Political Science -- 2006-07 Courses @ Chicago

Courses

Courses for 2009-2010

The University uses a five-digit course numbering system. Courses whose first digit is less than "3" are considered College-level courses. Those courses whose first digit is "3" or higher are considered graduate-level. In general, College courses whose first digit is "1" are considered to be introductory or meeting first-year general education requirements.

Boldface letters in parentheses refer to the course distribution areas. (A) Theory; (B) U.S. Politics; (C) Comparative Politics; (D) International Relations; (E) Methodology.

To find the timeschedule for courses currently being taught, please follow the link on the menu.

Please note: Courses and descriptions subject to change.

Winter 2010

20310. The Passions in Modern Political and Ethical Thought. The passions have long been a concern for political and ethical thought, not least because private desires and unrest can inspire civil strife. In response to the passions' threat of disorder, many philosophers and contemporary theorists have insisted that reason must always "hold the reins of government" in both individuals and political communities. This course explores modern discourses on the passions that challenge the adequacy of this image of reason's constant rule and its role in politics and ethics. We shall consider how passions shape political life, their relationship to knowledge, judgment, and action, as well as the significance of embodiment for ethics and politics. Readings include texts by Descartes, Spinoza, Rousseau, Whitman, and Nietzsche, along with secondary sources that place their accounts of the passions in conversation with debates in contemporary political theory. S. Johnson. Winter. (A)

20410. Oil and International Security. This course examines how oil has shaped great power politics from the early twentieth century to the present. It discusses the role oil played in the conduct of both World Wars, international security competition in the twentieth century, and American grand strategy from 1945-2001. It then considers contemporary oil-related issues such as the renewal of great power rivalry in the Middle East and the Caspian Basin, the specter of conflict over declining global oil reserves, and the possibility that Russia and other energy exporters could use the "oil weapon" as an instrument of political blackmail. These and other topics are examined through numerous theoretical lenses, including theories of resource conflict, economic interdependence, and political coercion. R. Kelanic. Winter. (D)

21810/39000. Global Justice. (= HMRT 39000) Enrollment limited to 15. Undergraduates by consent. What duties do states and societies have beyond their borders? Are obligations of justice global in scope? What is the moral standing of states? This course will examine theories of global distributive and political justice, controversies over cosmopolitan democracy, and theories of human rights, in light of global social structures and international inequalities. We will consider contemporary arguments in political philosophy, sometimes in conversation with texts in the history of political thought. Authors will include Immanuel Kant, John Rawls, Thomas Pogge, Amartya Sen, Thomas Nagel, Iris Marion Young. J. Pitts. Winter. (A)

23100/53100. Democracy and the Information Technology Revolution. The revolution in information technologies has serious implications for democratic societies. We concentrate, though not exclusively, on the United States. We look at which populations have the most access to technology-based information sources (the digital divide), and how individual and group identities are being forged online. We ask how is the responsiveness of government being affected, and how representative is the online community. Severe conflict over the tension between national security and individual privacy rights in the U.S., United Kingdom and Ireland will be explored as well. We analyze both modern works (such as those by Turkle and Gilder) and the work of modern democratic theorists (such as Habermas). M. Dawson. Winter. (B)

23801/33801. The Political Thought of Martin Delany. An intensive examination of the political thought of Martin Delany as it evolved through his defense of emigrationism, his involvement with the Freedman's Bureau, and his participation in South Carolina politics after the Civil War. Readings will include Delany's major writings - The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States, The Political Destiny of the Colored Race on the American Contintent, his novel, Blake, and The Origin of Races and Color - as well as some of his shorter pieces and correspondence. We will give particular attention to Delany's analysis of racial oppression, as well as to his treatment of the themes of suffrage, self-government and political solidarity. R. Gooding-Williams. Winter. (A)

26100. To Hell with the Enlightenment: The Rise of the Aesthetic State. This course's aims are twofold: (1) to introduce the student to some of the writings attacking the Enlightenment in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; and (2) show how these writings created a concept of political modernism and a theory of the aesthetic state. Among others, we read Schiller, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Croce, Mead, Mussolini, and A. Rosenberg. B. Silberman. Winter. (A)

26109/36109. Core Values of the West. PQ: For undergraduates, prior completion of Western Civ sequence. This course will examine the fundamental values of liberal Western democracies, including freedom of speech and religion, equality under law, individual autonomy, religious toleration, and property rights, among others. We will consider what these values mean, their historical origins and development, and debates about them in theory and in practice. The class will be divided between lectures, which present each topic, and discussions. C. Lipson. Winter. (A)

27301/37301. Weimar Political Theology: Schmitt and Strauss. PQ: By consent only. This course is devoted to the idea of "political theology" during the interwar period in 20th century Central Europe. We will focus specifically on the writings of and the intellectual exchange between Carl Schmitt and Leo Strauss, two authors who considered the extent to which both serious intellectual endeavors and political authority require extra-rational and transcendent foundations. Students are expected to come to the first session having read Schmitt's Political Theology in its entirety. J. McCormick. Winter. (A)

