Courses
Course Archive
Undergraduate Courses
Please find below a list of undergraduate courses offered by the department since the Autumn 2000 quarter.
20100. Athenian Democracy and Its Critics (=AncSt 201, ClCiv 301, PolSci 201/304). This course analyzes the workings of Athenian democracy and the criticisms directed at that type of regime by the city's playwrights, orators, and philosophers. We look at institutional history, law court speeches, and tragedy to uncover the ways in which the Athenian democrats understood concepts crucial to their politics: for example, equality, rhetoric, autonomy, anger, gender relations, slavery, law, and reciprocity. We also discuss texts that take positions critical of the democracy's policies and/or of its conceptions of justice (e.g., Thucydides, Euripides, Aristophanes, Xenophon, and Plato). D.S. Allen. Autumn 2000.
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 2004.
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 2004.
20315. Japanese Foreign Policy. This course is designed to provide a survey of Japanese foreign policy from the imperial period to the present. We will begin with a review of major theoretical approaches to foreign policy (such as realism, liberalism, constructivism, bureaucracy model, and so on), each of which explains some aspects of state s behaviors. Then, we will examine features of Japanese foreign policy within a historical context and analyze them from a range of theoretical perspectives. Finally we will examine Japan s relations with its important neighbors (such as the U.S., China, two Koreas, Russia, and ASEAN) within a post-Cold War context. B. Kim. Spring 2006.
20500. Introduction to American Government. This course provides an introduction to American national politics. The course topics include an introduction to America's constitutional foundations; elements of mass public politics (public opinion and participation); the role of intermediary organizations (interest groups, media, parties); and the function of institutions (Congress, Presidency, Courts). In addition to mastering a basic set of facts about American government, students will learn theories addressing "big questions" in American politics, and will explore critical assessments of the evidence brought to bear on these questions. Students will be expected to take part in extensive verbal and written discussion of the various topics. M. Harris-Lacewell. Winter 2001. Spring 2004.
20500. Introduction to American Government. This course provides an introduction to American national politics. The course topics include an introduction to America s constitutional foundations; elements of mass public politics (public opinion and participation); the role of intermediary organizations (interest groups, media, parties); and the function of institutions (Congress, Presidency, Courts). In addition to mastering a basic set of facts about American government, students will learn theories addressing big questions in American politics, and will explore critical assessments of the evidence brought to bear on these questions. Students will be expected to take part in extensive verbal and written discussion of the various topics. M. Harris-Lacewell. Spring 2006.
20600. Action and Responsibility. Enrollment limited to 25. Action inserts us into a web of events and consequences not wholly under our control. Conceptions and practices of responsibility render us accountable for some of the consequences of our actions while insulating us from accountability for others. In this course, we will study some of the features and conditions of action (especially political action) that make responsibility important and that also render responsibility problematic. Our themes will include value pluralism; moral and political dilemmas; unpredictability; "dirty hands"; the relations among moral, political, "collective," and "historical" responsibility; and the role of philosophy and/or social science in addressing problems of action and responsibility. Readings will be drawn from classic and contemporary works of philosophy, political theory, and literature. P. Markell. Winter 2001.
20606. Feminism, Historical Materialism, Critique. This is an introductory level course in political theory on the conceptual, historical and methodological relationship between second-wave feminism and historical materialism. The categories of class, revolution, the market, resistance, consciousness, capital, as well as the categories of feminism and Marxism themselves will be central to our inquiry. Readings include texts by Marx, Engels, de Beauvoir, Monique Wittig, Raya Dunayevskaya, Judith Butler, Luce Irigaray and Herbert Marcuse. A. Chari. Autumn 2005.
20701. Politics of the Policy Process. Class limited to twenty students. The signing of a bill into law is as often the beginning of the policy making process as it is the end. We examine the actors that influence policy (from the press and citizen groups to the bureaucracy and the courts) as well as the means they use to do it-from campaign contributions to moral suasion to legislative manipulation. This course aims to equip students to influence the policy process as well as understand it. M. Reinhard. Winter 2004.
20701. International Relations in East Asia. Will China become a threat to international stability as its power continues to grow in the coming years? Will the twenty-first century be the century of the Asia-Pacific? Is the East Asian model of development sustainable? How does globalization affect security, political economy, human rights, and environment in East Asia? How should the international society deal with the North Korean nuclear crisis? This course aims to answer these questions. We will pay special attention to East Asian histories, particularly since 1945. Topics to be addressed include: patterns of conflict and cooperation in East Asia, security arrangements, international political economy, globalization, human rights, and post 9/11 new security. D. Chen. Winter 2005.
20720. Politics of Difference in East Asia. This course explores the concept of multiculturalism in a historically, socially and politically specific setting. We will explore theoretical questions of group identity, cultural rights and nation and discuss their relevance in East Asia. Which human rights are universal and under what circumstances, if at all, are cultural interpretations of such rights permissible? We will critically examine the legitimacy of Confucianism as culture, ideology and tradition in challenging certain aspects of democracy, human rights and liberalism. Our theoretical discussion will be supplemented by current topics such as Asian comfort women, ethnic minorities in Japan and China, North Korean refugees in China and South Asian migrant workers in South Korea among others. S. Kang. Winter 2006.
20800. Machiavelli's Discourses (=PolSci 321, Fndmtl 293). Class limited to 20. A reading of Machiavelli's Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livy. We will consider such themes as princes, nobles, and peoples; republics and principalities; religion and morality; war and imperialism; founding and reform; virtue, corruption, and fortune. N. Tarcov. Winter 2001.
20800. Machiavelli's The Prince. (=FNDL 29301) A reading of The Prince supplemented by relevant portions of Machiavelli's Discourses and Florentine Histories. Themes include princes, peoples, and elites; morality and religion; force and persuasion; war and politics; law and liberty; virtue and fortune; ancient history and modern experience; and theory and practice. N. Tarcov. Autumn 2003.
20810. Just War in Comparative Perspective. Do ways of thinking about justice and warfare differ across time, space and religion? Beginning with an exploration of the roots of Western Just War thinking in the ancient world (Greece, Rome and Israel), this course explores traditional just war thinking in Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. By examining the evolution of just war thought in a historical and comparative context, the course illustrates the ways in which concepts of justice may be contingent both on a society s religious/ethical beliefs and its military capabilities. Finally, the course asks: is just war theory still relevant today? What can just war theories say in the face of new threats, such as weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and counter-insurgency warfare? V. Morkevicius. Autumn 2005.
20900. The Meaning of Life. (=PHIL 21500) This course explores the nature of the most basic question we may ask ourselves: how should we lead our lives? What sort of question is this? What is involved in reflecting, not simply upon whether this action is right or that trait is admirable, but upon what a life should be like as a whole? Do we discover the meaning of life, or do we create it for ourselves? Is only the reflective life worth living? Topics also include conversion, life-plans, and fear of death. Readings from Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Nietzsche, Berlin, I. Murdoch, S. Hampshire, Rawls, B. Williams, and T. Nagel. C. Larmore. Autumn 2003.
20901. Shakespeare on Tyranny (=FNDL 24500, SCTH 34800). PQ: Enrollment limited. Open to undergraduates with consent of instructor. An exploration of Shakespeare's portrayals of tyrants and tyrannies in such plays as Macbeth and Richard III. R. Lerner, N. Tarcov. Autumn 2001.
20905. The Meaning of Life. (=PHIL 21500) This course explores the nature of the most basic question we may ask ourselves: how should we lead our lives? What sort of question is this? What is involved in reflecting, not simply upon whether this action is right or that trait is admirable, but upon what a life should be like as a whole? Do we discover the meaning of life, or do we create it for ourselves? Is only the reflective life worth living? Topics also include conversion, life-plans, and fear of death. Readings from Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Nietzsche, Berlin, I. Murdoch, S. Hampshire, Rawls, B. Williams, and T. Nagel. C. Larmore, Autumn 2005.
21002. Democracy and Integration in an Expanding Europe. Enrollment limited to 20. The course deals with a key issue in contemporary European politics today: the problem of securing the European Union's political legitimacy. Many have pointed to a "democratic deficit" resulting from EU institutions' tendency to decide on traditionally domestic matters such as social welfare and on monetary policy, leaving citizens without a voice in changes affecting them. Others claim that removing impediments to the free flow of goods, people, and capital across European borders is enough to secure the EU's legitimacy as economic liberalization is most likely to deliver continued material prosperity and security. Though European integration might well diminish citizens' ability to influence policy, this is a necessary cost to continuing material comfort that will deliver its legitimacy. Still others claim that the EU and democracy are fully compatible given that states' interests are the leading factor in the functioning of EU institutions, thus challenging assumptions that integration exists and erodes democracy. Beyond considering this debate within the EU-15, this course examines the same problem with respect to EU enlargement in postcommunist Central and Eastern Europe. L. Tesser. Autumn 2002.
