Courses
Course Archive
Winter 2008
Please find below a list of courses offered by the Department during the Winter 2008 quarter.
20608. Pragmatism and Politics. PQ: Prior familiarity with philosophy or political theory. This course explores the tradition of political philosophy in American Pragmatism. While Pragmatism exerts significant influence on a wide swath of contemporary political theory, its political inheritance - or whether one can even speak of a "Pragmatist" political philosophy at all - remains contested. In order to assess the potential for a Pragmatist political philosophy, we focus on the writings of its progenitors: Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, George Herbert Mead and John Dewey. Contemporary strands of Pragmatism will also be addressed. L. Goldman.
21108. Power and Freedom. What is political power? Who holds it, and how, and why? And what does it mean to be "free"? This course explores possible answers to each of these questions, and others, through a survey of the major theoretical approaches to two of the most important and contested, ideas in contemporary political science: power and freedom. Through the lens of specific local, national, and global case studies, we examine and debate the influential philosophical accounts of (among others) Hannah Arendt, Isaiah Berlin, Robert Dahl, Michel Foucault, John Gaventa, Friedrich Hayek, C. Wright Mills, and Amartya Sen. D. Newstone.
21208. Security in International Politics. Security is the foundational concept in the study of international politics. As the principle rationale for war, the quest for security influences both states' behavior in the international system as well as the structure of state and society relations in domestic politics. This course examines critically the concept of security and its role in IR theory and national security policy. In addition to introducing students to the state-of-the-art in security theory, the course explores real-world security problems confronting states, including war, terrorism, proliferation and global warming. K. Ruby.
22400. Public Opinion. (=LLSO 26802) 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.
23100. Democracy and the Information Technology Revolution. (=LLSO 27101) 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.
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.
25215. The American Presidency. This course examines the institution of the American presidency. It surveys the foundations of presidential power, both as the Founders conceived it, and as it is practiced in the modern era. This course also traces the historical development of the institutional presidency, the president's relationships with Congress and the courts, the influence presidents wield in domestic and foreign policymaking, and the ways in which presidents make decisions in a system of separated powers. W. Howell.
25400/35400. Politics of International Trade. This class explores the politics of international trade from a political economy perspective. The main themes of this course include determinants of trade preferences, distributional effects of international trade, institutional explanations of trade policies, and the role of international economic institutions such as the World Trade Organization and free trade agreements on trade politics. J. Park. (D)
26500/36510. 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. (C)
27000. Philosophy, Race, and Racism. (=LLSO 22701) An intensive examination of some selected philosophical treatments of race and racism. Topics will include the history of European racial thought; biological and social constructionist notions of race; the conceptualization of racial and cultural identities as "mixed" or "mestizo;" the interpretation of racial identities in the perspective of the philosophy of history; and the conflict between cognitivist and noncognitivist theories of racism. Readings will include now "classic" texts by W.E.B. Du Bois, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Frantz Fanon, as well as recent work by Linda Alcoff, Anthony Appiah, Molefi Asante, Etienne Balibar, Homi Bhaba, Jorge Garcia, Paul Gilroy, Charles Mills, Michele Moody-Adams, and Adrian Piper. R. Gooding-Williams.
