Course	PS 104 International Relations
Professor	Jonny Cristol
CRN	18223
Schedule	Mon Wed 3:00 -4:20 pm Olin 205
Distribution	Social Science

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.

On-line registration

Course	PS 105 Introduction to Comparative Government
Professor	Takeshi Ito
CRN	18230
Schedule	TuTh 2:30 -3:50 pm Olin 310
Distribution	Social Science

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. On-line registration

Course	PS 125 West European Politics and Society
Professor	Elaine Thomas
CRN	18014
Schedule	TuTh 1:00 -2:20 pm Olin 202
Distribution	Social Science / Rethinking Difference

Cross-listed: French Studies; German Studies; Global & Int’l Studies; Human Rights

The course examines the often dramatic transformation of Western European, and in particular British, German and French, political life from the rise of fascism and World War II in the 1930s and 1940s to our contemporary period, including the present day conflicts and  challenges facing the region.  In order to understand Western Europe’s historical transformation, one must also understand the workings of European electoral systems (including proportional representation) and parliamentary systems.  We will be especially concerned with the future of European welfare states which, in contrast to the US, often provide all citizens free health care, childcare and, even free university education; the influence of environmentalism, the Greens and other social movements; political leaders often troubled efforts to develop a ‘European Union’ conducive to peace, prosperity and human rights; and changing responses to immigration, particularly from the Muslim world.  The course will draw on both a range of readings and selected European films. On-line registration

Course	PS 250 Introduction to Quantitative Analysis: How Not to Lie with Statistics
Professor	Mark Lindeman
CRN	18227
Schedule	TuTh 10:30 - 11:50 am OlinLC 210 Lab: Tu 10:30 - 11:50 am HDRANX 106
Distribution	Mathematics & Computing

Cross-listed: Environmental Studies; GISP; Social Policy

It has been said that “figures never lie, but liars figure,” and in political debates, the incentives to “lie with figures” are ubiquitous. Meanwhile, political scientists frequently resort to statistical analysis to gain insights into social phenomena and causal relationships. This course cultivates rudiments of statistical analysis, with particular emphasis upon the ability to interpret and to evaluate inferential claims in social science literature. We will consider questions such as these: How can an opinion poll of 1000 people tell us anything about 120 million voters – and how much can it tell us? How can we evaluate the effects of changes in welfare policy? Does capital punishment affect murder rates? Who won the 2004 presidential election, and why? What is the relationship between economic growth and life expectancy worldwide? Students will gain some familiarity with software-based statistical analysis (including multivariate regression), but the course does not offer a comprehensive “cookbook” of statistical methods; instead it emphasizes training in critical assessment of quantitative analysis. Students should be competent in precalculus mathematics. On-line registration

Course	PS 253 Introduction to Latin American Politics
Professor	Pierre Ostiguy
CRN	18461
Schedule	Mon Wed 3:00 -4:20 pm Olin 202
Distribution	Social Science/ Rethinking Difference

Cross-listed: LAIS, Global and International Studies, History

This course is a conceptual and historical introduction to the politics of Latin America. We will focus on the actors, regimes, and processes that have characterized and structured the agitated political life of Latin America. The course is divided into two complementary parts. The first focuses on the widely different political regimes that have marked the 20th century history of the continent, and on the reasons for the transition from one type of regime to another. It thus provides a broad picture of the contrasting political eras and regimes that have characterized Latin American societies. Students will become familiar with the realities of: “oligarchical liberalism”, “personalistic dictatorships”, “populism”, revolutionary socialism (pursued 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 (in marked contrast to the US). 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 countries most representative of Latin America, from the most developed countries to the poorest and most subjugated ones. We will cover Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile or Colombia, Nicaragua or Cuba, and Venezuela (here, especially under Chavez). This section provides an overview of the broad political history of such countries during the 20th century, while highlighting some of the key political events that have contributed to making each of those countries well known politically.   On-line registration    

Course	PS 256 Politics and News Media
Professor	Jonathan Becker
CRN	18222
Schedule	Mon Wed 10:30 - 11:50 am RKC 200
Distribution	Social Science

Cross-listed: American Studies

Related interest: Global & Int’l Studies, Social Policy

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. On-line registration

Course	PS 261 Development for Empowerment
Professor	Takeshi Ito
CRN	18231
Schedule	Tu Th 4:00 -5:20 pm Olin 305
Distribution	Social Science/ Rethinking Difference

