Course Descriptions

POL 101 - Contemporary Political Ideologies

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to juniors until the first day of classes; not open to seniors except with permission of the instructor and only once the semester begins.

POL 121 - American Politics

Analysis of American political processes, institutions, and problems.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

 

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to juniors until drop-add; not open to seniors except with permission of the instructor and only once the semester begins.

POL 140 - Comparative Global Politics

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Credit towards International Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

 

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to juniors until drop-add; not open to seniors except with permission of the instructor and only once the semester begins. 

POL 161 - International Relations

Satisfied the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Credit towards International Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.
 

 

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to juniors until drop-add; not open to seniors except with permission of the instructor and only once the semester begins.

POL 180 - Introduction to Policy Analysis

This course provides students with an introduction to the methods and theory related to policy analysis. Students will learn various forms of policy evaluation including decision analysis, risk analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and others. Policy topics will include issues in domestic and international policy related to education, the arts, the environment, healthcare, national defense, non-profit and non-governmental organizations, foreign direct investment and affairs, and economic policy. Students will write a policy whitepaper advocating for a policy intervention to impact an area of policy of their choosing.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

POL 201 - Methods and Statistics in Political Science

Satisfies the Mathematical and Quantitative Thought requirement. 
Satisfies a requirement in the Data Science interdisciplinary minor.

 

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to first-year students.

POL 202 - Classical Political Theory

Satisfies a requirement in the Political Science major.
Satisfies a requirement in the Classics major.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement

POL 203 - Medieval Political Theory

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

POL 204 - Modern Political Theory

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

POL 206 - Contemporary Political Theory

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

POL 207 - Family and Justice

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

POL 220 - The US Congress

Legislative behavior and policy-making in the United States, with particular emphasis on the Congress.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies a major or interdisciplinary minor requirement in Communication Studies.

POL 222 - Parties and Interest Groups

Satisfies a major or interdisciplinary minor requirement in Communication Studies.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

POL 223 - The Presidency

Satisfies a major or interdisciplinary minor requirement in Communication Studies.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

POL 224 - Political Institutions

This course will examine the origins and maintenance of political institutions, as well as the role of institutions in shaping outcomes and behavior. Theories drawing on insights from Political Science, Economics, History, and Sociology will be explored with a focus on applications in American politics.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

POL 225 - US Public Policy

Satisfies a major or interdisciplinary minor requirement in Communication Studies.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

POL 226 - Racial and Ethnic Politics

An exploration of the role of ethnic and racial identities in American political life, with special attention to debates about how best to incorporate various American minority groups into the political process.

Fulfills cultural diversity requirement.

POL 227 - Law, Politics and Society

This course is a survey of issues and themes connecting law, politics, and society. Reading and discussion will focus on American politics and explore topics as wide-ranging as racial inequality in sentencing and imprisonment, historical changes in the interpretation of rights and liberties, and civil procedure.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
 

POL 228 - US Environmental Politics and Policy

This course will explore the political challenges and opportunities associated with environmental problems in the United States. Through in-depth cases and role-playing simulations at the local, state, and national levels, students study the competing interests, values, narratives, and knowledge claims in the politics of energy, pollution, natural resources, biodiversity, and climate change.

Satisfies a major or interdisciplinary minor requirement in Communication Studies.
Satisfies depth and breadth course requirement in Social Science track of the Environmental Studies major or interdisciplinary minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

 

Prerequisites & Notes
Offered every other year, in rotation with POL 398.

POL 229 - Business and Politics

This course introduces students to a variety of analytical perspectives on the relationship between the public and private sectors in the United States. It has a particular focus on the characteristics of US political institutions and corporate actors that influence this relationship, the role of corporate activities in the political arena, and the effects of public policies on American businesses.

Satisfies a major or interdisciplinary minor requirement in Communication Studies.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement

POL 239 - Special Topics American Politics

An overview of the theories, institutions, political behavior, and operations of state and local government in the United States, with a focus on national-state-local relations and public policies at the state and local level.