27500/37500. Organizational Decision Making. This course examines the process of decision making in modern, complex organizations (e.g., universities, schools, hospitals, business firms, public bureaucracies). We also consider the impact of information, power, resources, organizational structure, and the environment, as well as alternative models of choice. J. Padgett. Winter. (B)

27600/37600. War and the Nation-State. (=LLSO 26500) The aim of this course is to examine the phenomenon of war in its broader socio-economic context during the years between the emergence of the modern nation-state in the late 1700s and the end of World War II. J. Mearsheimer. Winter. (D)

27815. Politics and Public Policy in China. This course offers a historical and thematic survey of Chinese politics in the twentieth century. Particular attention is given to the formation of the party-state, the imposition of central planning, the Great Leap forward, the Cultural Revolution, reform and liberalization, and China's role in the world in the post-cold war era. The discussion is framed in terms that allow comparison with other countries. D. Yang. Winter. (C)

28100. Russian Politics. One of the major world powers, Russia commands a nuclear arsenal and vast energy reserves. This course will help you understand Russia’s political development which is inextricable from the country’s history and economy. After reviewing some milestones in Soviet history, we shall focus on the developments since the fall of the ‘evil empire.’ Political institutions, economy, foreign policy, and social change will all receive some attention. S. Markus. Winter. (C)

28615. Politics and Human Nature. PQ: Third- or fourth-year standing. Class limited to fifteen students. This course explores commonalities among psychoanalytic theory, Buddhism, and studies of emotions and brain physiology, particularly as they relate to questions of the self and political life. In addition to exploring each of these theories, we investigate particular questions (e.g., inevitability of conflict, dynamics of obedience and authority, emotional power of ideology, and non-Western understandings of human consciousness). E. Oliver. Winter. (A)

28800/48800. Introduction to Constitutional Law. (=LLSO 23900) This course is an introduction to the constitutional doctrines and political role of the U.S. Supreme Court, focusing on its evolving constitutional priorities and its response to basic governmental and political problems, including maintenance of the federal system, promotion of economic welfare, and protection of individual and minority rights. G. Rosenberg. Winter. (B)

29700. Independent Study. PQ: Consent of faculty supervisor and program chair. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. This is a general reading and research course for independent study not related to the B.A. thesis or B.A. research. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.

29800. B.A. Colloquium. PQ: Required of fourth-year students who are majoring in political science majors and plan to write a B.A. thesis. Students participate in both Autumn and Winter Quarters but register only once (in either Autumn or Winter Quarter). PLSC 29800 counts as a single course and a single grade is reported in Winter Quarter. The colloquium is designed to help students carry out their B.A. thesis research and offer feedback on their progress. The class meets weekly in Autumn Quarter and every other week in Winter Quarter. Autumn, Winter.

29900. B.A. Thesis Supervision. PQ: Required of fourth-year students who are majoring in political science majors and plan to write a B.A. thesis. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. This is a reading and research course for independent study related to B.A. research and B.A. thesis preparation. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.

30300. Survey of American Politics. A survey of some of the main themes, topics and approaches in the study of American politics and government. B. Sinclair. Winter. (B)

31400. Political Economy of Weakly Institutionalized Settings. D. Snidal. Winter. (D)

34700. Political Economy of China. This course offers a set of tools for analyzing Chinese economic development and reforms. Our focus will be on how economic and political institutions have changed and how those changes affect the behavior of citizens, consumers, and businesses. We seek to understand the patterns of institutional transformation by examining legacies of the past, political and economic campaigns, leadership transitions, as well as China's integration with the world economy. Topics covered include reforms in industrial governance, financial supervision, market regulation, and state-business relations; variations across regions and industrial sectors; the integration of Hong Kong into China; Taiwan and China; and China's international trade strategy. All major topics are examined with a view to their international implications. D. Yang. Winter. (C)

35000. Race and Politics in the US. Fundamentally, this course is meant to explore how race, both historically and currently, influences politics in the United States. For example, is there something unique about the politics of African Americans? Does the idea and lived experience of whiteness shape one's political behavior? Throughout the quarter, students interrogate the way scholars, primarily in the field of American politics, have ignored, conceptualized, measured, modeled, and sometimes fully engaged the concept of race. We examine the multiple manifestations of race in the political domain, both as it functions alone and as it intersects with other identities such as gender, class, and sexuality. C. Cohen. Winter. (B)

37000. U.S. Courts as Political Institutions. (=LAWS 51300) PQ: MANDATORY preliminary meeting on Monday, November 9, 12:15 pm, Law School Seminar Room D. Students who don’t attend this meeting will not be admitted to the seminar. An examination of the ways in which United States courts interact with the broader political system. Questions include: How do the procedures, structures, and organization of the courts affect judicial outcomes? Are there interests that courts are particularly prone to support? What effect does congressional or executive impact, including judicial selection, have on court decisions? What are the difficulties with implementation of judicial decisions? G. Rosenberg. Winter. (B)

