Summer 2018

This course will study the major texts of political theory in Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages, including (but not limited to) Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Politics, Cicero’s De Re Publica and De Legibus, Augustine’s De Civitate Dei, Aquinas’ Summa, and Marsilius’ Defensor Pacis.  Topics for study and examination will include the theory of the state in Antiquity and the Middle Ages; the concept of law and its relation to justice; theories concerning the source and scope of legitimate political authority; pre-modern ideas of democratic and non-democratic forms of rule; the nature of citizenship; pre-modern systems of political values.

Who has the right to hold power in society?  Is there a “recipe” for economic development, and can it be applied to all countries, everywhere?  Is it possible to build democracy in places like North Korea, Iran, and China—or is democracy inappropriate, or impossible, within some cultural contexts?   What can ordinary people do to bring about political change?  These are some of the fundamental questions in comparative politics, and we will be wrestling with these issues over the course of the semester.  This course is designed to give you an introduction to dynamics of political and economic development, both within and across countries around the world.  In the process, the issues raised will challenge us to think, analyze, and write with creativity and rigor.  Attendance and lecture and discussion section required.

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

Instructor: Wendy Sinek, PhD

This course provides an overview of the U.S. political system from the nation's founding to the present. In addition to examining the core structures of our federal system, we will also explore a number of
special topics, such as the evolution of civil rights and the causes of partisan gridlock. The course will pay particular attention to the role institutions play in shaping political conflict and, ultimately,in determining who wins and who loses.

Instructor: Sean Freeder

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a basic framework for understanding howpsychological processes impact citizens’ political decision-making, attitudes, behaviors, and identities.
Over six weeks, we will look at theories and evidence from social, cognitive, behavioral, anddevelopmental psychology, which will we then apply to modern and historical political conflicts and
dilemmas. Throughout the course, we will also consider how well psychology explains various political phenomena, relative to approaches from economics and other fields.

Instructor: Sean Freeder

This course explores the characteristics, causes, and consequences of insurgency wars. Irregular warfare between insurgent and state forces has been the dominant form of armed conflict since the end of World War II. Yet, international relations scholars paid little attention to these “small wars” before U.S.-led operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. This course provides an overview of the history behind insurgency wars and debates the primary theories that try to explain guerrilla and counterinsurgent behavior. We will explore the underlying political, social, economic, and cultural factors that lead to rebellion, the competing strategic approaches to conducting insurgency and counterinsurgency, the immediate and long-term consequences of this type of political violence, and policy options for intervention prior and during small wars. Our empirical focus will be on conflicts in the 19th and 20th centuries, with particular attention to the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. 

Instructor: Jason Klocek

This course is an introduction to the methods employed in empirical political science research. We will cover basic topics in research design, statistics, and formal modeling, considering many examples along the way. The two primary goals of the course are: (1) to provide students with analytic tools that will help them to understand how political scientists do empirical research, and (2) to improve students' ability to pose and answer research questions on their own. There are no prerequisites.

Instructor: ANUSTUBH AGNIHOTRI

Note: Course description is from Fall 2013

This class, which will   focuses mostly on the domestic politics of India, has multiple aims.   In addition to providing an overview of political developments in India since independence, this online course assesses the nature of democratic participation and representation in contemporary India-the world's largest democracy. Course is scheduled to run  Session C (June 18 - August 10).

Please note you will NOT be able to take Political Science W145A, if you are enrolled or have completed Political Science 145A. This is an on-line variation of the course.

Note: Course description is from Summer 2013

Political science deals with the behavior of individuals in settings of collective or group choice. The best course of action for any individual to take in such settings generally depends on the course of action taken by others with whom they interact. For instance, the best strategy by a candidate in an election campaign might depend on the strategy adopted by other candidates. The best approach for achieving gains in a peace settlement for one nation-state depends on how other nation-states will
react. Game theory is the analysis of decision making in situations where one individual's best action depends on the actions taken by other individuals. This course provides a relatively non-technical introduction to game theory and its application in social science, especially political science and also economics.

Course runs during Session C (June 18- August 10)

Please note you will NOT be able to take Political Science W135, if you are enrolled or have completed Political Science C135/ECON C110. This is an on-line variation of the course.

In addition, PS W135 is an advanced METHODS course. The course can NOT be used as a substitute for PS 3.  It also does NOT count towards the Political Theory distribution requirement.

Note: This description is from Summer 2015

Why are some post-communist countries more politically and economically successful than others? What underlies the many conflicts in this region? What can happen in the future, and what can we learn from the East European experience? This course is designed to help you answer these and similar questions. Topics include state-socialism and its collapse, the emergence of ethnic and religious conflict, the transitions to democracy and market economics, entry into NATO and the European Union, democratic backsliding, and Russia's conflict with Ukraine.

The overwhelming majority of governments throughout history have been dictatorial. Even the recent spread of democracy has not extirpated authoritarian rule: as of 2012 roughly one quarter of all countries are considered full-blown autocracies. Whatever the benefits of democracy, it seems dictatorship is here to stay. This course explores the characteristics and dynamics of non-democratic regimes: how and why they come about, what sustains them, why some people resist them and others do not, and how and why they decline and fall. We will explore a variety of examples from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Using films and novels in addition to political science literature, we will investigate how dictators maintain their power, how ordinary people react to repression, and the links between dictatorship and security and economic development.

Subfield: Comparative Politics

Note: Course description is from Summer 2014