21003. International Politics of East Asian Security. Class limited to twenty students. The course examines how the U.S. and East Asian nations deal with contemporary security problems. Topics include the rise of China, nuclear proliferation, Japan's new militarism, and reconciliation in the Korean peninsula. The first class of each week introduces historical background and theories that are useful for understanding one of the issues. The second class examines and evaluates regional nations' policies toward the problem. D. Lee. Spring 2004.
21016. Still Married? United States and Emergent European Union: Dynamics of Cooperation, Cooptation, Competition. The expansion and continuing institutionalization of the European Union, now comprising 25 countries, will be examined in relation to American foreign and domestic policies. The logic of the course is twofold: 1) to understand how the EU is structured, and what are the political challenges and logics driving it; 2) to relate these developments to America s own political and economic interests. We will try to answer the following questions: What is the relevance of the US-EU relationship? What are the fields of contention? Can and should a Trans-Atlantic alliance persist in time? How? M. Colombi. Autumn 2005.
21100. Global Environmental Politics (=EnvStd 243, LL/Soc 245, NCD 211, PubPol 243). This course will offer an introduction to global environmental politics. Explorations in selected environmental issue areas will be used to identify the roles, interests, and behavior of main actors such as states, international organizations, NGOs, and the business community. Major contemporary debates will be introduced that relate environmental issues to, inter alia, trade liberalization, security, global justice and human rights. These analyses will provide students with analytical tools to further explore environmental issues. H.P. Schmitz. Spring 2001.
21102. British Politics: The Ideas that Shaped Post-War Britain. Enrollment limited to 20. The course examines post-war British politics, focusing on different ideas of social formation and their influence on public policies during three periods: the Consensus Politics era (1945-1979), the New Right era (1979-1997), and the Third Way era (1997 to the present). We will analyze each era with respect to three kinds of change: the range of state intervention, the responsibilities of society to individuals, and the amount of liberty due to individuals. N. Kim. Autumn 2002.
21103. Women and Justice: Theories of Gender Equality. (=GNDR 21101) Class limited to twenty students. This course examines feminist theories of gender equality and explores various feminist approaches to the concept of equality that have developed in the last decade. While exploring the theoretical bases of feminist perspectives on equality, we pay close attention to practical issues of gender in which the injustice of gender inequality arises. These issues include sexual harassment, pornography, work/family conflict, race, sexual orientation, the situation of care takers, and women in the Third World. H. Kim. Autumn 2003.
21105. Political Participation and Democracy in the United States. This course provides a comprehensive introduction to political participation in American politics. Topics include three models of political participation, i.e., socio-economic status (SES) model, rational choice model, and civic voluntarism model; individual-level determinants of participation such as education, income, and occupation; structural-level determinants, i.e., mobilization, legal and institutional factors, socio-geographical context, interpersonal networks, social capital, and media and internet. It will conclude with a discussion on the relationship between political participation and democracy. S. Ha. Spring 2005.
21106. Introduction to Feminist Political Theories. This course will offer an introduction to feminist theories, with a special focus on their political significance. The aim is to familiarize students with the central concepts and arguments developed in feminist literature, and to help them critically assess their force and originality. One of the main concepts will be gender, with special attention to its critical force. Other themes and concepts discussed will be equality and difference, gender justice, the role of family, the public/private divide, and motherhood. We will try to trace how feminist arguments have evolved historically looking at how sometimes similar arguments have taken different shape in diverse historical contexts. M. Marin. Autumn 2005.
21200. Is Development Sustainable? (=BigPro 234, EnvStd 244, LL/Soc 246, HiPSS 234, NCD 273, PubPol 244). PQ: Fourth-year standing and consent of instructors. This is a discussion course intended for senior students without an environmental background. Taught by a political scientist, a computer scientist, and a biologist, its aim is to develop skills in analyzing "big problems" which surpass the scope of traditional disciplines and single paradigms. Big environmental problems include human population growth, the unintended consequences of technology, the conflict between economic development and the preservation of our habitat, and choices regarding the allocation of resources to present versus future needs. G. Davis, T. Steck, W. Sterner. Spring 2001.
21200. Congress, Bureaucracy, and U.S. Public Policy. This course investigates the political dynamics of Congress and the U.S. federal bureaucracy with an eye toward how these institutions interact to produce public policies. We explore a world in which Congress passes laws that cannot be implemented, agencies actively oppose Congressional mandates, and bureaucracies become political actors with interests, providing the genesis for some of the laws they eventually enforce. We evaluate incentives in Congressional elections, inter-institutional conflict, policy ambiguity, and interest-group activity as possible explanations for this apparent chaos. We conclude by critiquing popular proposals to reform Congress and bureaucracy and formulate our own approaches to the problems endemic to these institutions. M. Heaney. Spring 2002.
21202. Democracy and Doing. Enrollment limited to 20. This course introduces two different philosophical theories of evaluation and uses them to analyze topics of contemporary public policy. The first evaluative approach is based on utilitarian political thought. The second approach is linked to the Aristotelian tradition in political philosophy, and more recently, to American pragmatism. The course identifies the different visions of democracy that are implied in each of these approaches, it discusses the primary philosophical and political values associated with each, and it considers questions of methodology, such as how the method of evaluation shapes the evaluative conclusions. These points will be explored in the context of governmental policies and decisions concerning rape and equal opportunity. Among others, the readings include historical thinkers such as Aristotle, Jeremy Bentham and J.S. Mill, and contemporary thinkers such as John Dewey, Amartya Sen and Richard Posner. B. Holland. Spring Spring 2003.
21203. The European Union. Class limited to twenty students. This course offers a theoretically informed introduction to the major events in the creation and consolidation of the European Union (EU). It focuses on the major IR paradigms (i.e., realism, liberalism, constructivism) but also evaluates the explanatory power of earlier approaches including federalism, functionalism, and transactionalism. Topics include all significant economic agreements and defense initiatives since 1995. Each is examined in the light of all three IR paradigms. The course concludes with a debate on the future of the EU as a political entity. S. Rosato. Spring 2004.
21205. Theory and Practice of Diplomacy. This course will introduce a key element of international relations: diplomacy. It will analyze diplomacy's role in the international system through the major theoretical lenses of IR. We will discuss questions such as: What is diplomacy? What affect, if any, does diplomacy have on the international system? Does it create a "society" of states? The course will explore some of the major practices that characterize diplomacy. How do states communicate? How does international bargaining work? How does diplomacy as practiced at permanent conferences, such as the UN, differ from "traditional" diplomacy? Diplomacy is typically a sovereignty-based institution, but how does diplomacy work in a world where non-state actors play an increasing role? We will also take a closer look at some important empirical cases of diplomacy in international crises. L. Viola. Spring 2005.
21206. Identity in International Relations. What does identity as a concept bring to the study of international relations? What is meant by the term and what leverage does it provide? The purpose of this course is to examine in depth the various ways in which the concept of identity has been employed within international relations scholarship. The primary focus of the course will be on how identity as a social theoretical concept has been explicitly incorporated into theoretical understandings of state behavior, including those of mainstream constructivist, post-structuralist, and feminist approaches. Every week will address a different theoretical issue or approach, and students will be encouraged to critically examine the strengths and weaknesses of each. The target audience of this course will be primarily advanced undergraduates. Students will be expected to already have a significant grasp of the fundamentals of international relations theory, as this course will be dealing with relatively complex approaches. A key goal of this course will be to impart a theoretical understanding of how the concept of identity can be used to explain empirical phenomena in international relations. T. Hall. Autumn 2005.
21210. Women and U.S. Politics. This class will provide an introduction to the role that women have played in American political life from the 1800s to the present. The question being asked throughout the class is there a gender gap in US politics, and if so why? Do women have different political opinions, different issues that matter to them, and different strategies for organization and leadership as political actors? If so, why is this the case and what is the impact of female leaders, female views, and female issues on American politics? We will address these questions using both historical examples and contemporary scholarship, covering the experiences of women from different race, class, and regional backgrounds. By including women's experiences across a wide range of time, space, and social background, the class will consider general explanations of female distinctiveness in relationship to the full diversity of women's experience in the United States, including personal experience. M. Rolfe. Spring 2005.
21300. Freedom, State and Society. There are a number of possible ways to understand the relationship between freedom and the institutions, associations, and communities that stand between the individual and a central state family, religious community, ethnocultural community, local and provincial levels of government, and so on. They may be the sites where free lives are led, or they may be sites of local tyranny. They may provide protection against a central state, or through competition promote internal liberalization; or they may provide local havens of unreflective tradition that slow the growth of freedom. This course will be structured around the question of how secondary institutions relate to freedom, and around debates between those who provide different answers. We will draw on history, economics, law, political science, and, especially, political theory. In examining the freedom-promoting effects of federalism and of competing jurisdictions, as well as in studying the status of voluntary associations in the United States today, we will be considering some quantitative empirical findings, but no prior knowledge of statistics or economics is required. J. Levy, S. Rudolph. Spring 2002.