40400. Business and State. Graduate level seminar on institutional intersections of business and state and the political role of business. How do firms articulate their agenda in the political arena? How many varieties of capitalism are there? We will also discuss corporate governance, property rights, corruption, and other topics. Examples will be drawn from diverse regional settings. S. Markus. Winter. (C)

41501. Foundations of Realism. J. Measheimer. Winter. (D)

41800. Causal Inference. B. Sinclair. Winter. (E)

42801. Empire and International Justice. Many modern European political thinkers sought to shape and were deeply influenced by political controversies over Europe's relations with the rest of the world. What understandings of freedom, accounts of human nature, and theories of human diversity were more likely to generate support for-or attacks upon-slavery, conquest, trading companies, and empire? What were the range of theoretical arguments about universal morality; the meaning, worth, and location of "civilization"; and the value of cultural diversity that were elaborated by thinkers who sought to emancipate and defend-or to enslave and subject-those who were deemed foreign? We will also examine the legacies of such writings for contemporary thinking about universal moral and political principles, cultural pluralism, and international justice. S. Muthu. Winter. (A)

43700. Comparative Historical Analysis. This graduate seminar critically considers the theoretical impact and methodological rigor of Comparative Historical Analysis in political science and sociology. Studies in this tradition employ a variety of research methods and address a wide array of political and sociological questions. Yet its practitioners are "united by a commitment to offering historically grounded explanations of large-scale and substantively important outcomes." In the first few weeks of the course, we consider how and whether such historically specific arguments advance the quest for broad causal generalization in the social sciences. In the remainder, we read and critically assess major works on contentious politics, the state, political parties, and democratization. Students will be strongly encouraged throughout the quarter to draw lessons for their own dissertation research designs. D. Slater. Winter. (E)

44010. Social Criticism as Literary Practice. (= MAPS 44000, SOSC 34000) Recent work on social criticism has emphasized the unique advantages of a more literary or novelistic approach. Complex moral questions are thereby better contextualized, sociohistorically and psychologically; they are more easily connected to ideas of moral character; they allow the reader to evaluate practical judgments made in the thick of moral experience; and they are presented in ways thought to be more accessible and philosophically encouraging than the more technical and abstract analytic treatise. This seminar will combine the meta-textual analyses of Richard Rorty, Martha Nussbaum, and other contemporary philosophers with an earlier literary corpus that aimed for just that transformative effect: the mordantly funny, challenging, and novelistic social criticism of Voltaire, Diderot, and Rousseau. C. Cyrenne. Winter.

44110. The Politics of Value Pluralism. (= MAPS 44100,SOSC 34100) The idea that our moral commitments may be irreducibly plural, conflicting, and incapable of rational arbitration has attracted a large and increasing attention among political theorists and philosophers. If true, this "value pluralism" raises significant challenges for both the practice of politics and the normative foundations of political authority. How can we engage our fellow citizens rationally, for example, if we do not share their moral assumptions, aims, or evidentiary authorities? What room is left for normative arguments from consent, if we no longer assume that diverse persons thereby express the same moral commitment to autonomy or individual integrity? This seminar will ask what value pluralism really means, what evidence we have for it, and what consequences it entails for a liberal politics. C. Cyrenne. Winter.

45010. Social Theory and the Economy. This course surveys social theoretic writing on the boundaries and character of economic process. Topics include theories of reflexivity and agency, recombinant organizational forms, and alternative forms of governance. G. Herrigel. Winter. (C)

45510. Political Machines. Undergraduates with permission. J. Grynaviski. Winter. (B)

48400. Workshop on International Security Policy. This workshop aims to provide interested members of the Chicago community with an opportunity to meet and discuss a wide range of international security topics. Special emphasis will be placed on looking at important policy issues that lend themselves to social science research. Relevant topics include: 1) NATO expansion, 2) America's grand strategy after the Cold War, 3) the rise of China, 4) nuclear proliferation, 5) the state of Russia's military, and 6) stability in the Persian Gulf. Speakers will include policymakers, as well as scholars and graduate students doing policy-relevant research. J. Mearsheimer, R. Pape.

52000. Political Theory Workshop. (=SCTH 52000) The workshop is a forum for the presentation of new research in all varieties of political theory and political philosophy, including work in the history of political thought; contributions to normative political philosophy; theoretical engagements with problems in contemporary politics and public policy; and theoretical reflection on fundamental political concepts or phenomena. Our weekly seminars include presentations of work in progress by graduate students, as well as University of Chicago faculty, faculty at other Chicago-area institutions, and a small number of invited guests from around the country. Graduate students serve as discussants for all presentations. The Workshop subscribes to no particular methodology or political ideology, and welcomes participants from all departments and disciplines. Staff.

