Political Science Course Descriptions
Political Science 210
- Introduction to Political Behavior
Full course for one semester. This course reviews the basics of
political behavior, with a focus on rational choice and
institutional and quantitative approaches to political action. The
substantive area of interest is political participation.
Assignments include essays, analytical exercises, and examinations.
Lecture and conference.
Political Science 220
- Introduction to Comparative Politics
Full course for one semester. This course emphasizes exemplary
comparative analyses rather than a comprehensive mapping of the
world. Using the comparative method, we will explore various types
of political and social institutions (states, bureaucracies,
legislatures, federalism, parties), various approaches to their
development, and elements (class, ethnicity, gender) involved in
their operation and change. Conference.
Poilitical Science 230
- Introduction to Political Philosophy
Full course for one semester. This course takes up major ancient
and modern political thinkers, including Plato, Machiavelli, Locke,
Rousseau, and Marx, paying particular attention to changing notions
of freedom, obligation, justice, authority, rights, and legitimacy.
Conference.
Political Science 240
- Introduction to International Politics
Full course for one semester. This course introduces the study of
international relations. It examines central questions in world
politics--realism, liberalism, and radicalism--and provides a
working knowledge of world affairs. Conference.
Political Science 325
- Politics of Developing Areas
Full course for one semester. The term "developing areas"
encompasses a vast diversity of people, places, and politics. What
defines "development" and "developing areas"? How useful are these
categories for social scientists? This course is an introduction to
the politics and political economies of Latin America, India, and
sub-Saharan Africa. Throughout the semester we will follow and
discuss current events in these regions. We will briefly assess the
histories of these three areas, focusing in particular on the
experiences of colonialism and decolonization. We will then study a
range of theoretical frameworks for understanding the politics of
developing areas, and apply those theoretical insights to topics
such as: patterns of economic growth and social inequality; racism
and other forms of identity politics; and imperialism,
globalization and forms of class rule. Prerequisite: sophomore
standing.
Political Science 330
- The U.S. Congress
Full course for one semester. This course examines the development
and current state of America's preeminent political institution:
the U.S. Congress. We examine what forces operate on Congress,
internally and externally, and how it has changed and reformed
itself in response. Readings focus on current political issues
before Congress, elections, the committee system, and floor voting.
Prerequisite: Political Science 210 or one upper-division course in
economics, political science, or sociology. Conference. Not offered
2005-06.
Political Science 331
- Public Policy Analysis
Full course for one semester. This course is an introduction to the
theory and method of policy analysis. Policy analysis includes
understanding the dynamics of the processes for the inception and
development of alternative policy choices, agenda setting,
decision-making, implementation, and evaluation. In addition to
conference sessions, students will divide into policy groups formed
around substantive issues (such as crime, environment, taxation,
and education) for purposes of preparing literature reviews of
group seminar presentations. Prerequisite: Political Science 210 or
Economics 201. Conference. Not offered 2005-06.
Political Science 333
- Elections: American Style
Full course for one semester. Elections are fundamental to
democratic government, but there seem to be as many variations in
electoral institutions, party systems, and campaign styles as there
are democratic societies. In this course, we review the expansive
literature covering elections, electoral rules, and electoral
behavior in the United States. The course focuses on three main
areas. First, we review electoral institutions, including laws,
regulations, and the current state of electoral reforms. Second, we
will survey the campaign literature, likely focusing on the
presidency. Finally, we will examine individual vote choice--why
individuals choose to vote, how they integrate information from the
political environment, and how they cast their ballot. Students
should be comfortable with analytical and quantitative material,
since it comprises such a large portion of the literature in this
area. Prerequisites: Political Science 210 and one upper division
course in the social sciences. Conference.
Political Science 336
- Power and Money
Full course for one semester. What is money? How is it related to
power, freedom, and social order? What economic, political, and
psychological changes has the "money economy" brought about? This
course investigates the nature of money on a theoretical level, a
micro or individual level, and a macro (social and global) level.