21305. Humanitarian NGOs and International Ethics. (=HMRT 12305) This course examines international humanitarian NGOs (e.g., Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam) from the perspective of political theory and international ethics. We conceptualize and evaluate these organizations' activities by asking questions such as: How should they distribute their scarce resources? When, if ever, are they justified in causing harm? To whom should they be accountable? We also situate humanitarian NGOs in the context of debates in international ethics about responsibility for global poverty. Other topics covered include the ethics of fundraising, humanitarian military intervention, "rights-based" aid provision, and cultural relativism. Readings pair work in contemporary political theory, philosophy, and ethics with accounts of aid provision by aid workers, journalists, aid recipients, and others. J. Rubenstein. Spring 2005.
21320. Governance in International Politics. This course explores governance in international politics in both theory and in practice, answering questions such as: What are the sources of governance? Who governs? Are powerful states more or less subject to governance? And given the nature of politics, what are the constraints on successful governance? We will then apply these ideas to major site of governance (or lack thereof) in international politics: the global political economy, security, the UN, NATO, humanitarian intervention and the environment. M. Murray. Winter 2005.
21325. The Politics of Black Popular Culture and Hip Hop Music. This course is a study of black popular culture and hip hop music s intersection with, and consequences for, the political sphere and the politics of black political empowerment. Topics covered include hip hop culture s relationship to the built environment and the underclass ; the diverse ways in which we may consider popular culture to be political ; questions of race, identity, and hip hop culture s rise as a youth culture; the concept and problematics of a hip hop social movement ; and questions surrounding gender in hip hop music. C. Deis. Winter 2006.
21400. World Politics in the Nineteenth Century: 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. The course covers key elements of international history needed for further study of international politics and IR theory. 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 2002. Autumn 2004.
21500. World Politics in the 20th Century, 1914-1945: A History. This course provides a survey of major wars, the development of states' military and financial capacity, the maintenance of European empires, diplomatic alignments and alliances, arrangements for international trade and investment, as well as efforts to create international institutions. It surveys the history of modern inter-state relations in the first half of the 20th century (the period from the outset of World War I to the end of World War II). 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. C. Lipson. Autumn 2001. Autumn 2003.
21600. World Politics in the 20th Century, 1945-1991: A History. This course provides a survey of major wars, the development of states' military and financial capacity, imperial retreat, diplomatic alignments and alliances, arrangements for international trade and investment, as well as efforts to create international institutions. It surveys the history of modern inter-state relations in the latter half of the 20th century. It focuses on the Cold War and the development of an integrated world economy under U.S. 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. C. Lipson. Winter 2002. Winter 2006.
21700. Game Theory. This course will present the most commonly used techniques of game theory, that is, the branch of rational choice theory that deals with interdependent actions. It will focus on simple games and examples relevant to political science with and without uncertainty, and in both static and dynamic settings. The course assumes some knowledge of algebra, basic calculus and elementary probability theory. L. Medina. Winter 2001. Winter 2002.
21800. Global Governance (=INST 21800). Massive population movements, loss of rain forests, terrorism: clearly many problems in world politics transcend sovereign boundaries. Moreover, even problems that might not at first seem international failed states, pandemics, extreme poverty, etc. in fact demand the attention of an international community that values human rights and democracy. Not just states, but non-governmental organizations (NGO's), the media, and the general public play an important role when it comes to these issues. Importantly, these problems fall outside issues traditionally addressed in IR. Their growing salience suggests that perhaps new understandings of security, and new understandings of the community that needs to be kept secure, are beginning to take shape at the global level. This seminar surveys a number of problems from the perspective of global governance. We ask, how and why are problems becoming understood as 'global'? How are they being governed by the international community and what alternate forms of governance could be imagined? The course is divided into two parts, theory and applications. Part One examines how global governance emerges among states and non-state actors. We also examine the values that anchor global governance activities, how global actors define community and how global governance might emerge democratically. Part Two considers a number of particular global problems in light of that theoretical framework. J. Mitzen. Winter 2002.
21900. National Citizenship and Interethnic Relations. This course examines the impact of competing responses to immigration and ethnic diversity on existing understandings of citizenship and the nation. The course contrasts competing theoretical perspectives and relates them to policy and recent political controversies. Topics include multiculturalism, "post-national" citizenship, assimilationism, constitutional patriotism, nationality law reform, and minority cultural rights. E. Thomas. Spring 2001.
21900. Cyrus and Socrates. (=FNDL 29302) This course investigates the two poles of Xenophon's thought, politics, and philosophy, represented by Cyrus the Great and Socrates. We read Xenophon's Education of Cyrus, Memorabilia, Oeconomicus, and Symposium. N. Tarcov. Spring 2004. (A)
22000. Constitutionalism (=LL/Soc 253). In this course we will study the ideas and practices of constitutionalism. These center around the constraint of state power, and especially its constraint by law. We will look at the constitutions, and the constitutional practices, of a number of contemporary and historical states. We will also read works from political theory and from the philosophy of law on the idea of a legally binding constitution, on the founding of states, on the relationship between constitutionalism and democracy, and on processes of constitutional revision and reform. We will read some judicial cases that cast light on basic practices and ideas of constitutionalism, but the course is not case-driven. In particular, it is not focused on how the U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted the U.S. Constitution. Rather, it is comparative, historical, and theoretical. J. Levy. Spring 2001.
22100. Romanticism and the Enlightenment. Enrollment limited to 25 students. This course examines some of the most important philosophical and literary texts of the Enlightenment. We begin with the ideas of liberal emancipation, reason and progress, and self-representation that informed many of those works. We then consider some powerful Romantic critiques, and ask what the consequences should be for our understanding of the Enlightenment. The question is important, not least because of the resonance these debates have in contemporary politics. We too ask what it means to be free, whether technological change ought to be encouraged or resisted, and what sort of life we ought to pursue or idealize. For modern commentators, the contrast between the two camps can seem stark indeed - between Enlightened universalism and Romantic partiality, between reason and passion, abstraction and tradition, progress or decline. Yet some writers, like Rousseau, fall uneasily into these dichotomies, leading us to wonder whether the same might be true for the other thinkers we read. Must we ourselves choose between the ideals of the Enlightenment and those of the Romantics? Can the two camps be reconciled in some persuasive or satisfying way? We begin with Kant's famous essay "What is Enlightenment?" We go on to explore influential works by Constant, Diderot, Hume, and Condorcet. We examine Pope's "Essay on Man" and Ben Franklin's Autobiography. For the Romantic response, we'll read Rousseau's Confessions, Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther, Stendhal's Scarlet and Black, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Other texts are drawn from Voltaire, Cleland, and the Marquis de Sade. This will be a small, discussion-oriented class. C. Cyrenne. Winter 2001.
22100. African American Politics. This course will explore both the historical and contemporary political behavior of African Americans, examining the multitude of ways in which African Americans have engaged in politics and political struggle in the United States. In some cases, the political behavior of black Americans has manifested itself through traditional modes of participation such as voting, the running of black candidates for public office or involvement in political parties. In other cases, African Americans have worked to gain, exercise and maintain the rights guaranteed to all citizens in the U.S. through activities deemed outside "traditional" political participation. To understand such different approaches to the liberation of black people, we must pay special attention to the attitudes, world views and ideologies that structure and influence African-American political behavior. An analysis of difference and stratification in black communities and its resulting impact on political ideologies and mobilization will be a crucial component of this course. We will consistently seek to situate the politics of African Americans in the larger design we call American politics. C. Cohen. Winter 2005.
22200. Utopian Visions. The purpose of the course is to explore the idea of utopia. Our goal is to understand how utopia stimulates thinking concerning present society with suggestions for a new social paradigm. Students will look critically at this apparent need to imagine and construct ideal societies, in part as veiled criticism of existing conditions by those excluded from the dominant discourse, and also as sincere expression of hopes (and fears) for a better society. In doing this, we will look at philosophical efforts to construct alternative theoretical spaces, such as Plato's Republic, Thomas More's Utopia, William Morris' News from Nowhere and B.F. Skinner's Walden Two. In the second part of the course we will look at practical attempts to realize many of these ideas in the formation of communal societies, such as Oneida in New York, Amana in Iowa, Point Loma in California, Findhorn in Scotland and Green Eco-communes. Throughout the course, we will also consider the fear of dystopia, of a future society worse than present day, such as George Orwell's 1984 and Aldoux Huxley's Brave New World. In the end, students should come away with a realization of how utopia/dystopia provide models for social improvement, as well as the dangers to be avoided. B. Caza. Winter 2001.
22300. American Law and the Rhetoric of Race (=Law 598, LL/Soc 243). This course examines the ways American law has treated legal issues involving race. Two episodes are studied in detail: the criminal law of slavery during the antebellum period and the constitutional attack on state-imposed segregation in the twentieth century. The case method is used, although close attention is paid to litigation strategy and judicial opinion. D. Hutchinson. Spring 2001.