52402. Florentine Political Thought. This course is devoted to selected works of Niccolò Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini, studied in light of the political history of their native city, the Florentine Republic. We may also consider writings by Machiavelli's and Guicciardini's intellectual predecessors, and contemporary historical studies of Florentine republicanism. Themes to be explored include: the relationship between the person and the polity; the compatibility of moral and political virtue; the utility of class conflict; the advantages of mixed institutions; the principles of self-government, deliberation, and participation; the meaning of liberty and the question of military conquest. J. McCormick. Winter. (A)

54500. Workshop on American Politics. The workshop is a forum for students and faculty to present and discuss research in all areas of U.S. politics. On a regular basis, the workshop also features speakers from other universities. Through presentations and critical discussion, workshop participants are exposed to emerging work in the field. J. Brehm.

54600. Workshop on East Asia. (=ECON 57100) This workshop focuses on current social science research on East Asian societies, including the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. Presentations are by university faculty and advanced graduate students who conduct research on these societies, throughout the social science disciplines. Two to three outside speakers are hosted each quarter. W. Parish, D. Zhao.

55300. Workshop on Political Economy. The Workshop in Political Economy is organized around rational choice and game theoretic approaches to the study of politics and economies, broadly construed. Workshop topics include positive analysis of political, economic and social behavior, as well as normative models of public choice, experimental tests and philosophical critiques. We also expect some of the work presented to focus on empirical and policy applications of political economy models. Thus the workshop is inherently interdisciplinary - combining economic methodology with political science questions, and building political considerations into economic analysis. Workshop sessions will apply these combinations to a broad range of social science issues and substantive topics. S. Gailmard, J. Grynaviski, R. Myerson, D. Snidal.

55500. Workshop on Comparative Politics. This workshop invites scholars whose work is historical, sociological, anthropological, and political to cultivate a forum that is highly interdisciplinary in nature. We have addressed issues such as state building, democratic theory, economic policy, the welfare state, and cultural cleavages in past years. We invite graduate students with area expertise to raise theoretical issues about their data and interpretations that would be of interest to a wider circle of social scientists. As in the past, there will be no particular geographic or temporal focus in the workshop. L Wedeen, D. Slater.

57200. Social Networks. This seminar explores the sociological utility of the network as a unit of analysis. How do the patterns of social ties in which individuals are embedded differentially affect their ability to cope with crises, their decisions to move or change jobs, their eagerness to adopt new attitudes and behaviors? The seminar group will consider (a) how the network differs from other units of analysis, (b) structural properties of networks, consequences of flows (or content) in network ties, and (c) dynamics of those ties. J. Padgett. Winter. (E)

59500. Workshop on International Relations. Part of the Program on International Politics, Economics, and Security (PIPES), this is a yearlong workshop for advanced graduate students engaged in their own research projects in international relations. PIPES meetings provide a forum for advanced graduate students, university faculty, and outside guests to present their research. Topics include the full range of international politics and theory, including political economy, security studies, foreign policy, international law and organizations, international environmental issues, critical international relations theory, and a wide variety of regional issues. This work is methodologically diverse, encompassing historical research, mathematical modeling, quantitative studies, and interpretive approaches. C. Lipson, D. Snidal.

Spring 2010

20510. Human Rights Theory. J. Dobard. Spring. (A)

20710. Comparative Politics of 20th Century Latin America. J. Ibarra del Cueto, E. Simmons. Spring. (C)

220020/42020. Chinese Foreign Policy. PQ: Undergraduates by consent. This course examines the rise of China and its global implications from both historical and theoretical perspectives. It reviews China's interactions with the world in the past century and places China's rise in its global context. It engages contending theories about whether China will become a responsible stakeholder or challenge the existing global order. Special attention is given to the relationship between the United States and China. D. Yang. Spring. (D)

22400. Public Opinion. (=LLSO 26802) What is the relationship between the mass citizenry and government in the United States? Does the public meet the conditions for a functioning democratic polity? This course considers the origins of mass opinion about politics and public policy, including the role of core values and beliefs, information, expectations about political actors, the mass media, economic self-interest, and racial attitudes. This course also examines problems of political representation, from the level of political elites communicating with constituents, and from the possibility of aggregate representation. J. Brehm. Spring. (B)

22820/32820. Political Economy of Elections. This course investigates how the economy and elections interact with each other in theory and practice. The course begins by asking two central questions -- how elections affect the economy and how the economy affects election outcomes -- in light of a political economy perspective. Students learn how economic conditions affect voters' choices in elections and how the expectations of these effects lead politicians to certain policy choices. This course further explores how different electoral institutions shape different economic outcomes by looking at their differential effects on the choices of voters, politicians, and economic actors. J. Park. Spring. (C)

22900. The Theory and Practice of International Cooperation. Cooperation is often difficult but it is nevertheless a central element of international politics. This course develops the theory of international cooperation moving from basic assumptions about international politics through the role of international institutions and the limitations of the analysis. Coursework will require students to apply the theory by analyzing the development (or failure) of international cooperation in some international issue area. D. Snidal. Spring. (D)

