Courses
Course Archive
Courses Winter 2004
Please find below a list of courses offered by the department during the Winter 2004 quarter.
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.
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. Students apply the theory by analyzing the development (or failure) of international cooperation in some international issue area. D. Snidal. Winter.
24000/44000. 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. (A)
25510/45510. 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. (B)
26000/35000. 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. (B)
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) to 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.
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.
27300/52400. 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. (A)
27800/38400. 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. (C)
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.
28400/49500. 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. (D)
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.
28800/48800. Introduction to Constitutional Law. (=LLSO 23900) This course is an introduction to the constitutional doctrines and political role of the U.S. Supreme Court, focusing on its evolving constitutional priorities and its response to basic governmental and political problems, including maintenance of the federal system, promotion of economic welfare, and protection of individual and minority rights. G. Rosenberg. Winter. (B)
29500/39500. International Relations: Transnationalism in a Post-Colonial World. (=INST 29500/39700) 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. Topics include nationalism, transnational identities generated by migration and refugee flows, environmentalism, human rights, cyber space, religions, and internal wars. L. Wedeen. Winter.
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.
30600. Introduction to Statistics. This course will provide an introduction to statistical concepts useful for social scientists. We will begin with an examination of basic statistical concepts and move to an introduction of general regression models and their use in subjecting theoretical claims to empirical tests. We will discuss representation of data, hypothesis testing, and bivariate and multivariate least squares regression. This course will have a decidedly different approach than typical statistics courses. I intend to emphasize intuitive understanding and practical application of statistical tools and to develop students' ability to choose and employ the appropriate tool for particular research questions. Weekly data assignments form the core of this course. M. Harris-Lacewell. Winter (E)
31200. Political Philosophy: Spinoza. (=FNDL 29200, LLSO 21500) An inquiry into Spinoza's Ethics as a contribution to the foundations of the Enlightenment. J. Cropsey. Winter. (A)
35500. Public Opinion. A close examination of techniques employed, categories utilized and assumptions made by contemporary American students of public opinion. Criticism of these approaches from historical, philosophical and comparative perspectives will be encouraged. The course will make little sense to students without at least a background in Data Analysis (PLSC 30500). J. Brehm. Winter. (B)
35700. Identity Formation in Comparative Perspective. This seminar is designed to be both theoretical and empirical, clarifying concepts such as "identity" and "subjectivity," and exploring various approaches to questions of political identification and self-understanding. We shall look at authors who use psychoanalysis, rational choice theory, versions of constructivism, and analytic philosophy in their studies. Although some of the readings will be explicitly devoted to conceptual conundrums and theories of the self, many will be comparative case studies--various contexts in which scholars identify political identification and subject formation as central political phenomena. Among the authors we shall read are Brubaker, Williams, Taylor, Butler, Hall, Erikson, Calhoun, and Laitin. Students will attend class regularly and write one 10-15 page paper. L. Wedeen. Winter. (C)
37000. U.S. Courts as Political Institutions. (=LAWS 51300) An examination of the ways in which United States courts affect public policy. Questions include: How do the procedures, structures, and organization of the courts affect judicial outcomes? Are there interests that courts are particularly prone to support? What effect does congressional or executive impact, including judicial selection, have on court decisions? What are the difficulties with implementation of judicial decisions? G. Rosenberg. Winter. (B)
37100. Comparative Political Economy. Enrollment will be limited to 10-12. This course surveys the contemporary theories of political economy, with particular emphasis on the interaction between economic policies, political preferences, domestic institutions, the international economy, and their consequences on the economy. It considers: political business cycles, partisan models, the internal structure of labor markets and its consequences for economic governance, the effects of varying constitutional frameworks for policy-making, the underlying causes of public spending growth and debates over the welfare state, the impact of the international economy on domestic politics, the political and institutional underpinnings of growth and development. The course draws heavily on the comparative politics literature focused on OECD nations, but it also examines key work on the developing world. C. Boix. Winter. (C)
