Politics can be understood in many ways: as a struggle for power over other people and nations, or for freedom from control; as a social process that determines who has what kinds of authority; as a series of conversations or disputations about what counts as a “public problem” and how to address public problems; as an art or science of institutional design, especially the design of governments.

However it is defined, politics matters. Political outcomes shape the choices we can make as individuals, and the fates of communities and nations. The Political Studies program at Bard welcomes students who care about politics and want to reason critically about political outcomes and debates. The program intends to inform responsible participation in American and global public affairs. It also prepares students for work and/or further study in political science, international affairs, public policy, law, cultural studies, and related fields.

 

Clusters (Subfields) of Political Studies

Like politics itself, the discipline of political studies is richly diverse. At Bard, we identify four broad clusters of political studies:

• Political Theory: This cluster considers questions bearing on the meaning of political experience and discourse, for instance: How can political institutions contain violence? What are the differences and relations among social and political aspects of life (e.g. economic role and citizenship)? What is political knowledge and political education? Can politics be a science? Is it true that “the personal is political,” and what does it mean?
• American Politics: This cluster focuses on political institutions and processes in the American context, asking questions such as: How and why do states vary in their implementations of “welfare” programs? How much influence does the general public have upon Congressional policy debates? What lessons does the civil rights movement hold for contemporary social movements?
• Comparative Politics: This cluster asks questions about political phenomena across countries, such as: Why do revolutions break out—and succeed—in some countries at certain times, and not in other countries and times? Why do some wealthy countries have fewer and smaller social welfare programs than others? What is the cause, and the significance, of the “spread of democracy”?
• International Relations: This cluster examines “politics among nations,” including questions like these: What motives have dominated U.S. foreign policy over the last century? Is a world order governed by “international law” feasible, and whom would it benefit? How are transnational corporations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) altering the role of the nation-state?

These clusters necessarily overlap one another and other fields. Students are encouraged to combine courses in political studies with relevant courses in other disciplines, for example, history, economics, sociology, and literature.