23609. Black Feminist Thought and Politics. C. Cohen. Spring. (A)

25300. American Political Parties. This course introduces the nature and function of American political parties. We concentrate on two main themes. First, we explore the origins of the American party system. Topics include the origin of America's ambivalence toward political parties, the emergence of parties in the United States, and the institutional foundations of America's two-party system. Second, we investigate the role that political parties play as intermediary institutions between the public and their elected officials. Our studies focus on the role of political parties in the organization of elections and the government. More advanced topics include political realignments, divided government, and the decline of parties hypothesis. J. Grynaviski. Spring. (B)

25610. Authority, Obligation, and Dissent. What is the basis of political authority? What, if anything, makes it legitimate? Under what conditions are we obliged to follow the laws and orders of government authorities? Under what conditions can we legitimately disobey such laws or orders, or even engage in violent rebellion? How have some of the most influential political thinkers answered such questions historically and which of their theories are most helpful for illuminating these issues for us today? Readings include classic writings by Plato, Hobbes, Locke, Burke, Paine, Kant, Thoreau, Gandhi, Fanon, and Martin Luther King, Jr. S. Muthu. Spring. (A)

26610. Political Communication Networks. (= LLSO 20911) The focus of this course is to examine empirical evidence to determine if an individual's social context has the ability to impact her political behavior. We examine two major questions: to what extent do we observe correlation between individuals' actions and those within a social framework and to what extent may we identify a causal relationship between the political behavior of the social group and the individual. Specific readings are drawn from collective action problems, information flow within networks, network formation, and the extent to which we can observe respondents' voting behaviors that are consistent with their discussants' surveys or field experiments. B. Sinclair. Spring. (B)

28109/38109. Burke's Political Thought. J. Pitts. Spring. (A)

28300. Seminar on Realism. The aim of this course is to introduce the realist paradigm of international relations. J. Mearsheimer. Spring. (D)

28900/39900. Strategy. This course covers American national security policy in the post-cold war world, especially the principal issues of military strategy that are likely to face the United States in the next decade. The course is structured in five parts: (1) examining the key changes in strategic environment since 1990, (2) looking at the effects of multipolarity on American grand strategy and basic national goals, (3) focusing on nuclear strategy, (4) examining conventional strategy, and (5) discussing the future of war and peace in the Pacific Rim. R. Pape. Spring. (D)

29200. Civil Rights/Civil Liberties. (=LLSO 24000) PQ: PLSC 28800 or equivalent, and consent of instructor. This course examines selected civil rights and civil liberties decisions of U.S. courts, with emphasis on the political context. Topics include speech, race, and gender. G. Rosenberg. Spring. (B)

30700. Introduction to Linear Models. This course will provide an introduction to the linear model, the dominant form of statistical inference in the social sciences. The goals of the course are to teach students the statistical methods needed to pursue independent large-n research projects and to develop the skills necessary to pursue further methods training in the social sciences. Part I of the course reviews the simple linear model (as seen in Stat 220 or its equivalent) with attention to the theory of statistical inference and the derivation of estimators. Basic calculus and linear algebra will be introduced. Part II extends the linear model to the multivariate case. Emphasis will be placed on model selection and specification. Part III examines the consequences of data that is "poorly behaved" and how to cope with the problem. Part IV introduces special topics like systems of simultaneous equations, logit and probit models, time-series methods, etc. The breadth of coverage depends on time. Relatively little prior knowledge of math or statistics is expected, but students are expected to work hard to develop the tools introduced in class. J. Grynaviski. Spring. (E)

33525. Transformative Liberalisms. Contemporary liberals have made the problem of toleration central to their arguments. Many, following John Rawls, have sought to distinguish their views from the more "comprehensive" liberalisms of the 18th and 19th centuries. This course tries to see what all the fuss is about. We explore what it means to take liberal theory as a guide to life, and what earlier liberals have recommended when it comes to questions of sex, love, friendship, religion, responsibility, and virtue. A main aim will be to see how far our own ideals have diverged from the ones these writers profess. Course readings will be drawn from Locke, Kant, Voltaire, Diderot, Franklin, Condorcet, and J.S. Mill. C. Cyrenne. Spring.

