Politics | University Bulletin | Brandeis University

Objectives

Undergraduate Major

The undergraduate curriculum is designed to prepare students for careers in governmental and nongovernmental service, policy analysis, journalism, law, and business, as well as for postgraduate work in political science. We are a department of "politics," and encourage students to engage issues that are important in contemporary “real world” politics.

The Politics major explores how societies manage conflict and cooperation, organize the competition of differing ideologies and philosophies, and create and implement public policy.

Our goal is to deepen understanding of democracy and democratic systems, and the international and global contexts in which they operate. Politics courses enable students to broaden their perspective by familiarizing them with the ways others have engaged important political issues, from the classical philosophers whose works shape the Western tradition, to the modern theorists and practitioners who shape the discourse, policies, and practices of contemporary national and international political life.

Politics courses address the implications of difference, and particularly inequality, for democracy; the politics of ethnicity, race, religion and gender in the United States and abroad; the meaning and consequences of nationalism as a political force; the role of Islamic organizations and social movements in democratic political systems; the challenge of policing a diverse society; the global political economy of trade, money, investment and cultural exchange; and the strategic and economic dimensions of U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Courses in the department address the cultures and politics of Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

Graduate Program in Politics
The graduate program in politics offers two degree programs leading to the Master of Arts in political science and Doctor of Philosophy in political science. The graduate program in political science is distinguished by a primary methodological emphasis on analytical case study, including comparative case study and other qualitative methods, in addition to “large-n” statistical analysis. Substantive emphasis is on the politics of democratic and democratizing regimes and on the causes and consequences of political difference and conflict. The graduate curriculum emphasizes linkages among the patterns of American, Western European and Middle Eastern political development; the international political, economic, and military-security relations among these states; and political theories of nationalism, democracy, and constitution- making. PhD students receive training in each of the major subfields of political science, including qualitative research methods, through graduate-level “field seminars,” and the department’s graduate proseminar convenes graduate students at all levels for workshops on research methodology and professional development.

Learning Goals

Undergraduate Major

The Politics curriculum is divided into the four major subfields of political science: American politics, comparative politics, international relations and political theory. Introductory courses in each of the subfields provide foundational work in concepts and analytical approaches. The curriculum introduces students to the basic concepts and methods of political science, and emphasizes certain core skills, knowledge of critical institutions and processes, and the ability to engage issues of social justice.

Completing the Politics major enables students to develop the following Core Skills:

Thinking critically about arguments, based on the evaluation of evidence.
Articulating reasoned arguments clearly, both orally and in written form.
Familiarity with a variety of research methods for understanding politics, including comparative case study, area studies, textual interpretation and statistical analysis.
Ability to use the concepts and methods of political science to conduct research and analysis.

Courses in the Politics curriculum impart Knowledge about:

The functioning and distinctive features of the American political system.
The diversity of other political systems and the significance of these differences.
How states, societies and transnational actors cause and resolve conflict.
Foundational political ideas and thinkers.
The origins and nature of democracy and democratic systems.

The curriculum addresses the multiple understandings of individual and social justice, and how these understandings motivate conflict and cooperation around patterns of difference, particularly inequalities in wealth, status, and power.

The Politics curriculum prepares students for participation as engaged, active citizens. Upon graduating, Politics majors pursue careers in governmental and nongovernmental public service, policy analysis and advocacy, public relations, political campaign management, teaching, journalism and business, as well as post-graduate work in law, business, political science and other social sciences.

Graduate Program in Politics

M.A. Program

The M.A. program in Politics imparts knowledge about:

The fundamentals of at least two major subfields of political science.
The scholarly literature and existing research on a specialized problem in a political science subfield.
The variety of methodologies applied in professional political science research.

The M.A. program in Politics enables students to develop the following core skills:

The ability to independently design, plan, execute, and write up an original scholarly investigation in political science.
Familiarity with the scholarly conventions and professional standards of the field of political science.
Educational preparation and professionalization necessary to undertake Ph.D. work in a political science doctoral program.
Core research, analysis, and writing capabilities as well as oral presentation skills essential for any career path involving governmental and nongovernmental public service, policy analysis and advocacy, and related work in the public, private, and educational sectors.

