Courses
Course Archive
Courses Autumn 2004
Please find below a list of courses offered by the department during the Autumn 2004 quarter.
20102. Analytical Approaches to International Politics. This course will review basic concepts and tools for analyzing foreign policy and understanding international politics. Simple game theoretic models will be used to explore the logic and mechanisms behind key policy issues in international security and international cooperation. M. Svolik. Autumn.
21005. Democracy and National Security. This course will tackle the following question: What does democracy mean for national security? We will begin with long-standing normative debates over whether democracy makes a state more or less secure. We will then engage a number of empirical debates that tease out how democracy can make states more or less secure (democratic peace, imperial overstretch, crisis resolve, military effectiveness, war on terror). Finally, we will conclude with two important questions: First, how has the idea that democracy makes states more secure become commonplace? Second, is a "realist" foreign policy incompatible with democracy? J. Schuessler. Autumn.
21400/32400. World Politics in the 19th Century, 1814-1914: A History. The course provides an overview of major developments in 19th century history: wars, revolutions, diplomacy, economic development, imperial expansion, and international trade and investment. In short, it surveys the history of modern inter-state relations in the nineteenth century. It covers the period from the Napoleonic Wars and Congress of Vienna (early 1800s) through the origins of World War I. The course covers key elements of international history needed for further study of international politics and IR theory. The course extensively uses multimedia presentations to show maps, historical events, and national leaders. Besides diplomatic relations among the Great Powers, the course examines long term trends in economic development and military force. Specific topics include the settlement after the Napoleonic Wars, the failed revolutions of 1848-49, European imperialism, the industrial revolution, and the origins of World War I. C. Lipson. Autumn. (D)
22710. Electoral Politics in America. This course explores the interactions of voters, candidates, the parties, and the media in American national elections, chiefly in the campaign for the presidency, both in nominating primaries and in the November general election. The course will examine how voters learn about candidates, how they perceive candidates, how they come to turn out to vote, and how they decide among the candidates. It will examine the strategies and techniques of electoral campaigns, including the choices of campaign themes and the impact of campaign advertising. It will consider the role of campaign contributors and volunteers, the party campaign organizations, campaign and media polls, and the press. Finally, it will assess the impact of campaigns and elections on governing and policymaking. M. Hansen. Autumn.
25900/35600. Japanese Politics. This course is a survey of the major aspects of Japanese politics: party politics, bureaucracy, the diet, and political behavior in post-World War II Japan. B. Silberman. Autumn. (C)
27500/37500. Organizational Decision Making. This course is an examination of the process of decision making in modern complex organizations such as universities, schools, hospitals, business firms, and public bureaucracies. The course also considers the impact of information, power, resources, organizational structure, and the environment, as well as alternative models of choice and other implications. J. Padgett. Autumn. (B)
27815/38415. Politics and Public Policy in China. This course offers a historical and thematic survey to 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. Autumn. (C)
29000/39800. Introduction to International Relations. This course introduces the main themes in international relations, including the problems of war and peace, conflict and cooperation. The course begins by considering some basic theoretical tools used to study international politics. It then focuses on several prominent security issues in modern international relations, such as the Cold War and post-Cold War world, nuclear weapons, nationalism, and terrorism. The last part of the course deals with economic aspects of international relations such as globalization, world trade, environmental pollution, and European unification. C. Lipson. Autumn. (D)
29700. Independent Study/Reading Course. PQ: Consent of faculty supervisor and concentration 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. paper or B.A. research. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.
29800. B.A. Paper Colloquium. Required of fourth-year political science concentrators who plan to write a B.A. paper. Students participate in both Autumn and Winter Quarters but register only once (in either the Autumn or Winter Quarter). The colloquium, which may be organized along methodological or field lines, meets weekly in the Autumn Quarter and biweekly in the Winter Quarter to provide students with a forum within which research problems are addressed, conceptual frameworks are refined and drafts of the B.A. paper are presented and critiqued. Autumn, Winter.
29900. B.A. Paper. Required of fourth-year political science concentrators who write a B.A. paper. 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. paper preparation. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.
