Objectives
Undergraduate Concentration
Politics courses are designed to develop an understanding of the various ways societies organize themselves to manage conflict and cooperation, and to make and implement public policy. Philosophical perspectives are provided primarily in the political theory courses; the U.S. system is studied primarily in the American politics courses; the politics of foreign countries are studied primarily in the comparative politics courses; and the relations among countries are studied primarily in the international politics courses. The material in each of these subfields is interrelated with the other three.
Graduate Program in Politics
The graduate program in politics offers three degree programs leading to the degrees of Master of Arts in Politics, Doctor of Philosophy in Politics, or a joint Doctor of Philosophy in Politics and Social Policy (with The Heller Graduate School). These programs are designed to prepare candidates for careers in teaching, research, or government. Grounded in the study of institutions and history of American and European politics, the program emphasizes scholarly research and writing on American political development, liberalism and its critics, comparative political institutions and public policy, and the United States in world politics.
The graduate program features: (a) instruction in small seminars under close faculty supervision, (b) supervised independent study within the program, (c) supervised teaching assistantships, (d) opportunities for study in the consortium of universities in the Boston area and (e) the opportunity to incorporate work in related and relevant fields, e.g., economics, history, and sociology.
How to Become an Undergraduate Concentrator
There are no prerequisites. Declaration of the concentration normally is during the second semester of the second year.
Students are strongly encouraged to take two or three politics courses during their first two years at Brandeis. These courses, which will count toward the nine-course concentration requirement, are normally best selected from among the introductory courses.
How to Be Admitted to the Graduate Program
The general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, given in an earlier section of this Bulletin, apply to candidates for admission to this area of study. Normally, the student's undergraduate training must be in a field of social sciences to be considered for admission to this program. Applicants are expected to take the Graduate Record Examination.
Faculty
Steven Burg, Chair
Comparative politics. Ethnic politics. East European politics. Conflict resolution.
Jeffrey Abramson
Political theory. Constitutional law. Media and politics.
Robert Art, Graduate Director
International relations. U.S. foreign policy.
Seyom Brown
International relations. World politics.
Donald Hindley
Comparative politics. Southeast Asian and Latin American politics.
Jytte Klausen
Comparative politics. Western Europe. Political economy of advanced industrial societies.
Martin Levin
American politics. Politics of administration.
Ruth Morgenthau
Comparative politics. Development. Africa.
Mark Roosevelt, Director, Gordon Public Policy Center
Policy analysis. Public policy.
George Ross
French and European politics.
Mireya Solis
International political economy. Japanese politics. Trade and foreign investment. North and Central America.
Deborah Stone
Public policy. Health care policy.
Steven Teles
American politics. Comparative public policy.
Ralph Thaxton
Comparative politics. East Asia. China. Comparative revolutions. Comparative democratic movements.
Peter Woll, Undergraduate Advising Head
American politics and government. Administrative law. Congress.
Requirements for the Undergraduate Concentration
A. All politics concentrators must complete satisfactorily at least nine semester courses from among politics and cross-listed courses. A minimum of five semester courses counted toward concentration credit must be taught by faculty of the Department of Politics. No course grade below a C- will be given credit toward meeting the concentration requirement of nine courses.
B. No course taken pass/fail may count toward the concentration requirements.
C. With the approval of the departmental undergraduate advising head, students may receive politics concentration credit for up to two semester courses satisfactorily completed at the University outside of the politics department and its cross-listed courses. Such approval is subject to several limitations. First, as stated in (A), concentrators must complete satisfactorily at least five courses taught by politics department faculty. Second, approval will be given only where the nondepartmental courses are distinctly politics-oriented and exhibit a political science approach to the material. Third, in most circumstances, approval will not be given for any nondepartmental courses when a comparable course exists within the politics department or its cross-listed offerings.
D. With the approval of the departmental undergraduate advising head, transfer students and those taking a year's study abroad may apply up to four semester courses taught elsewhere toward fulfilling the concentration requirements.
E. All politics concentrators must complete satisfactorily (with a grade of C- or better) one course in each of the following subfields: American politics; comparative politics; and international politics. In addition, all politics concentrators must complete satisfactorily (with a grade of C- or better) one of the following courses in the political theory subfield: POL 10a (Introduction to Political Theory); HIST 183b (Community and Alienation: Social Theory from Hegel to Freud); POL 184a (Utopia and Power in Modern Political Thought); HIST 133a (Politics of the Enlightenment); or POL 195b (American Political Thought). Courses taken to fulfill these subfield requirements count as well toward fulfilling the overall departmental requirement of nine courses.