22400. Public Opinion. What is the relationship between the mass citizenry and government in the U.S.? 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. Winter 2001. Winter 2006.
22500. The American Occupation of Germany (1945-1949): Political Issues and Moral Dilemmas. The course will offer students the opportunity to study the complexities of political transitions from authoritarian regimes to democracy. The German case was further complicated by the Holocaust, which became a central obstacle for the development of simplistic blueprints for political action. The issues of political responsibility for the Nazi crimes - e.g. individual or collective, civil or military, spontaneous or institutional - the fate of the victims and the perpetrators, and the often contradictory and mutually exclusive requirements and constraints of democratization and denazification were some of the problems that gave social texture and political context to the American agenda in Germany. The course will explore the political and moral dimensions of the problems faced by the US Office of Military Government (OMGUS) in the American Zone of Germany and the American Sector of Berlin, in the context of domestic American policy, the fluid international situation, and the changing nature of the American-Soviet relations. The students will become acquainted with some of the key political events that shaped the second half of the 20th century, and acquire a better understanding of the difficulties involved in putting into practice political agendas. C. Goldstein. Spring 2002.
22500. Law and Society. (=FNDL 28100, LLSO 28100) This course examines the myriad relationships between courts, laws, and lawyers in the United States. Issues covered range from legal consciousness to the role of rights to access to courts to implementation of decisions to professionalism. G. Rosenberg. Spring 2004.
22502. Problems of Collective Self in the Post-Cold War World. Enrollment limited to 20. The course examines the problems of conceptualizing collective "self" in international relations. As key terms in international relations such as self-help, self-interest, or self-determination indicate, "self" is one of the central concepts to describe actions under the condition of anarchy. However, how to conceptualize the collective "self" or how to apply the conceptual selves to the analysis of conflicts in the post-Cold war world remains problematic. The course will review traditional perspectives on anarchy and identity, and will explore the nature of national self as constituted by collective memory and historical events and its relation to security issues. J. Yim. Spring Spring 2003.
22510. Law and Society. (=FNDL 28100, LLSO 28100) This course examines the myriad relationships between courts, laws, and lawyers in the United States. Issues covered range from legal consciousness to the role of rights to access to courts to implementation of decisions to professionalism. G. Rosenberg. Spring 2005.
22515. The Political Nature of the American Judicial System. PQ: PLSC 28800 or equivalent. This course aims to introduce students to the political nature of the American legal system. In examining foundational parts of the political science literature on courts conceived of as political institutions, the seminar will focus on the relationship between the courts and other political institutions. The sorts of questions to be asked include: Are there interests that courts are particularly prone to support? What effect does congressional or executive action have on court decisions? What impact do court decisions have? While the answers will not always be clear, students should complete the seminar with an awareness of and sensitivity to the political nature of the American legal system. G. Rosenberg. Winter 2005.
22600. Comparative Political Economy. The course will explore the interplay of politics and economics to answer the following questions: Why do different countries choose different economic strategies? Do these different economic policies affect the economy successfully? Can governments shape the economy according to their political preferences? Or are they constrained by any 'exogenous' forces? Finally, can they pursue economic policies which, satisfactory enough to their electorates, ensure their reelection? This course precisely attempts to address these questions. We begin by discussing the central debates that have surrounded the relationship between markets and states in the last two centuries. We then explore, using a set of theoretical models, the role that parties and politically organized interests, the structure of labor markets and the institutional structure of modern states have on the process of economic policy-making and on economic performance in general. After paying particular attention to developed nations, we then consider the political underpinnings of economic performance in developing areas - comparing Latin American countries, sub-Saharan Africa and East Asian nations. C. Boix. Spring 2003. Spring 2004.
22615. The Political Thought of Tacitus. (=FNDL 23401) Enrollment limited to 15. An exploration of the political thought of Tacitus through a reading of his Agricola, germania, Dialogue on Oratory, and excerpts from the Annals and the History. N. Tarcov. Spring 2006. (A)
22700. Happiness (HUMA 24900, PHIL 21400, GNDR 25200). From Plato to the present, notions of happiness have been at the core of heated debates in ethics and politics. Is happiness the ultimate good for human beings, the essence of the good life, or is morality somehow prior to it? Can it be achieved by all, or only by a fortunate few? Is the individual the best judge of what will conduce to his or her own happiness? Can it be defined in terms of objective goods or is that even meaningful? Is it applicable to the non-human animal world? What if the notion is ideologically fraught and/or historically relative? What types of gender issues does it raise, given the masculinist tendencies of much past philosophizing about ethics and politics? How plausible and important are recent studies suggesting that modern societies such as the U.S. suffer from a serious "loss of happiness"? What would a "cure" for such a loss look like? Could a culture actually do without some notion of happiness? These are some of the questions that this course will engage, with the help of both classic and contemporary texts from philosophy, literature, and the social sciences. The course will also include various video presentations and other materials stressing visual culture. R. Schultz. Spring 2002.
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 2004.
22715. Machiavelli on War. (=FNDL 29300) An exploration of Machiavelli's thought on war through a reading of The Art of War and excerpts from The Prince and Discourses on Livy. N. Tarcov. Spring 2005. (A)
22900. Critical Issues in Education (=Educ 267/367, PubPol 266/367). This course focuses on a central policy question: How can urban public education systems be redesigned to improve school performance? We examine this question from an institutional-political perspective, with particular attention to three sets of concerns: (1) accountability in the complex institutional-political context in which urban schools are situated; (2) distribution and division of tasks in a multilayered policy organization; and (3) equity issues in the urban school setting. K. Wong. Spring 2001.
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. Winter 2003. Winter 2004.
23000. On Citizenship. This seminar will explore alternative understandings of citizenship, and it will place a greater emphasis on the practice or positive components of citizenship than on the question of inclusion/exclusion. We will begin by considering pre-modern understandings of citizenship and then spend the bulk of the course on the meaning and significance of citizenship within liberal democratic contexts. A. Davis. Spring 2005.
23100. 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 2001. Winter 2002. Winter 2006.
23102. Japanese Politics in Comparative Perspective. Enrollment limited to 20. Three sets of questions run through the course and serve to integrate the material: (1) What is the "nature" of Japanese politics? How is power controlled and exercised? What differentiates Japanese politics from the politics of other countries, and in what ways is it the same? (2) What are the sources of continuity and change in Japanese politics? How are they similar or different to those of other countries? (3) What is the future of Japanese politics? Was the decade of the '90s a "watershed" era, as Gerald Curtis claims, or a "lost decade"? More generally, are valid predictions possible in politics, and on what basis? D. Bell. Spring Spring 2003.
23110. Gender and "Development." (=GNDR 23501) This course will analyze issues of gender and development studies. Questions discussed include: How does the gender division of labor between unpaid household labor and paid employment intersect with government policies and actions of international organizations in less developed countries? What is the gendered construction of piece work in the home, and of factory work in export processing zones? What are the attitudes of governments in less developed countries and in developed countries toward sex work, sex tourism, and sex trafficking? How do structural adjustment programs condition the lives of women and relations between men and women? How do issues of environmental ethics, development, and gender intersect? What are the circumstances of sexual freedom or lack of it, as well as freedom to express sexual orientation, in societies of Africa or South Asia? What role are women and members of sexual minorities playing in social movements of democracy and self-determination in less developed countries and in transnational movements to confront corporate globalization? I. Young. Winter 2005.
23200. Political Sociology (=PubPol 236/336, Sociol 235/335). PQ: Prior general social sciences course. This course provides analytical perspectives on citizen preference theory, public choice, group theory, bureaucrats and state-centered theory, coalition theory, elite theories, and political culture. These competing analytical perspectives are assessed in considering middle-range theories and empirical studies on central themes of political sociology. Local, national, and cross-national analyses are explored. T. Clark. Spring 2001.
23200. China in the World. Enrollment will be limited to 25. Today China is being viewed in sharply divergent terms. Some see reformist China becoming a global citizen while others view China's growth with alarm and believe a rising China will challenge the existing global order. In this course we combine theories of international relations with the history of China's interactions with the world. The emphasis is on developments in the past two centuries, with special attention to the implications of China's rise in the global economy. Requirements include short papers, class presentations, and a final. D. Yang. Spring 2002.
23300. Springtime for Hitler and Germany: The Advocates of the Aesthetic State. This course seeks to introduce students to the idea of the aesthetic state and the rise of political modernism. Readings will include: Benjamin, Mussolini, Marinetti, Schmitt, Rosenberg, and Hitler among others. The aim of the course is to try to make sense out of the rise of politics for politics sake in the first half of the 20th century. B. Silberman. Winter 2002. Winter 2005.
23301. Interest Group Politics. In this course we will take up claims about interest groups and their role in American politics and consider ways to evaluate them systematically. We will discuss their formation and maintenance as organizations, their efforts to influence Congress and the bureaucracy, their part in campaigns and elections and their overall effect on the conduct of American democracy. M. Hansen. Autumn 2002.