37200. Race, Politics, and Segregation. This seminar will focus on a particular area of politics in the metropolis: the interrelationship between racial attitudes and racial segregation. Many of the biggest political challenges within metropolitan areas continue to revolve around questions of racism and racial segregation. In this seminar we will explore the bases of racial resentment, patterns and sources of racial segregation, the effects of segregation and racial hostility (and vice-versa), and what policy challenges they present. In addition to the readings, students will be expected to produce a research report on a particular aspect of this problem. Topics can include: racial attitudes among understudied groups (such as Latinos and Asian Americans), new trends in racial segregation (from 2000 Census data), consequences of racial segregation for particular groups in areas such as health, education, or employment. These will be developed in consultation with me. In addition to the written report, students will write a 3-4 page analysis of the week's readings to be shared for the group every third week. E. Oliver. Winter. (B)
37700. Global Political Economy. This course introduces graduate students to the concepts, theories, practices, and data used to study the global economy. How much do political factors explain variations in economic outcomes? Does the global political economy affect domestic political structures? Various theoretical approaches are used to analyze separate dimensions of the global economic system: trade, finance, investment, the environment, technology transfer, etc. D. Drezner. Winter. (D)
40600. Seminar on International Relations Theory. The end of the Cold War ushered in a new set of debates about how to study international politics. This course is an introduction to some of those important theoretical approaches and is organized around debate among realism, liberalism, and constructivism and their variants. Seminar discussion will identify and criticize the central arguments advanced by different scholars in order to assess the relative merits of different theoretical perspectives. R. Pape. Winter. (D)
44100. Social Theory of International Relations. Limit to 20 students. Introduction to philosophical aspects of international relations. Examination of debates in contemporary IR theory in light of recent work in social theory and philosophy on ontology, epistemology, and method, and especially on the relationship of material forces to ideas, agency to structure, and the nature and purpose of social scientific inquiry. IR scholarship addressed includes neorealist, neoliberal, constructivist, post-modern, critical, transnational, feminist, global governance, and normative approaches. Some prior familiarity with this scholarship is desirable, but since the issues are endemic to the social sciences and a third of the reading will be from social theory, the course may also be viewed as an introduction to the philosophy of social science, using IR as an extended case study. A. Wendt. Winter. (D)
45800. Politics, Ethics and Terror. (=RETH 45800) An examination of three responses to twentieth century totalitarianism - Arendt, Bonhoeffer, and Camus. What ethical wellsprings were drawn upon to confront Nazism and Stalinism? What sorts of arguments about the function of ideology, the loss of limits, the transgression of 'orders of being,' metaphors of plague or other ravages got deployed and to what ends? What is the connection between explanation, understanding, and action in the 'dark times' through which our thinkers lived or in which they died? J. Elshtain. Winter. (A)
46100. 20th Century Hegelianism. A reading of several important works by twentieth-century thinkers influenced by Hegel, with special attention to the theme of recognition. Readings are to be determined, but may include works by: Bataille, Kojve, Fanon, Lacan, DuBois, Habermas, Derrida, Honneth, Taylor, Zizek, Butler, Sartre, Adorno, and others. Students should have some prior experience with Hegel's thought. P. Markell. Winter. (A)
46400. State and Market Formation. This course will focus on the emergence of alternative forms of organization control (e.g., centralized bureaucracy, multiple hierarchies, elite networks, and clientage) in different social structural contexts (e.g., the interaction of kinship, class, nation states, markets and heterodox mobilization). Themes will be illustrated in numerous cross-cultural contexts. J. Padgett. Winter. (B)
48400. Workshop on International Security Policy. This workshop aims to provide interested members of the Chicago community with an opportunity to meet and discuss a wide range of international security topics. Special emphasis will be placed on looking at important policy issues that lend themselves to social science research. Relevant topics include: 1) NATO expansion, 2) America's grand strategy after the Cold War, 3) the rise of China, 4) nuclear proliferation, 5) the state of Russia's military, and 6) stability in the Persian Gulf. Speakers will include policymakers, as well as scholars and graduate students doing policy-relevant research. C. Glaser, J. Mearsheimer, R. Pape. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
48600. Social Space: Theory and History. W. Sewell. Winter. (A)
