Spring 2016

Are human rights women's rights? Are women's rights human rights? This course examines the international human rights system (treaties, conventions, institutions and case law) through the lens of gender, exploring the ways in which they are organized around gendered assumptions that shape and limit their ability to reach and remedy the reality of women's lives. The course also considers the tension between international human rights law and local gender justice as well as how international human rights have evolved in response to the rise of global feminisms. The course explores these issues through a series of case studies examining such issues as sexual violence, human trafficking, religious freedom and women's access to education, health care and employment.

Subfield: International Relations

Note: This description is from Fall 2013

War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Is this necessarily true? Wars are brutal and horrific events, but are they all necessarily the result of miscalculation, accident or fanaticism? Can war serve a rational purpose? Are wars governed by rules and do states care about these rules? Are some periods in history, particular parts of the world or certain types of states, more war prone than others? What are tribal, ethnic, religious or national groups actually fighting over? Can their conflicts be prevented, moderated or halted? Are democracies more peaceful than dictatorships? Are Protestants more peaceful than Catholics? Are women more peaceful than men? Is terrorism on the rise and why has it developed a unique relationship with religious fundamentalism? Have nuclear weapons changed the face of modern war? How do nuclear weapons work anyway?

This course seeks to answer these and other questions surrounding the phenomenon of war. We begin with a four-week survey of the history of war in the Western Hemisphere to examine the relationship between societies, the manner in which they fought and the weapons they used. We will then seek answers to riddle of war from a variety of disciplines: What can soldiers, philosophers, economists, psychologists and sociologists teach us about war?

The core of the course seeks to introduce students to theories of war from within International Relations theory. We will utilize in-class exercises, movies and discussion sections to get at some of the most challenging questions surrounding war. Finally, we will examine several pressing issues relating to modern warfare: the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, civil wars, genocide, religiously motivated violence, nonviolence, terrorism, and the future of war.

Subfield: International Relations

Please note the description is from Spring 2012

The goal of this class is to familiarize students with the various ways in which actors can manage and resolve their conflicts. We will talk about conflict management in both international and civil conflicts. We will examine the various strategies that the belligerents themselves can employ to address their differences and the conflict management techniques of third parties. Students will learn about strategies such as negotiation, mediation, arbitration and adjudication, sanctions, humanitarian intervention, peacekeeping, nation-building, and the design of peace agreements. We will also talk about the role of the United Nations, regional organizations, and major powers like the U.S. in conflict management. While the main goal of the class is to familiarize students with central concepts and theories of conflict management, we will also take a look at cases that illustrate when and how different strategies work or when and why they might not be successful.

Subfield: International Relations

Note: This description is from Fall 2013

This course surveys some of the canonical texts and major themes of European political theory in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The texts we will study are by Alexis de Tocqueville, Karl Marx, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, and Max Weber. We will consider a range of problems, including the nature of modern power; the contested character of democracy, equality and liberty; the relationship between political, social, and economic life; the problem of the emancipation and enfranchisement of marginal or subordinated groups; and some of the subterranean forces that contour political life and motivate its inhabitants. We will also be attentive to the ways these texts etch a relationship between democracy, empire and colonialism. Still, these texts are so intellectually rich and vast that you will undoubtedly be drawn to themes in addition to those listed above, and you are welcome to raise and develop these interests during the course.

Note: This description is from Fall 2011.

The promise of the American political system was that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness would flow from the a priori maxim enunciated in the Declaration of Independence that all men were created equal and endowed with inalienable rights. This class explores the root of the American rejection of an inclusive democratic government at inception, and its connection to the rejection of European political authority. The way to understand that rejection may be found in the nation's social estrangement from Europe rather than in its dream of freedom from tyranny. The gradual erosion of a balance between decentralized and centralized power can be seen in the eclipse of anti-federalism, the inclusion of slavery, and in Indian Removal. All betray aspects of a compromise with the goal of an inclusive and balanced political authority in the United States. In this class, we see how the compromises between majority rule and minority rights broke down in a way that may have limited the American Founding. By looking closely at unbalanced relationships between majority communities and frontier democrats, African slaves, and Native Americans we reveal much about the struggle for political authority in antebellum society and its unresolved quarrel with the past. The class also utilizes film clips, contemporary news clippings and articles, and as indicated above, a reader and texts (ranging from Hannah Arendt to Herman Melville). This is a class in political theory, and depends heavily on discussion of the material and keeping up with the reading.

This course falls within the American Politics subfield.

Please note the description is from Spring 2013

The course will explore some of the many intersections of the public and private sectors in "public-private partnerships."  These partnerships between government and business have become a common device of American urban politics; one that bears little relationship to traditional government contracts.  Through case studies—some successful, some not, and some for which the outcome is uncertain—the class will look at competing public policy, legal, political and financial challenges in these transactions.  The cases will focus on sports stadiums/arenas, frequent occupants of this space (including the SF Giants, Oakland A's and Warriors searches), and the 49ers' new stadium.  It will also consider other uses on public land such as the Exploratorium Museum, housing and perhaps even an oyster farm.

Instructor Name:  Pamela Duffy

Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP , Partner

Email: pduffy@coblentzlaw.com

NOTE: Please CC Ali Bond (alibee@berkeley.edu) when emailing the instructor.

This course provides an introduction to the study of American public policy.  In contrast to the approach that might be taken at a Public Policy school, for example, the emphasis is on why government responds to particular problems in particular ways.  The course focuses on the political processes through which the federal government has developed an extensive range of domestic policies in areas such as health care, minority rights, and the environment. 

TBA

Subfield: American Politics

Instructor: Ms. Katie Merrill

This course will introduce students to some key concepts used in contemporary comparative political analysis. It will do so through an examination of the reasons for why some modern nation states provide better living conditions for their citizens. Are these differences due to factors such as political institutions, legislative arrangements, parties and party systems, or social forces such as culture and ethnicity? Class lectures will focus on developing an understanding of how political scientists use these terms and whether they provide adequate explanations for why states vary so substantially in their performance. There will be two lectures per week and one required discussion section.

This course can satisfy either the Social & Behavioral Sciences or International Studies breadth requirement.

Please note the description is from Summer 2013