23310. Gender and Development. (=GNDR 23501) This course analyzes issues of gender and development studies. Questions include: How does the gender division of labor between unpaid household labor and paid employment intersect with government policies and actions of international organizations in less developed countries? What is the gendered construction of piece work in the home, and of factory work in export processing zones? What are the attitudes of governments in less developed countries and in developed countries toward sex work, sex tourism, and sex trafficking? How do structural adjustment programs condition the lives of women and relations between men and women? I. Young. Spring 2006. (A)
23400. Capitalism in Modern Europe (=HIST 23300/33300). This course investigates the emergence of capitalism in Europe and the world as a whole between the early sixteenth and the late eighteenth centuries. We discuss the political and cultural as well as the economic sources of capitalism and explore Marxist, neoclassical, and cultural approaches. W. Sewell. Spring 2002. Winter 2005.
23500. Public Choice (=Econ 269, PolSci 235, PubPol 258). PQ: Knowledge of microeconomics. This course is an introduction to the literature that seeks to apply the economic notion of rational choice to the context of politics and social choice. Some of the authors covered are Samuelson, Arrow, Schelling, Olson, and Downs. H. Margolis. Winter 2001.
23500. Political Organizations. This course introduces the study of political organizations and organizational behavior, examining classic and contemporary writings on organizations, as well as applications of those ideas to political problems. J. Brehm. Winter 2006.
23610. Comparative Politics: An Analytical Approximation. This course introduces students to current work done in comparative politics (and in political science in general) on the following topics: the formation of the state, democratic transitions and democratic consolidation, electoral representation and political accountability, and the role of constitutional structures in the aggregation of preferences and in policy-making. Here is a sample of the questions we will examine in the course: Why are there states? Under what conditions do countries become democratic? When does corruption take place? Do electoral laws matter for representation? When do parties adopt different ideological platforms? A unifying principle of the course is the assumption that it is possible to develop general theories to explain political phenomena over time and across countries. With this goal in mind, the course relies on analytical (formal-oriented) tools and draws upon cross-national empirical evidence. C. Boix. Winter 2006.
23700. Sartre (=PHIL 21200). The focus of the course is on sections from Being and Nothingness dealing with the nature of consciousness, subjectivity, and interpersonal relations. Attention is also given to the novel Nausea as well as to Sartre's later writings in social philosophy. C. Larmore. Autumn 2002.
23800. Plato's Laws (=FNDL 23400, LLSO 28500, SCTH 30300). PQ: Enrollment limited. Open to undergraduates with consent of instructor. An introductory reading of Plato's Laws with attention to such themes as the following: war and peace; courage and moderation; rule of law; music, poetry, drinking, and education; sex, marriage, and gender; property and class structure; crime and punishment; religion and theology; and philosophy. N. Tarcov. Winter 2002.
24000. Nineteenth-Century European Political Thought: Hegel and Marx. (=FNDL 25702) This course examines the work of two key figures in the development of European political theory and philosophy in the aftermath of the French Revolution: Hegel and Marx. We focus on Hegel's Philosophy of Right and Marx's early critiques of Hegel, although these readings may be supplemented by selections from Hegel's early political and cultural writings and from his Phenomenology of Spirit, as well by some of Marx's political writings up through the revolutions of 1848. The course does not deal with Marx's mature critique of political economy. P. Markell. Winter 2004.
24100. Democracy and Its Critics in Nineteenth Century Political Thought (=LLSO 29500, PLSC 24100). This course surveys developments in nineteenth-century European and American political thought, focusing on the theory and practice of democracy, and exploring its connections to such other themes as liberalism, race, empire, socialism, nationalism, the state, gender, class, and mass. The course involves close readings of important works of philosophy and political theory, as well as reconstruction of these works' historical context, including some examination of concrete political struggles over democracy. P. Markell. Winter 2003.
24300. Globalization and Its Discontents. This course examines the political causes and effects of globalization, a term referring to the cluster of political, economic, and technological changes that have greatly reduced barriers to exchange? It starts with attempts to define the globalization phenomenon, looks at the historical build-up to the reduction of international barriers, and then examines the effect of globalization on both the developed and developing world. Specific topics include: the effects of unfettered capital flows on nation-states; the validity of race-to-the-bottom phenomena; the rise of global NGOs; the question of cultural homogenization; and whether globalization is reversible. D. Drezner. Spring Spring 2003.
24400. Authoritarianism and Political Change in the Middle East (=PolSci 344). Recent scholarship on domestic politics in the Middle East centers on "democratization," or on "transitions" to democracy away from authoritarian rule. This seminar investigates the causes and persistence of authoritarian forms of rule in the Middle East while also interrogating our theoretical understandings of "democratization" and democracy. Popular conceptions of Middle Eastern politics suggest that authoritarian rule derives from deep, sedimented essences inhering in Arabs or Muslims. The literature we will explore suggests that the roots of authoritarian political practices reside not in a primordial Arab culture, but instead in a complex dynamic involving the history of state formation, nation-building, and economic development. Some of the themes we will examine are: the relationship between authoritarianism and colonial rule, the importance of class coalitions in determining the levels of state violence, the role of institutions of repression in sustaining violence, the everyday practices of authoritarian rule, and the nature and purposes of ideology. We will also discuss recent changes in the Middle East and evaluate the ways in which they might be interpreted as moves towards "democracy." The course will ask: what do scholars mean by democracy? In what ways do elections, independent judicial courts, and popular forms of expression indicate fundamental changes in the nature of rule in the Middle East? L.Wedeen. Winter 2001.
24500. Gandhi (=Fndmtl 249). Course readings deal with Gandhi's life (including his autobiography), texts that articulate his thought and practice, and critical and interpretative works that assess his meaning and influence. Topics include nonviolent collective action in pursuit of truth and justice, strategy for cooperation and conflict resolution, and alternatives to industrial society and centralized state. L. Rudolph. Spring 2001. Spring 2002.
24520. Arendt's The Human Condition. PQ. By consent only. Enrollment limited to 20. For advanced undergraduates. Undergraduates must have completed their Humanities and Social Sciences sequences, and one more specialized course in a relevant area of political theory or philosophy is strongly recommended. This seminar will be devoted to a close reading of Hannah Arendt s The Human Condition, focusing both on its internal conceptual structure and on its intellectual and political contexts. P. Markell. Winter 2006. (A)
24700. Politics of the European Union. PQ: Admission to the Winter Paris Program. This course is designed around a series of lectures whose topics range from the History of the European Union, its institutional system, the study of the European political forces, the common policies, and the role of the EU in a globalizing world. Staff. Winter 2002.
24800. Ethics in International Affairs and Development (=HMRT 24800). Enrollment limited. This course examines issues of normative judgment in the context of international affairs and economic and social development. It introduces several basic conceptual frameworks for such normative analysis, utilitarianism, rights theories, theories of justice influenced by Rawls, and the theory of capabilities. We will compare and apply these frameworks to specific issues, including: international distributive justice, human rights and cultural difference, Third World debt, development and freedom, global environment, refugees, war intervention, and ideals of global governance. Theories and issues will be examined with some specific case studies, including: the Law of the Sea treaty; the Global Warming treaty; politics of preserving the Brazilian rain forest; the IMF in Nigeria; the NATO war against Yugoslavia. I. Young. Autumn 2002.
24800. Ethics in International Affairs and Development (=HMRT 248/348). This course examines issues of normative judgment in the context of international affairs and economic and social development. It introduces several basic conceptual frameworks for such normative analysis: utilitarianism, rights theories, capabilities approach and others. It compares and applies these frameworks to specific issues such as war and peace, intervention, international distributive justice, debt and development immigration and refugees, environment and development. Among authors we are likely to read are Robert Goodin, Joseph Carens, Simon Caney, James Woodward, Onora O'Neill, Amartya Sen, and Martha Nussbaum. I Young. Winter 2002.
24810. Politics of the U.S. Congress. This course examines Congress from the perspective of the 535 senators and representatives who constitute it. It examines congressional elections, legislators' relationships with their constituents, lawmakers' dealings in and with committees, and representatives' give-and-take with congressional leadership, the executive, and pressure groups. M. Hansen. Autumn 2003.
24900. Problems of Public Policy Implementation (=PubPol 223, Sociol 340). This course is a systematic examination of the interplay among the executive, the administrator, the legislator, and the public as these relationships affect policy and its undertaking. The emphasis is on the politics of administration, as well as those political forces that organize around the implementer of public policies. R. Taub. Spring 2001.
24900. Insurgency and Democratization in Latin America (1960-2000). This course will analyze different instances of violent insurgency in Latin America during the second half of the 20th Century and how they affected the consolidation (or lack thereof) of democratic politics in the countries where they occurred. In order to gain comparative perspective, it will study three countries with different experiences both in their economic and political background and in their outcomes: El Salvador, Argentina and Colombia. The set of readings will draw mostly from political and economic history but no special background on these disciplines is assumed. L. Medina. Winter 2003. Spring 2004. Spring 2005.