We will ask questions about what money represents and how it
relates to value, exchange, and truth; how people must understand
themselves in order for the money system to function; and how money
affects the role of the state, the division of labor, the nature of
property, power, and international finance. Course readings will
span a broad range from classical to contemporary, and from
political philosophy to basic economics. Conference.
Political Science 340
- Politics of Globalization
Full course for one semester. Use of the word "globalization" has
become pervasive in both academic and policy debates. But what does
it actually mean? How new is it? What are its political, economic,
and cultural dimensions? Who and what propels it? What
counter-forces does it unleash? What forms of cooperation and
conflict does it generate? What are its implications for democracy
and the nation-state? This course explores these questions through
a critical review of competing accounts of the causes,
consequences, and significance of globalization. Contemporary
trends will be examined in historical and comparative perspective,
focusing on both the industrialized and less industrialized regions
of the world. Prerequisite: one upper-level course in political
science or sociology, or consent of the instructor. Conference. Not
offered 2005-06.
Political Science 344
- Democratization
Full course for one semester. In this course we will investigate
comparatively the process of democratization, including transitions
from authoritarian rule and the ongoing consolidation of democratic
regimes. Using a number of different theoretical and empirical
perspectives, we will ask the following questions: What competing
conceptions of democracy are there, and how can they be measured?
Why do we see the emergence of democracies in some times and places
but not others? Can a regime be "democratized" from the outside, or
is it a purely internal process? What roles do culture, the
economy, and institutions such as parties, the electoral system,
the media, the military, and courts play in this process? Why
should regimes democratize--what's in it for them or for the rest
of the world? In addressing these questions we will use empirical
cases from around the world, including current day Iraq.
Prerequisite: Political Science 220 or one upper division social
science course or consent of the instructor.
Political Science 350
- West Meets East: Contemporary European Politics and Society
Full course for one semester. Is there a united Europe? Will there
be? What are political, economic, social, and cultural consequences
of the growth of the European Union? Is there still a distinction
between Western and Eastern Europe? How does becoming European
relate to being French (or German, Hungarian, Polish)? The course
will examine European Union politics and economics; the challenges
of the integration of nation-states; the quest for regional and
cultural autonomy; the emergence (or lack) of a European identity;
and ethnic, religious and racial identities. While several cases
will be studied in depth, the perspective is comparative over time
and across Europe. In the case studies we will focus on the making
of the modern European states, political economy and development,
governance and policy-making, and representation and participation.
The course will draw on comparative politics literature on Europe
as well as introduce some influential books and films.
Prerequisite: one upper-division course in social sciences, or one
introductory course in political science, or consent of the
instructor. Conference.
Political Science 355
- Politics Between the Powers: The Politics of Eastern Europe
Full course for one semester. How are Eastern European states being
transformed by their aspirations to be European? Why did the whole
region suddenly collapse in 1989? What are the legacies of "real
existing socialism," and how did communism function for so long? Is
Eastern European political history best read as a continuous series
of jarring disjunctures and radical experiments (nation-states,
fascism, communism, liberal democracy) overlaid on the ruins of
previous systems? This course addresses these questions by
exploring political continuity and change in the region from the
installation of communist regimes after World War II, to the
social, economic, and political transformations of the 1990s, to
the recent EU enlargement. Topics include location between German,
Soviet, American, and perhaps European hegemons, national
fragmentation, and ethnic conflict; economic underdevelopment or
"backwardness"; totalitarianism, central planning, and resistance;
post-communist institutional design and democratization; and
distinguishing unique and comparable features of Eastern European
states. Prerequisite: one 200-level political science course or
consent of the instructor. Conference. Not offered 2005-06.
Political Science 357
- War: Causes, Cures, and Consequences
Full course for one semester. What is war? Why does a war start?