POL 241 - Comparative Public Policy

This course explores how and why policies dealing with issues such as the economy, health care, and immigration differ across nations. We examine and contrast the influence of political ideas and ideologies, institutions, and organized interests in shaping the process and substance of public policy. We also investigate why similar policies generate different outcomes. Case analysis and discussions provide opportunities for students to apply analytical skills and gain a realistic understanding of the role, responsibilities, and interdisciplinary knowledge required of practitioners.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

POL 242 - West European Politics

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies a requirement of the International Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

POL 259 - Special Topics

The content of this course changes from year to year. 

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

POL 269 - Special Topics in International Politics

Fall 2018 Topic: Crises in the European Union
Instructor: Lochocki

This course explores the three major crises faced by the European Union –  the Eurozone, Migration policies and politics, and the impact of the British withdrawal from the EU, or Brexit.  Key domestic political variables such as the rise of populist parties will be given special coverage. Students should  possess some prior knowledge of European integration and history.

POL 282 - Introduction to Data Methods

This course examines data management and use: downloading data from the web, restructuring and reorganizing that data, analyzing the data through statistical analysis and visualization, and using programming to accomplish these tasks.  We use a programming language called R, which is freely available on the web.  We will explore these topics by using data collected from Twitter.  Social media provide an ever-expanding set of tools for communication, yet we are only beginning to understand why some social media strategies succeed and others fail.

Satisfies the methods requirement of the Political Science major.
Counts as an elective in the Data Science interdisciplinary minor.
Satisfies a Mathematical & Quantitative Thought requirement.

POL 285 - Independent Study

POL 285: Independent Study

POL 288 - Davidson in Washington Independent Study

POL 289 - Independent Study

POL 290 - Politics of Africa

Satisfies a requirement in the Africana Studies major (Geographic Region: Africa).
Satisfies a requirement of the International Studies interdisciplinary minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Fulfills cultural diversity requirement.
 

POL 291 - Politics of the Middle East

Sub-field = International and Comparative
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
Provides credit towards the Arab Studies minor.
Satisfies the Middle East Studies interdisciplinary minor.

POL 293 - Politics of the Americas

Sub-field = International and Comparative
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
Satisfies a requirement of the International Studies Interdisciplinary minor.
Satisfies a requirement of the Latin American Studies major.
 

POL 302 - Special Topics in Classical Political Theory

This course explores such central themes of classical political thought as “education and politics,” “idealism and realism,” and “politics and literature.” The content of this course changes from year to year. 

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

POL 304 - Foundations of Liberalism

Major political philosophers within the liberal tradition, including Locke, Kant, de Tocqueville, Mill, Hayek, and Rawls.

Satisifies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

POL 305 - Education and Politics

This course examines the proper political and moral education of aspiring leaders in works by Plato, Machiavelli, and Shakespeare.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

POL 306 - Special Topic: Machiavelli and the American Founding

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

POL 307 - Lincoln and the Crisis of American Democracy

This course examines the political thought of Lincoln, his predecessors, and his contemporaries concerning such themes as slavery, democracy, the Founding, and the Constitution.

Satisfies a Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement

POL 318 - Special Topics in Contemporary Political Theory

The content of this course changes from year to year. 

POL 324 - American Judicial Politics

The judiciary and its ancillary players occupy an important and unique space in the world of American politics.  Judges make decisions that impact not only the parties to a case but can have important implications for public policy outside of the case at hand. Litigants, attorneys, and interest groups understand that courts can shape policy and often try to use the legal system to their advantage. This is true for big policy questions and constitutional law but is also true for the day-to-day business of lower courts and judges. Americans often view courts, and judges in particular, as above the political fray. However, a deep investigation of judicial politics involves an understanding that these actors and institutions live simultaneously in the legal and political worlds and that the difference between the two is not as stark as we might first believe.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

POL 325 - Constitutional Law

Satisfies the Literary Studies, Creative Writing, and Rhetoric requirement.

 

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to first-year students. 

POL 327 - Civil Liberties

Satisfies the Literary Studies, Creative Writing, and Rhetoric requirement.

POL 328 - Politics of Information

Ratings, rankings and certifications have become a ubiquitous form of power in American society.  Through in-depth case studies, this course explores the validity, credibility and effectiveness of these hotly-contested “information-based governance” strategies (such as food sustainability certifications, corporate “green” rankings, or doctor quality ratings), particularly in the health and environmental fields.

