All information in this guide is tentative and subject to change. Check the Political Science Department Office for updates. Current Information on rooms and times for the classes listed can be obtained from the university-wide Time Schedule of Classes or from the Political Science office.

“Cross listed” Courses: These may apply to a Political Science major or minor without a petition, regardless of the departmental prefix. For example, if you take African-American Politics as AAS 306, you do not need to petition to apply it to your Political Science major.

"Meets With” Courses": If you take a “Meets With” course under a departmental prefix other than PSC, you will need to petition to count that course towards your Political Science major or minor.

PSC 121 m100 American National Government and Politics

Instructor: Mark Brockway

Class #: 41742

Offered:  Tu/Th 2:00 pm – 2:55 pm

Frequency Offered: Every semester

Prerequisites: None

This course is required for all students who are majoring in Political Science.

Note: All students must also enroll in a discussion section listed for this course.

Discussion # 42809 (Section 101) Friday 10:35 am-11:30 am

Discussion # 42810 (Section 103) Thursday 5:00 pm-5:55 pm

Discussion # 42956 (Section 105) Thursday 5:00 pm-5:55 pm

Discussion # 42957 (Section 106) Friday 9:30 am-10:25 am

Course Description

How does the American political system operate? This course provides an introduction to American political institutions, behaviors, and processes. Topics include (among other things) public opinion, elections, Congress, the presidency, the mass media, civic participation, the Constitution, federalism, and public policy. Although we will cover the “nuts and bolts” of American government, our focus is on political science rather than civics, which means our task is to analyze and interpret political phenomena.

PSC 121 m200 American National Government and Politics

Instructor: Scott Taylor

Class #: 42225

Offered: Tu/Th 5:00 pm-5:55 pm

Frequency Offered: Every semester

Prerequisites: None

This course is required for all students who are majoring in political science.

Note: All students must also enroll in a discussion section listed for this course.

Discussion # 42226 (Section 201) Thursdays 3:30 pm-4:25 pm

Discussion # 43278 (Section 202) Fridays 12:45 pm-1:40 pm

Discussion # 43279(Section 203) Thursdays 6:30 pm-7:25 pm

Discussion # 42412 (Section 206) Thursdays 2:00 pm-2:55 pm

Course Description

How does the American political system operate? This course provides an introduction to American political ideas, institutions, behaviors, and processes. Topics include (among other things) the Constitution, Congress, the presidency, the mass media, civic participation, and public policy. Although we will cover the “nuts and bolts” of American government, our focus is on political science rather than civics, which means our task is to analyze and interpret political phenomena.

PSC 123 m100 Comparative Government and Politics *

Instructor: Yuksel Sezgin

Class #: 42408

Offered: M/W 11:40 am - 12:35 pm

Frequency Offered: Yearly

Prerequisites: None

Note: All students must also enroll in a discussion section listed for this course.

Discussion # 42409 (Section 101) Thursdays 3:30 pm-4:25 pm

Discussion # 42410 (Section 102) Thursdays 5:00 pm-5:55 pm

Discussion # 42958 (Section 103) Fridays 12:45 pm-1:40 pm

Discussion # 42411 (Section 104) Fridays 9:30 am-10:25 am

Course Description

Why are some countries wealthier than others? Why do some countries become democratic while others remain authoritarian? Do certain democratic institutions work better than others? Comparative politics is the study of variation in political outcomes across and within countries. This course provides a broad introduction to the various topics covered under comparative politics, including issues of economic development, regime type, and management of social and political conflict. This course presents theory and comparative case analysis to help students deepen their understanding differences in important outcomes between countries and world regions.

PSC 124 m100 International Relations *

Instructor: Minju Kim

Class #: 41743

Offered: M/W 11:40 am-12:35 pm

Frequency Offered: Every semester

Prerequisites: None

Note: All students must also enroll in a discussion section listed for this course.

Discussion # 41744 (Section 101) Thursdays 9:30 am-10:25 am

Discussion # 41745 (Section 102) Fridays 10:35 am-11:30 am

Discussion # 41746 (Section 103) Thursdays 3:30 pm-4:25 pm

Discussion # 41747 (Section 104) Thursdays 3:30 pm-4:25 pm

Discussion # 42413 (Section 105) Fridays 9:30 am-10:25 am

Discussion # 42414 (Section 106) Thursdays 2:00 pm-2:55 pm

Course Description

This course introduces students to the main issues and actors in contemporary international relations, organized around three major topical perspectives: world structure and theoretical views of that structure; international political economy; and international conflict, cooperation and security. It will focus on current debates around global topics such as human rights, economic interdependence, nationalism, the global environment, and economic disparities. During section meetings, students are encouraged to explore and discuss how states, international institutions, and non-state actors shape current international affairs and future forms of global governance.

PSC 124 m300 International Relations *

Instructor: Dan McDowell

Class #: 41931

Offered: M/W 10:35 am-11:30 am

Frequency Offered: Every semester

Prerequisites: None

Note: All students must also enroll in a discussion section listed for this course.

