This course explores the relationship between the individual and society as exemplified in the writings of political philosophers, statesmen, novelists, and contemporary political writers. Questions about law, political obligation, freedom, equality, and justice and human nature are examined and illustrated. The course looks at different kinds of societies such as the ancient city, modern democracy, and totalitarianism, and confronts contemporary issues such as race, culture, and gender. The readings present diverse viewpoints and the sessions are conducted by discussion. The course is designed primarily for first-year students.
This course explores the relationship between the individual and society as exemplified in the writings of political philosophers, statesmen, novelists, and contemporary political writers. Questions about law, political obligation, freedom, equality, and justice and human nature are examined and illustrated. The course looks at different kinds of societies such as the ancient city, modern democracy, and totalitarianism, and confronts contemporary issues such as race, culture, and gender. The readings present diverse viewpoints and the sessions are conducted by discussion. The course is designed primarily for first-year students.
This course introduces students to classical political philosophy through analysis of Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Ethics and Politics. The course addresses enduring questions about the community, the individual, happiness, and justice. Other themes to be discussed include the ideal political order, the character of virtue or human excellence, the relationship between politics and other aspects of human life (such as economics, the family, and friendship), the political responsibility for education, and philosophy as a way of life. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
This course examines and evaluates the world revolutionary challenge to classical political philosophy posed by such writers as Machiavelli in his Prince and Discourses, Hobbes in the Leviathan, and political writings of Locke, Rousseau, and Nietzsche. We will consider the differing views of these authors about how best to construct healthy and successful political societies; the role of ethics in domestic and foreign policy; the proper relations between politics and religion, and between the individual and the community; the nature of our rights and the origin of our duties; and the meaning of human freedom and the nature of human equality. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. .
Representative democracy came to be the most common form of government in Europe and the Americas in the twentieth century, and in the last half of the century it became increasingly popular among the peoples of the rest of the world. Representative democracy takes many forms and confronts many constraints in its implementation. This course will explore the institutional variety of representative democracy, the causes of political stability and instability in democratic regimes, and the possibility of successful creation of democratic regimes in countries in which the political culture has not traditionally supported democracy. Case studies may include Great Britain, Germany, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Chile, and Mexico. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
This course provides a brief introduction to the study of international relations. It focuses on three central themes: (1) contending theories of international relations; (2) the rise of the modern international system; and (3) recent developments in the international arena. Other topics will include the causes of war and the chances of peace, the shift from politics based primarily on military power to more complex relations rooted in politics among democracies, economic interdependence and dependency, and the recent resurgence of nationalism and ethnic conflict. Issues such as nuclear proliferation, human rights, peaceful conflict resolution, and the role of ethics in international politics may also be covered. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Does the U.S. Congress possess the capacity for independent and effective law-making, budgeting, and oversight of the executive? To what extent has Congress ceded policy-making responsibility to the president? How does Congressional performance vary across policy areas and what accounts for these variations? How have recent reforms affected Congressional performance? In this course, we will explore these questions by examining the historical development and contemporary performance of the U.S. Congress. We will analyze the factors that influence the policy-making process, including the electoral setting in which legislators operate, the relationship of Congress to interest groups, and the party and committee systems within the institution. We will also analyze the performance of Congress in several policy areas. Students will follow this year's Congressional mid-term elections. This course may be used to complete the upper-level American politics requirement for political science majors. Prerequisite: sophomore standing..
This course explores different views of the presidency and of the nature of presidential leadership. The Founders' view will be compared with developments since Franklin Roosevelt, including the imperial and post-imperial presidencies. A central concern will be understanding the constitutional powers of and restraints on the modern president. We will study presidential selection, the president's relations with other parts of the government, and the president's role in domestic and foreign policy making. The course concludes with a study of presidential leadership and of the proper ends and means by which to exercise political power, with particular attention to the presidencies of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. This course can be used to complete the requirement in American politics for political science majors. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
This team-taught course examines the influence American citizens have on their government through political parties and elections. Major topics include the character of American parties; the political behavior and beliefs of American citizens, especially as voters; recent history of the party system and elections; election campaigning; the role of the news media in elections; the impact of public opinion and elections on government policies; the future of the party system; and an evaluation of the party and electoral systems from the perspective of democratic theory. We will pay special attention to the presidential election of 2004 and to the topic of how we choose presidents. (This course can be used to complete the requirement in American politics for political science majors.) Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
This course studies a broad range of public policies and analyzes the process of making policy through case studies, which range from foreign policy to economics. We will study various views of the policy-making process in our national government and consider the different stages of policy-making, including how problems are defined, how new proposals emerge, and how certain solutions make it onto the national agenda and are debated before adoption, altered during implementation, and subsequently evaluated. We will also consider the role of politicians, experts, and bureaucrats in policy-making, study why specific policies were adopted, and debate whether these were the best possible policies. Finally, students will be asked to arrive at their own policy positions on an important issue by taking into account the full range of issues?constitutional, moral, political, economic, circumstantial, and so on?to be considered in deciding on a sound policy. This course is one of the required foundation courses for the Public Policy Concentration and is also open to other upperclass students. This course can be used to complete the requirement in American politics for political science majors. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Enrollment limited.