F. The department strongly recommends that concentrators complete introductory courses in at least three of the subfields by the end of the sophomore year. These introductory courses include POL 10a (Introduction to Political Theory), POL 11b (Comparative Government: Europe), POL 14b (Introduction to American Government), and POL 15a (Introduction to International Relations). Other courses may also serve as "introductions" to the subfields; concentrators should consult with their politics advisors for such appropriate courses.
G. All politics concentrators are required to complete one departmental seminar, usually during the junior and senior years, and are strongly urged to take at least two.
H. Admission to the departmental honors program requires completion of at least one departmental seminar, and a G.P.A in politics of at least 3.20 by the end of the junior year, or permission of the undergraduate advising head. Candidates for departmental honors are required to enroll in POL 99d under the direction of their thesis advisor and to participate in the honors colloquium under the direction of the head of the Politics Honors Program. Students enrolled in POL 99d can receive up to two course credits for their completed work, and this will count toward the nine-course requirement.
I. With the permission of the instructor, third- and fourth-year students may enroll in politics graduate courses for concentration credit.
Combined B.A./M.A. Program
This program is designed to enable exceptional or gifted undergraduates to earn two degrees simultaneously during their period of study at Brandeis University. Admission to the program requires an overall G.P.A. of 3.33 and a G.P.A. in Politics of 3.50 (based on the completion of at least six politics courses, five of which having been taught by Politics Department faculty). Students must apply to the program through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences by March 1 of the junior year. Their applications will be considered along with those of external applicants to the M.A. Program. The program requires the completion of 38 courses, six courses beyond the 32 required for completion of the B.A. degree. These six courses will not be counted toward the completion of the nine courses required for the completion of the Politics concentration. Students must complete the following: two Graduate Field Seminars; two upper-level politics courses (taken for graduate credit with the permission of the instructor and the Politics Graduate Director); POL 350a and 350b (Master's Project) - under the direction of a member of the Politics faculty. A completed Master's Thesis will be accepted for consideration for undergraduate Honors in Politics.
All candidates for the combined B.A./M.A. must complete all requirements for the program by the end of their 8th semester (for those entering as freshmen). If the requirements for the M.A. portion are not complete at that time then the student is only eligible for the B.A. degree.
Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts
The Department of Politics offers a Master of Arts program for part-time or full-time students. Full-time students will be expected to complete the course work in one year, and may take up to another year to complete a master's project. Part-time students, with the approval of the department, may take up to four years to complete the required courses and a Master's Project. Students desiring to continue their studies toward the Ph.D. must apply for admission to that program.
Course Requirements
Students will be required to complete eight courses (with a grade of B- or better) as follows: one of the core field graduate seminars POL 213a (Comparative Political Institutions and Public Policy), 214a (The United States in World Politics), 215a (American Political Development), or 216a (Liberalism and Its Critics); five courses from more specialized offerings, i.e., from graduate-level courses, seminars, and upper-level undergraduate courses (seminars and advanced lecture classes) that offer graduate credit; and a two-semester sequence of directed study culminating in a completed Master's Project, which can be an original research project, a comprehensive literature review (a critique of a subfield of political science), or another type of undertaking that is appropriate for the student's course of study.
Special Notes Relating to the Graduate Program
Degree of Master of Arts
If the core seminar in the student's field is not taught the year the student is in residence, the graduate advisor (in consultation with the student and his/her advisor) will designate an alternative course that will provide the student an overview of that field.
If appropriate, students may substitute other classes to fulfill the course requirements. All substitutions must be approved by the student's advisor and the Politics Department Graduate Committee.
Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Program of Study
The student must complete three years in residence and a minimum of 12 term courses. The graduate curriculum has two main parts: a core curriculum and a special area of competency. Each graduate student is required to take all five core courses: American Political Development, Liberalism and its Critics, Comparative Political Institutions and Public Policy, The United States and World Politics, and Research Methods and Methodology. In addition, students are required to take a Special Area of Competency Independent Study in their fourth semester.
There are six special areas of competency for students to choose from (these are not exhaustive and students may offer other special areas subject to approval of the Graduate Committee): American Political Development; American Foreign Policy: Defense, Economic, and Human Rights Issues; The Welfare State in Comparative Perspective; Law and Politics; Environmental and Regulatory Politics; and Democratic Citizenship and Ethnic Identity.
Within each special area chosen, students are expected to have a broad knowledge of the major theoretical and analytical approaches, a more intensive familiarity with one or more functional subareas, and, where appropriate, special expertise in particular geographic areas and historical periods.