Discussion # 41932 (Section 302) Fridays 12:45 pm-1:40 pm

Discussion # 42959 (Section 304) Thursdays 9:30 am-10:25 am

Discussion # 42960 (Section 306) Thursdays 11:00 am-11:55 am

Discussion # 43600 (Section 308) Fridays 10:35 am - 11:30 am

Course Description

This course introduces students to the main issues and actors in contemporary international relations, organized around three major topical perspectives: world structure and theoretical views of that structure; international political economy; and international conflict, cooperation and security. It will focus on current debates around global topics such as human rights, economic interdependence, nationalism, the global environment, and economic disparities.  Students are encouraged to explore and discuss how states, international institutions, and non-state actors shape current international affairs and future forms of global governance.

PSC 125 m001 Political Theory

Instructor: Dennis Rasmussen

Class #: 42595

Offered: M/W 10:35 am – 11:30 am

Frequency Offered: Yearly

Prerequisites: None

Cross-listed with PHI 125.001

Note: All students must also enroll in a discussion section listed for this course.

Discussion # 43125 (Section 002) Fridays 9:30 am-10:25 pm

Discussion # 43126 (Section 003) Fridays 10:35 am-11:30 am

Discussion # 43127 (Section 004) Fridays 12:45 pm-1:40 pm

Discussion # 43128 (Section 005) Fridays 2:15 pm-3:10 pm

Course Description

This course examines some of the most important thinkers and concepts of modern political philosophy, including the rejection of ancient political philosophy and the rise of liberalism (Hobbes, Locke, and Mill) as well as critiques of the liberal outlook in the name of nature and virtue (Rousseau), tradition and custom (Burke), equality and liberation (Marx), and creativity and greatness (Nietzsche). In addition to exploring the various conceptions of nature, human nature, justice, freedom, history, and the good life in the works of these thinkers, we will also use their arguments to reflect on the health or illness of liberal democracy in today’s world. 

PSC 200 m201 Islamophobia

Instructor: Jeanette Jouili

Class #: 53451

Offered: M/W 12:45 pm – 2:05 pm

Frequency Offered: Yearly

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

This course explores the historical roots and contemporary forms of Islamophobia. Discussing the theological, historical, and political, forces that generated discourses of Islam as inherently violent and backwards, the course also analyzes how Islamophobia today is incorporated on a systemic level in structures of violence, inequality and war, producing various forms of racial exclusion and discrimination.

PSC 202 m100 Introduction to Political Analysis

Instructor: Daniel Daneri

Class #: 42143

Offered: T/Th 3:30 pm - 4:50 pm

Frequency Offered: Every semester

Prerequisites: None

This course is required for all students who are majoring in political science.

All students must also enroll in a discussion section listed for this course.

Discussion # 42144(Section 101) Fridays 10:35 am -11:30 am  

Discussion # 42145 (Section 102) Fridays 10:35 am -11:30 am

Discussion # 42146 (Section 103) Fridays 2:15 pm - 3:10 pm

Discussion # 42147 (Section 104) Fridays 2:15 pm - 3:10 pm

Discussion # 43446 (Section 105) Fridays 9:30 am - 10:25 am

Discussion # 43447 (Section 106) Fridays 9:30 am - 10:25 am

Course Description

The purpose of this course, required for political science majors, is to build skills for conducting, interpreting, and presenting political science research. These skills include: basic research and data collection practices, techniques for measuring political science concepts quantitatively, hypothesis testing, interpretation of statistical evidence, and the presentation of findings in a clear and compelling manner. Tying these components together is a thematic focus on important political science concepts such as democracy, power, or representation. 

PSC 300 m101 Policy Implementation

Instructor: Zach Huitink

Class #: 43449

Offered: M/W 2:15 pm - 3:35 pm

Frequency Offered: Special Offering

Prerequisites: None

Meets with PAI 305.001

Course Description

This course is about how public policy gets put into action, with a focus on developing knowledge and skills essential for addressing some of society’s most complex problems. The course will help you understand what we really mean when we say “policy implementation,” as well as some realities of implementation as it is done in practice. The course will stress, in particular, the widespread roles of not only government but also the private and nonprofit sectors at all levels in the implementation process, and how these actors use policy tools like regulations, grants, vouchers, and public-private partnerships to get things done. Government and non-governmental actors have taken numerous approaches to achieving public policy goals, from (among many others) reducing poverty and improving education to ensuring public health and safety, protecting the environment, and recovering from disasters. What are the trade-offs of different strategies to pursuing goals like these, and why has the record of achievement been mixed? How do government, business, nonprofits, and individual members of the public contribute to implementation efforts? How can they work better with one another to make public policy successful? How do we assess whether policies have had their intended impacts on people and communities? Students will consider these questions through a mix of lecture, discussion, examples, and hands-on exercises, and develop abilities in areas including policy field mapping, logic modelling, planning, and applied implementation analysis.