27101/47101. Liberalism Confronts Democracy: Tocqueville and Mill. Enrollment limited to 15. This course examines liberalism's wary embrace of democracy through an examination of the political thought of Tocqueville and J.S. Mill and selected contemporaries. We will examine their arguments for, and worries about, democratic politics, and their reactions to American events as well as critical moments such as the French revolutions of 1789, 1830, and 1848 and the British Reform Acts. We will explore the ways in which debates over expanding political participation intersected with themes such as the nation, representation, gender, moral character, class, slavery, empire, and international politics. J. Pitts. (A)
27600/37600. War and the Nation-State. (=LLSO 26500) The aim of this course is to examine the phenomenon of war in its broader socio-economic context during the years between the emergence of the modern nation-state in the late 1700s and the end of World War II. J. Mearsheimer. (D)
27700/57700. Popular Government in Principle and Practice. By Consent Only. Enrollment limited to 20. Undergraduates must have completed their Social Science Core sequence. This is an advanced seminar that focuses on the normative justifications for regimes where, to some significant extent, "the people rule," and analyzes the institutions through which the people are meant to rule. We will consider constitutions and citizen self-understanding in ancient Greek democracies, ancient and medieval Italian peninsular republics, early-modern Central European city-states and post-18th century representative governments. Themes to be considered include liberty and equality, contestation and consent, the good life and class relations, passivity and participation, citizenship and slavery, as well as civil laws and military prowess. J. McCormick. (A)
28615. Politics and Human Nature. Class limited to 15 and 3rd and 4th years only. This course explores commonalities among psychoanalytic theory, Buddhism, and studies of emotions and brain physiology, particularly as they relate to questions of the self and political life. In addition to exploring each of these theories, we investigate particular questions such as the inevitability of conflict, the dynamics of obedience and authority, the emotional power of ideology, and non-Western understandings of human consciousness. E. Oliver.
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. (B)
29210/39210. Foundations of American Constitutionalism. (=SCTH 32910) The American Constitution did not spring full grown from the heads of the Founders, but was the result of a long tradition of constitutional development in England and America, of developments in political philosophy, especially in Europe, and of the forging of a unique political culture in America, constituted of a number of hitherto separate strands, which came together to make the "American Amalgam." A particularly important component of the Amalgam was Protestant Christianity as transformed by its confrontation with modern political philosophy. This course will examine a number of the foundations of American constitutionalism, particularly the most relevant developments in political philosophy, and the various versions of Protestant political thought in America. M. Zuckert.
30300. Survey of American Politics. A survey of some of the main themes, topics and approaches in the study of American politics and government. J. Brehm, B. Sinclair. (B)
33400. US National Security Policy. (=PBPL 33400) This course introduces students to key issues in U.S. national security policy. We will examine U.S. interests in the post-cold war era, threats to these interests from states and terrorist organizations, and policies for minimizing the danger posed by these threats. Topics include the U.S. National Security Strategy and its emphasis on preventive action; prospects for peace in Europe and the future of the Atlantic alliance; the prospects for peace in Northeast Asia and the potential challenges posed by a rising China; roles and requirements for U.S. conventional forces; U.S. nuclear strategy and force requirements, and national missile defense; the dangers posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, and policies for dealing with them; and Iraq. In addition, the course provides background on the challenges the United States faced during the cold war and the policies it pursued to meet them. While primarily concerned with policy questions, the course will explore theoretical issues that provide the foundation for U.S. security policy. The course should be valuable to students who plan to pursue careers in international relations and security policy. It is broad enough in scope to provide a useful introduction to students interested in security issues, but not preparing to work in this area. C. Glaser. (D)
35100. Race and Politics II: Intensive Writing Seminar. PQ: PLSC 35000 (Autumn 2007) or permission of instructors. The focus of this seminar is to help students complete one publishable article of finished dissertation chapter by the end of the quarter. Students are advised to begin the quarter with the objective of revising a paper or chapter or with a clear sense of the paper or chapter they intend to write. M. Dawson. (B)
35200. Political Theory and Social Neuroscience. This course utilizes recent advances in cognitive neuroscience to investigate claims by political theorists (both classical and contemporary) about human nature and political organization. Topics include the inter-relationship between affective and cognitive information processes, the physiology of morality, the meaning of self-governance, and the possibility for making essential claims about human nature, particularly as they relate to processes of political organization. Readings will draw from both the political science cannon as well as recent journals and books in neuroscience. E. Oliver. (A)