25000. Comparative Politics of Latin America (=PolSci 351). This course introduces major theories of Latin American political and social change, and the political systems of three countries. We focus on the determinants and dynamics of regime change in Latin America. Why do some democracies succumb to military takeover? And why in the past fifteen years did most military governments in Latin America fall? Do regimes fall under economic stress? If popular movements play a role in ousting dictatorships, are they driven by economic demands or do they value democracy as an end in itself? What is the quality of the democracies that have succeeded Latin American dictatorships? We first read general studies of modernization and political change and then focus on these issues as they worked themselves out in Chile, Mexico, and Nicaragua. S. Stokes. Autumn 2000. Autumn 2001. Autumn 2002. Spring 2005.
25100. Global-Local Politics: Transformations in Culture, Ethnicity, and Policy (=Soc 279/379, PubPol 279, PolSci 251). Globalizing and local forces are generating a new politics, in the U.S. and around the world. The course explores this new politics by mapping its emerging elements: the rise of social issues, ethno-religious and regional attachments, environmentalism, gender and life-style identity issues, new social movements, transformed political parties and organized groups, new efforts to mobilize individual citizens. We also analyze where and why such new patterns emerge: what is the role of education, income, mass communication, travel, migration, economic exchange and other forces, and how are they being reshaped by local, national, and global dynamics. The course will include active student discussion, building on key readings. Original data sets are available as an option. Students may complete two exams or a paper or a combination. T. Clark. Winter 2001.
25100. Ancient and Medieval Political Thought (=CLAS 20300/30300). This course will provide an upper level survey of political thought from Homer to Aquinas, with central emphasis falling on the sophists, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Seneca, Livy, Tacitus, and Augustine. We will investigate, among other topics, these thinkers' accounts of the origins, nature, and problems of human sociality, their diverse theories of justice, their varying efforts to draw connections between ethical and political reasoning or between morality and law (whether mortal or divine), as well as their different stresses on utopian and realist approaches to political thought. D. Allen. Winter 2002.
25300. American Political Parties. This course is designed as an introduction to the nature and function of American political parties. We concentrate on two main themes. First, we explore the origins of the American party system. Specific topics include the origin of America's ambivalence toward political parties, the emergence of parties in the U.S., 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. Winter 2003. Spring 2004. Spring 2006.
25400. Marxism, Peronism, and the National Question in Latin America (=LTAM 25400/35400). This course will analyze the political and ideological convergences and conflicts between Marxists and Peronists in 20th century Argentina, and the implications of both movements for the idea of nation and national development in the region. S. Amaral. Winter 2002.
25500. Societies and the Social Sciences: Violence and Civil Strife. Intrastate or civil wars have become the dominant form of war. Out of ninety-six armed conflicts that took place between 1989 and 1996 only five were wars between sovereign states ("interstate wars"). Civil wars (both ethnic and non-ethnic) tend to be deadlier than interstate wars. What makes their violence even worse is that they primarily, and often deliberately, target civilians: eight out of ten people killed in contemporary civil wars have been civilians. Moreover, in many cases, victimizers and victims tend to know each other; they are neighbors who had been living together peacefully. We will analyze and attempt to understand the nature of violence in civil wars via both a critical reading of descriptions of this phenomenon and the application of social science tools to it. S. Kalyvas. Spring 2001. Winter 2002. Spring 2003.
25510. Political Machines. Political machines were the dominant form of partisan organization in the United States for much of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. In this course, we investigate these organizations through two lenses. First, we track the evolution of political machines, examining why they came about, how they maintained themselves, and why they declined. Second, we examine the performance of machines as agents of representation and governance. J. Grynaviski. Winter 2004.
25600. Hurricane Katrina and American Politics. Hurricane Katrina was not only one of the worse modern disasters in the U.S., but particularly its aftermath provided a lens in many of the fault lines within American society and politics. This course will use the disaster as a lens with which to analyze a wide range of topics in the study of American politics. Topics to be examined in this course using the disaster as a focal point include: the divides in American public opinion; the role of the media in politics; the responses of local, state and federal institutions; the role of political leadership; and, the strength and weakness of civil society in the U.S. M. Dawson, M. Harris-Lacewell. Spring 2006.
25710. The Long 18th Century I. PQ: For undergraduates: At least four quarters of political or social theory or philosophy (including core sequences). This course will examine political, legal, and economic thought in Western Europe and North America from 1688 until the middle of the 18th century. It will focus on English and French thought during the early years of the post-Glorious Revolution era and the early Enlightenment, with particular attention given to Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau. Students may take this course or its Spring successor without taking the other, but there will be considerable gains from taking them in sequence. The course will include an optional French-language discussion section for students interested in reading selections from 18th-century French political thought in the original. J. Levy. Winter 2006. (A)
25720. The Long 18th Century II. PQ: At least four quarters of political or social theory or philosophy (including core sequences). This course will examine political, legal, and economic thought in Western Europe and North America from the mid-18th century through the French Revolution. It will focus on the Scottish Enlightenment, the American Revolution and founding, and the French Revolution, with particular attention given to Hume, Smith, and the Federalist Papers. Students may take this course or its winter-quarter predecessor without taking the other, but there will be considerable gains from taking them in sequence. J. Levy. Spring 2006. (A)
25800. Losers. This is a course that reads and analyses some of the texts of 19th and 20th century writers who wrote on social, political and economic problems and were important in their own time and who have had significant influence on their successors but are not included in the canon." Some of the writers we will examine are: DeMaistre, LaSalle, Frederick Douglas, Sidgewick, Spencer, William James, Sorel, and Hannah Arendt. B. Silberman. Winter 2003. Winter 2006.
25900. Japanese Politics (=PolSci 356). 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 2000. Autumn 2002. Autumn 2004.
26000. Introduction to South Asian Civilization (=Anthro 308, SocSci 232, SoAsia 209). PQ: Must be taken in sequence. Students who register for the second quarter of the sequence as PolSci 260 do not have to meet the prerequisites. This course fulfills the General Education requirement in civilizational studies. Using a variety of disciplinary approaches, this sequence seeks to familiarize students with some of the important ideas, texts, institutions, and historical experiences that have constituted South Asian civilization. The winter quarter examines the Ramayana and the Mahabharata as media of civilizational expression, elements of Hindu mythology, the role of the temple as ritual center and focus of political and economic exchange, Hindu devotionalism, South Asian Muslim identity, Muslim social and cultural institutions in South Asia, and Muslim-Hindu interactions in South Asia. The spring quarter focuses on Mughal state, society, and culture; British and Indian nationalist constructions of Indian "tradition" the culture and politics of religious and caste identities; and representations of the lives of women in South Asia. S. Rudolph. Spring 2001.
26000. Race and Politics. 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 2004. Spring 2006.
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 2001. Winter 2004.
26200. Women and Political Theory (=GNDR 26200/36200). This course reads some of the major writings of modern political theory in which sexuality and gender issues are thematically related to political values of citizenship, equality and freedom -- including works of Rousseau, Wollstonecraft and Mill. It also reads some contemporary feminist interpretation of these and other modern political theorists. The course then proceeds to consider some works of contemporary feminist political theory engaging themes such as gender and democracy; intersections of gender and racial positioning in politics; justice, gender and sexuality; normative analysis of women and public policy issues. Among writers who may appear in that segment of the course are Anne Phillips, Patricia Hill Collins, Carole Pateman, Anna Marie Smith. I. Young. Spring 2002.
26300. Comparative Politics of the Middle East and North Africa. This course examines major theoretical concerns in comparative politics using cases from the Middle East. It investigates the relationships between political and economic change in the processes of state-building, economic development, and national integration. The course begins by comparing the experience of early and late developing countries, which will provide students with a broad historical overview of market formation and state-building in Europe and will cover the legacies of the Ottoman empire, European colonialism, and the Mandate period in the Middle East. The course then explores topics such as: the failure of constitutional regimes and the role of the military, class formation and inequality, the conflict between Pan-Arabism and state-centered nationalisms, the role of political parties, revolutionary and Islamicist movements, labor migration and remittances, and political and economic liberalization in the 1990s. L. Wedeen. Spring 2002. Spring 2006.
26400. Islamic Politics. This senior seminar examines the specific historical processes and particular power relations that have given rise to the recent phenomenon of radical religious expression in the Middle East. We investigate claims that the contraction of welfare states, the "blowback" from U.S. imperial policies, the corruption and brutality of prevailing regimes, and the demise of leftist movements have each, or in combination, contributed to the rise of diverse Islamicist movements. We also explore explicitly the variation among movements and debates - the ways in which diverse, vibrant communities of argument have arisen over what makes a Muslim a Muslim, what Islam means, and what, if any, its political role should be. The course thus charts how discourses about Muslim identity and Islam operate in context, investigating the changing public debates among self-avowed Muslims. We shall ask questions such as: What is the relationship between ideas and organized political activity? How do modern technological innovations, such as satellite television, foster new transnational collectivities and under what conditions could such collectivities shape political outcomes and/or understandings of piety? To what extent are current scholarly explanations about the causes and logics of Islamicist movements compelling? In what ways are these movements simply instances of larger global phenomena? L. Wedeen. Winter 2005.