Satisfies depth and breadth course requirement in the Social Science track of the Environmental Studies major or interdisciplinary minor.
Satisfies a major or interdisciplinary minor requirement in Communication Studies.
Counts as an elective in the Data Science interdisciplinary minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

POL 330 - Campaign Strategy

Satisfies a major or interdisciplinary minor requirement in Communication Studies.

POL 334 - Public Opinion

Satisfies a major or interdisciplinary minor requirement in Communication Studies.

Prerequisites & Notes
(Offered alternate years.)

POL 336 - Politics and the Media

Satisfies a major or interdisciplinary minor requirement in Communication Studies.

POL 341 - The Rise of New Democracies

Satisfies a major or interdisciplinary minor requirement in Communication Studies.
Provides credit towards the International Studies interdisciplinary minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

POL 342 - Politics, Economics, & Society in China

Satisfies the Liberal Studies requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
Provides credit towards the International Studies Interdisciplinary minor.
Provides credit towards the Asian Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

POL 343 - The Politics of Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
Satisfies a requirement of the International Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.
Satisfies a requirement of the Asian Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

POL 344 - Politics and Economics of Brazil (= LAS 220)

Treatment of political and economic change in modern Brazil. Focus on inequality, violence, environmental protection, and US-Brazil relations. Course includes historical background from 1946 forward.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
Provides credit towards the Latin American Studies and Political Science majors.

POL 347 - Politics of Development

Counts toward the International Studies interdisciplinary minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

POL 348 - Politics of Russia and Eastern Europe

Comparative analysis of the political systems, political economies, and the post-communist trajectories of Russia and other former communist countries in Europe.

Satisfies a requirement in the Russian Studies major and minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Counts toward the International Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

POL 353 - The Latin American Political Novel

Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
Satisfies a major requirement in Latin American Studies. 
Satisfies a requirement of the International Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

POL 354 - Political Economy of the Southern Cone (=LAS 222)

Course offers brief historical overview of Southern Cone nations Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay and then moves to in-depth study of political and economic institutions.  Themes include bureaucratic authoritarianism, economic shocks, military rule and the return to democracy, regional integration, and globalization.

Satisfies a major requirement in Latin American Studies and Political Science.
Satisfies a minor elective requirement in Latin American Studies.
Satisfies Liberal Studies requirement.
Meets the Cultural Diversity requirement.
 

POL 359 - Topics in Comparative Politics

Fall 2018: Business & Politics in China
Instructor: G. Bullock

This course examines how public and private actors interact in the People’s Republic of China. Students will explore a wide range of case studies from across China related to business-government relations, business innovation and entrepreneurship, environmental information and regulation, the digital economy, foreign direct investment and joint ventures, and corporate social responsibility, among other topics.  In the course, students will also learn to use a variety of social science research methods to examine a particular company, government agency, and issue of their interest.

POL 360 - International Political Economy

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Counts toward the International Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

POL 361 - U.S.-Latin American Relations

Satisfies the Historical Thought requirement.
Counts toward the Latin American Studies Major.
Counts toward the International Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

POL 362 - American Foreign Policy

Counts toward International Studies interdisciplinary minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement

POL 363 - International Organization

Counts toward International Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement

POL 364 - International Security

Counts toward International Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement

POL 365 - The International Relations of the Asia Pacific

Considers the foreign policies of and relationships among nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies a requirement of the International Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.
Satisfies a requirement of the Asian Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

POL 379 - Topics in International Relations

An upper division course dealing with a topic in international relations. Past courses have included Causes of War, International Law, and Terrorism in the 20th century.

The content of this course changes from year to year.

POL 380 - Symposium: Davidson in Washington

Satisfies a major requirement in Political Science.

POL 381 - Philanthropy and the Non-Profit Sector

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

POL 383 - Peruvian Political Thought since the Conquest (=HIS 362)

This seminar uses primary-source readings to explore the history of political ideas in Peru since the conquest, with an emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The course includes a wide range of Peruvian voices, including indigenous-, Spanish-, and African-descended Peruvians; women and men; leftists and rightists. It also includes multiple genres, including novels (several), works of formal political theory, indigenous oral histories, and distinctively Peruvian “traditions” (short works of historical fiction).

Satisfies the Historical Thought requirement.
Satisfies a requirement of the International Studies interdisciplinary minor.
Satisfies a requirement of the Latin American Studies interdisciplinary minor.
 