The standard work load for full-time students is at least three courses in each term of their first two years of study. Fourth courses and audits are encouraged, but the load is deliberately set so that the student may supplement his or her regular course work with independent reading and scholarship. Reading courses will not be offered to first-semester students and will be discouraged generally during the first year. By the outset of the second year, students should have identified their special area of competency and should make this known to their advisor and the graduate advising head.
Research Tools Requirement
Each student is required to either pass a language examination (normally administered within the program) designed to test for a reading knowledge of a foreign language sufficient to conduct doctoral dissertation research or pass with a B- or better course work in statistics approved by the graduate advising head.
Neither courses taken in conjunction with the language examination nor statistics courses may be counted for course credit toward the Ph.D.
Evaluation of First Year
At the end of each student's first year in the graduate program, there will be a consultation between the student and two members of the program to evaluate the student's academic progress and help plan the student's subsequent work.
Qualifying Examinations
Normally, at the beginning of the fifth semester, a formal oral and written examination for candidacy for the Ph.D. is given covering the core curriculum and the student's special area of competency. Each student takes a written exam on the core curriculum (early September) and an oral exam on the core and special area of competency (mid-September).
Each student must complete the Ph.D. qualifying examinations and submit a dissertation prospectus by the end of his or her sixth term in the program. Any extension must be granted specifically by the department's graduate committee.
Dissertation and Defense
The dissertation will be completed under the supervision of an appropriate member of the department's faculty. The dissertation proposal must be sponsored by a committee of at least two members of the faculty appointed by the department's graduate advising head in consultation with the graduate committee. It is assumed that the writing of the dissertation will take at least one year and, barring exceptional circumstances, not more than two and one-half years. The student must successfully defend the dissertation at a Final Oral Examination conducted by his or her two departmental supervisors and another faculty member from outside the department or from another university.
Teaching Assistantships
Training and experience in teaching college-level courses is emphasized in the Ph.D. program. After the first term, each student on a fellowship stipend will be expected to serve as a teaching assistant for five courses, and as a research assistant for one term.
Requirements for the Joint Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Politics and Social Policy (with The Heller Graduate School)
Program of Study
The student must complete three years in residence and complete a minimum of at least 18 courses. At least nine of these courses must be offered in the politics department. Four of the nine politics courses must be the core courses: American Political Development, Liberalism and Its Critics, Comparative Political Institutions and Public Policy, and The United States and World Politics. (The core course requirement of International Relations may be fulfilled with an appropriate substitute.) A minimum of nine courses must be taken in The Heller Graduate School.
Research Tools Requirement
Students must complete at least one statistics course (usually HS 401b (Research Methods).
For certain specializations, proficiency (as determined by examination) in a foreign language may be required. Language courses taken in preparation for the examination will not be counted for course credit toward the Ph.D. degree.
Qualifying Examinations
Students must fulfill comprehensive exam requirements in the politics department and The Heller Graduate School. Students must complete a "comprehensive paper" as required by The Heller Graduate School curriculum. For the politics department, students must complete a formal oral and written examination for candidacy for the Ph.D. covering the core courses and all elective politics courses. This examination is normally administered at the beginning of the student's fifth semester.
Dissertation and Final Oral Examination
The student's dissertation committee will consist of five people: two faculty members each from the politics department and The Heller Graduate School and another faculty member from outside the department or outside the University. The student must successfully defend the dissertation at a Final Oral Examination conducted by his or her dissertation committee.
Courses of Instruction
(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students
Introductory Courses (POL 10a-15a)
POL 10a Introduction to Political Theory
[ ss ]
Examination of classical political texts and modern writings for insights on central problems of political discourse such as power and authority, human nature, freedom, obligation, justice, and the organization of the state. Open to first-year students. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Abramson
POL 11b Introduction to Comparative Government: Europe
[ ss ]
Introduction to basic concepts in comparative politics through study of the government and politics of European democracies. Open to first-year students. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Burg, Ms. Klausen, or Mr. Ross
POL 14b Introduction to American Government
[ ss ]
Analysis of American political institutions; Congress, Presidency, Supreme Court, bureaucracy, political parties, pressure groups, and problems of governmental decision-making in relation to specific areas of public policy. Open to first-year students. Usually offered every semester.
Messrs. Teles or Woll
POL 15a Introduction to International Relations
[ cl27 cl40 ss ]
General introduction to international politics, emphasizing the essential characteristics of the international system as a basis for understanding the foreign policy of individual countries. Analysis of causes of war, conditions of peace, patterns of influence, the nature of the world's political economy, global environmental issues, human rights, and prospects for international organizations. Open to first-year students. Usually offered every semester.