The M.A. program in Politics emphasizes the following learning outcomes:

A minimum level of competence in at least two major subfields of political science.
In-depth knowledge of a specialized area of a political science subfield.
The ability to design and plan an original research paper in political science.
Knowledge and professionalization necessary to gain admission into a Ph.D. program in political science or a related field.
Qualifications necessary to find professional employment in an area related to the student's M.A. education.

Ph.D. Program

The Ph.D. program in Politics imparts knowledge about:

The fundamentals of five major subfields of political science, including qualitative research methods.
The major theoretical and analytical approaches of a primary and secondary area of specialization in a political science subfield.
The variety of methodologies applied in professional political science research.

The Ph.D. program in Politics enables students to develop the following core skills:

Mastery of a primary and secondary area of specialization in a political science subfield sufficient to effectively teach introductory, advanced, and graduate courses and seminars at the college and university level.
Proficiency sufficient to effectively teach an introductory undergraduate course in each of five major subfields of political science.
The ability to independently design, propose, plan, execute, write up, and defend a substantial piece of original scholarship in political science.
The ability to contribute to the development of knowledge in political science through research, publication, presentation at conferences, and other forms of participation in the professional academic community in the field.
Core research, analysis, and writing capabilities as well as oral presentation skills essential for any career path involving governmental and nongovernmental public service, policy analysis and advocacy, and related work in the public, private, and educational sectors.

The Ph.D. program in Politics emphasizes the following learning outcomes:

Proficiency in each of five major subfields of political science.
Expertise in a primary and secondary area of specialization in a political science subfield.
Preparation to design and teach courses at the college and university level.
Reading knowledge of a foreign language sufficient to conduct advanced research, or basic literacy in statistics and quantitative analysis as it is applied in the study of politics.
The ability to design and plan a major political science research project.
Completion of a substantial piece of original scholarship that contributes to the development of knowledge in the field.
The ability to produce research for a wider scholarly community.
Qualifications necessary to secure employment in professional political science, or in an area related to the student’s doctoral education.

How to Become a Major

Declaration of the major normally is completed during the second semester of the second year, in consultation with the departmental undergraduate advising head. Students are strongly encouraged to take at least two or three politics courses during their first two years at Brandeis. These courses, which will count toward the nine-course major requirement, are normally selected from among the introductory courses, but may include more advanced courses or seminars, after consultation with the departmental undergraduate advising head and the course instructor.

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 science to be considered for admission to this program. Applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Examination. Evidence of successful study, research, and analysis at the graduate level is highly desirable.

Faculty

Daniel Kryder, Chair
American political development.

Robert Art
International relations. U.S. foreign policy.

Eva Bellin
Comparative politics, Middle East politics.

Steven Burg (on leave spring 2019)
Comparative politics. Ethnic politics. Ethnonationalism in democratic states. Conflict resolution.

Kerry Chase
International political economy.

Shai Feldman (on leave spring 2019)
International relations. Middle East politics.

Jill Greenlee, Undergraduate Advising Head and Honors Director
American politics. Women in politics. Political behavior.

Jytte Klausen
Comparative politics. Western Europe. Global terrorism.

Jeffrey Lenowitz
Political theory. Civil Liberties. Law and politics.

Martin Levin
American politics. Politics of administration.

Amber Spry
Afro-American Politics. American national politics.

Ralph Thaxton
Comparative politics. East Asia. China. Comparative revolutions. Comparative democratic movements.

Bernard Yack
Political theory. History of political thought. Nationalism. Cultural pluralism.

Affiliated Faculty (contributing to the curriculum, advising and administration of the department or program)
Richard Gaskins (American Studies)
Mark Hulliung (History)
Wellington Nyangoni (African and Afro-American Studies)
Marion Smiley (Philosophy)
Michael Willrich (History)

Requirements for the Minor

Students considering a minor in politics are strongly encouraged to take at least two politics courses during their first two years at Brandeis. At least one of these should be an introductory course. Students should contact the departmental undergraduate adviser in order to initiate the process of declaring a minor.

A. All politics minors must satisfactorily complete at least five semester courses from among politics and cross-listed courses. A minimum of four semester courses counted toward minor credit must be taught by faculty of the Department of Politics including courses taught within the department by visiting professors, adjunct faculty members, or graduate students.

B. No course grade below C will be given credit toward the minor. No course taken pass/fail may be counted toward the minor.