35901. Enlightenment Political Thought. S. Muthu. Spring. (A)

40501. Methods of Political Analysis. This seminar straddles the philosophical-practical spectrum of methods courses. After discussing some overarching issues in the philosophy of science about what we can know about the social world, we consider the basic principles of good research design. The advantages and disadvantages of various methodologies are discussed. The substantive readings serving as examples will be drawn from comparative politics. You should emerge better equipped to conduct your own research and to evaluate the work of others. S. Markus. Spring. (E)

40600. Seminar on International Relations Theory. The end of the Cold War ushered in a new set of debates about how to study international politics. This course is an introduction to some of those important theoretical approaches and is organized around debate among realism, liberalism, and constructivism and their variants. Seminar discussion will identify and criticize the central arguments advanced by different scholars in order to assess the relative merits of different theoretical perspectives. R. Pape. Spring. (D)

41500. Seminar on Nationalism in the Age of Globalization. Nationalism has been the most powerful political ideology in the world for the past two centuries. This course examines its future in the age of globalization, focusing in particular on the widespread belief that it is an outmoded ideology. Specific topics covered in the course include: the causes of nationalism, its effects on international stability, nationalism and empires, globalization and the future of the state, globalization and national identities, the clash of civilizations, American nationalism, and the clash between Zionism and Palestinian nationalism. J. Mearsheimer. Spring. (D)

42911. Kierkegaard and Contemporary Social Thought. R. Gooding-Williams. Spring. (A)

43410. Introduction to Multilevel Modeling. This course introduces students to multilevel statistical analysis which deals with complex interaction and classification within clustered data. Students will learn how to model various types of relationships in clustered data and how to use statistical software for multilevel analysis. The course is designed for graduate students who want to employ multilevel analysis for their research. J. Park. Spring. (E)

44410. Authoritarian Regimes. The persistence of authoritarian regimes has inspired a major new literature in comparative politics on how non-democracy works. This graduate seminar considers some conceptual and theoretical issues and debates surrounding this new wave of research, such as: How should authoritarian regimes, including so-called "hybrid regimes," best be classified? What kind of institutions makes authoritarianism more or less stable and durable? How do these regimes try to generate compliance? Why do so many of them hold elections and convene parliaments? And what political-economic arrangements tend to bolster or undermine dictatorship? D. Slater. Spring. (C)

44600. Political Economy of Development. This course is an introduction to recent scholarship on the political economy of development. The course will focus on three questions: What is development? What causes or constrains development? How do we know? The course is structured as follows. In the first part, will review economic theories of development and examine different approaches to the definition of development. In the second part, we will examine different theories about the causes of development, with emphasis on the way in which political and economic processes constrain or reinforce each other. In the third part, we will apply the knowledge from the first two parts to different topics of substantive interest, such as poverty, inequality, the rule of law, corruption, and health, among others. A. Simpser. Autumn. (C)

44902. Undemocratic Elections. Certainly many and perhaps most elections, both historically and today, fall short of democratic standards. Much scholarship on elections has focused on the advanced industrial democracies. In this course we will study elections that, by comparison, are quite "imperfect." What are the different ways in which elections are undermined as instruments of accountability? What are the causes of election fraud and manipulation? What are the broader socio-economic consequences of a corrupt electoral system? How do electoral systems characterized by corrupt elections eventually come to hold free and fair elections? Under what conditions are domestic and international pressures to hold free and fair elections effective? We will bring to bear theoretical work, historical case studies and statistical analyses for a range of countries and time periods, from Roman times to the United States in the 19th century to current elections in developing countries. A. Simpser. Spring. (C)

45110. Interdependent Development. This course will survey the impact of global production networks on developing and developed regions. Customer -supplier relations, labor standards, , the politics of regional upgrading, the emergence of new forms of multinational enterprise in both developed and developing countries, trade union efforts to cope will all be topics. Various parts of Asia and Eastern Europe will be used as case studies for developing regions. Japan, Western Europe and the US will serve as developed country cases. G. Herrigel. Spring. (C)

46300. Michel Foucault on Politics and Ethics. In 1981, Michel Foucault delivered a series of lectures at Louvain-La-Neuve on the relation between wrong-doing and truth-telling that not only completed his genealogy of the criminal subject, but articulated a larger inquiry into governing through truth and marked the turn from the study of power/knowledge to ethics. The lectures provide the link from Foucault’s earlier theorization of discipline, security, and governmentality, to his later concern with truth-telling, the government of the self, and ethics. In this course, we will focus on the as-yet-unpublished Louvain lectures, and read as well selections from Foucault’s other works and from the theorists with whom he was in conversation, including Deleuze and Guatarri, Paul Veyne, and François Ewald. An ability to read French would be an asset, but is not necessary. B. Harcourt. Spring. (A)

50101. Constitutional Law I: Governmental Structure. (=LAWS 40101) This course analyzes the structure of American government, as defined through the text of the Constitution and its interpretation. The major subjects covered are the allocation of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches; the function of judicial review; and the role of the states and the federal government in the federal structure. The student's grade is based on class participation and a take-home final examination. G. Rosenberg. Spring. (B)

50400. Critical Legal, Social, and Political Theory. This seminar will explore contemporary debates in critical legal, social, and political theory focusing primarily on issues of punishment and social control. We will read recently published and works-in-progress by contemporary theorists, such as Keally McBride, David Garland, and Loïc Wacquant. We will also have presentations by some of these and other contemporary theorists on their works-in-progress. B. Harcourt. Spring. (A)