Messrs. Art, Brown, or Ms. Solis
POL 98a Independent Study
Signature of the instructor required.
Usually offered every year.
Staff
POL 98b Independent Study
Signature of the instructor required.
Usually offered every year.
Staff
POL 99d Senior Research: Honors Thesis
Signature of the instructor required.
Students will consult with the head of the Politics Honors Program before being assigned to a professor for the supervision of their theses and will participate in a biweekly colloquium. Usually offered every year.
Staff
(100-199) For Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Note that advanced undergraduate courses may be taken for graduate credit, only with the approval of the graduate advising head.
American Politics
(POL 14b and POL 101a-126a)
POL 101a Parties, Interest Groups, and Public Opinion
[ ss ]
Role and organization of political parties, interest groups, and public opinion in the American political system. Emphasis on historical development and current political behavior in the United States in relation to American democratic theory. Comparison with other countries to illuminate U.S. practice. Usually offered in odd years.
Staff
POL 102b A Political Experience
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: One course in politics. Enrollment limited to 150. Seniors and juniors have priority for undergraduate admission.
Focuses on issues such as women as political candidates; problems of effective state governance in a multicultural and complex society, and the changing role of national governance in a transitional world.
Staff
POL 103b Seminar: Political Leadership
[ ss ]
Examines political leadership through biographies, autobiographies, and biographical fiction. These are used to help us understand and compare different modes of political leadership, including the "apolitical-rationalist" (McGeorge Bundy), "political" (Lincoln, Johnson, Truman), and the ostensibly "non-political expert" (Robert Moses). Usually offered every year.
Mr. Levin
POL 110a Media Politics and Society
[ ss ]
A broad-based inquiry into the role of the media in contemporary American society, with special emphasis on the political impact of the media, the ethics of good reporting, the rise of new technologies, and current legal issues regarding freedom of the press. Usually offered in even years.
Mr. Abramson
POL 111a The American Congress
[ ss ]
The structure and behavior of the Congress. Emphasis on the way member incentives for reelection, power on Capitol Hill, and good public policy shape Congress. Usually offered in even years.
Staff
POL 112a National Government of the United States
[ cl44 ss ]
The roles played by Congress, the president, the bureaucracy, and the courts in policy-making at the national level. Contrasting perspectives, incentives, and capabilities of each institution; formation of coalitions across institutional lines; and changes in institutions over time. Usually offered every third year. Will be offered in the fall of 2000.
Mr. Teles
POL 112b Seminar: Leadership Selection and Institutional Change
[ ss ]
Signature of the instructor required.
Emphasizes how major political figures are identified, recruited, and selected for key positions of institutional power within the United States and the impact which these choices have upon the functioning of those institutions.
Staff
POL 113b The American Presidency
[ ss ]
Philosophical and historical origins of the presidency, examining the constitutional role of the chief executive. Historical development of the presidency, particularly the emergence of the modern presidency during the 20th century. Contemporary relationships between the presidency and the electorate, as well as the other branches of government. Usually offered in odd years.
Staff
POL 114b The Politics of Poverty and Welfare Policy
[ ss ]
Enrollment limited to 25.
Examines the modern debate about the causes and remedies for persistent urban poverty, and places that debate in its historical and political context. Sources include works on poverty from sociology, economics, anthropology, history, and political science. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Teles
POL 115a Constitutional Law
[ cl6 ss ]
Analysis of core principles of constitutional law as formulated by the Supreme Court. Primary focus on the First Amendment, the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses, federalism, the commerce clause, and the separation of powers. Emphasis also on the moral values and political theories that form our constitutional system. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Woll
POL 115b Seminar: Constitutional Law and Theory
[ ss ]
Signature of the instructor required.
Advanced research seminar on selected issues of constitutional law. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Woll
POL 116b Civil Liberties in America
[ ss ]
The history and politics of civil liberties and civil rights in the United States, with emphasis on the period from World War I to the present. Emphasis on freedom of speech, religion, abortion, privacy, racial discrimination, and affirmative action. Readings from Supreme Court cases and influential works by historians and political philosophers. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Abramson
POL 117a Administrative Law
[ ss ]
Signature of the instructor required.