C. Not more than two introductory politics courses (POL 10a, 11b, 14b, or 15a) may be counted toward the minor.

D. Minors must take at least one departmental seminar course.

E. Politics minors must take courses in at least two of the four Politics sub-fields: American politics, Comparative Politics, International Politics, and Political Theory.

F. Politics minors are not eligible for the departmental honors program, or for enrollment in politics graduate courses.

Requirements for the Major

A. All Politics majors must satisfactorily complete at least nine semester courses from among politics and cross-listed courses. A minimum of six semester courses counted toward major credit must be taught by a member of the faculty from the Department of Politics including courses taught within the department by visiting professors, adjunct faculty members, or graduate students. The department strongly recommends that majors 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 (Introduction to Comparative Government: Europe), POL 14b (Introduction to American Government), and POL 15a (Introduction to International Relations). Majors should consult with their Politics advisors when selecting courses.

B. No course grade below C will be given credit toward meeting the requirement of nine courses for the major. No course taken pass/fail may count toward requirements for the major.

C. With the approval of the departmental undergraduate advising head, transfer students and those taking a year's study abroad may apply up to three semester courses taught elsewhere toward fulfilling the requirements for the major. Students who study abroad for one semester may apply up to two semester courses. The requirement (above) of six courses taught by department faculty remains in effect.

D. All politics majors must, as part of the overall departmental requirement of nine courses, complete satisfactorily (with a grade of C or better) one course in each of the following subfields: political theory, American politics; comparative politics; and international politics. Cross-listed electives cannot fulfill the subfield distribution requirement, except as indicated in the Special Note About Courses.

E. All Politics majors are required to complete one departmental seminar, usually during the junior or senior years, and are strongly urged to complete at least two.

F. Admission to the departmental honors program requires completion of at least five courses in politics, including one departmental seminar, and a cumulative GPA in politics of at least 3.50 by the end of the junior year. Candidates for departmental honors are required to (1) enroll in POL 99d (or POL 99a in the fall and POL 99b in the spring) under the direction of their thesis adviser; (2) participate in the honors colloquium under the direction of the head of the Politics honors program; (3) complete the Politics major; and (4) complete a senior thesis that meets credentials for honors work (consult the department Web site for the full listing of criteria). Students enrolled in POL 99a and 99b or 99d can receive up to two course credits for their completed work, and this will count toward the nine-course requirement.

G. With the permission of the instructor, third- and fourth-year politics majors may enroll in politics graduate-level courses for credit toward the major.

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 no more than an additional two semesters to complete a master's project as an Extended Master's student. 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 PhD must apply for admission to that program.

Course Requirements
Students will be required to complete eight courses (with grades of B or better) as follows: two of the five core graduate field graduate seminars POL 211a (Political Theory), POL 212a (Qualitative Research Design and Analysis), POL 213a (Comparative Politics), POL 214a (International Relations), POL 215a (American Political Development), three courses from more specialized offerings, graduate-level courses (special topics courses or field seminars, as appropriate), seminars, and upper-level undergraduate courses (seminars and advanced lecture classes) that offer additional work for graduate credit; one directed study course 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; and a two-semester sequence of the Department Proseminar, a biweekly credit bearing pass/fail seminar for the presentation of research in progress, the acquisition of new methodological tools, and training in professional development.

Special Notes Relating to the Graduate Program

Degree of Master of Arts
If the core seminar in the student's area of interest is not taught the year the student is in residence, the graduate adviser (in consultation with the student and his/her adviser) 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 adviser 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 twelve term courses. The PhD curriculum has two main parts: a required core curriculum and electives. PhD students are required to take all five core graduate field seminars: POL 211a (Political Theory), POL 212a (Qualitative Research Design and Analysis), POL 213a (Comparative Politics), POL 214a (International Relations), and POL 215a (American Political Development). In addition, PhD students must complete a minimum of seven elective courses, chosen in consultation with the student’s primary academic advisor and the graduate advising head. All graduate students in residence are also required to enroll in the Department Proseminar, a yearlong pass/fail seminar for the presentation of research in progress, the acquisition of new methodological tools, and training in professional development. The Proseminar is in addition to the twelve course requirement.

The standard work load for full-time students is at least three graded courses, plus the Proseminar, in each term of their first two years of study. Fifth 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.