37000. U.S. Courts as Political Institutions. (=LAWS 51300) PQ: There is a MANDATORY meeting on Monday Nov. 12th at 12:15 in Law School Seminar Room D. An examination of the ways in which United States courts interact with the broader political system. Questions include: How do the procedures, structures, and organization of the courts affect judicial outcomes? Are there interests that courts are particularly prone to support? What effect does congressional or executive impact, including judicial selection, have on court decisions? What are the difficulties with implementation of judicial decisions? G. Rosenberg. (B)
43500. Applied Bayesian Statistics for Political Scientists. This course provides an introduction to the applications of Bayesian statistics to political science. We begin with a discussion of the theoretical foundations of Bayesian methods. From these foundations we develop univariate (e.g. the mean), simple multivariate (e.g. both the mean and variance), and more complicated multivariate (e.g. regression) models. Advanced topics may include Bayesian treatments of general linear models, hierarchical models, and models of missing data. Emphasis will of course be placed on the development of competency with tools to implement these methods. J. Grynaviski. (E)
43700. Comparative Historical Analysis. This graduate seminar critically considers the theoretical impact and methodological rigor of Comparative Historical Analysis in political science and sociology. Studies in this tradition employ a variety of research methods and address a wide array of political and sociological questions. Yet its practitioners are "united by a commitment to offering historically grounded explanations of large-scale and substantively important outcomes." In the first few weeks of the course, we consider how and whether such historically specific arguments advance the quest for broad causal generalization in the social sciences. In the remainder, we read and critically assess major works on contentious politics, the state, political parties, and democratization. Students will be strongly encouraged throughout the quarter to draw lessons for their own dissertation research designs. D. Slater. (E)
44700. Research Approaches in Comparative Politics. This course has two goals: (1) To expose graduate students involved in empirical research to a variety of methodological approaches used in contemporary social-science scholarship, with the goal of improving the quality of their inferences; and (2) To provide a forum for students to improve ongoing research projects. In the class component, we will review different empirical methods and related research papers, including experimental and quasi-experimental approaches among others. In addition to the class component, the course is designed as a workshop for student research in progress. Every student will present her/his own research project and will provide feedback to others on the basis of the knowledge developed in class. Projects at all stages of development are welcome, subject to instructor approval. The course seeks to develop understanding of the possibilities and limitations of different methods, but it will not provide rigorous mathematical foundations. Familiarity with the basics of statistical inference and regression analysis will be very useful. A. Simpser. (C)
44800. Existentialism: Sartre and Fanon. A consideration of race, racism, and anti-semitism in the perspective of Sartre's and Fanon's adaptations of existentialist and phenomenological philosophical thought to social and political theory. R. Gooding-Williams. (A)
45010. Social Theory and the Economy. This course surveys social theoretic writing on the boundaries and character of economic process. Topics include theories of reflexivity and agency, recombinant organizational forms, and alternative forms of governance G. Herrigel. (C)
50000. Dissertation Proposal Seminar. L. Wedeen. 51200. Law-Philosophy Seminar. PQ: Students are admitted by permission of the instructors. They should submit a c.v. and a statement (reasons for interest in the course, relevant background in law and/or philosophy) by September 20 to Nussbaum and Anderson by e mail. Usual participants include graduate students in philosophy, political science, and divinity, and law students. This is a seminar/workshop most of whose participants are faculty from various area institutions. It admits approximately ten students by permission of the instructors. Its aim is to study, each year, a topic that arises in both philosophy and the law and to ask how bringing the two fields together may yield mutual illumination. There are twelve meetings throughout the year, always on Mondays from 4 to 6 PM. Half of the sessions are led by local faculty, half by visiting speakers. The leader assigns readings for the session (which may be by that person, by other contemporaries, or by major historical figures), and the session consists of a brief introduction by the leader, followed by structured questioning by the two faculty coordinators, followed by general discussion. Students write a 20-25 page seminar paper at the end of the year. The course satisfies the Law School Writing Requirement. The schedule of meetings will be announced by mid-September, and prospective students should submit their credentials to both instructors by September 20. Past themes have included: practical reason; equality; privacy; autonomy; global justice; pluralism and toleration; war; sexuality and family. The theme for 2006-7 will be Coercion. People whom we are planning to invite include Catharine MacKinnon, Stephen Schulhofer, Cass Sunstein, Bernard Harcourt, Marcia Baron, and Alan Wertheimer. M. Nussbaum, S. Anderson. (A)
53000. Seminar on Great Power Politics. The aim of this course is to explore some of the key questions concerning relations among the great powers. Special attention will be paid to how international relations theory explains the actions of the United States since 9/11. J. Mearsheimer. (D)
