| POSC 120-02 |
American Government
Instructor: David O'Connell
Course Description:
A basic introductory course in American federal government which emphasizes its structure and operation. Special attention is given to the executive, legislative, and judicial processes.
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09:30 AM-10:20 AM, MWF
STERN 103 |
| POSC 170-01 |
International Relations
Instructor: Rachel Jacobs
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 170-01. An introduction to global politics which examines the interaction of states, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in the world arena. Topics covered include traditional concerns such as war, balance of power, the UN and international law along with the more recent additions to the agenda of world politics such as international terrorism, human rights, and economic globalization. This course is cross-listed as INST 170.
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10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
ALTHSE 201 |
| POSC 170-02 |
International Relations
Instructor: Russell Bova
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 170-02. An introduction to global politics which examines the interaction of states, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in the world arena. Topics covered include traditional concerns such as war, balance of power, the UN and international law along with the more recent additions to the agenda of world politics such as international terrorism, human rights, and economic globalization. This course is cross-listed as INST 170.
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09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
DENNY 104 |
| POSC 170-03 |
International Relations
Instructor: Ed Webb
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 170-03.
An introduction to global politics which examines the interaction of states, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in the world arena. Topics covered include traditional concerns such as war, balance of power, the UN and international law along with the more recent additions to the agenda of world politics such as international terrorism, human rights, and economic globalization. This course is cross-listed as INST 170.
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TF
DENNY 304 |
| POSC 180-01 |
Political Philosophy
Instructor: John Harles
Course Description:
Cross-listed with PHIL 180-01. An introduction to the history of political thought, focused on such problems as the nature of justice, the meaning of freedom, the requirements of equality, the prevalence of moral dilemmas in political life, the question of whether we ought to obey the law, and the importance of power in politics. We will also discuss how these issues continue to resonate today.This course is cross-listed as PHIL 180.
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12:30 PM-01:20 PM, MWF
DENNY 313 |
| POSC 180-02 |
Political Philosophy
Instructor: Harry Pohlman
Course Description:
Cross-listed with PHIL 180-02. An introduction to the history of political thought, focused on such problems as the nature of justice, the meaning of freedom, the requirements of equality, the prevalence of moral dilemmas in political life, the question of whether we ought to obey the law, and the importance of power in politics. We will also discuss how these issues continue to resonate today.This course is cross-listed as PHIL 180.
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TW
DENNY 313 |
| POSC 220-01 |
Constitutional Law I
Instructor: Harry Pohlman
Course Description:
An analysis of constitutional adjudication in the areas of separation of powers, federalism, and economic rights. Special emphasis is placed upon the idea of a written constitution and the role that judges play in our constitutional system. Topics include Watergate, war powers, and legislative veto. Prerequisite: 120, or permission of the instructor.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TW
DENNY 304 |
| POSC 239-01 |
Research Methods
Instructor: Katie Marchetti
Course Description:
Helps the student answer (in the affirmative) the question, "Is political science a science?" Students will learn how to generate and test hypotheses through creating and executing research designs. Survey research, experimentation, content analysis, participant observation, and other methodologies will be studied. Although no prior knowledge of statistics is necessary, Math 121 is helpful. This class is especially recommended for prospective graduate students in the social sciences.
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
DENNY 110
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
DENNY 112 |
| POSC 247-01 |
The American Presidency
Instructor: David O'Connell
Course Description:
This class will be structured around the problem of presidential power. The first part of the course will introduce a framework for analyzing presidential action. Topics will include the presidents role as a public leader, the presidents place in the legislative process, the presidents military responsibilities, and the presidents position within the executive branch. In the second part of the course, we will work to apply this framework in order to understand presidential greatness, as well as individual presidential successes and failures. The goal of these discussions will be to leverage what we have learned in order to explain why a president achieved their goals- or not. Prerequisite: 120, or permission of the instructor.
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
DENNY 313 |
| POSC 248-01 |
The Judiciary
Instructor: Kathryn Heard
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LAWP 248-01. Permission of Instructor Required. A study of the structure, processes, and institutional role of the American judiciary. Topics may include: the adversarial system, criminal and civil procedure, implementation of court decisions, judicial decision-making, legal development, and legal reasoning. Special attention is given to the federal judiciary, especially the Supreme Court. Prerequisite: 120, or permission of the instructor. This course is cross-listed as LAWP 248.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
DENNY 203 |
| POSC 261-01 |
Authoritarianism & Change in the Middle East & North Africa
Instructor: Ed Webb
Course Description:
Cross-listed with MEST 261-01. This course will examine the most important features of the different varieties of authoritarian regimes in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) and seek to explain the different outcomes of popular uprisings against them and other pressures to reform. Participants will study the range of governing institutions and traditions among modern MENA regimes. Students will learn to analyze competing explanations for the persistence of authoritarianism in the regionfor example: explanations derived from culture; from abundant hydrocarbons resources; from colonialism; and from historical institutionsas well as the prospects for the spread of more democratic government in the region.This course is cross-listed as MEST 261.
