There is a heavy emphasis on writing in the course that is designed to improve students' writing and research skills, as well as learning to give constructive feedback.
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01:30 PM-04:30 PM, R
DENNY 104 |
| POSC 390-02 |
Constitutions in Comparative Contexts
Instructor: Neil Diamant
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 390-01 and LAWP 400-01. Blending law, comparative politics, religion, and history, this seminar looks at the wide variety of functions that constitutions fulfill in politics, economics, and society in democratic and nondemocratic countries. In the United States, we are accustomed to the idea that the Constitution structures political behavior by setting rules for, and limiting, executive and legislative authority. Through its Amendments, it also has provided a basis for the expansion of citizen rights. Looking at constitutions in comparative context, however, reveals a more complex story. In this class we will see that constitutions play many other roles: restructuring an economy; building, altering, and subverting democracy; legitimizing authoritarianism and providing a basis for rights litigation; teaching people about their rights and their obligations; and, through "constitutional participation," gathering intelligence on citizens' political views. We will also examine how Islamic, Buddhist, and civil law constitutional traditions do not accord constitutions the same power over politics and society that we do. Polities covered in this course include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Czechia, Ecuador, the European Union, India, Iran, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, the United States, and Venezuela.
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01:30 PM-04:30 PM, W
DENNY 303 |