The role of administrative agencies in lawmaking and adjudication. Emphasis on the problem of defining and protecting the public interest, as well as the rights of individuals and groups directly involved in administrative proceedings. Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Woll
POL 119a Reinventing Government
[ ss ]
An examination of effective strategies that make government work. Particular emphasis on the problem of implementing innovation with the focus on the tools for managers to become innovators. Osborne's classic Reinventing Government is used as the standard to compare to its critique. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Levin
POL 120b Seminar: The New Politics of Public Policy-Making
[ ss ]
Has a new form of public policy-making developed in American national government over the past few decades? If so, what is its nature? Why, despite conservative presidential election victories, have new and expensive programs continued to be initiated? Usually offered every year.
Mr. Levin
POL 122b Seminar: Policy Analysis and Policy Implementation
[ ss ]
Signature of the instructor required.
Development of a framework for policy analysis that integrates economic tools and political science thinking. Application of this "political economy" approach to several problems and cases. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Roosevelt
POL 124a Race and Politics in the United States
[ ss ]
Enrollment limited to 30.
Focuses on how attributes of racial difference shape American political institutions and our civil and public life. Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Teles
POL 125a Women in American Politics
[ ss ]
Addresses three major dimensions of women's political participation: social reform and women-identified issues; women's organizations and institutions; women politicians, electoral politics, and party identification. Covers historical context and contemporary developments in women's political activity.
Staff
POL 126b Seminar: Ideas and Intellectuals in Politics
[ ss ]
Enrollment limited to 25.
The role of ideas and intellectuals in politics from the perspectives of political theory, American, and comparative politics. Emphasizes the interaction of ideas, institutions, and interests, along with normative judgments as to the desirability of intellectuals as political actors. Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Teles
Comparative Politics
(POL 11b and POL 127b-159a)
POL 127b Seminar: Managing Ethnic Conflict
[ cl10 cl27 cl40 wi ss ]
Comparative study of the sources and character of interethnic conflict, with emphasis on the processes by which groups become politicized, and the strategies and techniques for managing conflict in a democratic system. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Burg
POL 128a The Politics of Revolution: State Violence and Popular Insurgency in the Third World
[ cl29 nw ss ]
Introduction to 20th-century revolutionary movements in the Third World, focusing on the emergence of peasant-based resistance and revolution in the world beyond the West, and on the role of state violence in provoking popular involvement in protest, rebellion, and insurgency. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Thaxton
POL 129a East European Politics
[ cl25 ss ]
Politics and society in the post-Communist states of Eastern Europe, drawing general lessons about the relationships among social modernization, nationalism, and democratic transition. Usually offered in even years.
Mr. Burg
POL 133a Japanese Political Economy
[ cl41 nw ss ]
Suggested for upper-level undergraduates.
Examines the politics of economic policy-making in Japan. We also discuss the implications of the Japanese development model, and the recent wave of economic and political reforms in the country. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Solis
POL 134b Japan and the World
[ cl41 nw ss ]
A historical overview and contemporary analysis of Japan's diplomatic and economic relations with the world, Usually offered in odd years.
Ms. Solis
POL 140a Politics of Africa
[ nw ss ]
Political transformation in Africa from the rise of nationalism to the search for effective governance and development. Case studies may include Nigeria, Tanzania, Cote d'Ivôire, Mali, Madagascar, and South Africa. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Morgenthau
POL 144a Latin American Politics I
[ cl3 cl24 nw ss ]
Revolution, order, and regime transition in northern Latin America. Specific examination of the Mexican and Cuban revolutions and their outcomes. POL 144a is independent of POL 144b. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Hindley
POL 144b Latin American Politics II
[ cl24 nw ss ]
Emphasis on elite control, military intervention, populist politics, and the uncertain process of democratization. Brazil and Argentina are examined specifically. POL 144b is independent of POL 144a. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Hindley
POL 145b Research Seminar: Topics in Latin American Politics
[ ss ]
Signature of the instructor required.
Students research topics of contemporary significance in Latin American politics. Usually offered in even years.
Mr. Hindley
POL 146b Revolutions in the Third World
[ cl3 nw ss ]
Studies revolutionary situations, revolutionary movements (successful and unsuccessful), and revolutionary regimes in the Third World since World War II. Specifically focuses on Indochina (including Vietnam), Bolivia, and Central America (including Nicaragua and El Salvador). Usually offered every year.
Mr. Hindley
POL 147a The Government and Politics of China
[ cl41 nw ss ]
Introduction to major themes of Chinese politics, emphasizing the rise of the Chinese Communists and the post-1949 trends in domestic politics, while also surveying historical, sociological, and cultural influences in Chinese politics. Attention to the nature of the traditional state, impact of colonialism, national revolution, and the course of contemporary state development. Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Thaxton
POL 147b Seminar: The Modern Chinese Revolution
[ nw ss ]
Signature of the instructor required.