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10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
DENNY 311 |
| POSC 277-01 |
International Politics of the Middle East
Instructor: Ed Webb
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 277-01 and MEST 266-01. This course examines key factors and events in the formation of the modern Middle East state system and evolving patterns of conflict and cooperation in the region. Students will apply a range of analytical approaches to issues such as the conflicts between Arabs and Israelis, Iraq's wars since 1980, and the changing place of the region in global politics and economics. Prerequisite: one course in any of International Studies, Middle East Studies, or Political Science. This course is cross-listed as MEST 266 and INST 277.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
DENNY 204 |
| POSC 280-01 |
American Foreign Policy
Instructor: Andy Wolff
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 280-01. A survey of U.S. foreign policy since World War II. American approaches to such issues as containment, detente, arms control, deterrence, international law, and third world economic development will be discussed. Students will also address issues of U.S. foreign policy formulation, including the roles of the public, Congress, and the president in the foreign policy process. Prerequisite: 170 or INST 170 or permission of the instructor. This course is cross-listed as INST 280.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
STERN 103 |
| POSC 290-03 |
The Ukraine War & International Relations
Instructor: Russell Bova
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 290-02.The Ukraine War raises questions about almost every big issue in the study of international relations. After a brief introduction to Vladimir Putin's Russia and to Ukraine-- its recent history, its historical relationship with Russia, and the events leading up to the current war-- we will turn to those larger questions. What are the causes of the Ukraine war and of war in general? Is the long peace over, and is great power war becoming more likely? How stable is nuclear deterrence? Has the nuclear taboo eroded? Was the expectation that economic interdependence is an antidote to war wrong? Do economic sanctions work? In light of Ukraine, does the United Nations still have relevance? Can Putin be prosecuted for war crimes? Has the one-two punch of covid and Ukraine put an end to globalization? What paradigm of international relations theory best explains the Ukraine crisis? The goal will be to build on what you learned in the introductory IR class by examining both how IR concepts and theory help us to understand the Ukraine situation and how that situation might require critical rethinking of those very same concepts and theories.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
DENNY 104 |
| POSC 290-04 |
Authoritarianism
Instructor: Neil Diamant
Course Description:
At the end of the Cold War in 1991, it was not uncommon to hear, in one version or another, that liberal democracy and free market capitalism not only emerged victorious in the realm of competing political ideas, but also that the political world in the near and distant future would be full of states adopting these ideas. At that time, countries such as China, Iran, Iraq, Vietnam, North Korea were considered outliers, that, like dinosaurs, would soon go extinct. Much has changed since then. Around the world democracy is in decline, while authoritarianism, in one form or another, is both resilient where it currently exists and on the rise in places such as Poland, Hungary, and the United States. More than this, authoritarian countries believe that their political model is superior in achieving goals the public considers important, such as economic growth and the provision of public order. This course offers students a comprehensive survey of authoritarianism as a political theory and practice, in comparative perspective. Looking at cases ranging from China, Taiwan, the USSR, Iran, Saudi Arabia to Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and the United States, we will examine the origins of authoritarian regimes, their fundamental features, how they maintain support, how they work in practice, and how they collapse, among other topics. Does authoritarianism work better? If so, under what circumstances, and why? Why are some authoritarian regimes so durable whereas others are unstable and weak? Why some collapse, and how do their legacies influence the kinds of political regimes that emerge in the aftermath?
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
DENNY 211 |
| POSC 290-06 |
Civil Wars and Political Violence
Instructor: Rachel Jacobs
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 290-01. Throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, there has been a shift toward civil wars and other forms of political violence. This course surveys theories about the causes of civil wars, violence by non-state actors, why people participate in violence, and the rebuilding of peace around the world. The class will focus on several central questions: What is political violence? What are the types of conflicts that take place within a state? Why do people participate in violence? How do internal conflicts end? And how can peace be restored after conflict? In answering each of these questions, the class will examine theoretical arguments for violence and non-violence in conflict, as well as critically engage with local and international responses. The course will discuss civil war, revolution, terrorism, and other strategies of political violence, as well as transitional justice and peacekeeping.
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09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
ALTHSE 201 |
| POSC 390-01 |
Controversies in US-China Relations
Instructor: Neil Diamant
Course Description:
Cross-listed with EASN 306-02.This seminar takes a close look at some of the most contentious political, legal, and ethical issues in Sino-American relations in the post-Mao period (1978-), ranging from human rights, Tibet, Taiwan, the South China Sea, technology, environmental protection, religious freedom, trade, and intellectual property rights. Drawing on translated primary and secondary sources, the course focuses on the historical, political, and cultural forces that have often driven a wedge between the United States and China, but which also provide opportunity for cooperation.
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01:30 PM-04:30 PM, T
EASTC 108 |
| POSC 390-03 |
Great Power War
Instructor: Russell Bova
Course Description:
It has been more than 75 years since the last great power war, and optimistic observers have suggested that this "long peace" among the great powers is likely to persist. Realist scholars, however, have never accepted the permanence of the "long peace," and recent developments in world politics have led many to suggest great power war, and, perhaps, a third world war, is becoming increasingly possible, if not inevitable. This seminar will begin by looking at the general causes of war and peace among great powers as reflected in both international relations theory and international relations history. On that foundation we will then look at the current world situation and examine some of the possible causes, catalysts, and scenarios of great power war in the mid-21st century.
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01:30 PM-04:30 PM, W
DENNY 103 |
