|
98493 |
PS 104A International Relations |
Jonathan Cristol |
M.W .. |
12:00-1:20
pm |
OLIN
205 |
SSCI |
|
98484 |
PS 104B International Relations |
Sanjib Baruah |
M.W .. |
1:30-2:50
pm |
HEG
102 |
SSCI |
Cross-listed: Global & Int’l Studies, Human Rights This course will focus on the major theories and concepts in international relations. We will start the semester looking at the major schools of international relations theory: realism, liberalism, and constructivism. What are the implications of these theories for foreign policy decision making (and for the future of the world!)? The course will also look at international organizations, including the UN and WTO, and how foreign policy is carried out. We will end the semester by looking at some of the “hot” issues in the world today including: terrorism, preventive war, the rise of China, and the spread of democracy. The goal of the class is to see how (or if) theories of international relations can explain how organizations function and how foreign policy is made and to see what answers theory can provide for how to deal with the problems of a “post 9/11 world.” Authors to be read include: Thucydides, Morgenthau, Russett, Huntington, and Mearsheimer, among many others.
|
98057 |
PS 105 Introduction to Comparative Government |
Monique Segarra |
. T . Th |
10:30-
11:50 am |
HEG
201 |
SSCI |
Cross-listed: Global & Int'l Studies This course introduces students to
important concepts, themes, and approaches in the comparative study of
politics. The course is organized around questions that reflect both
interesting phenomena and puzzles that call for some kind of explanation.
First, we begin our intellectual journey by exploring the key analytical
frameworks in comparative politics that shape political systems and
outcomes: interests, identity, and institutions. Then, we
examine themes surrounding political regime and processes through the study of
politics in selected countries. Topics include democracy, dictatorship,
the economic role of the state, political parties and interest groups, as well
as the issues of institutional design (parliamentarism vs. presidentialism,
proportional vs. majoritarian, federalism and decentralization). By the
end of the course, the student will have acquired a broad perspective of the
field of Comparative Politics and some basic analytical frameworks to examine a
wide range of political phenomena.
|
98055 |
PS 115
A Introduction to Political Thinking |
Elaine Thomas |
. T . Th . |
1:00-2:20
pm |
OLIN
201 |
SSCI |
|
98054 |
PS 115
B Introduction to Political Thinking |
Elaine Thomas |
. . W . F |
12:00-1:20
pm |
OLIN
201 |
SSCI |
From Plato to Nietzsche, great thinkers in the Western tradition have asked about the nature and practice of political action. Thinking about politics is, knowingly or not, conducted against the background of this shared tradition. This is no less true of political thought that aims to break away from “the classics” than of political thought that finds in them a constant resource for both critical and constructive thinking. This course explores fundamental questions of politics through a core body of writings. At its center will be a sustained reading of Plato’s Republic. Thinking with Plato and also with complementary texts from Sophocles, Nietzsche, Thoreau, and Marx, we reflect upon key political concepts such as justice, democracy, and “the individual”. We also explore such enduring questions as the relationship between the state and the individual; the conditions for peaceful political order; and the connection between morality and politics. This course is required for all political studies majors.
|
98060 |
PS 122 American Politics: Issues and
Institutions |
Mark Lindeman |
M . W . . |
1:30-2:50
pm |
ALBEE
106 |
SSCI |
Cross-listed: American Studies, Social Policy This course introduces
students to the basic institutions and processes of American government. The
class is meant to provide students with a grasp of the fundamental dynamics of
American politics and the skills to be an effective participant in and critic
of the political process. During the semester, we will examine how the government
works, interpret current political developments and debates, and consider how
to influence the government at various levels.
