Courses
Spring 2019
AAS 404/GSS 419/POL 429Intersectional Activisms and Movements for Social Justice(SA)This course examines intersectionality's roots as a political intervention growing out of & based in movement politics. It begins with early articulations of intersectional perspectives on the part of Black feminists & feminists of color, emphasizing its movement roots. We then examine empirical research about social movements & political activism, focusing on scholarship that considers both the potential of & the challenges to movements that try to address the imbrication of racial inequalities with other forms of marginalization and domination, including (though not limited to) heteropatriarchy, capitalism, ableism, & the carceral state.Dara Z. Strolovitch
CHV 421/POL 493Punishment: Theory and Practice(EM)This course examines the theory and practice of punishment in the US. Over the past 30 years, US incarceration rates have soared. Princeton students, alongside incarcerated students, together will ask why and how we punish; who really constitutes the "we" doing the punishing; why a gap might exist between the theory and practice of punishment; and what might be done. The course, organized through PTI and UCHV, involves weekly travel to and from a New Jersey correctional facility and intensive, collaborative discussions between Princeton and Rutgers students.Benjamin F. Berger
NES 326/POL 489US Foreign Policy and the Middle East since 1979(HA)This seminar examines the evolution of American diplomacy and military policy in the Middle East from the late Cold War through the "Unipolar movement" and 9/11 to the very recent past. Given the militarization of American policy, it pays particular attention to the use of force. It asks why military force has become the defining instrument of US foreign policy in this region, seeks to evaluate the efficacy of America's military interventions, and to identify the sources of American conduct. Prior coursework in international relations and Middle Eastern history is beneficial but there are no prerequisites.Michael A. Reynolds
NES 397/POL 368Modern Iran(SA)This course surveys major themes in the history of modern Iranian politics and society beginning in the 19th century and ending in the present. Topics to be explored include national identity, imperialism and interaction with the West, Islamic government, monarchism, constitutionalism, revolution, gender, Shi'a religious culture, religious diversity and post-revolutionary reformist and conservative thought and politics. Though focusing on the Iranian context, the course addresses questions asked by thinkers across the Muslim world in the modern period, questions that concern their relationship with the West, with Islam, and with modernity.Nura A. Hossainzadeh
POL 210Political Theory(EM)This course explores ideas of individual ethics and political community, the ethics of political rule, freedom and slavery, democracy and representation, and equality and inequality in political thought. Readings will be drawn from both canonical and contemporary authors, including Sophocles, Machiavelli, Locke, Rousseau, and Tocqueville. This is an introductory course, which emphasizes both thematic and historical approaches to political theory, and its role in informing contemporary civic engagement.Anna B. Stilz
POL 307/CHV 307The Just Society(EM)An introduction to theories of social justice and examination of their implications in areas of contemporary social and political controversy. The first half of the course introduces the problem of social justice and examines two classic positions, as articulated by John Locke (whose name is associated with liberalism, property, and capitalism) and Karl Marx (whose name is associated with the critique of capitalism). The second half of the course focuses on contemporary theories of justice. We will read authors such as John Rawls and Robert Nozick, and examine controversies over poverty, taxation, equal opportunity, and environmental justice.Alan W. Patten
POL 309/REL 309Politics and Religion(EM)Is there an affinity between particular religions and particular forms of politics? Is religion a necessary basis for any stable politics, as many canonical authors in the history of political thought asserted, or is it in fact a threat, as religion provokes strife and poses a danger to modern ideals of autonomy - including democracy? The course addresses such broad questions by engaging classic works as well as recent sociological writings, studies in comparative politics, and legal theories on politics and religion.Jan-Werner Müller
POL 317/CHV 316Confucian Political Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary(EM)Confucianism as an ancient tradition of thought has fundamentally shaped Chinese culture and deeply influenced East Asian societies for many centuries. Even today, many people in China and around the globe still explore the contemporary relevance of Confucianism. The first half of this course introduces classical Confucian political thought and examines its strengths and weaknesses. The second half studies how contemporary Confucian political philosophy responds to modern Western political ideas and institutions such as democracy, liberalism, human rights, and justice.Joseph Cho Wai Chan
