Courses
Spring 2014
EAS 302/POL 300/ANT 384/SOC 316Dilemmas of Development in Asia(SA)East Asian development has been arguably the most important social, economic, and political phenomenon of the past half century. It has posed, and continues to pose, monumental challenges. These have included intellectual debates over the proper way to build national wealth, struggles over democracy and rights, environmental crises, and the changing demands and expectations of citizens themselves. In this course, we survey some of the dilemmas facing the countries of East and Southeast Asia, drawing attention the myriad connections between economic growth and political, social, cultural, and environmental transformation.David R. Leheny
EPS 300/POL 384European Politics and Society in the 20th Century(SA)The course aims to cover the critical developments of twentieth-century Europe and the consolidation of democracy in European countries. It will deal with the legacy of the two world wars, Nazism, Stalinism, the Cold War, the legacy of colonialism and decolonization, the birth and development of the European Community, the development of the welfare state, the problems confronting the European Union (immigration, enlargement, political institutions, military role, and the single currency), and the varieties of democratic institutions in Europe.Ezra N. SuleimanUte Mehnert
NES 321/POL 369Iran Since the Revolution(SA)This course examines the formation and development of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the aftermath of the 1979 revolution. It considers, in particular, how the Iranian regime has adapted to changing domestic and international economic, social and political conditions and sustained itself enface grave social and economic challenges and international isolation. Topics of discussion include: Social Movements and Political Reform, Clerical Opposition and Dissident Theology, Changing Interpretations of Religious Law, Missed Opportunities in US-Iran relations, Iran's role in the Middle East, the nuclear question.Mirjam Künkler
NES 418/REL 418/POL 418Religion and State Relations in Comparative Perspective(SA)In this comparative seminar we examine models of secularism in contemporary Europe, North America, South Asia and the Middle East, and explore the implications of religion-state relations for the quality of democratic citizenship. We start with an overview of the relationship between religion, democracy and secularism and ask what role religion should and should not play in democratic public discourses. We then compare the institutional models of secularism. In a final section, we study the relationship between religious freedom and human rights, and the challenges religious laws may create for democratic and democratizing polities.Mirjam Künkler
POL 210Political Theory(EM)The course explores ideas about justice, authority, freedom, and revolution in the work of classical and modern authors from Plato to Marx. It will be both thematic and historical in nature - and introductory.Alan Ryan
POL 230Introduction to Comparative Politics(SA)This course surveys institutions of government and explores the role of government in economic and social affairs in developing as well as advanced industrial countries. The overarching theme is the relationship between capitalism, democracy, and economic development. The course also provides an introduction to the comparative method: using some major books in Comparative Politics as examples, we will explore how different scholars use cross-national comparison to gain insight into political dynamics.Grigore Pop-Eleches
POL 240/WWS 312International Relations(SA)This course is an introduction to the causes and nature of international conflict and cooperation. We critically examine various theories of international politics by drawing on examples drawn from international security, economic and legal affairs across different historical eras from 10,000 BC to the present. Topics include the causes of war, the pursuit of economic prosperity, the sources of international order and its breakdown, and the rise of challenges to national sovereignty, and such contemporary issues as international environmental politics, human rights promotion, global terrorism, and the future of US foreign policy.Andrew Moravcsik
POL 303Modern Political Theory(EM)This course offers an overview of classic texts in modern political theory, focusing on the social contract tradition. Readings include selections from Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Mill, Marx, and Rawls.Anna B. Stilz
POL 305/SOC 320/GER 312Radical Political Thought(EM)This course will examine traditions of political thought--mostly, but not only, on the Left--which challenge mainstream conceptions of liberal democracy and modern capitalist society. The main focus will be on Marxism, anarchism, feminism, religious radicalism, ecological thought, and critiques of alienation in everyday life. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between political and cultural criticism, and to the philosophical anthropologies underlying different theories as well as the mechanisms for social change they envisage. We also ask if liberal democratic thought can effectively respond to radical challenges.Jan-Werner Müller
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 313/CHV 313Global Justice(EM)What, if any, norms of justice apply to the institutions and practice of world politics? Topics include "political realism" and skepticism about global morality; just wars and justice in warfare; ethics of humanitarian intervention; the nature and basis of human rights; world poverty and global distributive justice; democracy and accountability in global institutions. Readings chosen from recent works in political philosophy.Charles R. Beitz
POL 316Civil Liberties(EM)An inquiry into the value of liberty and of particular civil rights and liberties. The course considers competing theoretical justifications for rights and liberties generally, as well as particular problems concerning freedom of speech and the press, religion, sexuality, abortion, and discrimination. Supreme Court opinions regarding the constitutionality of legislation in each of these areas will be discussed and criticized.Robert P. George
POL 333/LAO 333/LAS 333/SOC 325Latino Politics in the U.S.(SA)What is Latino politics and is it different from American politics? What do we know about Latino voting and attitudes in U.S. elections? How do policies and institutions impact Latinos, and how are policies and institutions impacted by them? What methods can we use to find out? In this course we will use social science to examine questions about Latino politics in the U.S. Topics include: party identification and policy preferences; patterns of political participation; ethnic and national identity; immigration, demographics and their political impact; Latino subgroup differences such as generation, national origin and religious affiliation.Ali A. Valenzuela