PSC 300 m102 Free Speech

Instructor: Stephan Stohler

Class #: 44976

Offered: T/Th 2:00 pm - 3:20 pm

Frequency Offered: Special Offering

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

In this class, students will investigate when, where, why, and how courts have protected the freedom of speech, and when, where, why, and how courts _should_ protect the freedom of speech. In other words, we will critically evaluate the performance of courts in protecting free speech when it should be protected and allowing restrictions on speech when it should be restricted. Much of the class will focus on decisions issued by the U.S. Supreme Court, but we will also consider how courts in Europe and elsewhere have resolved similar disputes. We will pay particular attention to current legal conflicts regarding the appropriate scope of free expression on large social media platforms. 

PSC 300 m103 Black Feminist Policies

Instructor: Jenn Jackson

Class #: 43277

Offered: M/W 2:15 pm- 3:35 pm

Frequency Offered: Special Offering

Prerequisites: None

Meets with WGS 300.003

Course Description

This seminar critically examines key issues, assumptions, and debates in contemporary, post-civil rights Black Feminist thought, action, and behavior. As such, we will understand that Black Feminism is global and diasporic. We will begin with a survey and broad analysis of Black Feminist history and origins. We will pay particular attention to how Black Feminists make use of standpoint theory, Black nationalism, Black liberalism, liberal feminism, Black Marxism, and radical feminist thought. We will also investigate the simultaneity of race, gender, class, and sexual oppression and its relationship to power. This means that we will draw connections between Black Feminist models and contemporary queer and trans politics. In this course, we will also focus on Black feminist understandings of intersectionality, the history of this analytical frame, and how this framework has contributed to today’s politics. The particular questions we will analyze include but are not limited to the following: How do we evaluate Black movements and leadership using a Black Feminist lens? What is the relationship between racism, gender based oppression, homophobia, and classism in Black women’s lives? What forms of resistance do many Black women engage in? How do these decisions shape politics?

PSC 300 m104 US Intelligence Community *

Instructor: Robert Murrett

Class#: 43461

Offered: M/W 2:15 pm-3:35 pm

Frequency Offered: Special Offering

Prerequisites: None

Meets with PAI 338.001 & IRP 338.001

Course Description

This course will focus on the practice, structure and governance of the intelligence field, and material that has a direct bearing on its current posture.  Students will study the functional elements of intelligence tradecraft (human intelligence, signals intelligence, imagery analysis, etc.), and engagement with international counterparts.  The course will review governance and oversight of the Intelligence Community (I.C), and in order to understand the full range of today’s intelligence activities, students will examine the evolution of the I.C. since its inception in 1947 through the present day.  Key phases and specific events will be explored, including I.C. efforts throughout the Cold War, The Cuban Missile Crisis, The Vietnam Conflict, the Church Committee, the Balkans Conflicts, pre and post-9/11 operations, the 911 and WMD Commissions and the subsequent executive and legislative changes implemented over the past decade.  The class will participate in case studies, in which the students will evaluate, provide briefings and recommend decisions in realistic scenarios, both in terms of analysis and intelligence-driven decision-making on policy and operational matters. 

PSC 300 m105 White Nationalism/Right Populism

Instructor: Margaret Thompson

Class #: 45119

Offered: Tu/Th 3:30 pm – 4:50 pm

Frequency Offered: Special Offering

Prerequisites: None

Meets with HST 300.002

Course Description

This course will examine why White Nationalism and Right-wing Populism have become so prominent on the early 21st-century American political landscape. Although such tendencies have long been evident (consider the Second KKK in the 1920s and the Dixiecrats of the 1940s and '50s as two examples), we will explore why they have achieved such significance in recent years. Among the questions we will consider are these:

To what extent is there continuity between earlier forms of right-wing radicalism and those we see today?

Was the emergence and ongoing influence of Donald Trump (and pro-Trump groups like QAnon, Proud Boys, Militias, and America First) a cause or consequence of the surge in such beliefs?

In what ways are US developments distinctive, and how are they part of a global authoritarianist wave?

How has social media enabled the development of movements like these?

We will begin by reading Richard Hofstadter's "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" and Ruth Ben-Ghiat's Strongmen to provide historical and global context. The remainder of the term will focus on reading broadly in the emerging literature and journalistic explorations on this subject, and in extensive (and often student-led) class discussion. 

PSC 300 m201 Political Mapping

Instructor: Jesse Trudeau

Class#: 53453

Offered: M/W 8:00 am – 9:20 am

Frequency Offered: Special Offering

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

This course focuses on how geography and space matter for politics. We will discuss cases across American and Comparative Politics and will acquire skills that can be used in the creation of maps and visualization of spatial data. This course begins with an exploration of important topics in the United States, including how geography and space relate to voting, electoral boundaries, and housing. We then turn to the politics of geography around the world, analyzing the political implications of urbanization, unequal development and growth, and conflict. Throughout the semester, we will learn how to create our own maps and visualize spatial data using QGIS and ArcGIS StoryMaps mapping softwares. 