26500. State, Society, and Democratization in Southeast Asia. This course provides a broad overview of the evolution of Southeast Asia s highly diverse political systems, with a focus on historical factors that have helped shape prospects for democratic transition in recent years. The first segment sketches how the region as a whole was influenced by global processes of colonization, state formation, the rise of nationalism, Cold War rivalry, and the intensification of capitalist modes of production and exchange. After making a brief foray into democratization theory, we consider the value of competing theoretical approaches in apprehending the collapse of authoritarianism in two specific cases (Indonesia and the Philippines), as well as the long-term survival of authoritarianism in two others (Burma and Malaysia). D. Slater. Spring 2006. (C)
26600. History of Philosophy III: Kant and the Nineteenth Century (=PHIL 27000). PQ: Completion of the general education requirement in humanities. This course studies a number of important moral and political philosophers of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Kant, Bentham, Hegel, Marx, Mill, Nietzsche, and others may be read. C. Larmore. Spring 2002.
26700. From Reform to Revolution: Why Did the Soviet Union Collapse (=PolSci 476). This course, based on a weekly lecture and discussion of common readings, will look at the ways in which the Soviet state is constructed and maintained, and how its leaders attempted to reform the system. The lectures will cover the period 1945 to 1991 with emphasis on the Gorbachev years (1985-1991) and the variety of theories on the fall of Soviet "socialism." R. Suny. Autumn 2000. Spring 2004.
26810. Political Conservatism. What does it mean to be a conservative in politics? Today the term covers a range of ideological positions, not all of which are easily reconciled. Conservatives are said to favor small government, for example, but also a diminished separation between church and state. The term "neo-conservative" is applied to thinkers who favor a deeply interventionist foreign policy, while in previous decades conservatives were chastised for being excessively isolationist. This course examines some of the foundational texts in the development of conservative thought. We begin with important works by Edmund Burke, David Hume, Jos Ortega y Gasset, and Michael Oakeshott. We'll also read pieces that have had an enormous impact on contemporary U.S. politics, including William F. Buckley's God and Man at Yale, Barry Goldwater's The Conscience of a Conservative, Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind, and Samuel Huntington's The Clash of Civilizations. The course should be of interest for conservatives who wish to get clear on their own principles, and for liberals who wish to understand the best insights of their adversaries. C. Cyrenne. Winter 2005.
26910. Libertarianism. Today many citizens describe themselves as "libertarians." Cultural libertarians are deeply opposed to the war on drugs, prohibitions on pornography, and other attempts by the state to police moral behavior. Economic libertarians decry the excessive regulation of government bureaucracies and support free choice in free markets. Political libertarians believe that the state ought to be restricted to a bare minimum of objectives, from assuring the common defense to safeguarding individuals against theft and fraud. This course examines the philosophical underpinnings of libertarian thought. Along the way, we'll ask how well a libertarianism can withstand certain philosophical objections: that it is incapable of distinguishing between liberty and license; that it secures individuals from the state only to throw them to the mercy of their fellow citizens; that in safeguarding individuals from the depredations of unreliable contractors, the "minimum" state will look not so different from the one we ourselves inhabit. Readings will be drawn from Robert Nozick, Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, Jan Narveson, Loren Lomasky, David Boaz, Ayn Rand, and Charles Murray. C. Cyrenne. Spring 2005.
27000. Theories of International Relations. This course examines competing theories about the structure, functioning, and transformative potential of the international system. Three distinct problems are addressed. Part I deals with the traditional problem of international life, namely the problem of order among relatively equal powers in a condition of anarchy. Part II calls the assumption of anarchy into question by looking at unequal power relationships in a variety of issue areas. Part III turns to the problem of governing an increasingly global community, with attention to both the practical and normative aspects of global constitutional design. Throughout the course our focus will be theoretical. The relevance of theoretical disagreements to the real world will be illustrated, but students will be evaluated primarily on their understanding of the assumptions and logics of competing points of view rather than on questions of empirical substance. A. Wendt. Spring 2001.
27100. History of Philosophy II: Medieval and Early Modern Philosophy. (=HIPS 26000, PHIL 26000). Completion of the general education requirement in humanities required. PHIL 25000 helpful. This course surveys the history of philosophy from the late medievals to Hume. C. Larmore. Winter 2004.
27200. Florentine Republicanism I: Political Theory. This is the first in a two-course sequence on republican theory and practice in Renaissance Florence. This term is devoted to the political writings of the two giants of Florentine republicanism: Francesco Guicciardini and Niccolo Machiavelli. Readings include Machiavelli's The Prince, and Discourses on Livy; and Guicciardini's Maxims and Dialogue on Florentine Government; as well as both authors' recommendations for reforming the constitution of Florence. Themes 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; and the question of military conquest. J. McCormick. Autumn 2003.
27215. Machiavelli's Political Thought. (=LLSO 28200) This course is devoted to the political writings of Niccol Machiavelli. Readings include The Prince, Discourses on Livy, Florentine Histories and the "Discourses on Florentine Affairs." 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. Spring 2005. (A)
27300. Human Rights and Human Dignity: A Return to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (=Hist 224/324/ SocSci 481, Intrel 381, Humrts 281/381, Gs Hum 291/391). Much discussion preceded the final language of the UDHR's first article. The drafting committee struggled to find language about the human person that could undergird the promotion of human rights across the world's many cultures, religions, and philosophies. This course takes a closer look at this first article both historically, as it was debated by the human rights committee in 1947, and through the 50+ years since the Declaration's passage, as scholars have reflected on various ways to understand that dimension of the human person worthy and in need of human rights. In addition to exploring these legal, philosophical, and theological approaches to the rights-bearing person, we will "test" the usefulness of the various approaches in situations where human rights claims have come into conflict. Are certain approaches to the human person or human dignity more helpful in promoting human rights than others? Was the drafting committee's decision to leave out any reference to deity or natural law a political compromise or a moment of wisdom? H.P. Schmitz, M. Holkeboer. Winter 2001.
27300. Florentine Republicanism II: History and Interpretation. PQ: PLSC 27200. This is the second in a two-course sequence on republican theory and practice in Renaissance Florence. This term is devoted to classic histories and influential interpretations of Florentine republicanism. Readings include Burckhardt, Baron, Chabod, Rubinstein, Brucker, Pocock, Skinner, and Viroli. Themes include oligarchic versus populist republics, executive power in collegial regimes, the problem of faction, the significance of patriotism, the critique of tyranny, and the problems posed by alliances and wars. J. McCormick. Winter 2004.
27400. Politics of Industry in Advanced Industrial States. This course surveys the experience of industrial development in the three major developed regions of the world in the twentieth century. Key themes are struggles over the control of the corporation (separation of management and ownership, codetermination, and stakeholder capitalism), differences in corporate structure (Konzern and multidivisional company, and Zaibatsu/Keiretsu), role of small and medium size firms in the economy, the development of industrial relations systems, industrial policy, and welfare state institutions. G. Herrigel. Winter 2001.
27500. Organizational Decision Making (=SOCI 35000, PPHA 33500). 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 2001. Autumn 2002. Autumn 2003. Autumn 2004. Winter 2006.
27600. War and the Nation-state (=PolSci 376). 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 and the end of World War II. J. Mearsheimer. Winter 2001. Winter 2003. Winter 2005.
27700. Pragmatism, Feminism, Democracy: Dewey and Addams (=GendSt 277). Classical pragmatism has been a source for much postmodernist and critical theoretical work of recent decades. This course provides an in-depth examination of the radical democratic potential to be found in the pragmatism of John Dewey, linking his work to the theory and practice of the settlement house movement as represented by Jane Addams. Thus, Deweyan democracy will be considered in connection with the constructions of feminism, gender, and sexuality at work in some crucial historical contexts of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The course will also consider various recent defenses and critiques of the Deweyan legacy, such as those of Charlene Seigfried, Richard Rorty, Richard Bernstein, and Nancy Fraser. There will also be fieldtrips to Hull House and the Laboratory School. R.B. Schultz. Spring 2001.
27800. Introduction to Chinese Politics (=PolSci 384). 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 prospects for democracy. The discussion is framed in terms that allow comparison with other countries. D. Yang. Winter 2001. Winter 2002.
27800. Introduction to Chinese Politics. 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. Winter 2004.
27815. 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 2004. Autumn 2005.