|
98062 |
PS 214 US-Latin American Relations |
Omar Encarnacion |
M . W . . |
12:00-1:20
pm |
OLIN
203 |
SSCI |
Cross-listed:
GIS Despite
common origins as off springs of European colonialism and close economic and
political ties during their respective period of independence and
state-building, conflict rests at the heart of the relationship between the
United States and the nations of Latin America. This course unpacks the
historical and ideological roots of that conflict, how it has developed over
the course of the years, and what possibilities exist for its resolution in the
future. The course is divided into three main sections. The first
one covers the years between the Spanish-American War of 1898 and the events
leading to World War II. It emphasizes U.S. attempts at creating a
"sphere of influence" over Latin America, highlighted by numerous
military interventions in places like Mexico, Central America, and the
Caribbean, as well as Latin American responses to what they perceived to be an
American project of imperialism. The second section focuses on the
dynamics of the Cold War as played out throughout Latin America. It
emphasizes the real and perceived fears by U.S. policy-makers about the advent
of Marxist-inspired revolutions in Latin America, which led to interventions in
Cuba, Chile, and Guatemala, among other nations, and the high toll that the
Cold War exacted upon the peoples of Latin America. The third and final
section looks at the most salient issues in contemporary U.S-L.A. relations:
economic integration, the illicit drug trade, and Latin American migration to
the United States.
|
98485 |
PS 219 Politics of Civil Wars |
Sanjib Baruah |
M . W . . |
10:30-11:50
am |
RKC
102 |
SSCI |
Cross-listed:
Human Rights, PIE core course Internal armed conflicts are a major part
of contemporary world politics, they certainly occur far more frequently than
inter-state wars. These conflicts are not all the same, and the same
conflict can have many layers. It has been said that ambiguity is endemic to
civil wars, and that the quest for a deep structure is unproductive. The
academic literature relates them to processes of nation-building and
state-building; questions of identity; ideologies of ethno-nationalism and
separatism, as well as that of majoritarianism and anti-separatism; contests
over legitimacy, distributive justice and control over natural resources; and
simply greed rather than grievances. The course will focus on a few Asian cases
-- Burma, Northeast India, Southern Thailand, Sri Lanka and Tibet; but the
readings will include texts that introduce students to the theoretical
literature. Interested students may wish to consult the Policy Studies series
of the East-West Center. The readings will include a number of these papers: http://www.eastwestcenter.org/publications/series/
|
98919 |
PS 223 The Rhetoric of Politics |
Adam Rosen |
. . W .
. |
4:30
– 5:50 pm |
OLIN
101 |
SSCI |
2 credits This course examines the place of
rhetoric in political culture. In the first half, we explore political life as
structured by rhetorical techniques that determine who counts as a viable
member of the political community, who is excluded from effectively voicing
their concerns, and what sorts of conversations count as properly political.
Major topics include: (1) how rhetoric mobilizes identity formation, community
belonging, and collective commitments; (2) how rhetoric structures social
imaginaries, especially those in which “we” are aligned against “them” (e.g.,
“threats” or “enemies”); and (3) how, though rhetoric, certain types of speech
or speakers are discounted in advance. In the second half, we examine the
political consequences of particularly powerful – but not always conspicuous –
rhetorical techniques. Major topics include: (1) the operations and
consequences of the rhetoric of “war,” “danger,” and “terror”; (2) the use of
apocalyptic and utopian rhetoric in both mobilizing and shutting down political
activism; and (3) rhetorical techniques that contribute to dehumanization,
misrepresentation, and psychic numbing. Finally, we confront the question of
what types of rhetoric effectively galvanize political activism and what types
lead to the formation of a politically bankrupt, self-satisfied good
conscience. This is a two-semester course, 2 credits each semester.
|
98059 |
PS 235 Modern American Presidency |
Mark Lindeman |
. T . Th . |
9:00-
10:20 am |
OLIN
204 |
SSCI |
Cross-listed: American Studies This class explores the major dynamics affecting the office of the president of the United States, and, by extension, the workings of American politics. Using the 2004 and 2008 presidential campaigns as a point of reference, we examine historical patterns of change in party coalitions, electoral and policymaking strategies, and the institutional capacities of the presidency. Particular attention is paid to changes in the scope of presidential power in the context of such events as the Great Depression, World War II and the Cold War, civil rights mobilization, the Vietnam War, Watergate, and the September 11 attacks. Other topics include divided government, the impact of the 1994 “Republican Revolution” in Congress, and the political manipulation of scandals.