PSC 300 m301 Bureaucrats in International Politics

Instructor: Minju Kim

Class#: 53602

Offered: M/W 3:45 pm – 5:05 pm

Frequency Offered: Special Offering

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

Bureaucrats are everywhere in international politics. At foreign affairs agencies, bureaucrats negotiate trade and investment treaties, promote exports, craft national security strategies, distribute foreign aid benefits, and enforce immigration laws (“domestic bureaucrats”). At international organizations, bureaucrats mediate multilateral negotiations, monitor member states’ compliance with international agreements, and adjudicate international disputes (“international bureaucrats”).

Do bureaucrats influence international politics? If so, when and in what ways? Under what conditions do they exercise influence, and how closely does their influence align with the preferences of the presidents or the heads of international organizations? If bureaucrats have a significant impact, how do presidents or leaders of international organizations manage and control their actions?

This course has three objectives. The first objective is to comprehend theories and scholarly debates in bureaucratic politics. The second objective is to identify similarities and differences in the institutions that constrain domestic and international bureaucrats. The third objective is to foster the ability to analyze recent political events through the lens of bureaucratic politics.

PSC 300 m401 Political Psychology and Persuasion

Instructor: Emily Thorson

Class #: 53626

Offered: Tu/Th 3:30 pm - 4:50 pm

 Frequency Special Offering

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

In this course, students will be introduced to the theory and techniques of political persuasion. The course draws on literature from psychology, political science, and communications to explain why people change their attitudes and/or behavior. Students will design their own theory-driven persuasive messages on a political topic of their choosing. Class will be a mix of lecture, discussion, and in-class activities.  

PSC 300 m402 Classical Political Philosophy

Instructor: Dennis Rasmussen

Class #: 53584

Offered: M/W 12:45 pm - 2:05 pm

 Frequency Special Offering

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

This course explores the key concepts and enduring questions of ancient political philosophy through a study of its two greatest representatives, Plato and Aristotle, as well as the modern revolt against the ancients that was inaugurated by Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince. It focuses especially on these thinkers’ views of justice, the best regime, and the best way of life. 

PSC 300 m403 Introduction to Original Research

Instructor: Erin Hern

Class #: 53476

Offered: Tu/Th 2:00 pm – 3:20 pm

Frequency Offered: Special Offering

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

How should a local government agency figure out the needs of its constituents? Why do Republicans and Democrats watch different sources of news? Are positive or negative campaign ads more effective? Whether your research question is relevant for the non-profit world, government functioning, or academic inquiry, answering these questions requires an understanding of conducting original research: tools for gathering original data from people or primary sources in “the field”—in other words, IRL. This course will take you through practical instruction on best practices in interviews, surveys, ethnography, experiments, and more, culminating in a final research design. While the course draws explicitly on political science literature and methods, it is applicable across the social sciences. 

PSC 303 m001 The Development of the American State

Instructor: Steven White

Class#: 43800

Offered Tu/Th 3:30 pm-4:50 pm

Frequency Offered: Irregularly

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

This course addresses major themes in the historical development of American politics, while also introducing students to the American political development (APD) approach to political science research. The first part of the course examines APD perspectives on the American national state and U.S. political culture. We will consider whether the American federal government is smaller or merely different than that of other countries, as well as the extent to which U.S. political culture is characterized by a distinctly individualistic liberalism. The second part of the course focuses on the development of major national political institutions, including Congress, the presidency, political parties, and interest groups. The third part of the course examines U.S. social policy and the question of why the American welfare state takes the form that it does. Among other topics, we will look at programs like Social Security and the debate over the national government's role in health care. We will conclude by examining how APD perspectives might help us make sense of contemporary American politics. 

PSC 308 m001 The Politics of U.S. Public Policy

Instructor: Sarah Pralle

Class #: 43275

Offered: T/Th 2:00 pm-3:20 pm

Frequency Offered: Irregularly

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

This course examines the process of policymaking in the United States. We will ask such questions as, how do particular issues become framed as public policy priorities and placed on the political agenda. How are certain policy alternatives chosen for consideration to the exclusion of others?  Why are some issues considered to be appropriate for government action, and others left to market forces?  How do democratic institutions shape the policymaking process? And we'll consider how policies can be designed so that they play a positive role in solving problems and shaping our society. As we grapple with these concerns, we will focus on a number of case studies. While these questions are often approached in a technical fashion, as if public policy was created and implemented in a scientific laboratory, our approach will acknowledge that public policy is inherently political and cannot be understood apart from the political processes and institutions in which it is created and implemented.