50100. Advanced Topics in International Cooperation. This is a research course on international cooperation, international organization, international law and surrounding topics. Students should already have passed the M.A. stage, have a (dissertation) research project in mind, and preferably have started writing. Classes will be conducted as true seminars where participants discuss and constructively critique each other's work. The course will meet irregularly throughout the calendar year according to the schedule and pace of participants' writing. Permission of instructor required. D. Snidal. Autumn, Winter, Spring. (D)
50900. Comparative Case Study Method. This course will examine the core epistemological and methodological issues surrounding the case study method. J. Mearsheimer. Winter. (E)
52000. Political Theory Workshop. (=SCTH 52000) The workshop is a forum for the presentation of new research in all varieties of political theory and political philosophy, including work in the history of political thought; contributions to normative political philosophy; theoretical engagements with problems in contemporary politics and public policy; and theoretical reflection on fundamental political concepts or phenomena. Our weekly seminars include presentations of work in progress by graduate students, as well as University of Chicago faculty, faculty at other Chicago-area institutions, and a small number of invited guests from around the country. Graduate students serve as discussants for all presentations. The Workshop subscribes to no particular methodology or political ideology, and welcomes participants from all departments and disciplines. C. Larmore, J. Levy, P. Markell, J. McCormick. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
52700. Freedom. The focus will be recent studies of freedom in both its psychological and political senses. Topics covered will include free will, freedom and necessity, freedom and responsibility, negative and positive liberty. Readings from such authors as Berlin, Strawson, Chisholm, Frankfurt, Nagel, Pettit. C. Larmore. Winter. (A)
54600. Workshop on East Asia. (=ECON 57100) This workshop focuses on current social science research on East Asian societies, including the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. Presentations are by university faculty and advanced graduate students who conduct research on these societies, throughout the social science disciplines. Two to three outside speakers are hosted each quarter. D. Yang, B. Silberman. D. Zhao. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
55300. Workshop on Political Economy. The Workshop in Political Economy is organized around rational choice and game theoretic approaches to the study of politics and economies, broadly construed. Workshop topics include positive analysis of political, economic and social behavior, as well as normative models of public choice, experimental tests and philosophical critiques. We also expect some of the work presented to focus on empirical and policy applications of political economy models. Thus the workshop is inherently interdisciplinary - combining economic methodology with political science questions, and building political considerations into economic analysis. Workshop sessions will apply these combinations to a broad range of social science issues and substantive topics. S. Gailmard, J. Grynaviski, J. Milyo, R. Myerson, D. Snidal. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
55500. Workshop on Comparative Politics. This workshop invites scholars whose work is historical, sociological, anthropological, and political to cultivate a forum that is highly interdisciplinary in nature. We have addressed issues such as state building, democratic theory, economic policy, the welfare state, and cultural cleavages in past years. We invite graduate students with area expertise to raise theoretical issues about their data and interpretations that would be of interest to a wider circle of social scientists. As in the past, there will be no particular geographic or temporal focus in the workshop. C. Boix, L. Medina, L. Wedeen. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
58500. Workshop on Organizations and Political Sociology. Combining political science and sociology, this workshop focuses on organizations and social networks-both the microunderpinnings of their construction (identity and exchange) and the macroconsequences of their aggregation (states and markets). This year we will focus in particular on the effect of organizational or network structure on the patterning of temporal sequence and change. J. Padgett, J. Brehm. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
59300/59400/59500. Workshop on International Relations. Part of the Program on International Politics, Economics, and Security (PIPES), this is a yearlong workshop for advanced graduate students engaged in their own research projects in international relations. PIPES meetings provide a forum for advanced graduate students, university faculty, and outside guests to present their research. Topics include the full range of international politics and theory, including political economy, security studies, foreign policy, international law and organizations, international environmental issues, critical international relations theory, and a wide variety of regional issues. This work is methodologically diverse, encompassing historical research, mathematical modeling, quantitative studies, and interpretive approaches. C. Lipson, D. Snidal. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