|
98063 |
PS 239 United Nations and Model UN |
Jonathan Becker |
. . W . . |
4:30-5:50
pm |
OLIN
201 |
SSCI |
Cross-listed:
GIS, Human Rights 1 credit*
The course will be divided into two parts. The first part will explore the
history of the United Nations and will introduce students to its structure and
principal aims. It will also focus on the role of specialized agencies and the
ways in which alliances impact on the UN’s day-to-day operations. The second
part of the course will focus on an assigned country (for each Model UN, each
college is assigned a country to represent. It will entail a study of the
country’s history, politics and economics and will conclude with the writing of
‘position papers’ that reflect that country’s approach to issues confronting
the UN. In addition, there will be a public speaking component. Students taking
the course will have the opportunity to participate in a Model United Nations. Students wishing to participate should
e-mail [email protected] with 1-2 paragraphs indicating why they would like to
participate. *One credit per semester, two-credit course. Students must
take both halves to obtain credit.
|
98048 |
PS 253 Introduction to Latin American Politics |
Pierre Ostiguy |
. T . Th . |
4:00-5:20
pm |
OLIN
202 |
SSCI/DIFF |
Cross-listed: LAIS, Global and International
Studies, History This course is an introduction to the
politics of Latin America. We will
focus on the political regimes, social actors, and historical processes that
have characterized and structured the political life of Latin America. The course is divided in two complementary
parts. The first focuses on the widely
different political regimes that have marked the continent in the 20th
century up to today, and on the reasons for the transition from one type of
regime to another. It thus provides a broad and comprehensive picture of the
very distinct political phases and regimes that have characterized Latin
American societies. Students will
become familiar with: “oligarchical liberalism”, “neo-patrimonialism”,
“populism”, revolutionary socialism (through guerrilla warfare),
“bureaucratic-authoritarianism”, and liberal democracy. Since the return to electoral democracy in
the 1980s, the region has undergone major sociopolitical shifts, first to the
neoliberal right in the 1990s and then, this decade, to the left. We will pay
attention to issues of inequality, class, race (or color), and representation,
with the unifying theme of the “incorporation of the popular sectors.”
The second part of the course examines the
political history of some of the most representative countries of Latin
America, from the most developed countries to the poorest ones. We will cover
Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile (Allende/ Pinochet), Peru, Nicaragua or Cuba,
and Venezuela (here, especially under Chavez). The course will either provide
an overview of the broad political history of such countries during the 20th
century or focus on one key political event or process that has contributed to
make some of those countries well-known politically
|
98064 |
PS 256 Politics and News Media |
Jonathan Becker |
M . W . . |
10:30-
11:50 am |
OLIN
202 |
SSCI |
Related interest: Global & Int’l Studies, Human
Rights, Social Policy, PIE core course This course examines broad questions about
the relationship between the news media and politics. It addresses the
interaction between government and news media, concentrating on the
characteristics of different national media systems, legal regulation of the
media, the impact of corporate ownership and globalization, and the role of new
media technologies. Particular attention will be devoted to the role of media
in elections and restrictions related to national security concerns. A little
more than half of the course will be devoted to media and the system of
political communication in the United States. The rest of the course will
involve thematic comparisons of media in a number countries, including Russia,
Hungary, Sweden, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and
Zimbabwe.
|
98047 |
PS 258 Strategies of Radical Political and Social Change |
Pierre Ostiguy |
. . W . F |
3:00-4:20
pm |
OLINLC
208 |
SSCI |
Cross-listed: Sociology; Related interest: Global & Int’l Studies How can we change the political condition
of society? A century ago, Lenin concisely asked ‘What is to be Done?’ Can we
achieve political change through force of will, organization, and political
strategies, as ‘Che’ Guevara or Mao, on the left, argued? Or is long-lasting
political change a product of slower, more ‘passive’ transformations of the
social fabric, such as industrialization, increased literacy and education, or
the rise of so-called ‘post-materialist values’? Somewhere between will and
structure, social scientists have highlighted the importance of historical
repertoires of collective action in the form our protests take, while
Gramscians have stressed the need to think about hegemony, cultural traditions,
and the ‘role of the party’ or political organization. This course examines
various strategies designed to trigger and achieve social and political change.