PSC 312 m001 New Deal & American Politics

Instructor: Steven White

Class #: 53627

Offered: Tu/Th 5:00 pm - 6:20 pm

 Frequency Special Offering

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

The New Deal transformed American politics, setting the framework for modern day debates about the role of the federal government in American society. This course examines the New Deal and the years immediately following it (roughly 1933-1953) from a range of historical and theoretical perspectives, as well as original source materials. Among other topics, we will consider the crisis of the Great Depression; the international context of Fascism, Nazism, and Communism; the development of major public policies like Social Security; the role of labor unions and business; the role of southern Democrats in “limiting liberalism,” especially when it seemed to involve issues of race; and the Second World War. We will also examine how the New Deal set into motion important shifts in party politics that would define the remainder of the twentieth century.

PSC 317 m001 Local Internship

Instructor: Grant Reeher

Class #: 41748

Offered: M/W/F 11:40 am-12:35 pm

Frequency Offered: Every semester

Prerequisites: The internship program is intended for juniors and seniors only

Course Description

The course is based on a local internship experience in politics, public affairs, or the law. Placements are found at the beginning of the semester based on a list provided by the professor. Students also meet once a week in the classroom for organizational discussions, Q&A sessions with local political figures, and advice from professional development experts. Interested students are advised to review a FAQ sheet and recent syllabus, which can be found in 100 Eggers Hall or by contacting the professor. 

PSC 318 m001 Technology, Politics, and Environment

Instructor: Takumi Shibaike

Class #: 42148

Offered: M/W 3:45 pm-5:05pm

Frequency Offered: Regularly

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

This course analyzes the relation of government to policymaking in the domain of environment, where technology and politics intersect in many crucial ways. Attention is given primarily to politics and administration of environmental policy in the US at all levels of government. Comparative and international aspects of the problem are also examined. Particular emphasis is given to the processes by which policy is formulated, implemented and modified.

PSC 320 m001 Comparative Law & Courts

Instructor: Yüksel Sezgin

Class #: 53467

Offered: M/W 2:15 pm - 3:35 pm

 Frequency Special Offering

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

This course will introduce students to the world's foremost legal traditions. Among the legal systems to be covered are the Common Law, Civil Law, Islamic Law, and African and Asian legal traditions. The course will examine courts' role and function in national and international contexts (e.g.,  the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court). 

PSC 322 m001 International Security *

Instructor: Chengzhi Yin

Class #: 44264

Offered: Tu/TH 2:00pm-3:20pm

Frequency Offered: Regularly

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the field of security studies within the discipline of Political Science. Topics to be covered include: the motivations for, and consequences of, nuclear proliferation; the origins of ethnic violence and the capacity for humanitarian intervention to successfully prevent mass killings and genocide; the likelihood that enlarged ‘zones of democracy’ will foster zones of peace; and the sources of terrorist violence and the implications of counter-terrorism policies. The course will also include ‘hot’ topics currently debated among scholars and policymakers, including piracy and other non-conventional forms of force; the out-sourcing of war; and the connection between climate change and violent conflict. Throughout the course, we will consider these topics via the lens of real-world examples and ‘case studies’. While these cases will be cross-regional, special focus will also be placed on the US role in fostering international security and contemporary US national security dilemmas. 

PSC 325 m001 Constitutional Law II

Instructor: Stephan Stohler

Class #: 42255

Offered: Tu/Th 9:30 am-10:50 am

Frequency Offered: Regularly

Prerequisites: Sophomore or above (taken PSC 324 preferred)

Course Description

This course, a continuation of the course sequence that began with Constitutional Law I (PSC 324), focuses on a variety of significant political and legal conflicts regarding the US Constitution from the mid-twentieth century to the present, including civil rights for racial minorities, women, and LGBT persons; reproductive rights; gun rights; religious freedom; free speech; and presidential power during wartime. 

PSC 337 m001 Politics & Economy of Japan

Instructor: Margarita Estévez-Abe

Class #: 53441

Offered: M/W 2:15 pm – 3:35 pm

Frequency Offered: Regularly

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

When the US defeated Japan in the WWII, no one predicted that Japan, a tiny island country off the Korean Peninsula, would become such an economic success story. By the end of the 1970s, Japan was enjoying a huge trade surplus vis-à-vis the United States, and many Western scholars began to ask if Japan had a distinctive model of capitalism that enabled its success. The economic boom in the 1980s was Japan propelled it to become the second largest economy in the world. The United States began to see Japan as a threatening rival despite Japan’s total dependency on the US-Japan security alliance for its own defense. However, Japan’s fortune began to change in the 1990s and onwards as Japan entered a multi-decade long recessionary period called the Lost Decades. Japan’s problems started to manifest themselves in multiple different ways—corporate scandals. rapidly aging society, falling fertility rates, political corruption and incompetence, the rise of nationalism, etc. This course surveys the key features of Japanese politics, society and economy.

Students will learn a lot about Japanese politics, economy and societal issues in this course. But this course is more than a course on Japan! Students will learn to look at the United States’ foreign policy from the Japanese perspective—something not done in ordinary US foreign policy courses. This course also uses Japan as a harbinger of key socio-economic phenomena that are already occurring in other East Asian countries and beyond such as the decline of marriage and fertility and extremely rapid demographic aging.