30200. Political Economy of Public Policy. (=PBPL 30800) A survey of formal political analysis on game theory, collective action, the Arrow problems, and elections. D. Snidal. Autumn. (E)
33600. Plutarch's Lives. (=FNDL 29001, SCTH 41810). A reading of selections from Plutarch's Parallel Lives (possibly supplemented by essays from the Moralia) with attention to individual character, moral virtues and vices, the scope and limits of statesmanship, and the differences between Greece and Rome. R. Lerner, N. Tarcov. Autumn. (A)
40100. Thesis Supervision. Consent of instructor. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
41700. Social Movements. This course is an introduction to theoretical and empirical research on social movements. In this course we will take social movements to mean national-level collective mobilizations organized for political change. During the quarter we will examine and debate what a range of scholars across disciplines have written about some of the fundamental questions regarding the emergence, evolution and political impact of social movements. For example, what types of collective action qualify as social movements? What factors lead to or shape the development of social movements? What role do social movements play in the working of American democracy? Finally, why have political scientists largely ignored social movements as a topic for extensive and careful study? C. Cohen. Autumn. (B)
43400. Theorizing Social Justice. (=LAWS 43002) (Please note: This class will meet from 1:00-3:50 on Tuesdays.) This course will examine the debate about whether it is appropriate to distinguish moral evaluation of institutional structures from evaluation of individual action, as Rawls claims, or not, as Gerald Cohen, among others claims. Then we will examine differing approaches to theorizing justice by considering several issue areas: commodification, gender division of labor, occupational hierarchy, the marginalization of some people through process that normalize, cultural justice, and environment. Authors we will read include, John Rawls, Gerald Cohen, Michael Walzer, Ian Shapiro, Susan Okin, Eva Kittay, Nancy Fraser, Anita Silvers, Howard McGary. I. Young. Autumn. (A)
47600. Classics of International Relations. Most courses in international relations focus on the current literature at the expense of the great works in the field. Without a working knowledge of Thucydides, Kant, or Schelling, graduate students are unable to place theoretical propositions into a historical context. This course surveys the history of international relations theory through a close reading of ten classic works in the field. Among the questions that will be addressed: how far has IR theory developed since Thucydides? How closely do theories of international relations mirror the era in which they were written? In what ways are these widely cited works simplified or misstated in the current literature? D. Drezner. Autumn. (D)
47700. The Old Regime and the French Revolution. (=HIST 54800) In this course we will discuss recent trends in the historiography of the French old regime and the Revolution. W. Sewell. Autumn. (C)
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. C. Glaser, J. Mearsheimer, R. Pape. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
49700. Obesity, Politics and Society. This course examines the political and cultural consequences of America's obesity epidemic. Topics to be examined include: the factors behind the growth of obesity, the changing food and exercise culture in the United States, the intersection of obesity with concerns of race, class, and gender, issues of size discrimination, and various policy options. E. Oliver. Autumn. (B)
50200. Political Realism. (=RETH 50200) The exploration of the realist tradition in politics and its ethical implications, from Thucydides to Niebuhr and Aron. J. Elshtain. Autumn. (A)
52110. Contemporary Virtue Ethics. M. Nussbaum. Autumn. (A)
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. J. McCormick, I. Young. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
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. D. Yang, W. Parish, D. Zhao. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
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. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
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. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
55600. Workshop on Social Theory. (=HIST 98100) This workshop explores issues in social theory across a variety of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. The emphasis is less on developing social theory per se than on exploring in a sustained fashion the social theoretical implications of the participants' substantive work. Themes to be addressed are likely to include the relationship between social and cultural transformations; questions of the public sphere, civil society, and democracy; as well as the relations between modernist and postmodernist forms of social theory. W. Sewell. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
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, (c) consequences of flows (or content) in network ties, and (d) dynamics of those ties. J. Padgett. Autumn. (E)
59300/59400/59500. 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. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
65200. Comparative Bureaucracy. An examination and analysis of the theoretical and empirical literature on national-level public and private bureaucratic organizations in Japan, Great Britain and the U.S. B. Silberman. Autumn. (C)