Within the voluntaristic views, two drastically opposed strategies have existed
for a long time: violence as a trigger of change, and non-violent strategies.
Which one is more effective? Which one more ethical? We will look at and
discuss, for example, the guerrilla strategy used historically in Latin
America. Such armed struggles are then compared to non-violent strategies, from
Gandhi to contemporary civil disobedience. While there are certainly ethical
reasons for choosing one over the other, we will also discuss key factors such
as state penetration of society, stricter and more standardized legal codes, as
well as developments in law enforcement technologies.
|
98052 |
PS 267 The Quest for Justice |
Roger Berkowitz |
. T . Th . . |
4:00-5:20
pm |
OLIN
204 |
SSCI |
Cross-listed: Human Rights Corporate executives hire high-priced
lawyers to flout the law with impunity. Indigent defendants are falsely convicted,
and even executed for crimes they did not commit. We say that law is the
institutional embodiment of justice. And yet, it is equally true that law, as
it is practiced, seems to have little connection to justice. As the novelist
William Gaddis writes: “Justice? You get justice in the next world. In this
world, you have the law.” This course explores the apparent disconnect between
law and justice. Can contemporary legal systems offer justice? Can we, today,
still speak of a duty to obey the law? Is it possible to do justice?
Through readings of legal cases as well as political, literary, and
philosophical texts, we seek to understand the problem of administering justice
as it emerges in the context of contemporary legal institutions. Texts will include
selections from Dostoyevsky, Kant, Twain, Melville, Plato, Blackstone, Holmes,
Milton, and others.
|
98911 |
PS 276 African Politics |
Augustine Hungwe |
M . W . . |
9:00-10:20
am |
OLIN
201 |
SSCI |
The course will examine the government and politics
in Africa since 1960. The course will thus raise a number of inter-related
questions: In what ways have pre-colonial and colonial historical
processes shaped politics in post-colonial Africa? What are the
socio-economic factors that have shaped contemporary African politics?
What are the human rights and democracy challenges that post-colonial
Africa face? In response to these questions, we will explore Africa's
political culture, the role of civil society in African politics, the
character of African politics and the role of the media in shaping public
political opinion in Africa. We will use books, media products,
speeches and writings of African political figures. The class will
emphasize the following cases: South Africa, Sudan, Senegal and Nigeria.
|
98053 |
PS 311 Immigration & Citizenship |
Elaine Thomas |
M . . . . |
1:30-3:50
pm |
OLIN
303 |
SSCI/DIFF |
Cross-listed:
GIS, Human Rights, Social Policy, SRE; Related interest: French Studies, German Studies This course examines the ways that
responses to immigration have affected existing policies and practices of
citizenship. The course will focus primarily on the post-World War II
experience of developed countries and the practical and theoretical issues it
has raised. One of the challenges that migration to these countries has
presented has been that of politically integrating culturally and religiously
diverse new social groups of immigrant origin. The course will explore the
often contrasting ways in which different countries have confronted this task
and the historical, social, and intellectual roots of variations in their
approaches, and levels of enthusiasm. Topics addressed include
multiculturalism, minority rights, visions of state and nationhood, nationality
law, alien voting rights, migration-related social movements, and citizenship
of the EU.
|
98056 |
PS 345 Political Economy of Development |
Monique Segarra |
M . . . . |
9:30-11:50
am |
OLIN
101 |
SSCI/DIFF |
Cross-listed: Asian Studies, Global & Int’l
Studies, Human Rights, & LAIS This seminar explores the intersection
between politics and economics, centering on the vital problem of economic
development. We will explore some of
the fundamental questions of political economy: What is development? Are some political systems “better” at
economic development than others? Is
there a trade-off between political freedom and economic growth? How does economic development affect
politics? The first third of the course
provides a broad overview of the dominant theoretical approaches to political
economy. After this orientation, the
rest of the course will be devoted to examining contemporary issues and
problems of development. Topics covered
include inequality, labor, democratic transitions, post-communist transitions,
structural adjustment, globalization, and the reversal of development. Empirical cases will be drawn from almost
every region in the world, especially Europe, East Asia and Latin America.