The course materials include movies, documentaries, manga, anime, newspaper articles in addition to academic texts. No prior knowledge of political economy/Japan is required, but students are REQUIRED to be curious and willing to learn!  

PSC 341 m001 Politics of Africa *

Instructor: Horace Campbell

Class #: 43131

Offered: Tu/Th 11:00 am - 12:20 am

Frequency Offered: Regularly

Prerequisites: None

Cross-listed with AAS 341.001/Meets with PAI 500.001

Course Description

The objective of the course is to introduce students to the foundations of the politics in Africa. The focus will be to bring to life the struggles for self-determination and self-emancipation in Africa. Empiricism and immediatism in the study of Africa reinforce the old conceptions of the need to civilize and modernize Africa, the need for ‘good governance’ and the establishment of a ‘reform agenda’ to bring Africa into the ‘global’ economy. The focus will be to bring to life the humanity of the African peoples and to understand the ideation system and social processes that had evolved in the process of developing a Healing Spirit.

How can the African knowledge systems inspire new political formations to repair humans and the natural environment? These questions are now more urgent in the face of daily warnings that humans have passed a tipping point with respect to the future of global warming and the attendant disasters. Drawing from the ideas of healing and the interconnections between humans and nature will lead us to study the importance of African Fractals. While there is the understanding that fractal geometry can take us into the far reaches of ‘modern computing,’ its patterns are common in African design and some of its basic concepts are fundamental to African knowledge systems. What has been understood in the fields of the natural sciences has not yet been grasped in the social sciences. One of the many challenges for us is to grasp how alternative approaches to knowledge can open new directions in the study of African politics and society. How are symbols and divination processes linked to a cosmology that influenced social and political relations? In what ways was the palaver a reflection of democratic relations in the village community? How did the matricentric production unit guarantee the autonomy of women? These questions arise in the present period as African scientists, activists, intellectuals and ordinary producers seek the ideas and organization necessary to break from domination and exploitation in order to develop new concepts of politics and community.

In this course, we will seek to deconstruct liberal conceptions of modernization, idealistic visions of the salvation of the market and the equation of democracy with elections. From the outset, the effort will be to interrogate the intellectual foundations of the present output on Africa from the academy. Questions of the politics of radical African feminism, genocidal politics, militarism, and absolutism of the colonial order will form the foundation of the understanding of contemporary politics. In so far as the principal theoreticians of Modern Political Thought developed the ideas of citizenship and the state in the era of the victory of capitalist expansion, there will be an examination of the relationship between the ideas of the enlightenment and contemporary social and economic devastation of Africa. The core ideas of individualism and private accumulation will be interrogated in relation to the environmental destruction, the politics of underdevelopment, and the traditions of militarism, war and genocide.

Because there are 55 states in the African Union it would be unrealistic to cover this vast continent in one semester. Thus, the emphasis of the course will be on themes and methodological tools, which would sharpen our analytical skills. Students are encouraged to use their term paper to focus on one society.

The lectures and visual presentations will draw from the material and intellectual culture of the region to provide an understanding of the dynamic of African peoples. 

PSC 348 m001 Politics & the Military

Instructor: Brian Taylor

Class #: 53484

Offered: Tu/Th 3:30 pm – 4:50 pm

Frequency Offered: Regularly

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

This course is an overview of the major themes and debates in the study of civil-military relations.  In every modern state the question of the proper balance between the armed forces and the civilian political leadership is a key feature of politics.  In the most extreme cases, the military itself takes power.  In established democracies civil-military relations do not take this extreme form, but there are still important debates about the proper degree of military influence over defense and foreign policy, and the degree to which military policy should be responsive to broader social and cultural values.  In this class we will study the key themes of civil-military relations in many different countries, including the United States. 

This course has five separate units.  In the first unit we concentrate on Samuel Huntington’s arguments about military professionalism set out in The Soldier and the State (1957), a book that remains highly influential more than sixty years after its initial publication.  In the second unit we look at the issue of military coups and military rule.  In the third unit we consider the prospects for greater civilian control in countries moving from authoritarian to democratic government.  The fourth unit examines civil-military relations during decisions to use military force and go to war.  The fifth unit concludes the course by examining how the military relates to the larger society from which it is drawn, and the relationship between military values and societal values, with special attention to the United States.   

PSC 351 m001 Political Economy of Development

Instructor: Erin Hern

Class #: 53475

Offered: Tu/Th 9:30 am-10:50 am

Frequency Offered: Irregularly

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

How is the political economy of developing countries different than that of developed countries? Developing countries have lower national incomes than developed countries, but poverty alone cannot explain the different political and economic processes in the developing world. This course examines how colonial history influences the present and how developing “late” changes the rules of the game in the international economy. In the contemporary period, it examines the economic and political systems of developing countries with a focus on the specific issues related to poverty and late state formation. The course ends by considering different ideas for addressing poverty and development moving forward. 