27900. American Foreign Policy. The study of foreign policy lies on the fault-line between international relations, domestic politics, and policy analysis. In analyzing the foreign affairs of the United States, there is the added tension of pursuing the national interest versus advancing our nation's ideals. This course surveys the contending theories explaining U.S. foreign policy. It then examines significant episodes of the past century to identify the important factors and tradeoffs affecting U.S. policymakers. D. Drezner. Autumn 2001.
27901. Religion and the First Amendment. (=RETH 31600, PHIL 21415/31415, LAWS 47901). This course will cover the major legal issues in this area, focusing on the relationship between the Establishment clause and the Free Exercise clause. Some background reading in philosophy (e.g. Hobbes, Locke) will begin the class, and some comparative reading about other countries (especially India) will end it. M. Nussbaum. Spring 2005. (A)
28000. 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 2001. Autumn 2003. Autumn 2005.
28200. U.S. Foreign Economic Policy. This course examines the foundations, assumptions, objectives, dynamics, and methods of U.S. foreign economic policy. What drives U.S. policymakers-national interests or special interests? To what extent is foreign economic policy driven by strategic factors?-How well do existing theories explain important economic policies? These questions are addressed by examining recent and historical episodes of U.S. policy with regard to trade, exchange rates, international finance, regulatory standards, foreign direct investment, foreign aid, and economic sanctions. D. Drezner. Winter 2004.
28300. Seminar on Realism. The aim of this course is to read the key works dealing with the international relations theory called "realism." J. Mearsheimer. Spring 2001. Spring 2002. Spring 2003. Spring 2004. Spring 2005.
28320. Realism. The aim of this course is to introduce students to the realist paradigm of international relations. The readings will include such classic works as Machiavelli s The Prince and Kenneth Waltz s Theory of International Politics. Special attention will be paid to subjects like: 1) human nature vs. structural realism, 2) defensive vs. offensive realism, 3) the absence of a balancing coalition against the United States since the Cold War ended, and 4) the role of ethics in realist thinking. J. Mearsheimer. Winter 2006.
28400. American Grand Strategy. This course examines the evolution of American grand strategy since 1900, when the United States first emerged on the world stage as a great power. The focus is on assessing how its leaders have thought over time about which areas of the world are worth fighting and dying for, when it is necessary to fight in those strategically important areas, and what kinds of military forces are needed for deterrence and war-fighting in those regions. J. Mearsheimer. Winter 2004.
28500. Quantum Social Science. Enrollment will be limited to 25. The scientific study of society has long been based on the ontological and epistemological assumptions of classical physics. In the 20th century quantum mechanics revolutionized physics and other natural sciences, but it has been though irrelevant to social science because quantum effects are significant only at the micro-physical level, washing out at the macro-level of reality of interest to social scientists. Some recent work in neuroscience, however, has suggested that mind or consciousness--the foundation of social life and normally understood in classical terms--may be a quantum mechanical phenomenon (may, since this remains highly speculative). On the heroic assumption that this conjecture proves to be correct, this course explores possible implications of quantum consciousness for social science and society. After reviewing the essentials of quantum philosophy and consciousness, topics addressed will include the nature of human agency, free will, rationality, individualism vs. holism on social structure, the possibility of group minds, the debate between positivism and interpretivism over the proper methodology of social inquiry, and normative implications for political theory. Basic familiarity with social theory or philosophy of social science is essential; background in physics desirable but not necessary. A. Wendt. Spring 2002.
28600. Political Psychology. Using abstract theories and empirical studies, we investigate the sources of human thinking and behavior as they relate to political action, conflict, and organization. Topics include the inevitability of conflict, the dynamics of obedience and authority, the function and organization of political attitudes, the variety in styles of political thinking, the sources of stereotypes and intolerance, the role of emotions in political life, and non-Western understandings of human consciousness and political action. E. Oliver. Winter 2004.
28600. Field Research Project in Public Policy I (=PolSci 286-287, PubPol 262-263/390-391). PQ: Open to non-public policy studies concentrators with consent of instructor; students must register for both quarters. Students work on a research team to prepare a report on an important public policy problem for a governmental agency, large public-interest group, or community-based organization; this project includes development and implementation of a research strategy designed to answer the policy questions. The objective is preparation of a publishable report. Projects in recent years have focused on refugee resettlement, welfare reform, and community development on the South Side of Chicago. A.R. Datta. Winter 2001.
28610. Psychoanalysis, Buddhism, and the Emotional Life. Using abstract theories and empirical studies, we investigate the sources of human thinking and behavior as they relate to political action, conflict, and organization. Topics include the inevitability of conflict, the dynamics of obedience and authority, the function and organization of political attitudes, the variety in styles of political thinking, the sources of stereotypes and intolerance, the role of emotions in political life, and non-Western understandings of human consciousness and political action. E. Oliver. Spring 2005. Autumn 2005.
28700. Field Research Project in Public Policy II (=PolSci 286-287, PubPol 262-263/390-391). PQ: Open to non-public policy studies concentrators with consent of instructor; students must register for both quarters. Students work on a research team to prepare a report on an important public policy problem for a governmental agency, large public-interest group, or community-based organization; this project includes development and implementation of a research strategy designed to answer the policy questions. The objective is preparation of a publishable report. Projects in recent years have focused on refugee resettlement, welfare reform, and community development on the South Side of Chicago. A.R. Datta. Spring 2001.
28800. 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 2002. Winter 2004. Winter 2006.
28900. Strategy. This course is about 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. The first component examines the key changes in strategic environment since 1990. The second looks at the effects of multipolarity on American grand strategy and basic national goals. The third block focuses on nuclear strategy. The fourth section is about conventional strategy. The last block discusses the future of war and peace in the Pacific Rim. J. Mearsheimer. Spring 2001. Winter 2002. Spring 2003. Spring 2005. Spring 2006.
29000. 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, arms control, and nationalism. The last part of the course deals with economic aspects of international relations. It concentrates on issues where politics and economics are closely intertwined: world trade, foreign investment, environmental pollution, and European unification. C. Lipson. Autumn 2001. Autumn 2002. Autumn 2003. Autumn 2004. Autumn 2005.
29100. Black Women's Political Activism (GNDR 29100). Enrollment limited to 25. This course uses the history of African American women's political activism to illuminate questions of participation in American politics. Examining the intersection and interaction of gender, race, sexuality, and class with politics in the United States this course re-conceptualizes both politics and political science. By moving black women from their historically marginal position in the curriculum to the center of our attention, we will begin to explore ways of transforming knowledge about American politics. Specific readings, discussion, and writing will explore topics such as feminism, labor activism, the civil rights movement, black power and black women in the academy. M. Harris-Lacewell. Winter 2003.
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 particular emphasis on the broader political context. Areas covered include speech, race, and gender. G. Rosenberg. Spring 2002. Spring 2006.
29300. History and Politics of the Soviet Union. (=HIST 23900/33900) This course, based on a weekly lecture and discussion of common readings, will look at the ways in which the tsarist and Soviet empires were constructed and maintained, the ideologies and discourses of empire employed, and the processes by which national communities were formed. The collapse of the tsarist empire and Soviet Union will be discussed, as well as specific case studies of nationalities within the empires. Readings will include empirical studies as well as theoretical works on nation formation, nationalism, and imperialism. R. Suny. Spring 2003.
29400. International Relations: Perspectives on Conflict and Cooperation (=IntStd 294/374, PolSci 294/374, SocSci 204). PQ: Class limited to sixty students; preference given to students with third- or fourth-year standing. This introductory course provides multiple perspectives on international conflict and cooperation. Initial lectures provide a basic grounding in international relations theory. Subsequent lectures provide contrasting perspectives on major themes in international politics and IR theory. These lectures are offered by different members of the university faculty, introducing major topics of their research and teaching. The course is a combination of lectures (one per week) and seminar discussions (one per week). P. Kapur. Autumn 2000. J. Mitzen. Autumn 2002. Autumn 2003.
29500. International Relations: Transnationalism in a Post-Colonial World (=IntStd 295/397, PolSci 295/397, SocSci 205). PQ: PolSci 294 strongly recommended. Class limited to sixty students; preference given to students with third- or fourth-year standing. Dominant conceptions in international relations privilege states by treating them as natural and exclusive actors in international relations; privilege the Western world by treating it as the center; and privilege the balance of power and deterrence by treating military force as the primary means of self-help in allegedly anarchical space beyond state frontiers. This course focuses on national and transnational civil society as the arena of action. We address a variety of topics such as nationalism; transnational identities generated by migration and refugee flows; environmentalism; human rights; cyber space; religions; and internal wars. R. Khalidi. Winter 2001. J. Mitzen. Winter 2002. Staff. Winter 2003. L. Wedeen. Winter 2004.
29600. Nations and Nationalism (=PolSci 496). This course examines the theories of nationalism and the histories of the evolution of the nation-form, as well as the causes of ethnic and national conflict. Readings will include the works of Ernest Gellner, Benedict Anderson and Eric Hobsbawn. R. Suny. Winter 2001.
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.
