Undergraduate

Although Asia has been the world’s outstanding developmental success story since World War II, the study of Asian politics has been hitherto dominated by area studies and international relations; comparative analysis of Asian polities has been rare and relatively unsystematic.  There are good reasons for this, including the bewildering diversity of this vast continent, but as Asia rises economically its member-states also become more economically and politically mature, creating a basis to understand patterned similarities and differences.  The purpose of this course is to immerse advanced undergraduate students in the available secondary literature on contemporary Asia for the purpose of advancing comparative research.  

Homelessness, global warming, corruption, bankrupt pension systems, educational inequality... This course explores what we can learn in general about the way societies try to address and solve difficult and seemingly intractable public problems. Can we attribute success or failure to institutions and their capacity to solve problems? Are problems difficult to solve because they are so complex and we lack know-how or because of a failure of political will? What are the characteristics of organizations or communities able to solve problems proactively or creatively? How do public problems get politically framed and how are they used to mobilize constituencies? The course draws on literature in public administration, public policy studies, and democratic theory to try to better understand some of the major social, political, environmental, and economic problems of our contemporary world.

Note: This description is from Spring 2014

This course provides an overview of California politics, with a focus on contemporary issues and an analysis of who wields power and why. Specifically, the course will focus on : the demographic, social and economic forces that shape the State's politics- the three official branches of state government (executive, legislative and judicial)- the three unofficial branches (the media, lobbyists and interest groups)- campaigns (candidates, initiatives, consultants, pollsters, political parties and money), local government, the state budget and education policies.

Subfield:   American Politics

Please note this description is from Fall 2013

This course will introduce students to several foundational questions in the study of American constitutional politics and to techniques of constitutional interpretation. What are the political implications of a written constitution designed to limit the power of the national government? What is the role of the Supreme Court (and judges more generally) in ensuring an appropriate balance of national and state power? What does it mean to have a system that "separates" power? And what is the role of the judiciary in policing this separation of powers at the national level, in peacetime and in wartime? Should judges be engaged in these efforts at all? If so, why? If not, why not?

The objectives of this course are to: (1) introduce students to the core principles of constitutional law as developed under the Bill of Rights, the Fourteenth Amendment, and civil rights legislation, (2) introduce students to the core principles of privacy and equal protection as developed under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments and various forms of civil rights legislation; (3) apply these principles to a variety of contextual settings, (4) understand the judiciary as part of the political process, and (5) provide the basic tools for legal research, writing, and debate.  In addition to these objectives, this course is designed to be a forum for discussing current political issues within a constitutional framework. Students are encouraged to follow news events and to incorporate these items into class discussion. Many topics in this course -- war-making authority, states’ rights, and national security -- have generated considerable public debate. 

Instructor: Roy Ulrich

This course will focus on the transformative process through which the nations of contemporary Southeast Asia have confronted political crises and instability and the various levels of success with which they have attempted to implement comprehensive programs of reform.  This course will analyze several different areas of political activity, such as:  state-led initiatives (political economy) regarding development and resource distribution; citizen and opposition movements both within and outside formal state institutions which seek to influence, alter, or overturn state action and policy; institution-building and the cultivation of social capital; and regional and transnational flows of capital and labor which act in alliance with or in opposition to national economic institutions.  Specific topics will include a comparative analysis of state policy; the relationship between illicit economies (such as narcotics) and ethnic insurgency; the nascent political voice of religion and ethnicity as nationalist or opposition ideologies; the expansion and influence of local NGOs (legal aid, human rights, women’s rights, etc.); political violence and alternative paths to the expression of discontent; and corruption.  After a general overview of Southeast Asia as a regional political theater, we will turn our attention to a series of in-depth case studies.  

Please note that this course description is from Spring 2015

Political economy analyzes linkages between the economic and political spheres. It asks about the role of the state and politics in the economy; and conversely, how economic interests and power shape politics. The political economy of Israel today is similar to other capitalist democracies in having strong neoliberal or “free market” features. Yet at the same time,  the Israeli state pursues an ambitious and expensive agenda related to territory, demography and national identity. The state also has unusual capacities to shape economic activity through war preparation, occupation, and by attracting resources from abroad such as immigration and foreign aid. The course addresses this and other puzzles posed by the Israeli case. They include the unusual meaning of left and right in Israeli politics, a clash between “hawks” and “doves” that is seemingly all about ideology and identity politics, not “pocketbook issues” and the economy. On these issues Israeli public opinion has a clear preference for equality and the welfare state over unbound capitalism. Yet inequality is high and rising, in part because of government policies. Another seeming paradox is that Israel’s economy performs well, led by a dynamic and entrepreneurial hi-tech sector. Yet despite structural reforms to encourage competition, large sectors are sheltered from competition, and so-called “tycoons” control many of Israel’s largest businesses and enjoy vast personal wealth.

The rise and fall of world communism was one of the great dramas of the 20^th century, born in wars (World War I, World II), offering an alternative modernity to that of the capitalist world, and ultimately succumbing to the pressures of Cold War, capitalist globalization, and popular disaffection.  The result was either systemic collapse (the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe) or a fundamental alteration of key features of the communist system (China, Vietnam).  Beyond that, a few hangers-on remain: North Korea, Laos, and Cuba, while many non-ruling communist parties have transformed themselves in either a more-radical or more social-democratic direction.  We will trace communism’s origins in Marxism and Leninism, its victory in the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 , its construction of an international sub-system (the “world communist movement”), its spread throughout Europe and Asia (plus Cuba), and its ultimate demise. What did communist revolutions, states, and non-ruling communist parties have in common, in both their domestic and international orientations?  How did they differ from each other?  Why did international communism fracture into competing models of domestic and foreign relations?  Why did the Soviet Union and, with it, the world communist system ultimately collapse?  Is there a future for new communist states?  Our analyses will be informed by both a “comparative politics” and an “international relations” perspective, with an eye to understanding one of the most tumultuous periods, and most powerful ideas, in modern history. 

This course exposes students to ways in which power is exercised on ordinary people.  It highlights rather unpleasant aspects of the state and reminds us that politics is often not simply a question of who gets what, but of control and domination.  Ranging throughout the world, we will seek to recapture the human experience of politics, as described by scholars, novelists, and journalists and as seen through the eyes of people who have lived through extreme encounters with authority (e.g. state terror, apartheid, police interrogation, detention, attempted genocide).  Many of the readings were selected to bring the student face-to-face with coercion in a way that middle-class Americans rarely confront.  Some readings discuss altruism and “ways out” for people in difficult circumstances.  Considerable attention will be paid to the complex relationships that link the powerful and powerless and to actions that are both more charged and less abstract than we usually discuss in political science courses.

Since many of the readings are personal, ground-level accounts and many of the authors are skillful writers, I hope students will find the selections interesting and not overly long.  Students will, however, need to devote considerable time each week to reading and make special efforts to draw out analytical themes and generalizations, wherever possible.  With some guidance, students will be expected to react to the readings, to assess the author’s arguments in terms of their own values and knowledge, and to think systematically about the issues raised.  The instructor expects to be regularly surprised (and delighted) by insightful remarks and unique perspectives. 

Many of the course readings are disquieting in any number of ways. Students who enroll in the course should be ready to grapple with challenging and sometimes harrowing topics.