In-depth exploration of origins, processes, and consequences of the modern Chinese revolution, focusing specifically on Western social science theories and interpretations of the revolution. Provides a comprehensive and comparative perspective on revolution in 20th-century China and revolutionary movements in other parts of the globe. Usually offered in even years.
Mr. Thaxton
POL 148a Seminar: Contemporary Chinese Politics
[ cl41 nw ss ]
Signature of the instructor required.
A broad and in-depth understanding of key issues in contemporary Chinese politics--China after 1949. Emphasis on the role of the state in promoting economic development, social betterment, political stability, and justice. Special attention to the Tiananmen Protest Movement of 1989. Usually offered in even years.
Mr. Thaxton
POL 150a Politics of Southeast Asia
[ cl3 cl27 cl38 nw ss ]
Introduction to the politics of modern Southeast Asia, with the focus on the indigenous peoples and their cultures, societies and politics; the impact of and adaptation to the West; and the origins and nature of the current political systems. Indonesia and Thailand are examined individually in some depth. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Hindley
POL 151b Seminar: Nationalism and Development
[ cl27 cl32 nw ss ]
Signature of the instructor required.
How nationalism takes shape. Why developing states differ. Consideration of explanatory models and quantitative and qualitative indicators. Varying patterns of demographic change, rural development, urbanization, and migration. How government can promote or distort development. Case studies. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1998.
Ms. Morgenthau
POL 153a The New Europe: European Economic and Political Integration
[ ss ]
The institutions and policy-making processes of the European Union (EU). Western European political and economic integration since 1945 and the resurgence of European integration since the mid-1980s. Social policy issues, policy harmonization and economic integration, European citizenship, and the reorientation of national politics in response to Community expansion. The future of European unity and national cultures. Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Ross
POL 154a Citizenship
[ ss ]
Enrollment limited to 25.
Liberal theory presumes the progress of history to be, in the words of John Stuart Mill, a gradual "doing away with privilege." The course examines the frontiers of social and political justice through readings drawn from literature, political science, and history. Usually offered in even years.
Ms. Klausen
POL 155b German Political Development after 1945
[ ss ]
Examines the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany, the development of liberal political culture in Germany, and the extremist challenges. Reunification and Germany's relationship with Europe and international organizations are also discussed. Textbook material will mix German novels and films with political science texts. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Klausen
POL 156b West European Political Systems
[ ss ]
The comparative politics of Western Europe. Focuses on the development of political parties and social movements in Britain, France, and Germany--particularly since 1945--to determine how they affect policies and the citizenry's participation in modern democracies. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Klausen or Mr. Ross
POL 157b Building a New Europe: Politics, Economics, Societies, and Culture
[ cl26 cl27 ss ]
Survey of the most important contemporary issues in the creation of a new integrated Europe, including boundaries, economics, governance, defense, culture, and the future of European-U.S. relations. Discussions with leading European academics and policy practitioners. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.
Mr. Ross
POL 159a Seminar: The Politics of the Modern Welfare State: Women, Workers, and Social Citizenship
[ cl15 cl44 ss ]
A library intensive course.
How voting and political mobilization have helped women's organizations and trade unions obtain social rights by means of welfare state expansion. Historical perspective on collective action and political reform movements, and their role in creating the modern welfare state in 20th-century Europe and United States. Strategies of political mobilization, interest groups, and the politics of the advanced welfare state. Usually offered in odd years.
Ms. Klausen
International Politics
(POL 15a and POL 160b-180b)
POL 160b World Politics since 1945
[ ss ]
The dominant issues, alignments, and antagonisms in world politics since the conclusion of World War II. The extent to which these configurations of world politics have been determined by systematic and structural forces and have been the product of deliberate human choice. Alternative future configurations of the world's political system. Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Brown
POL 161b Causes and Prevention of War
[ ss ]
Prerequisites: POL 127b and POL 160b. Signature of the instructor required.
Insights from world history, the social sciences, and political philosophy about the causes, prevention, and control of war. Students learn about current war/peace diplomacy through participation in a simulation. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Brown
POL 163a Seminar: Human Rights and International Relations
[ cl40 ss ]
Prerequisite: POL 15a or equivalent. Signature of the instructor required.
How human rights issues are affecting and being handled by the nation-state system. Traditional vs. reformist views. Universal vs. cultural relativism. Contemporary case studies. Usually offered in even years.