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 350Research Methods in Political Science(SA)This is the introductory undergraduate course in research methods for Politics majors, designed to help prepare students for junior papers and the senior thesis. The material is chosen to convey an understanding of research design, choice of methods, and analysis. Both qualitative and quantitative methods will be taught, including some statistics. However, this is not primarily a statistics course, and the material is different from what a statistics class or qualitative research class would teach. Rather, it is an introduction to a range of research methodologies as they are applied to political science topics.John Kastellec
POL 351/WWS 311The Politics of Development(SA)This course investigates the key political drivers of human development through careful consideration of theory and comparative analysis. Topics include state-building, colonialism, ethnic conflict, global integration, multi-level governance, and global public health.Evan S. Lieberman
POL 352Comparative Political Economy(SA)This course forms part of the political economy core, and it introduces political economy models in the context of comparative politics. The course will emphasize the interaction between political institutions and economic goals and it will illustrate the application of the analytical and empirical methods developed in the other core courses in political economy. The course will apply the tools of political economy to understand the reasons for the differences among countries' levels of economic and political development, and to explain the interconnectedness of political and economic outcomes.John B. Londregan
POL 380Human Rights(SA)A study of the politics and history of human rights. What are human rights? How can dictatorships be resisted from the inside and the outside? Can we prevent genocide? Is it morally acceptable and politically wise to launch humanitarian military interventions to prevent the slaughter of foreign civilians? What are the laws of war, and how can we punish the war criminals who violate them? Cases include the Ottoman Empire, Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Bosnia, and Rwanda.Gary J. Bass
POL 404/CHV 404Science and Democracy(SA)Are science and democracy mutually supporting communities of inquiry, or are they antithetical in their rival commitments to expertise and equality respectively? This question illustrates the questions to be pursued, about the fundamental principles and models of science and democracy; the relations between them; and the roles and responsibilities of scientists, policymakers, and citizens. This is a course in political theory and normative reasoning that will integrate perspectives from the philosophy of science, science and technology studies, and case studies, accessible to students with backgrounds both inside and outside natural science.Melissa S. Lane
POL 422/GSS 422Seminar in American Politics: Gender and American Politics(SA)This course examines the intersection of gender and politics in the United States.Tali Mendelberg
POL 430Seminar in Comparative Politics: Military, State and Society(SA)This seminar is concerned with the puzzles and problems of civil-military relations. What role does the professional military play in modern state and society? Are professional militaries more or less likely to intervene in politics? How do democracies control the military? Why do those with guns obey those without them? We will explore these and other important questions in the study of civil-military relations across a variety of political contexts: consolidated democracies, transitional democracies, and authoritarian regimes in different regions of the world, including the U.S., Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and South Asia.Aqil Shah
POL 440Seminar in International Relations: International Relations of South Asia(SA)Theories of international relations seek to explain the causes and consequences of conflict and cooperation between "great powers." How do IR theories travel to South Asia, a strategically important region of the world populated by several 'minor' powers? This seminar will explore the strengths and limits of IR theories by applying them to an array of South Asian security issues in both historical and contemporary contexts, including, the Indo-Pakistani territorial conflict over Kashmir, civil wars, the emerging geostrategic dominance of India, nuclear proliferation, terrorism, and regional cooperation in trade and economics.Aqil Shah
WWS 313/POL 468Peacemaking(SA)This seminar will assess the history, objectives, and effectiveness of international peace operations including peacemaking, peacekeeping, peace enforcement, and peacebuilding efforts. Informed by current and recent operations in places such as the Balkans, Africa, and the Middle East, the class will assess progress by the international community in its ability to respond effectively to the political, economic, and social transitions in post-conflict societies. The seminar will also study the development of U.S. policy toward peace operations.William L. Nash
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 inpeacetime 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 Pericleses to Barack Obama.Aaron L. Friedberg
WWS 316/POL 399China's Foreign Relations(SA)This course will review and analyze the foreign policy of the People's Republic of China from 1949 to the present. It will examine Beijing's relations with the Soviet Union, the United States, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Third World during the Cold War, and will discuss the future of Chinese foreign policy in light of the end of the Cold War, changes in the Chinese economy, the post-Tiananmen legitimacy crisis in Beijing, and the continuing rise of Chinese power and influence in Asia and beyond.Thomas J. Christensen
WWS 363/POL 463Public Leadership and Public Policy in the U.S.(SA)This course will review key Presidential decisions on domestic and foreign policy developments such as the passage of civil rights legislation and the intervention in Iraq, and will consider the ethical, legal, and operational frameworks for effective, responsible public leadership. Students will review relevant literature from history, psychology and politics, discuss the central policy issues in each case, and evaluate the decision-making process in view of these frameworks.Nathan B. Scovronick