55200. Topics in the History of Capitalism. W. Sewell. Spring. (C)

Autumn 2009

20209. Nations and Nationalism. This course analyzes selections from the vast literature on nations and nationalisms. Scholars tend not to agree on what a nation is or, consequently, on when and where nationalism first emerged as a practicable form, but most analysts associate nations and nationalisms with political, economic, and social transformations related to modernity. Since the late 19th century, theorists of nationalism have eschewed essentialist understandings of the nation and pointed up its socially constructed character. Highlighting either historical processes of modernization or cultural and discursive factors, scholars have agreed that nations are formations and not pre-given things. We will explore how social science has developed this body of knowledge on nations and nationalism, looking at paradigms taken from social theory, anthropology, sociology, history and political science. R. Goel. (C)

20309. Nuclear Threats and the Control of Fissile Materials. This course will focus on understanding the nexus between nuclear policy and nuclear technologies by providing an introduction to the theory and practice of deterrence and (non)proliferation, and their relationship to the nuclear fuel cycle. There is an inherent tension between the danger of a nuclear armed world and the social goods associated with nuclear energy. North Korea's development of a nuclear weapons program and the conflict over Iran's uranium enrichment program are both contemporary events that highlight this tension. This course will provide an introduction to the international institutions that govern the relationship between the production of nuclear energy and the production of nuclear weapons including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The technical elements of the nuclear fuel cycle relevant to designing effective non-proliferation policies will also be covered. A. Harrington de Santana. (D)

20509. Conceptions of Freedom and Strategies of Critique. Freedom is often thought to be the fundamental political value of modernity and a key criterion for evaluating political institutions and social practices; yet the concept of freedom itself is contested. Thus, while a number of thinkers from the past century place freedom at the center of critiques of contemporary society and argue that that society fails to guarantee freedom, these thinkers have very different conceptions of freedom, and these differences lead them to widely divergent conclusions about what freedom requires, the principle obstacles to it presented by contemporary society, and what role institutional systems like the state or the market play in securing it. This course will consider the work of Hannah Arendt, Jurgen Habermas, and Phillip Pettit--three 20th Century thinkers whose distinct conceptions of freedom lie at the center of their influential approaches to social criticism--in order to examine what the concept of freedom means and what role it plays in social and political criticism. T. McFadden. (A)

20709. Social Capital and American Civil Society. This course explores the theoretical underpinnings of social capital and its application to the political and social issues in American society. What is social capital, and how is it different from other forms of capital? Why is/isn't social capital important, and under which circumstances does social capital take effect? More broadly, to what extent is the concept of social capital tied to the practices in American civil society? We will approach these questions by looking at conceptual and empirical discussions of social capital research in political science and sociology. First part of the class will cover both classic and contemporary readings about the definition, utility and implication of social capital. In the second part of the class, we will explore empirical studies that examine the ways in which social capital is associated with the state of democracy in the United States: topics include political participation, racial inequality, and urban problems. M. Go. Autumn. (B)

21600/32600. World Politics in the 20^th Century, 1945-1991: The Cold War: A History. This course focuses on the Cold War and the development of an integrated world economy under US leadership. It deals with key elements of international history needed for further study of international politics and IR theory, including long-term trends in diplomacy, economic development, and military force. The course uses extensive multimedia presentations to show maps, historical events, and national leaders, as well as outlines of the subject matter. This course is intended for both advanced undergraduates and graduate students in the social sciences, particularly those working on international relations. Its goal is to provide historical grounding for further study of international relations. C. Lipson. Autumn. (D)

22200. Introduction to Political Economy of Development. PQ: Advanced standing. This course provides an introduction to the political economy of development. The key question of interest is: Why is life in some countries and regions "better" than in others? We explore different approaches to this question using theories from economics and politics. Along the way, we examine a selection of topics of substantive interest that may include poverty, inequality, corruption, gender and development, health, the rule of law, microcredit, and remittances. A. Simpser. Autumn. (C)

23800/48300. Plato's Laws. (=FNDL 23400, LLSO 28500, SCTH 30300) Enrollment limited. A reading of Plato's Laws with attention to the following themes: war and peace; courage and moderation; reason and law; music, poetry, drinking, and education; sex, marriage, and gender; property and class structure; crime and punishment; religion and theology; and the relation between philosophy and politics. Familiarity with Plato's Republic would be helpful. N. Tarcov. Autumn. (A)

24501/34501. The Political Thought of Jürgen Habermas. (=FNDL 21407) This seminar will be devoted to the political thought of Jürgen Habermas, centered on a reading of his book Between Facts and Norms. We shall also read selections from some of Habermas's other works, and from the political, social, and legal theorists with whom he is in conversation. P. Markell. Autumn. (A)