How can peace be created? How do wars affect political, economic,
and cultural developments in various countries? The course examines
both international and internal wars (including ethno-political and
environmental conflicts) and their relative importance at different
historic periods. The course starts with a brief historic overview
and then focuses in more detail on the wars of the twentieth
century. The course also addresses how the occurrences of wars and
their types, conduct, and outcomes influence various developments
in international and domestic systems. The course draws on readings
from international relations and comparative politics as well as
works in political philosophy and history. The approach is
comparative across time and space. Prerequisites: one 200-level
course in political science, one upper division course in social
sciences or consent of the instructor. Conference. Not offered
2005-06.
Political Science 360
- Approaches to Violence
Full course for one semester. This course examines torture as an
example of state violence, exploring different ways in which state
violence has been explained in the twentieth century. The course
will focus on specific country studies, exemplary practice, and
metaphors and representations that underlie certain analyses of
torture. Different explanatory paradigms will be considered both as
social theory--how to explain the phenomenon--as well as political
philosophy: what ought to be done? How ought torture to be
controlled? Other questions to be considered include: why does
torture persist in the twentieth century? What is cultural about
torture? What are the consequences of torture for the state, for
the public, and for torture victims? Prerequisite: completion of
two upper-division courses in one of political science,
anthropology, sociology, or history, or consent of the instructor.
Conference.
Political Science 362
- Torture and Democracy
Full course for one semester. This course examines the
interrelationship between torture and democracy, examining the
demand for torture and the supply of torture techniques. On
the demand side, the course examines the different ways the demand
for torture arises in democratic contexts and the explanations for
this demand. On the supply side, the course examines what factors
shape the transmission of torture techniques and whether democratic
life exerts any independent effect on the kinds of techniques that
are used. Central questions include: How does torture appear in
democracies in the past and present? How do states organize and
regulate torture? How do torture techniques spread? How does
torture work? Prerequisite: completion of two upper division
courses in one of political science, anthropology, sociology, or
history, or consent of the instructor.
Political Science 369
- Iran and American Social Science
Full course for one semester. This course is not a history of
modern Iran--rather it surveys how American social scientists have
studied Iran in the context of comparative politics, the frameworks
they have used, and how Iran has constantly emerged as a deviant
case. Behind these encounters of social scientists with Iran lies
the problem of Iranian exceptionalism (how Iran keeps offering
exceptions to standard social scientific theses) and the nature of
social scientific investigation (how can we conduct research in a
way to test for our own blinders?). The course then uses the case
of Iran to explore the nature of theory building, comparative
method, and the nature of doing social science. Familiarity with
modernization theory, structural functionalism, structuralism,
class analysis, and comparative method is strongly recommended.
Prerequisite: Political Science 210, 220 or 240; or Religion 155 or
consent of the instructor. Conference.
Political Science 373
- Global Ecological Politics
Full course for one semester. What conceptual framework can we use
to analyze ecological issues in today's world? Do we as human
beings have responsibility toward the environment? What impact does
globalization have on environment? How do political and economic
development of societies influence and, how are they influenced by
the changes in the environment? How do ecological issues
affect conflict and cooperation between and within states? In an
attempt to shed light on these questions, the course examines the
dominant social paradigm and the ecological security paradigm and
applies these frameworks to analyze demographic factors (population
growth, migration, the ecology of mega-cities); natural resources
(energy supply, world food problems); the problems of global
commons (ozone layer depletion, global warming); the dangers of
microorganisms (diseases, vanishing species); the role of
technology; and the plausibility of sustainable development.
Prerequisite: one upper division course in social sciences or
history or consent of the instructor. Conference.
Political Science 377
- Public Opinion and Democracy
Full course for one semester. This course broadly examines the role
of public opinion in modern American politics. Topics include the
capacities of the mass public, sources and uses of political
information, and public opinion on areas such as race, democratic
norms and values, and trust in government. Much of the material is
quantitative in nature. Prerequisites: one 200-level political
science course and a course in statistics. Conference.
Political Science 380
- International Law
Full course for one semester. This course will examine theories and
empirical cases regarding international law. We will first examine
the sources of international law, participants in the international
legal processes (including in-depth study of international and
regional organizations such as the United Nations, European Union,
and international financial institutions), implementation and
compliance with international law, and international legal
structures. We will then focus on specific parts of international
law dealing with the regulation of the use of force, the protection
of individual rights, the protection of the environment, and
management of the global commons. Prerequisite: one 200-level
political science course, or one upper-division course in the
social sciences, or consent of the instructor. Conference.