PSC 352 m001 International Law *

Instructor: Audie Klotz

Class #: 43604

Offered: Tu/Th 11:00 am-12:20 pm

Frequency Offered: Irregularly

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

If might makes right, as skeptics often claim, why do states comply with most of their many international commitments? And why, if international law is fundamentally flawed, would states invest any resources in negotiating treaties and conventions in the first place? In this course, we go beyond cynical clichés, but without resorting to excessive optimism, by concentrating on questions embedded in the politics of international law, such as:

What leads to bilateral or multilateral agreements on certain issues but not others?

Why do some legal principles remain resilient in the face of criticism but others ebb?

When do states and non-state actors seek to bolster or undermine such commitments?

We will seek answers to these questions by looking at well-known legal disputes involving territorial boundaries, laws of war, human rights conventions, and environmental principles. 

PSC 371 m001 Democratic Theory & Politics

Instructor: Grant Reeher

Class #: 53628

Offered: Tu/Th 12:30 pm - 1:50 pm

Frequency Offered: Irregularly

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

The notion of democracy has been at the center of much of our political conflict in recent years—there is concern that we are backsliding away from it on the one hand, and it has been weaponized as a political term on the other. We have been told that democracy itself is on the ballot, and each political party views the other as an existential threat to democracy. This course aims to inform your understanding of democracy, both as a concept and in practice. After a consideration of democracy in general, we will examine several possible democratic shortcomings in our political system, and the related reforms that might help us to more fully realize democracy in practice. The course employs a mostly—but not exclusively—U. S. focus in considering the topic.

PSC 373 m001 Social Contract Tradition

Instructor: Christopher Bosquet

Class #: 44235

Offered: Tu/Th 9:30 am - 10:50 am

Frequency Offered: Regularly

Prerequisite: None

Cross-listed with PHI 317.001

Course Description

Religions and governments are arguably the two most important and powerful forces that connect people and societies. Religious ideas garner the following of billions, political leaders have transformed nations, and each wields incredible influence over the thoughts and actions of individuals. As two powerful forces, they often cooperate and collide with momentous consequences. We begin by examining the tumultuous relationship between religion and politics throughout history, asking if efforts to separate these two fundamental human experiences have been successful or worthwhile. In the second part of the course, we examine the wide variety of strategies that religions and governments pursue to coexist throughout the world. From the theocracies of Iran and Vatican City to the militant secularism of France and China, governments use religion (or irreligion) to influence individuals, justify policies, and bolster claims to their own legitimacy. Finally, we try and find the utility of religion in international institutions and NGOs, peacebuilding efforts, and transnational justice. How governments and citizens navigate religious and political institutions and identities is at the heart of our investigation. 

PSC 377 m001 Religion & Politics

Instructor: Mark Brockway

Class #: 53473

Offered: T/Th 12:30 pm – 1:50 pm

Frequency Offered: Regularly

Prerequisite: None

Course Description

Religions and governments are arguably the two most important and powerful forces that connect people and societies. Religious ideas garner the following of billions, political leaders have transformed nations, and each wields incredible influence over the thoughts and actions of individuals. As two powerful forces, they often cooperate and collide with momentous consequences. We begin by examining the tumultuous relationship between religion and politics in the United States, asking if the nation's efforts to separate these two fundamental human experiences has been successful or worthwhile. We will also look at the United States as an important counterpoint to the secularization of post-industrial Europe and finish by investigating the causes and consequences of the recent secular revolution in America. In the second part of the course, we turn to the tumultuous, transformative, and often unseen forces that shape American political life. America’s changing religious landscape has brought new conflicts: between science and religion; between religious and secular people; and even between religions themselves. How has the country's overwhelming religious identity shaped politics? What is the value and utility of religious devotion and belief in God? How do debates over science and religion play out in the public sphere? Our explorations of these questions will bring us to the issues and identities that make up the fabric of American society. 

PSC 392 m001 Islamism and Islamist Movements *

Instructor: Hossein Bashiriyeh

Class #: 43276

Offered: M/W 12:45 pm-2:05 pm

Frequency Offered: Regularly

Prerequisites: None

Cross-listed with MES 392.001/REL 362.001

Course Description

The purpose of this course is to explain various aspects of Islamism as a major contentious political ideology in the world today. Islamism has been described as a traditionalist, militant ideology and movement trying to preserve and reinvent a religious tradition against the forces of secularization, modernization, democratization and globalization. Since its emergence, Islamism has been challenging various aspects of Western modernity. It has emerged out of a deep sense of hostility and indignation and anger against various aspects of modern life. In this course we will study the origins, various generations, types, internal tendencies and trends, as well as the impact of Islamism and Islamist movements in a number of countries in the Middle East as well as in a number of non-Muslim nations. 