Mr. Brown
POL 166b Seminar: Issues in International Political Economy
[ ss ]
Signature of the instructor required.
Contemporary theoretical and empirical issues in international political economy. Topics include international policy coordination, business-government relations, and the economic dimensions of security issues. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Solis
POL 168b American Foreign Policy
[ ss ]
Overview of America's foreign policy since 1945. Topics include the Cold War era, the economic competitiveness of the United States, the role of the United States in selected world regions, the role of human rights in United States foreign policy, the United States participation in the United Nations, post-Cold War foreign policy, and the making and implementing of foreign policy. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Art
POL 172b Introduction to International Political Economy
[ ss ]
The politics and modern evolution of international economic relations, comprising trade, money, technological transfer, and natural resources. Also the role of states and transnational actors in international markets and the global differentiation of power, and distribution of wealth. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Solis
POL 173b International Law and Politics of the Environment
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: POL 15a. Signature of the instructor required.
A survey of the field: the regimes for climate, biodiversity, ozone depletion, intentional oil pollution, etc. The relative roles of states, non-governmental organizations, and firms will be covered as will the environmental ramifications of international trade (e.g., NAFTA). Analyzes these legal regimes from a variety of perspectives, drawn primarily from political, economic, and legal theory. Usually offered every year.
Staff
POL 174b Seminar: Problems of National Security
[ ss ]
Analysis of the role and utility of military power in international politics. Selected case studies from the 20th century. Selected topics on post-Cold War military issues, including the spread of weapons of mass destruction, collective approaches to coercion, and the role of U.S. military power in world stability. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Art
POL 176a Seminar: International Crisis Management, Intervention, and Peacekeeping
[ cl27 wi ss ]
The evolution of international peacekeeping operations, the use of force under international law, and mechanisms for the peaceful resolution of international conflicts. Includes detailed case study of the crisis in former Yugoslavia. Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Burg
POL 177a Environmental Cooperation: the Domestic and International Nexus
[ cl16 ss ]
What effects do differences in domestic politics have on environmental cooperation? This course seeks to bridge the gap between the study of international and domestic environmental affairs by emphasizing the comparative study of the domestic and international environmental policies of the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Staff
POL 178a Seminar: International Politics of the Pacific
[ ss ]
Introduction to the Pacific area and its importance in international politics. Focus on East Asia, South and Southeast Asia, Oceania, and the Western Pacific. Topics include Soviet and U.S. expansion into the Pacific World, with special attention to America's stake in Asia; the rise of Japan as a political and economic force before and after World War II; the emergence of revolutionary China and China's participation in the world economy; the fate of "neutralist" states in Southeast Asia; and the role of Oceania in international trade and security. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Thaxton
POL 179a Seminar: Politics and Hunger
[ cl14 cl16 cl32 nw ss ]
Signature of the instructor required.
The persistence of hunger and malnutrition in a world full of grain. Why is agricultural growth not enough to end hunger? Addresses how to promote food production and equitable access and how food policy can affect the rise and fall of governments. Readings focus on international, national, and local efforts to produce food and buy and sell it at acceptable prices. Case studies used. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Morgenthau
POL 180b Sustaining Development
[ cl14 cl18 cl32 nw ss ]
Prerequisite: Some familiarity with development issues. Enrollment limited to 20.
Explores different institutionalized approaches to development. Examines how institutions affect development in selected geographic areas, at levels ranging from local to national and international. Considers why similar policies when implemented in different ways may lead to quite distinct outcomes. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Morgenthau
Political Theory and Methods
(POL 10a and POL 181b-196b)
POL 184a Utopia and Power in Modern Political Thought
[ cl29 ss ]
A historical and philosophical examination of the relationship between utopian ideals and power politics, from the Renaissance to recent times, with special emphasis on the moral dilemmas facing revolutionaries. Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Hulliung
POL 192b Seminar: Topics in Law and Political Theory
[ ss ]
Signature of the instructor required.
Interplay among law, morality, and political theory. Specific topics vary from year to year. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Abramson
POL 194a Politics and the Novel
[ ss ]
Selected works of fiction as sources of political ideas and pictures of political and social life. How modern fiction helps us understand social change, societies in transition and decay, revolution, law, bureaucracy, and ethnicity. Authors such as Kafka, Conrad, Borges, Dostoevsky, Ford Madox Ford, Babel, Greene, Malraux, and Carpenter. Usually offered in even years.