Cross-listed: Global and International Studies; Human Rights

Can we afford quality of life for everyone in the world? If so, how? Development is a historically constructed concept, and appears inevitable to the eyes of most people. This course questions this inevitability, and critically examines how and why development is advocated, planned, and implemented. In particular, we focus on the impact of development on the social dimensions—inequality, injustice, and powerlessness. It is a historical fact that developmental projects have often failed to bring about presumed benefits for those who need them most. By exploring various empirical cases, this course attempts to make sense the failures of development strategies. The course draws on politics, economics, sociology, anthropology, and history to discuss the problems and prospects of international development. On-line registration

Course	PS 271 American Foreign Policy Traditions II
Professor	Walter Mead
CRN	18513
Schedule	Thur 7:00 – 9:20 pm OLIN 204
Distribution	History

Cross-listed: GISP

This course is the continuation of PS 247, a study of the American foreign policy tradition.  In the second semester, students will continue their study of American foreign policy, covering the period from the Spanish-American war to the present. The course will explore how the United States gradually replaced Great Britain at the center of the evolving world order.  Particular attention will be devoted to how popular religious, cultural and political movements have attempted to influence American foreign policy. Enrollment is open to students who have completed PS 247 or its equivalent in past years. On-line registration

Course	PS 277 Women & Islam: Politics & Society
Professor	Farideh Koohi-Kamali
CRN	18519
Schedule	Tues (time tba)
Distribution	Social Science

Cross-listed: Gender & Sexuality Studies

The position of women in Islam is the subject of ongoing debate in both the Islamic world and the West. However, since September 11, this debate has found a wider audience. The images of Afghan women in their burkas, being beaten for not properly covering their feet or their faces, have disturbed many of us, and prompted us to ask the question: "Is the ill treatment of women inherent to Islam?" In this course, we shall attempt to respond to this question by examining some of the fundamental laws of Islam, and by examining the role and the position of women in various Islamic countries. We shall explore the laws and regulations‑ which define the role and status of women in Islam‑ while challenging some of the clichés regarding the role of women in the Muslim world. To understand the circumstances of women and girls in Muslim societies, it is vital to understand the economic, social and political conditions of Muslim countries too. To reach such understanding, we shall examine certain key historical events for selected Muslim countries. Finally, we shall examine women’s movements, including "Islamic Feminism", by looking at women's art and writings, as well as their political activities in Muslim countries.

Course	PS 310 Rule of the People
Professor	Mark Lindeman
CRN	18226
Schedule	Fr 9:30 - 11:50 am Olin 205
Distribution	Social Science

Cross-listed: American Studies

"Democracy" means, more or less, "rule of the people." H. L. Mencken said, "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard." Do people rule in the United States? Do people know what they want? Should people get what they want? Do people get what they want (or perhaps what they deserve)? These issues point to empirical questions about the American political system and the citizens who putatively run it. This course addresses our knowledge about the public's role in policymaking, and its intellectual and moral competence to make policy. We pay special attention to racial politics, gender issues, and other factors that complicate our evaluation of majority rule and citizen influence. On-line registration

Course	PS 349 The Nature of Power
Professor	Jonny Cristol
CRN	18224
Schedule	Mon 4:30 -6:50 pm Olin 202
Distribution	Social Science

Cross-listed: GISP; 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. On-line registration

Course	PS 350 Southeast Asian Politics
Professor	Takeshi Ito
CRN	18232
Schedule	Fr 2:30 -4:50 pm Olin 301
Distribution	Social Science/ Rethinking Difference

Cross-listed: Asian Studies; GISP

This seminar explores the contested boundaries between state and society in historical and contemporary Southeast Asia. Currently, the region is a home to 11 nation-states: Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The types of political regimes vary from military dictatorship as in Burma and Thailand, through the single-party dominant system as in Singapore and Malaysia, to multi-party democracy as in Indonesia and the Philippines. More importantly, these regimes have never remained stable; their legitimacy have been highly contested by an array of social and political discontent—military intervention, peasant revolts, workers’ protests, and middle class movements. To what extent did the social structures in these countries shape the political foundation of the states?

On-line registration

Course	PS 380 Advanced Topics in Political and Legal Thinking
Professor	Roger Berkowitz
CRN	18221
Schedule	Tu 4:00 -6:20 pm RKC 200
Distribution	Social Science

Cross-listed: Human Rights, Philosophy

This course will focus on a reading of one thinker or book. While the text or texts will vary, our approach will be a page-by-page reading of important works in the tradition of political and legal theory. Our effort will be both to understand the selected texts as well as to comprehend its place in the history of political thought. This semester, the focus will be Martin Heidegger’s Letter on Humanism. On-line registration