Teaching Requirement
The development of college-level teaching competency is an integral part of the department's professional training for the PhD. All funded students are required to serve as teaching fellows, typically for one course per term over a period of six semesters. Graduate students also must participate in the departmental graduate proseminar (POL 340d), a yearlong, pass/fail seminar focused on professional development, including teaching competency.

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 B+ or higher course work in statistics approved by the graduate advising head.

Language courses may not be counted for course credit toward the PhD.

Evaluation of the 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 to determine whether the student should be allowed to continue in the program and to help plan the student's subsequent work.

Satisfactory Progress and Qualifying Examinations
PhD students must complete graduate courses with an average grade of A- or higher in order to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree. Normally, at the beginning of the fifth semester, students sit for two written and one oral examination for candidacy for the PhD covering the student’s major and minor fields. By the start of the third semester, students should have identified their two examination fields and should make this choice known to the graduate advising head.

Students who satisfactorily complete the PhD qualifying examinations are expected to complete and present a dissertation prospectus at the departmental proseminar by the end of the seventh term in the program. Extension of this deadline requires approval 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 and one faculty member from outside of the department. 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.

Special Note About Courses

Course Subgroupings

Introductory Courses (POL 10a through POL 15a)
Modes of Analysis (POL 50b through 52a)
American Politics (POL 14b and POL 101a through POL 125a, AAAS 159a)
Comparative Politics (POL 11b and POL 127b through POL 156b)
International Politics (POL 15a and POL 160a through POL 179a)
Political Theory (POL 10a and POL 182a through POL 192b)
Seminars for Graduate Students (POL 211a through POL 215a)
Supervised Study for Graduate Students (POL 302a and above)

Courses of Instruction

(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students

POL 10a Introduction to Political Theory
[ ss ]
Open to first-year students.
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. Usually offered every year.
Bernard Yack or Jeffrey Lenowitz

POL 11b Introduction to Comparative Politics
[ ss ]
Open to first-year students.
Introduces key concepts and questions in comparative politics and seeks to provide students with a grounding in the basic tools of comparative analysis. It applies and evaluates competing theoretical approaches (cultural, institutional, social-structural, and leadership-centered) to explain several important phenomena such as (1) democracy and democratization; (2) revolution; and (3) ethnicity and ethnic conflict. It also explores recent debates about the importance of civil society and political institutions in shaping political outcomes. Cases will be drawn from Africa, Asia, Western Europe, the Americas, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Usually offered every year.
Eva Bellin

POL 14b Introduction to American Government
[ ss ]
Open to first-year students.
Analysis of American political institutions: Congress, the presidency, Supreme Court, bureaucracy, political parties, pressure groups, and problems of governmental decision making in relation to specific areas of public policy. Usually offered every semester.
Jill Greenlee or Daniel Kryder

POL 15a Introduction to International Relations
[ ss ]
Open to first-year students.
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.
Robert Art or Kerry Chase

POL 50b Political Science Methods: Research, Design, and Modes of Analysis
[ qr ss ]
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher. May not be taken for credit by students who took POL 100b in prior years.
An introduction to nonstatistical research methods for analyzing political processes. Moves from selecting problems to composing a focused research question, examining relevant theory, conceptualizing variables, generating hypotheses, research design, research operations, and analysis. Uses examples from comparative, international, and American politics. Usually offered every year.
Jill Greenlee

POL 52a Basic Statistics for Social and Political Analysis
[ qr ss ]
Provides a foundation in statistics focusing on descriptive statistics, inference, hypothesis testing and the basics of regression analysis. Becoming familiar with basic statistics will help you to prepare for a career as a social scientist. Usually offered every second year.
Alejandro Trelles

POL 79b Seminar: War and World History
[ ss ]
Examines the subject of war in world history. We will explore answers to the following questions: why do wars, especially major wars, start? How has war affected the course of world history? How different, and how similar, does war look across the centuries? How has technological innovation influenced the conduct of war and the evolution of societies? Usually offered every second year.
Robert Art

POL 89a Political Science Internship
[ oc ]
Students in the course examine political issues alongside professionals in the field. Students will evaluate the applicability of political science theories and concepts to real-world politics. Seminar meetings and assignments provide perspective and a substantive basis for the internship experience. Usually offered every year.
Staff