Mr. Levin
(200 and above) Primarily for Graduate Students
Seminars for Graduate Students
POL 210a Graduate Seminar: Special Topics in International Political Economy
Examines the international relations of the global economy--trade, finance, foreign economic policy--and those theoretical perspectives that seek to explain the form and texture of the international political economy and national actions within it. Usually offered in odd years.
Staff
POL 212a Graduate Seminar: Research Methods and Methodology
Familiarizes students with the major research techniques of a qualitative nature for political science and addresses central issues in the logic of inquiry in social science. Issues and techniques include the case study method, the comparative method, counterfactual, and research design. Usually offered in even years.
Staff
POL 213a Graduate Seminar: Comparative Political Institutions and Public Policy
Studies the ideas and institutions of representative democracy from a comparative perspective. Topics include parties and party systems, variations in constitutional government from presidentialism to parliamentarianism, the process and prerequisites of democratization, and the comparative politics of the welfare state. Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Burg, Ms. Klausen or Mr. Ross
POL 213b Graduate Seminar: Selected Topics in Comparative Politics
(Formerly POL 203b)
Provides graduate students an opportunity to engage in research and discussion of selected issues in comparative politics. Usually offered in even years.
Staff
POL 214a Graduate Seminar: The United States and World Politics
Examines the international relations of national political systems. Topics include the impact of evolving international institutions and norms on the course of world politics; the effects of security, economic, and environmental factors; and the interaction between domestic politics and foreign policy. Special attention is given to American foreign policy and the changing place of the United States in world politics. Usually offered in even years.
Mr. Art
POL 214b Graduate Seminar: Selected Topics in World Politics
(Formerly POL 204b)
Provides graduate students an opportunity to engage in research and discussion of selected issues in the international dimensions of world politics. Each term it deals with a different topic in greater depth than is possible in the context of the program's field seminar in this area. Usually offered in even years.
Mr. Brown
POL 215a Graduate Seminar: American Political Development
Examines the creation and evolution of national institutions in the United States. Themes include the influence of ideas on institutional development; the influence of institutional arrangements on conflicts and policies; the changing nature of ideas and institutions, especially in such pivotal periods as the Founding, the Civil War, the Progressive Era, the New Deal, and the 1960s and 1970s. Usually offered in even years.
Mr. Milkis
POL 215b Graduate Seminar: Advanced Topics in American Politics
(Formerly POL 205b)
Provides graduate students an opportunity to engage in research and discussion of selected issues in American politics. Each term the seminar deals with a different topic in greater depth than is possible in the context of the program's field seminar in this area. Usually offered in odd years.
Staff
POL 216a Liberalism and Its Critics
An intensive philosophical inquiry into the ideas that have shaped politics and government in the United States and Europe. Focuses on the liberal tradition and the way it has shaped the concepts of democracy, individual rights, and citizenship. Places liberalism in the context of comparative ideology to shed light on American "exceptionalism" and the degree to which European political systems offer a fundamentally distinct understanding of representative government. Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Abramson
POL 216b Seminar: Advanced Topics in Political Theory
(Formerly POL 206b)
Provides graduate students an opportunity to engage in research and discussion of selected issues in political theory. Each term it deals with a different topic in greater depth than is possible in the context of the program's field seminar in this area. Usually offered in even years.
Mr. Abramson
POL 280a Seminar: Comparative Institutions and Sustainable Development
Why similar policies using similar material resources, but different institutional paths, may lead to quite different outcomes. How different institutions (local, national, international, governmental, and nongovernmental) shape development performance, including production, poverty levels, and sustainability of the environment. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Morgenthau
Supervised Study for Graduate Students
POL 302a and b Readings in Politics
Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.
Offered every year.
Staff
POL 350a and b Master's Project
Master's project research and preparation. Usually offered every year.
Staff
POL 400d Dissertation Research
Independent research for the Ph.D. degree. Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.
Staff
Cross-Listed Courses
American Politics
Research on the Urban Underclass
American Health Care
American Jobs and Wages: The Paradox of Wealth and Poverty
Seminar: Governance
Comparative Politics
Comparative Politics of North Africa
The Making of the Modern Middle East
Politics and the Culture of the Contemporary Middle East
Crisis of the Welfare State
Protest, Politics, and Change: Social Movements
Society, State, and Power: The Problem of Democracy
International Politics
Africa in World Politics
International Law, Organizations, and Conflict Resolution
The Arab-Israeli Conflict
Political Theory and Methods
Politics of the Enlightenment
Red Flags/Black Flags: Marxism vs. Anarchism, 1845-1968
Community and Alienation: Social Theory from Hegel to Freud
Romantic and Existentialist Political Thought
American Political Thought