|
98049 |
PS 348 Political Representation and Social Differences |
Pierre Ostiguy |
M . . . . |
7:30-9:50
pm |
OLIN
202 |
SSCI/DIFF |
Cross-listed:
Social Policy, Sociology What are the main lines of political
division in the U.S. and in countries around the world? How does the divide between liberals and
conservatives relate to questions of class, gender, race and regions, if at
all? Are values independent from social positions? This seminar crosses borders
between political sociology, electoral analysis, identity formation and what
political scientists call “spatial analysis.” We will examine the conflicts
associated with political representation both from the subjective angle of
identities, as they relate to “self” and “experience,” and from a
macro-sociological perspective on society.
In other words, we will examine the relation between political divides,
historical social transformations, “values,” and collective identities. Do
party systems mirror social differences or have they become disconnected from
society? How can we tell? What are the electoral strategies of political
parties when they compete for votes, within a “space”? Along the way, we will look at topics in
political sociology such as electoral sociology, social movements, and identity
politics, while from a political theory perspective we will analyze the
relational and discursive mechanisms of identity formation.
|
98494 |
PS 349 The Nature of Power |
Jonathan Cristol |
M . . . . |
1:30-3:50
pm |
OLIN
301 |
SSCI |
Cross-listed:
Global & Int’l Studies; Human Rights Hans Morgenthau, one of the preeminent
international relations theorists, wrote in his “Six Principles of Political
Realism” that “power may comprise anything that establishes and maintains
control of man over man. Thus power
covers all social relationships which serve that end, from physical violence to
the most subtle psychological ties by which one mind controls another.” This seminar will investigate “physical
violence,” “subtle psychological ties,” and everything in between in an attempt
to understand the nature and role of power in the international system. At West
Point, it will also examine the implications of power for contemporary foreign
policy. The seminar will focus on
the great books of international relations that explore power in all of the
major schools of international relations theory. Each week we will read and discuss one of the major books on
power and the international system, including: Morgenthau’s Politics Among Nations, Mearsheimer’s The Tragedy of Great Power Politics,
Zakaria’s From Wealth to Power, Nye’s
Soft Power, Keohane’s Power and Interdependence, and Kagan’s Of Paradise and Power, among others. Our
debates on the nature and use of power will benefit from joint sessions with
Professor Scott Silverstone and his students at the United States Military
Academy, West Point. (Approximately one
third of class meetings will be with West Point cadets.) Prerequisite: Either PS 104, BGIA
306, or BGIA 310 and/or the permission of the instructor.
|
98058 |
PS 363 After "Big Government"? Debating the Future |
Mark Lindeman |
. T . . . |
1:30-3:50
pm |
OLIN
306 |
SSCI |
Cross-listed: American Studies When
President Bill Clinton declared in 1996 that “the era of big government is
over,” some observers perceived it as an epitaph for the Democratic Party’s
longstanding philosophy of governance. In the eighth year of George W. Bush’s
presidency, “big government” is alive and well, but to what ends? Many thinkers
are casting about for the ideas, principles, and/or slogans that will
characterize the major parties’ raison d’etre going forward – and will
effectively engage problems ranging from health care to ecological crisis.
After reviewing how some familiar “big ideas” about big government emerged, we
will explore contemporary arguments about the future of government, assessing
both their political salience and their likely consequences if adopted.
Readings will range from the academic (e.g., portions of Lowi’s The End of
Liberalism and Ophuls’ Requiem for Modern Politics) to the popular
(e.g., Gingrich’s Contract with the Earth, Bai’s The Argument).
|
98419 |
PS 368 Crusader America: Democratic Promotion in
US Foreign Policy |
Omar Encarnacion |
. T . . . |
9:30-
11:50 am |
OLIN
303 |
SSCI |