POL 384 - Psychology of Political Leadership

This course is interdisciplinary and uses concepts, theories and methodological approaches from psychology to explore political leadership and its many facets. It has three overarching goals. First, it will explore the factors that influence who becomes a political leader. Here the focus will be on how political leaders are chosen and socialized and what their motivations for seeking political office are. Second, this course will seek to understand how contextual factors and character traits affect leadership and decision making with a particular focus on how leaders’ personalities and experiences interact with their environment and affect their ability to govern accountably and effectively. Third, it will investigate how leaders relate to the public with a focus on the cognitive basis of this relationship and the role of persuasion.

POL 385 - Independent Study

POL 385: Independent Study

POL 389 - Tutorial

POL 398 - Global Environmental Politics

Through in-depth case studies and research projects, this course introduces students to comparative and international perspectives on three major environmental challenges - climate change, biodiversity loss, and access to clean water.  Students will learn about the strengths and limitations of efforts by both governmental and non-governmental actors across a range of different countries and scales to tackle these challenges. 

Satisfies a major requirement in Environmental Studies.
Satisfies a major or interdisciplinary minor requirement in Communication Studies.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement

Prerequisites & Notes
Offered every other year, in rotation with POL 228.

POL 400 - Seminars in Political Theory, POL 400-419

A list of available seminars will be posted on the department webpage prior to each semester’s registration.

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor. Individual courses may have additional prerequisites. At least one seminar is offered in each sub-field every year.

POL 401 - Thucydides on Justice and War

This course investigates arguments for and against both political realism and political idealism through a study of the founder of classical realism, Thucydides.

Satisfies a Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor required.

POL 402 - Kant, Liberalism, and Rights

A focused examination of Kant’s principal moral and political writings.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

POL 403 - Against Liberalism

An examination of influential 19th and 20th century critiques of liberal democracy.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

POL 404 - Politics and Heroism

This course explores the relation between heroism and political life through an examination of such thinkers as Homer, Plato, and Nietzsche.

Satisfies a Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor required.

POL 405 - Justice and the City

An examination of contemporary urban design and regional planning practices in light of normative debates about property rights, democracy, and federalism.

Satisfies a Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

POL 406 - Religion, Politics, and Law

This course explores the perennial issue of the relation between religion, politics, and law (both human and divine), through a study of such thinkers as Plato and Montesquieu.

Satisfies a Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor required.

POL 407 - Liberalism, Feminism, and Manliness

An examination of the tensions between liberalism and feminism in the works of Wollstonecraft, Rousseau, Mill, Tocqueville, Mansfield, and de Beauvoir.

Satisfies a Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

POL 408 - Special Topics in Political Theory

Given China’s current prominence in global affairs, there has been a recent revival of interest in what China might teach us about the nature of political life.  While many earlier interpreters regarded traditional Chinese political theories, most notably Confucianism, as an obstacle to economic and political modernization, some more recent political theorists have suggested that Chinese political thought offers a powerful alternative to modern Western thought.  In this course, we will seek to examine these debates through the careful study of both the central Chinese texts (in translation) and contemporary works in the field.  

In the first part of the course, we will examine the major schools of ancient Chinese political thought– Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism, and Mohism.  We will consider the ways in which each one responds to questions such as the following: what is the best way of life for human beings?  How does can particular policies or approaches to government help or hinder human wellbeing?  What forms of education support a flourishing community?  What is the place of the family in political life?  In the second part of the course, we will bring these theories, particularly Confucianism, into dialogue with contemporary Western political thought.  Here we will discuss, for example, the ways in which concepts such as democracy and human rights might be understood within a Confucian framework.  

POL 409 - Seminar: Modern Conservative Political Philosophy

The course explores the diverse intellectual currents of modern conservative philosophy, including close readings of signal writings by Hume, Burke, Hayek, Scruton and Sowell.

POL 410 - The Crisis of Liberal Democracy: Tocqueville and Nietzsche

Seminar: The Crisis of Liberal Democracy: Tocqueville and Nietzsche

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of instructor required.

POL 420 - Seminars in American Politics, POL 420-439

Seminar topics vary. See class schedule for current offerings.