The course analyzes how the American political system produces foreign policy decisions. In seeking to discover the domestic influences on American foreign policy, we shall examine how the original framers of the constitution intended for the policy process to proceed. We will then use case studies of American foreign policy decision-making to explore how policy actually gets
formed, examining the role of various political institutions including the president, Congress, the news media, public opinion, the bureaucracies of state and defense, and the National Security Council. Our case studies will include turning points in Cold-War American foreign policy such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War as well as more current issues and events, including Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. How does a democracy make foreign policy? How
does a democracy make decisions in an environment of partisan conflict and lack of consensus on the proper course of policy? This course can be used to complete the requirement in America politics for political science majors. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Enrollment limited.
Alternative strategies of economic development pose the most difficult political choices for those countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America not yet blessed by economic prosperity. This course seeks to accomplish three related goals. First, it will explore the contending theories of development that have shaped the debate about development in the past half-century: modernization theory, dependency theory, theories that emphasize state-led development, and theories that seek to define sustainable development. Second, it will compare alternative strategies of development, especially as exemplified by successful (or thought-to-be successful) developing and developed countries. Third, it will consider a set of contemporary issues that complicate the efforts of countries to develop: globalization, environmental catastrophe, population growth, and human rights considerations. Throughout, the definition of development and the desirability of economic growth will be questioned. Major cases to be considered include Brazil, Mexico, China, Korea, Taiwan, and India. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
In the past two decades, Latin America has experienced a twin transition: from non-democratic to democratic rule and from an inward-oriented, state-led economic development strategy to an outward-focused, market-oriented model sometimes called neoliberalism. These political and economic changes have caused social upheaval for many Latin Americans and have given many others new opportunities to improve their lives. This course will study the political, economic, and social changes that have taken place in five large Latin American countries?Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, and Brazil?since the early to mid 1980s. Hence, this course focuses on contemporary Latin American politics. In each case, we will review the salient features of the nation?s political history, explore the imposition of market-oriented economic policies, examine the transition to democratic rule, and consider the reactions to these changes from social groups. Prominent leaders of the transition to democracy and proponents of neoliberal economic policies will be profiled, as will the contending political forces in the country and their perspectives on neoliberalism. Public opinion about economic policy and democracy will be considered. Prerequisites: sophomore standing. Enrollment limited.
This course provides an introduction to comparative political development. It focuses on two key issues in the development of the contemporary world: the rise of the modern state and the emergence of modern nationalism. By analyzing the processes of state and nation-building in selected countries, we will come to understand the means by which state power is constructed, maintained, and legitimated in political systems as varied as absolutist monarchies and modern nation-states. And by examining nationalism in a variety of historical and geographical settings, we will begin to comprehend the intriguing power and persistence of national identities in an increasingly multinational world. Although the course will be explicitly analytic and comparative in character, analysis will be supplemented as appropriate with case studies drawn from countries around the world. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Enrollment limited.
This course explores the political implications of globalization. Global economic issues increasingly dominate national life. We will explore the factors that drive globalization as well as globalization?s implications for domestic and international politics. We will examine topics such as the rise of multinationals and global financial markets, the impact of globalization on wages, working conditions and social regulation, the creation of regional trade blocs such as the EU and NAFTA, the effects of globalization on world order, the politics of development, and the origins and implications of the growing backlash against globalization. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Enrollment limited.
This course will examine a variety of issues in environmental politics, placing special emphasis on international politics and policy. It will begin by considering the environmental impact of population growth, industrial development, and technological change. Topics such as global warming, resource depletion, the management and disposal of toxic waste, and threats to biodiversity will be examined, and their political implications analyzed in detail. A variety of possible responses to environmental threats will also be assessed, including ?green? activism, sustainable development, international efforts to negotiate treaties, and conferences and forums such as the 1992 Rio Conference. Case studies and films will be used as appropriate to supplement lectures and discussions. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Enrollment limited.