24901/40710. Punishment and Social Theory. This course meets MTuW 2:45-3:50 PM in LBQ D. Limit 25 undergraduates. Since the modern period, the discourse on punishment has cycled through three sets of questions. The first, born of the Enlightenment itself, inquired into the foundations of the sovereign's right to punish. With the birth of social sciences and critical theory, a second set of questions arose exploring the function of punishment: What is it that we do when we punish? A series of further critiques of meta-narratives, of functionalism, of scientific objectivity softened this line of inquiry and helped shape a third question: What is the cultural meaning of our punishment practices? Through readings in social and political theory including Durkheim, Foucault, and the Frankfurt School as well as more contemporary writings on punishment, this course will explore these modern debates over punishment practices and institutions. B. Harcourt. Autumn. (A)

28000/38000. Organization, Ideology, and Political Change. This course centers on the comparative analysis of the emergence and institutionalization of public bureaucracies in the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Japan, and the former Soviet Union. The aim is to see whether there are distinctly different patterns of organizational rationality or whether bureaucracies are all culturally unique. B. Silberman. Autumn. (C)

29000/39800. Introduction to International Relations. This course introduces main themes in international relations that include the problems of war and peace, conflict and cooperation. We begin by considering some basic theoretical tools used to study international politics. We then focus on several prominent security issues in modern international relations, such as the cold war and post-cold war world, nuclear weapons, nationalism, and terrorism. We also deal with economic aspects of international relations, such as globalization, world trade, environmental pollution, and European unification. C. Lipson. Autumn. (D)

30500. Introduction to Data Analysis. Open to Political Science Ph.D. students only. This course is an introduction to the research methods practiced by quantitative political scientists. The first part lays out the enterprise of empirical research: the structure and content of theories, the formulation of testable hypotheses, the logic of empirical tests, and the consideration of competing hypotheses. The second part considers the implementation of empirical research: the potential barriers to valid inferences, the strengths and limitations of research designs, and empirical representations of theoretical constructs. The final part provides hands-on experience with the two kinds of analyses most frequently performed by quantitative political researchers: contingency tables and regression. M. Dawson. Autumn. (E)

35500. Public Opinion. A close examination of techniques employed, categories utilized and assumptions made by contemporary American students of public opinion. Criticism of these approaches from historical, philosophical and comparative perspectives will be encouraged. The course will make little sense to students without at least a background in Data Analysis (PLSC 30500). J. Brehm. Autumn. (B)

42300. Democracy. This is an advanced seminar that focuses on the normative justifications for regimes where, to some significant extent, "the people rule"; it furthermore analyzes the institutions and practices through which the people are meant to rule. We will consider the constitutional structures of, citizen self-understandings within and theoretical reflections upon ancient and medieval democracies and republics, but focus primarily on modern representative governments. Themes to be explored include liberty and equality, contestation and consent, citizen participation and elite accountability. Students are expected to come to the first session having read Bernard Manin's Principles of Representative Government (Cambridge, 1997) in its entirety. J. McCormick. Autumn. (C)

43509. Conceptualizing and Measuring Ideology. Prior coursework in quantitative methods is strongly recommended. The seminar examines how political scientists conceptualize and measure political ideology in both mass publics and political elites. The first half of the seminar will investigate the various meanings of ideology, including central questions of what ideology is, where it comes from, and how it relates to public opinion and political behavior. The second half will explore the ways social scientists have tried to measure ideology and its causes and consequences, with particular focus on datasets like the American National Election Studies, the European Social Survey, and the D-NOMINATE scores of congress members. In addition to active class participation, students will be responsible for creating their own research proposal for either a qualitative, experimental, or quantitative study of ideology. E. Oliver. Autumn. (B)

44001. Gender, Sexuality, and Poltics in Postmodernity. (=GNDR 44000) Beginning with the extension of the democratic revolution in the breakup of the New Left, this seminar will explore the key debates (foundations, psychoanalysis, historicism, sexual difference, universalism, multiculturalism) around which gender and sexuality came to be articulated as politically significant categories in the late 1980s and the 1990s. We seek to understand how the problem of exclusion, which was initially formulated as a democratic problem of exclusion from participation in common affairs, came to be scripted increasingly in terms of identity and the so-called politics of recognition. We seek to understand how, and to what extent, a juridical and state-centered conception of politics, combined with a critical interest in questions of identity, have come to displace feminism as quotidian practice of freedom based in political action. Why did identity emerge as the premiere problem for feminism? Why did feminist theory become caught in a series of epistemological debates about foundations? What are the limits to an understanding of feminism as a rights-based political practice? The seminar examines these questions in an effort to develop alternatives to the conceptions of politics that were presupposed in the central analytic categories of both second- and third-wave feminism. L. Zerilli. Autumn. (A)

46410. Co-evolution of State and Market. This course will focus on the emergence of alternative forms of organization control (e.g., centralized bureaucracy, multiple hierarchies, elite networks, and clientage) in different social structural contexts (e.g., the interaction of kinship, class, nation states, markets and heterodox mobilization). Themes will be illustrated in numerous cross-cultural contexts. J. Padgett. Autumn. (C)

50000. Dissertation Proposal Seminar. L. Zerilli. Autumn.

50600. Japanese Political Institutions. B. Silberman. Autumn. (C)