POL 421 - Judicial Politics

This seminar provides an introduction to the study of the law and courts in American politics.   This includes examination of courts as policy-shaping institutions, the motivation and behavior of judges, and the political contexts of courts and judging.  The readings draw on current and classic work in political science and law and represents a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives.  Courts and judges sit at the intersection of law and politics in the U.S.  This seminar is particularly suited for students interested in understanding and studying this connection.      

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor required.

POL 422 - Political Communication

This seminar examines the use and effectiveness of different rhetorical and communication strategies in contemporary politics, from campaigns and elections and policy debates to crisis management and new media.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Methods & Statistics in Political Science (POL 201) and permission of the instructor required.

POL 423 - Politics of Reproduction

This seminar examines political and policy questions regarding reproductive politics such as contraception, access to abortion, eugenics, artificial reproductive technology, egg donation, sperm banking, stem cell technology, sex education and surrogacy.  The politics of reproduction touches on nearly all avenues of politics: policymaking, public opinion, framing, activism, legislation, constitutional questions, and elections.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies a requirement in the Gender & Sexuality Studies major and minor (Society & Politics Track).

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor required.

POL 424 - Women in American Politics

This seminar explores the role of gender in American politics, specifically how gender affects the political activities of American residents, political candidates, and elected officeholders. Students analyze differences in men’s and women’s political participation, party affiliations, political attitudes, and campaign strategies and styles. Students also investigate why women remain substantially underrepresented in positions of political power and consider the implications of gender inequality in political officeholding.

Counts toward the major in Political Science.
Satisfies a requirement in the Society and Politics track of the Gender and Sexuality Studies major and minor.
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

POL 428 - Public Opinion/Survey Research

This course examines how to conduct survey/public opinion research and explores how public opinion informs American Politics. Topics will include how to conceptualize and measure public opinion, the origins of public opinions, the nature of mass opinion for specific policy areas, and how public opinion informs the policy making process.  Students will also learn the fundaments of survey research.

 

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor required.

POL 434 - Political Psychology

The goal of political science is to explain why citizens engage in certain types of political behavior, and how citizens think about politics. Psychology offers a way to explain how and why individuals behave the way they do. This course considers the role of personality, emotions, stereotypes, and group dynamics in politics, campaigns, and voting. We will learn about key psychology concepts, apply these concepts to politics, and investigate how experimental methods can identify the psychology behind politics.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor required.

POL 435 - (In)Justice in America

This seminar is an exploration of the concept of justice in the United States.  The course has three primary components:  Theory, practice, and challenges.  We begin by examining notions of justice, their origins, and development over time.  We will also look at the mechanics of the justice system in the United States and how the justice system attempts to live up to ideals of justice and fairness.  Finally, we address issues that arise when people and institutions fail to live up to those ideals. 

Satisfies a requirement in the Political Science major.
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

POL 440 - European Integration

The European Union (EU) is one of the world’s most ambitious experiments in governance. Consequently, it is both one of the most complex and intriguing international organizations to study and understand. In this course, we will review the history of European integration and we will investigate in detail the main institutions of the EU and how they relate to one another. We will also explore some of the most important current debates revolving around the EU, including the role of public opinion and identity politics for European integration, the ‘democratic deficit’ and the most recent global financial crisis.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor required.

POL 441 - The Rise of China

This course offers advanced students an opportunity to explore contemporary Chinese politics, economics, and society in detail.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor required.

POL 442 - Social Movements and Revolutions

Why do groups of people who have been quiescent for decades, all of a sudden take to the streets to oppose their regimes, often risking their lives to do so? Why do regimes that had survived wars and remained stable, suddenly collapse under popular pressure? Why do some movements last and succeed in their goals, while other fizzle and fail? In this seminar we will provide answers to these questions, by analyzing the causes and changing meanings of revolutions, social movements, contentious politics, and activism.

We will start by looking at how the French Revolution in the 18th century defined the meaning of revolution in the modern world and how it was transformed by the revolutionary events in 1968 and then 1989.  We will then continue with alternative trajectories and neglected histories such as the Haitian Revolution and contentious politics in 18^th century China, as well as more contemporary revolutions in post-Soviet states and the Middle East. Given that today we are living in another age of world-wide political activism, ultimately the goal of this course is to develop informed theoretical analyses of the meanings and practices of revolutions and social movements both in the past and in our own times.

Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

 

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor required.

POL 443 - Political Islam

This course examines how modern Islam, from the middle of the nineteenth century to today, “became” political. It explores the role of theology and domestic and international politics in the development of Islamic movements, political parties, Islamic jihad, and Islamic rule in various countries. It also focuses on contemporary issues - the relationship between Islam and democracy, the rise of violent non-state groups, and global responses to them.

Satisfies a major requirement in Political Science

Satisfies a minor requirement in Arab Studies

Satisfies an interdisciplinary minor requirement in Middle East Studies

Satisfies an interdisciplinary minor requirement in International Studies

Satisfies the Cultural Diversity requirement

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor required.

POL 444 - Nationalism

How is the nation constructed? How is nationalism used by different groups and for what purposes? What role does nationalism play in creating political rights or basis for exclusion? This seminar examines the complex relationship between the nation and the state by studying examples from different parts of the world and across time. Using theories of nationalism, identity formation, and state-building we will explore the role that nationalism plays in the creation and fragmentation of states as well as the delineation of political communities. On the one hand, nationalism has the power to crystallize collective identities and provide the overriding basis for self-determination of groups, which can strengthen the state. On the other hand, when national identity is disputed domestically or various groups do not identify with the state, nationalism becomes a source of state disintegration and conflict, oftentimes leading to ethnically motivated political strife and even civil war. 

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of instructor required.

POL 445 - Corruption and Development

This seminar explores the relationship between corruption and development. Does corruption impede development? If so, what if anything can be done about it? We examine differences in conceptualization and measurement of corruption, explore cases of corruption in politics and the bureaucracy, explore concepts such as state capture, patronage, and clientelism, and assess various types of anti-corruption measures and reforms.
 

Satisfies a major requirement in Political Science.

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of instructor required.

POL 448 - Special Topics in Comparative Politics

Fall 2018 Topic: Populist Politics - The Case of Germany
Instructor: Lochocki

The rise of populist parties - as the French Front National (FN) or the Alternative for Germany (AfD) - fundamentally changes international cooperation on global scale. Populists successfully campaign on nationalist platforms, rejecting international cooperation. The presence of this new political player and its appealing nationalist agenda profoundly alters the mechanisms defining the scope of action for moderate governments. Moderate governments of the three strongest remaining liberal democracies in Europe - Germany, France and the United Kingdom -must win back voters from populist parties while at the same time safeguarding their commitment to international cooperation and multilateralism. This seminar focuses on Germany as a case study of rising populism and strategies of moderate governments. Ideally, students already have a strong knowledge of German history, social structure, and politics.

POL 460 - State-building and Peacebuilding

Failed and fragile states have been identified as a major threat to both development and security.  This seminar explores the enterprise of peacebuilding and state-building in post-conflict settings, and the many challenges faced by the international community as it attempts to support the revival of states and good governance in countries emerging from war.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

 

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor required.

POL 462 - Humanitarian Intervention

An exploration of the politics, policies, debates, and controversies surrounding humanitarian interventionism, including emergency relief operations, refugee politics, UN peace operations, and emerging global norms and enforcement mechanisms on war crimes, war economies, and human rights violations.  Case studies of interventions in the name of humanitarian principles in countries such as Bosnia, Somalia, South Sudan, Haiti, and East Timor will be explored to complement thematic readings.

Satisfies a Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor required.

POL 468 - Special Topics in International Politics

POL 471 - Leaders vs. Entrepreneurs

This course examines the characteristics of great leaders and successful entrepreneurs, and the roles they play in politics and society.  Building on insights from political science, economics, and psychology, students use different theories and concepts, such as social entrepreneurship and transformative leadership, to analyze individuals as diverse as Jane Goodall, Steve Jobs, and Teddy Roosevelt.

Satisfies depth and breadth course requirement in Social Science track of the Environmental Studies major or interdisciplinary minor.
Satisfies a Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

 

Prerequisites & Notes
Offered every other year, in rotation with POL 472.
Permission of the instructor required.

POL 472 - Citizens vs. Consumers

Satisfies depth and breadth course requirement in Social Science track of the Environmental Studies major or interdisciplinary minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Offered every other year, in rotation with POL 471.
Permission of the instructor required.

POL 485 - Advanced Independent Study