This seminar will take a close look at the man whose famous turn from the study of nature to the study of human affairs gave birth to political philosophy in its classical form. We will focus almost entirely on Plato?s presentation of Socrates, but we will begin by reading Aristophanes? more critical?and more comic?portrait of Socrates in the Clouds. Among the Platonic dialogues we will read are likely to be the Apology of Socrates, the Protagoras, the Symposium, and the Alcibiades I. The main themes will be Socratic education, the question of justice, Socrates? quarrel with the sophists, the significance of eros in Socrates? view of the human soul, and the relationship between philosophy and politics. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Enrollment limited.
In this seminar we will explore various points of contact in the respective political understandings of Machiavelli and Shakespeare. Our readings will include selections from The Prince, The Discourses, and Machiavelli's plays, and selections among Shakespeare's history plays, tragedies, and comedies. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Montaigne?s Essays, one of the acknowledged classics of modern thought, contain a breathtaking, wide-ranging, and dialectically complex account of the human soul in its confrontation with others, with the world, and with itself. Apparently artless and off-the-cuff, the essays require the most careful reading. The course will consist of close reading of many of these essays in order to understand the position Montaigne ultimately takes on human nature and on the political implications of that position. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Enrollment limited.
European governments face a number of challenges in the twenty-first century?welfare and job market reform, immigration, right-wing party activity, and the forging of a new European identity. In this seminar, we analyze some of the major economic and political issues facing European nations since the collapse of communism in 1989, and we seek to explain their varying responses to these challenges. This upper-level, discussion-based seminar is designed for students who already have some knowledge of European political systems. Prerequisite: PSCI 240 or permission of instructor. Enrollment limited.
This seminar will focus on the development of U.S. foreign policy since the end of the Cold War. Several broad issues will be examined. Among these are the following: how the end of the Cold War could change relations between the United States and its Cold War allies; the possibility of the renewal of serious conflict between the United States and Russia or between the United States and China; the debate between those who believe that with the end of the Cold War the United States should reduce its foreign military activities and alliance commitments and those who believe that U.S. security and global stability require that the United States maintain both a capable military and extensive defense commitments abroad; the dangers posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and what might be done to limit these dangers; and, lastly, how the September 11 attacks have changed U.S. foreign policy. The course also will study three current foreign policy problems facing the United States: the war on terrorism; the conflict with Iraq; and nuclear proliferation in North Korea. The underlying theme of this course will be the extent to which the international system and U.S. foreign policy have been ?transformed? by the end of the Cold War compared to the degree they have remained essentially the same. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Enrollment Limited.
This seminar explores the nature and consequences of international terrorism. The first part of the course will examine the history of terror as a self-conscious policy, beginning with the terrorists of the French Revolution and its imitators among revolutionary states and organizations. The question of whether terrorism is definable or merely a pejorative term will be central to this part of the course. The middle part of the course will deal with the practice of terrorism and counter-terrorism. It will focus on two current examples, namely Al Quaeda?s worldwide campaign and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the final part of the course, we will look to the implications of terrorism for international relations, national security, and modernization. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Enrollment limited.
This seminar explores the complex and dynamic relations between the state and market, the two most pervasive institutions that structure modern social life. We will examine issues such as the role of state violence in constructing political and economic order, the political foundations of markets, how warfare led to the emergence of modern states and global capitalism, the political sources of economic growth and decline, and how markets can undermine states and social order. The seminar will read scholars from a diverse array of disciplines, including political science, economics, history, and sociology, and will draw on a wide range empirical materials, ranging from medieval Europe and colonial Africa to modern Africa and the advanced industrial states. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited.
This seminar examines the relationship of science and politics from early modernity to the present, and considers the probable course and character of that relationship in the foreseeable future. Topics to be considered include Galileo?s conflict with the Church, the theory of evolution, Social Darwinism, and the origins and implications of nuclear weapons research. We will also examine a number of contemporary controversies at the intersection of science and politics, including genetic testing and therapy, intelligence testing and the IQ debates, global warming, and the debates surrounding the science and politics of AIDS. Issues such as the value neutrality of science, the politics of risk assessment, and the proper role of scientists in shaping policy also will be examined. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Enrollment limited.
This course is for students who wish to do advanced work beyond regular courses or to study subjects not included in course offerings. Prerequisites: permission of instructor and department chair.
The senior honors candidate works with two members of the department to prepare a major essay on a topic of his or her choice, which is then defended before an outside examiner in May.
The senior honors candidate works with two members of the department to prepare a major essay on a topic of his or her choice, which is then defended before an outside examiner in May. Prerequisite: permission of department chair.