Political Science 381
- Constitutional Law and Judicial Politics
Full course for one semester. This course is an examination of the
politics of the judicial process and the constitutional foundations
of American democracy. The process of Supreme Court
decision-making, the constitutional structure of the separation of
powers, and the nature of American federalism will be examined in
detail. Prerequisite: Political Science 210. Conference.
Political Science 382
- Civil Rights and Liberties
Full course for one semester. This course is a topical study of the
development of civil rights and liberties in the United States,
principally through interpretation of the Bill of Rights and the
Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Topics include due
process, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, equal
protection of privacy, citizenship, reapportionment, and voting
rights. Prerequisite: Political Science 381. Political Science 383
may be substituted with consent of the instructor. Conference. Not
offered 2005-06.
Political Science 383
- Systems of Justice
Full course for one semester. This course will focus on criminal
justice systems from philosophical and policy perspectives. Topics
include theoretical system justifications (deterrence, just
desserts, rehabilitation, incapacitation) and decision-making in
pretrial processes, advocacy (prosecution and defense), sentencing,
and corrections and parole. Special topics such as gangs and drugs
will be included, but will vary. Conference. Not offered 2005-06.
Political Science 384
- Rights in Comparative Perspective
Full course for one semester. This course develops a critical
comparison of U.S. constitutional rights and international human
rights. Our approach is multifaceted but it concentrates on the
case study method central in traditional legal analysis. We compare
the rights systems of the U.S. constitution and the rights system
operative via the Universal Declaration and its covenants, in light
of exemplary cases in other national jurisdictions. Reflection on
the philosophical justification of rights is essential to the
criticism of rights systems. The premise of our course is that such
reflection can be fruitfully carried out by analyzing substantive
issues of contemporary salience in the politics of rights, such as
national self-determination, religious freedom, racial equality,
gender justice, genocide and other crimes against humanity,
economic development and social welfare. Prerequisite: one
200-level political science course, or one course philosophy,
history or the social sciences, or consent of the instructor.
Conference. Not offered 2005-06.
Political Science 385
- Transitional Justice
Full course for one semester. Post-authoritarian democracies
inherit, among other things, a history of extensive human rights
violations. What is the best way to prosecute such violations? Is
this a matter for the world, in the form of an international
criminal court, or one best left to a nation? And what policy would
be best: trial, bureaucratic purges, general amnesty, or
commissions of truth and reconciliation? This course will focus on
post–World War II democracies in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and
Africa. It will examine comparatively the strengths and weaknesses
of these different policies. Prerequisite: two completed
upper-division courses from one of the following: political
science, sociology, anthropology, history, philosophy; or consent
of the instructor. Conference.
Political Science 389
- Reason, Justice, and Peace
Full course for one semester. The focus in this course is Rawls's
work: Two Concepts of Rules: A Theory of Justice, Justice
as Fairness: A Restatement, and The Law of Peoples,
contextualized systematically by reference to some great
predecessors–Plato, Hobbes and Kant–and compared to the leading
competing neo-Kantian visions of Habermas–The Theory of
Communicative Action, Between Facts and Norms, and
Kant's Perpetual Peace With Two Hundred Years' Hindsight. Is
either of these two influential variants of Kantian political
philosophy correct? Which is more persuasive? Nietzche, Schmitt,
Strauss, Foucault and MacIntyre are considered to problematize the
Kantian starting points. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Conference.
Political Science 390
- Machiavelli
Full course for one semester. This course will examine
Machiavelli's political works. Perhaps the overriding question
about Machiavelli is what is relevant about Machiavelli to modern
times. What, in other words, is Machiavelli's enduring significance
as a political theorist? Perhaps the answer to this is ‘not much’,
or perhaps it is ‘everything’. To answer this question, we will
take up more discrete questions: what is Machiavelli's view of the
place of politics in human endeavor? What were his intentions in
writing as he did; that is, what is his method? And how are we to
understand the central concepts of his work: glory, fortune,
liberty, and state? Prerequisites: Political Science 230 or
Humanities 220. Conference.