POL 92a Internship and Analysis
Staff

POL 98a Independent Study
Tutorial study on specialized topics, outside the regular curricular offerings of the departments, on interest to students and appropriate politics faculty person. Requires agreement between student and supervising faculty member on the specific topic and syllabus of readings and assignments for the tutorial, including written work required for the course (normally the equivalent of a term research paper). Students may count up to two such courses toward completion of the major. Usually offered every year.
Staff

POL 98b Independent Study
See POL 98a. Usually offered every year.
Staff

POL 99a Senior Research: Honors Thesis
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

POL 99b Senior Research: Honors Thesis
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

POL 99d Senior Research: Honors Thesis
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

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.
Martin Levin

POL 105a Elections in America
[ ss ]
Examines modern campaigns and elections to the United States presidency and Congress. Topics include the influence of partisanship, policy differences, and candidate images on the vote; the impact of money on campaigns; the role of the mass media; and the differences among presidential, Senate, and House elections. Usually offered every third year.
Staff

POL 108a Seminar: The Police and Social Movements in American Politics
[ ss wi ]
Analyses American mass political movements, their interaction with police, and their influences on American politics. Topics include the relationship between social movements and various political institutions. Explore various theories with case studies of specific political movements. Usually offered every third year.
Daniel Kryder

POL 111a The American Congress
[ oc 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 every second year.
Jill Greenlee

POL 112b Democracy in America
[ ss ]
Examines how political culture, theory, institutions, and processes define democracy in America beginning with eighteenth century constitutional framework. Also looks at the development of constitutional limits and prescriptions. Usually offered every year.
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 twentieth century. Contemporary relationships between the presidency and the electorate, as well as the other branches of government. Usually offered every second year.
Daniel Kryder

POL 115a Constitutional Law
[ 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.
Staff

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.
Jeffrey Lenowitz

POL 117a Administrative Law
[ ss ]
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 every second year.
Staff

POL 119a Seminar: Red States, Blue States: Understanding Contemporary American Voters and Parties
[ ss ]
Why is support for redistributive policies weak at the same time that American economic inequality is climbing? Why are poorer states, that are more reliant on Federal support, more likely to vote for Republican candidates? In this course, students will pursue guided, independent research. Usually offered every year.
Lucy Goodhart

POL 120b Seminar: The Politics of Policymaking
[ ss ]
Examines the connection between politics and policymaking to identify the political determinants of public policy since the 1970’s. By paying close attention to what policy makers say about what they are doing, the course connects the world of ideas to the world of actions. The course examines concrete cases from specific time periods across a wide range of policy areas such as health care, tax policy, Social Security, education reform, immigration, tort reform,and deregulation. Usually offered every year.
Martin Levin

POL 121b Partisanship and Policymaking: the Clinton, Bush,and Obama Presidencies
[ ss ]
Examines how recent presidents accomplished things in the face of party opposition. Features concrete cases of the successes and failures of Clinton (welfare reform and healthcare) and Obama (Obamacare and immigration reform), as well as Bush’s aggressive foreign policies and the Politics of Fear after 9/11. Usually offered every second year.
Martin Levin

POL 122b Seminar: Making Government Work: AIDS policy, Obamacare, and Ebola
[ ss ]
It's not whether government is too big or too small, but rather how to make it work better. Using cases like AIDS, Obamacare and Ebola, we analyze innovative strategies for making government work including creative government entrepreneurs. Usually offered every second year.
Martin Levin

POL 123a Seminar: Political Psychology
[ ss wi ]
Open to juniors, seniors, and graduate students.
Explores public opinion, political socialization, and political behavior through the lens of psychology. Applying psychological theory to traditional topics in political science is emphasized. Usually offered every year.
Jill Greenlee

POL 124b Seminar: Race, Inequality, and Social Policy
[ ss ]
Explores the causes and consequences of economic, social, and political inequality in the United States. Examines trends from the perspective of both liberal and conservative social scientists. Asks what forms of inequality matter and what should be done about them. Usually offered every year.
Staff

POL 125a Seminar: 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; and women politicians, electoral politics, and party identification. Covers historical context and contemporary developments in women's political activity. Usually offered every second year.
Jill Greenlee

