Undergraduate

An inside look at how political campaigns operate from the people who run them. Class material will be directed toward students who are interested in direct involvement in campaign politics or who are looking for a greater understanding of the political process. Students will be required to develop a complete written campaign strategy document in order to fulfill class requirements. Students will be expected to follow political and campaign news through the news media and be prepared to discuss those developments in class. Serious lectures, discussion and classroom exercises on campaign strategy and message development and delivery, with a special focus the role of political media. This section will focus predominantly on campaign advertising, news media coverage, the emerging role of the Internet, and other means by which candidates communicate their message to the voters.

Subfield: American Politics

Please note that the description is from Fall 2013.

“What Is Freedom?”

Is freedom about doing what you want as long as you don=t hurt anyone else, as modern liberals claim? Is it about collectivizing power, as a left tradition of political thought has long argued? Or is it about actively participating in rule, as a classical republican tradition argues? Is freedom an inherently individual practice or a necessarily social and collective one? What is the relationship of freedom to equality, to capitalism, to identity? Do all human beings, in all times and places, want to be free? If not, what then? In this course, we will pursue these and other questions through considering classical and contemporary works of Western political theory. We will neither settle the question of what freedom is nor the question of how to produce it. Rather, the course aims to deepen your appreciation of freedom’s importance, complexity and variety, introduce you to the field of political theory, and hone your reading, analytic and writing abilities. Readings include Aristotle, Socrates, Mill, Rousseau, Marx, Friedman, Dostoyevsky, Berlin, Foucault, and several contemporary authors. Required lecture and discussion. Two papers, a midterm and a final.

Note: This description is from Spring 2015

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 description is from Fall 2012.

TBA

International migration is reshaping politics, economics, and social relations around the world.  No longer confined to the traditional countries of immigration, people are migrating to new areas across the globe and changing the ethnic composition of many parts of the developed and developing world.  Migrant workers play a significant role in the global economy, fueling many sectors of the economy in the developed world, and serving as sources of foreign exchange for less developed countries.  Many aspects of our own domestic economy could not function without migrant labor. Yet we see a backlash against immigrants. 

This course will examine international migration from a historical and comparative perspective looking at why people migrate, how citizens respond to that migration, and how different states cope with migration domestically and internationally.  The first part of the course looks at the changing relationship between the state, immigrants, and citizenship.  We then turn to case studies.  We will examine four different types of receiving states: a traditional immigrant state, a post-colonial state, a non-traditional immigrant, and a highly industrialized latecomer state.

Subfield: International Relations

NOTE: Students who took PS 138F "Immigrants, Citizenship, and the State" with Professor Gurowitz cannot take this course due to the substantial similarity in course content.

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history occurred in early 2019 in large part due to policy differences over how to secure the Southern border. Pundits debate rhetoric over migrant caravans, coast-to-coast walls, and the rights of asylum-seekers, while empirical facts seem to conflict.  Is there an immigration crisis, and to what extent have the actions of the United States fueled it?  What have U.S. policymakers tried to achieve in the hemisphere, and how successful have they been?  Conversely, what factors drive Latin Americans to the U.S., and how have they changed over time? In this course, we will examine U.S. foreign policy towards Latin America through the lens of migration.  Themes covered in lecture and class discussion will include major U.S. foreign policy objectives as well as the role of American business interests in the region, and their impact on migration, particularly economic development and human rights.  More specific topics will include the Monroe Doctrine, Roosevelt’s Corollary, Dollar Diplomacy, the Washington Consensus, the Iran-Contra affair, the Bracero program, NAFTA and its revisions, and the growth of MS-13 and other trafficking gangs.   Previous coursework in International Relations and/or Comparative Politics is recommended, but not necessary or required for success in the course.

Subfield: International Relations

Instructor: Dr. Wendy Sinek

This is a specialized course devoted to contemporary politics, economic development, and social issues in Russia. Students will learn about Russia’s political and economic history, social development, and current challenges. Russia’s relations with the other post-Soviet states are also studied in detail.  The course is an in-depth overview of the geopolitical, cultural, and other factors that shape Russia’s behavior on the international arena, with an emphasis on Russia’s ideology, institutions, and leadership. The course provides knowledge on Russia’s influence and conflicts in such regions as the Caucasus, Central Asia, Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and especially North America (with a strong focus on U.S.-Russia relations). In addition to political and social issues, the course analyzes energy geopolitics, climate change, cyber-security, and other urgent aspects that involve Russia.

Students who took PS 129B or 141A "Russian Politics" with Professor Fish cannot take this course due to the substantial similarity in course content. 

Instructor: Dr. Ekaterina "Kate" Svyatets (Svyatets@yahoo.com)

Subfield: Comparative Politics

This course examines the politics and policy of contemporary Japan, applying a range of theoretical perspectives to analyze both recent history and current events. After a brief historical review, we survey the core political institutions of the postwar era, examine patterns of political interaction, and investigate current debates over policy issues. We focus particularly on political change since 1993, including the new electoral system and party realignment. Specific topics include social issues, the economic crisis, political and economic reform, U.S.-Japan relations, defense and foreign policy.

Subfield: Comparative Politics

Instructor: Deirdre Martin

International relations, including everything from trade to terrorism, fundamentally shape our world. In this course, students will develop analytical tools to identify puzzles and theorize about answers on crucial issues of international relations. Students will also gain skills and experience to empirically explore these questions, including through critical engagement with different types of academic articles, the examination of quantitative evidence, the exploration of cases, and policy analysis of evolving situations. This course assumes no background of international relations and serves as a prerequisite for several upper-level classes on international relations.