Political Science 392
- Democratic Theory
Full course for one semester. This course compares and contrasts
philosophical and rational choice accounts of democracy, looking at
empirical evidence of how democracy functions, primarily in the
United States. Our study will include the following questions: What
is a democracy? What distinguishes democracy from other forms of
government? Why should we prefer democracy? Is democracy a set of
procedural rules or is it a substantive way of life? What limits
are there to democratic governance in a complex society, and how do
"rules of the game" make democracy work? Is there evidence that
citizens can fulfill the expectations placed on them by democratic
theory? We will look at classical writings that answer these
questions, as well as contemporary analytical and empirical
responses. Prerequisite: Political Science 210 or 230. Conference.
Not offered 2005-06.
Political Science 395
- Theories of Power, Freedom, and Justice
Full course for one semester. This course surveys major reflections
on three interrelated fundamental political concepts--power,
freedom and justice. We make some reference for grounding to
classical authors such as Plato, Aquinas, Hobbes, and Marx. Course
materials are drawn primarily from twentieth-century social theory
and contemporary political philosophy. We critically analyze the
controversy over negative and positive freedom (MacCallum, Taylor,
Flathman, Skinner), the literature on the multiple faces of power
and their various forms of operation (Dahl, Lukes, Poulantzas,
Foucault), and central issues in the theory of distributive justice
(Rawls, Sen, G.A. Cohen, Dworkin, van Parijs). Prerequisite: one
200-level political science course or consent of the instructor.
Conference. Not offered 2005-06.
Political Science 400
- The Idea of the State
Full course for one semester. This course is a study of the
metaphysics of the state. The focus will be on three basic
problems: the problem of consent (to what extent is the authority
of the state independent of individual volitional acts?), the
problem of toleration (is mutual indifference compatible with the
ethical nature of the social order?), and the problem of democracy
(does citizenship require a system of ruling and being ruled in
turn?). In each case, the fundamental claims of modern politics
(Rawls, Raz, Taylor, Walzer) will be assessed in the light of
emergent conceptions of human action (Bourdieu, Gadamer, Habermas,
Oakeshott). Conference. Not offered 2005-06.
Political Science 403
- Hegel and Marx
Full course for one semester. This course examines the principal
political writings of Hegel and Marx. Much emphasis will be placed
on Hegel’s Philosophy of Right and its conceptual and
historical foundations. Readings from Marx will include Critique
of Hegel's Philosophy of Right, Paris Manuscripts,
Theses on Feuerbach, German Ideology, Capital,
and Critique of the Gotha Program. Contemporary ideas on the
question of Hegel and Marx will be traced in various writings,
including those of Habermas and Althusser. Conference.
Political Science 420
- The Demise of Liberalism
Full course for one semester. Recent events in American politics
have called into question the post-World War II consensus on the
proper role of government. Some argue that American citizens have
an enduring suspicion and distrust of centralized government and
large social institutions. By this account, the growth in American
liberalism over the past 50 years was an anomaly. Others argue that
the reaction against liberalism is just a short-term consequence of
failed policies in the Great Society, Vietnam, and a
hyper-democratic opening of the system in the 1970s. In this
course, we will examine whether liberalism really is in decline,
and if so, the possible reasons behind it. We will survey
literatures from public opinion, public choice and economics, the
presidency, and bureaucracy. This course is an advanced treatment
of topics raised in Political Science 377 and 392. Prerequisite:
junior or senior standing in the humanities or the social sciences
and one upper division political science course or consent of the
instructor. Conference.
Political Science 470
- Thesis
Full course for one year.
Political Science 481
- Independent Reading
One-half or full course for one semester. Prerequisite: junior or
senior standing and approval of instructor and division.
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