POL 326Constitutional Difficulties in the Age of Trump(SA)The unexpected election of Donald Trump in the fall of 2016 has ushered in a host of debates about less familiar features of the U.S. Constitution. A political outsider and populist, President Trump has pushed on inherited constitutional practices and assumptions. In an era of highly polarized politics, his opponents have likewise made innovative use of constitutional institutions and powers. The Trump presidency has generated unusual concerns about the stability and robustness of the American constitutional system. This course will try to make sense of those concerns and the constitutional debates of the past two years.Keith E. Whittington
POL 329Policy Making in America(SA)This course provides a realistic introduction to how public policy is made in the United States. It examines how people (voters, activists, wealthy individuals, lobbyists, politicians, bureaucrats, and judges), organizations (interest groups, firms, unions, foundations, think tanks, political parties, and the media) and political institutions (Congress, the presidency, the bureaucracy, and the judiciary) come together to create and implement public policy. The course combines social science with cases, simulations, and role playing exercises to provide students with practical tools for real political analysis.Charles M. Cameron
POL 330Electing the President: Voter Psychology and Candidate Strategy(SA)This class examines how election campaigns affect voters. The primary focus is on the nature of modern election campaigns and their impact on people's political reasoning and voting behavior. The class presents an overview of explanations for people's voting decisions, from stable long-term factors (such as partisan identification) to short-term term influences of the campaign and media coverage. It illustrates that people's political behavior is best understood by examining those factors at different electoral levels, in different communication environments, and for different groups of people.Markus Prior
POL 332Topics in American Statesmanship: The General as Statesman: Allied Leadership and Operation Overlord(HA)Invasion! On June 6, 1944, British, Canadian, and American soldiers stormed the beaches of Nazi-occupied France. Operation Overlord, the largest and most complex military operation in history, was the culmination of over two years of intense and sometimes bitter negotiations between senior leaders from the United States and Great Britain. This course explores the statesmanship of the key military leaders as they developed a war-winning military strategy. We will examine these generals through the multiple lenses of diplomacy, strategy formulation, senior-level leadership, civil-military relations, and the conduct of military operations.Staff
POL 334/SOC 333/LAO 334Immigration Politics and Policymaking in the U.S.(SA)Founded and built by immigrants, the U.S. has a complicated relationship with newcomers. How have politics shaped U.S. immigration policy and the policymaking process? How and why do changing demographics affect the public's views about immigrants? What role do cultural concerns play? Do immigrants conform to nativist fears? How do members of Congress vote on immigration policy, and do they follow their constituents' preferences? How is immigration used in elections; with what consequences? We will tackle these and other questions about immigration by examining published research and applying it to on-going policy debates.Ali A. Valenzuela
POL 344/AAS 344Race and Politics in the United States(SA)This course examines various political controversies that surround the role of race and ethnicity in American society. These controversies and issues affect public opinion, political institutions, political behavior, and salient public policy debates. Thus this course will assess and evaluate the role of race in each of these domains while also examining historical antecedents. The first half of the course will focus on historical antecedents such as the civil rights movement and the Black Power movement. The second half of the course will focus on the nature of contemporary racial attitudes, in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 presidential elections.LaFleur Stephens-Dougan
POL 346Applied Quantitative Analysis(QR)In a world awash in data, how can we identify signals amid the noise? This course focuses on developing an intuition for statistics and applying it through data analysis, regression models and a final project. We will wrestle with what makes a good research question, play with data to see how statistical methods can help us make sense of real world concerns, and work at communicating quantitative findings clearly to broad audiences. Particular attention will be paid to applying these techniques in Junior Papers and Senior Theses. Coursework involves using the R statistical platform.Omar Wasow
POL 347/ECO 347Mathematical Models in the Study of Politics(QR)An introduction to the use of formal game-theoretic models in the study of politics. Applications include: voting, bargaining, lobbying, legislative institutions, and strategic information transmission. Familiarity with mathematical reasoning is helpful.Matias Iaryczower