PSC 395 m001 Democratization in the Muslim World *

Instructor: Hossein Bashiriyeh

Class #: 43598

Offered: M/W 3:45 pm-5:05 pm

Frequency Offered: Regularly

Prerequisites: None

Cross-listed with MES 395.001

Course Description

The aim of this course is to study the ongoing process of democratization which has   begun recently in the Islamic world. With the rising wave of democratic transitions in the last quarter of the 20th Century, the question has been raised as to whether the world of Islam could also experience a similar development. As a matter of historical fact a number of Muslim nations are in a process of making a transition to at least electoral democracy and are striving to consolidate the new institutions despite formidable obstacles.  On the one hand a number of forces and variables favor democratization, but on the other hand several variables and forces impede the process. Like elsewhere, transition to democracy in the Muslim nations is taking different forms and modes, including reform from above, revolt from below and conclusion of pacts between regimes and oppositions. We assume that theories explaining transition to democracy elsewhere must be instrumental in understanding the process of democratization in the Muslim world as well. Hence, we will first review the general theories of democratization, in terms of their possible relevance to the study of democratization in the Muslim world. 

PSC 396 m001 European Integration

Instructor: Glyn Morgan

Class #: 53731

Offered: T/Th 6:30 pm - 7: 50 pm

Frequency Offered: Regularly

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

For twenty years (1985-2005), the process of European Integration was a spectacular success. Europe added new member states, expanded to include the former Communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, and introduced a common currency and a common Schengen boundary. Then starting in 2005, things started to go wrong.  This course focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of the European project---a project to build a common system of governance. We focus on such issues as: Europe's Monetary Union; the Greek Crisis; the Refugee Problem; Germany's economic superiority; demographic decline; the failure to incorporate Europe's Muslim populations; the Geopolitical problems of dealing with Russia and the United States, and Brexit. 

PSC 400 m001 Designing Surveys and Experiments

Instructor: Emily Thorson

Class#: 45047

Offered: Tu/Th 12:30 pm – 1:50 pm

Frequency Offered: Special Offering

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

Surveys and experiments are an increasingly important part of not only political science, but also journalism, campaigns, and public policy. This class offers students hands-on experience designing, analyzing, and interpreting surveys and experiments. Students will work in groups to create an original survey experiment on a political topic of their choosing, then analyze and present the results. Topics in previous classes have included political advertising on Facebook, climate change, immigration, and protest movements. 

PSC 400 m401 Data Visualization

Instructor: Liwu Gan

Class #: 45202

Offered: T/Th 11:00 am – 12:20 pm

Frequency Offered: Special Offering

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

Data and data analysis are increasingly important for political science research as well as in the public discourse and the workplace. In this class, you will learn how to conduct data visualization yourself. We'll cover topics such as finding data, data cleaning, data manipulation, and data visualization. Along the way, we'll learn basic statistical functions and plots in the powerful (and free) statistical program R. Throughout, the class takes an applied approach, so students will develop their own research project and conduct their own data visualizations. 

PSC 400 m402 Data Analytics for PoliSci

Instructor: Gregory Smith

Class #: 44241

Offered: T/Th 3:30 pm – 4:50 pm

Frequency Offered: Special Offering

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

Data and data analysis are increasingly important for political science research, but also in the public discourse and the workplace. In this class, you will learn how to conduct data analysis yourself. We’ll cover topics such as finding data, data cleaning and data manipulation, data visualization, and data analysis. Along the way, we’ll learn basic statistical functions and plots in the powerful (and free) statistical program R. Throughout, the class takes an applied approach, so students will develop their own research project and conduct their own data analyses.

PSC 478 m001 Politics of China *

Instructor: Dimitar Gueorguiev

Class#: 45057

Offered: M/W 12:45 pm – 2:05 pm

Frequency Offered: Regularly

Prerequisites: None

Course Description

Examine China’s transformation from an agricultural society to a global power, with a focus on its political system, domestic challenges, and foreign policy. We’ll explore how China’s internal issues—like slowing economic growth and personalization of power—intersect with its global ambitions and role in the international order. Ideal for students interested in China’s political and economic impact at home and abroad. This class meets with IRP 300.m007 [53892).

PSC 496 m001 Distinction in Political Science II

Instructor: Erin Hern

Class #: 42332

Offered: W 12:45pm-3 :30 pm

Frequency Offered: Regularly

Prerequisites: PSC 495 Distinction I

Course Description

The program requires the student to produce a senior thesis that reflects an understanding of the contemporary literature relevant to the thesis topic, advances an original argument, and presents evidence appropriate to the underlying inquiry. The thesis should generally be modeled after a typical academic journal article in the field of Political Science. The thesis will be read and evaluated by a committee of three, consisting of the main advisor and two additional readers. Two of the readers must be members of the Political Science department. One of the readers may be a graduate student in Political Science. An oral defense will determine if the thesis meets the departmental requirements for distinction.