POL 351/WWS 311The Politics of Development(SA)This course will focus on the state's role in promoting economic growth and distribution in the developing world. The core organizing question for the course is: why have some regions of the developing world been more successful at industrialization and/or poverty alleviation than other regions. The students will learn about the patterns of development in Asia, Africa and Latin America, with special attention to such countries as China, India, South Korea, Nigeria and Brazil. General challenges that face all developing countries -- globalization, establishing democracy and ethnic fragmentation -- will also be analyzed.Atul Kohli
POL 360Social Movements and Revolutions(SA)This course investigates the politics of protest and revolution, examining the conditions under which protest movements emerge, their choice of protest tactics, the effects of repression and concessions, and the determinants of movement success. The second part of the course focuses on revolutions, examining the forms that they assume and the conditions under which they develop and prove successful. Examples discussed include the civil rights, women's and environmental movements; the French, Russian, and Iranian revolutions; the collapse of communism; and the "colored" revolutions and other waves of revolution in the contemporary world.Mark R. Beissinger
POL 385International Political Economy(SA)This course examines how politics affects the international economy and vice-versa. The course will apply theories and tools of political economy to explore some of the following questions: who wins and loses from international trade and finance? How does globalization affect domestic politics (e.g., the 2016 election, regulations, inequality, environment) in developed and developing countries? Who sets the 'rules' under which the global economy operates? How influential are international organizations like the WTO and the IMF? These issues are explored with reference to economic and political theories, history, and contemporary events.Faisal Z. Ahmed
POL 440Seminar in International Relations: Politics of International Finance and Development(SA)This seminar examines how politics affects the international economy, and vice versa. It will focus primarily on the political economy of finance and international development, across nations, issues, and time. We will explore some of the following questions: why are some countries richer than others? Why do financial crises occur? Are countries "punished" for defaulting on their debt? Is foreign aid "effective"? How does financial globalization affect domestic politics and vice-versa? The aim of the course is to equip students with the tools to better understand the relationship between financial globalization and politics.Faisal Z. Ahmed
POL 442Seminar in International Relations: Contesting Globalization: Actors, Interests, and Outcomes(SA)The objective of this course is to debate several contentious issues surrounding globalization. Does globalization undermine national sovereignty? Cause political instability? Increase poverty and inequality? Harm the environment? By examining these among other issue-areas we will come to have a deeper appreciation of the costs and benefits surrounding globalization policies.Ethan B. Kapstein
POL 492/HUM 492/AAS 491/AMS 492The Politics of Race and Credit in America(HA)The racial wealth gap is today one of the most salient features of the American polity. This course places widening racialized inequalities in a broad historical perspective by connecting them to the politics of money and credit. Ever since colonial times, Americans have passionately, even violently, debated the nature of money. We will follow these debates to study how money and credit have been intimately linked to questions of race from Alexander Hamilton to Martin Luther King Jr. We will connect this historical material to political theoretical debates about race, credit, and money today.Stefan Eich
WWS 309/POL 494Terrorism Economics and Politics(SA)The course is intended to provide a formal analysis of terrorism from an economic perspective. We will consider a variety of theoretical and empirical approaches to studying terrorism. This includes the study of the economic costs and consequences of terrorism, the evaluation of the economic root causes on the occurrence of terrorism, and the economics of counterterrorism. Our study will also span into the political economy of terrorism and the effect of terrorism on voter's preferences, all of which will rely heavily on studies of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Israel's experience in coping with terrorism.Claude Berrebi
WWS 315/POL 393Grand Strategy(SA)Grand strategy is the broad and encompassing policies and undertakings that political leaders pursue-financial, economic, military, diplomatic-to achieve their objectives in peacetime and in war. This course will examine the theory and practice of grand strategy both to illuminate how relations among city-states, empires, kingdoms and nation states have evolved over the centuries and also to identify some common challenges that have confronted all who seek to make and execute grand strategy from Pericles to Barack Obama.Aaron L. Friedberg