POL 127a Ending Deadly Conflict
[ ss wi ]
Prerequisite: POL 127b or permission of the instructor.
Examines strategies for ending violent internal (primarily ethnic) conflicts, with emphasis on identifying conditions conducive to negotiated settlements. Case studies are examined in light of analytical literature. Usually offered every second year.
Steven Burg

POL 127b Seminar: Managing Ethnic Conflict
[ ss wi ]
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
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.
Steven Burg

POL 128a The Politics of Revolution: State Violence and Popular Insurgency in the Third World
[ nw ss ]
Introduction to twentieth-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.
Ralph Thaxton

POL 133a Contemporary Politics in the Middle East
[ nw ss ]
Introduces the politics of the region through the study of regimes in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, and Israel. Themes include the political legacy of colonialism, the challenge of ethnic pluralism, the rise of political Islam, the politics of gender, the role of the military in politics, the dynamics of regime survival, the persistence of authoritarianism and the prospects for democratization, and the implications of the Arab spring for the future of the region. Usually offered every third year.
Eva Bellin

POL 134b The Global Migration Crisis
[ ss wi ]
Looks at immigration from the perspectives of policy-makers, migrants, and the groups affected by immigration in sender nations as well as destination countries. Introduces students to the history of migration policy, core concepts and facts about migration in the West, and to the theories and disagreements among immigrant scholars. Usually offered every second year.
Jytte Klausen

POL 137b Seminar: Psychology of Political Violence
[ ss ]
Why do people become terrorists? Social scientists argue that organizations use terrorism because it is a rational means for obtaining their objectives. But why do individuals sacrifice themselves for a cause? Drawing on behavioral economics and criminal psychology in addition to political sociology, the course will review new approaches to the study of extreme political violence. Usually offered every year.
Jytte Klausen

POL 143b Seminar: Israel, Iran, the Bomb and Beyond: Nuclear Proliferation in the Middle East
[ ss ]
Addresses one of the most pressing international issues - the nuclearization of Iran. It focuses on Iran's nuclear ambitions, beginning with the Shah of Iran, the motivations behind the acceleration of its nuclear efforts in recent decades, the reactions of Israel, the U.S., Arab states and the international community to Iran's efforts, the implications of Iranian nuclear weapons for regional and international security, and the dynamics of the negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran which led to the recent Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- the agreement halting Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons and lifting international sanctions against it. Usually offered every third year.
Shai Feldman

POL 144a Latin American Politics
[ nw ss ]
Examines the development and deepening of democracy in Latin America, focusing on the role of political institutions, economic development, the military, and U.S.-Latin American relations. Usually offered every year.
Alejandro Trelles

POL 145b Seminar: Muslims in the West: Politics, Religion, and Law
[ ss ]
Few issues have caused more public furor than the accommodation of Islam in Europe and the United States. It is often overlooked that Muslims are developing the institutions of their faith in societies that offer everyone the freedom of choice and expression. This seminar looks at religious discrimination as a barrier to the civic and political inclusion of Muslim immigrants, the responses of governments, courts, and the general public, and what we know about the balance among "fundamentalist, " "moderate," and "progressive" Muslim viewpoints. Usually offered every year.
Jytte Klausen

POL 147a Seminar: The Government and Politics of China
[ 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 every second year.
Ralph Thaxton

POL 148a Seminar: Contemporary Chinese Politics
[ nw ss ]
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 every second year.
Ralph Thaxton

POL 149b Narco-Politics
[ ss wi ]
Analyzes patterns of national politics shaped by the illicit drug trade, their causes and effects. Research on corruption and violence will be applied mainly to Latin American and American settings, with the goal of improving policy interventions. Usually offered every year.
Staff

POL 151a Seminar: Cultural Pluralism and Democratic Governance
[ ss wi ]
Prerequisites: Sophomore or junior class standing and at least two prior politics courses.
How liberal democracies respond to the social and political challenges of linguistic, cultural, religious, racial, and gender differences. Examines legal, political, and normative issues arising out of these differences, and the implications of various responses for the stability of a liberal democratic state. Usually offered every second year.
Steven Burg

POL 156b European Culture & Politics
[ 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.
Jytte Klausen

POL 160a The War on Global Terrorism
[ ss ]
Intended for juniors and seniors, but open to all students.
Explores how 9/11 changed our lives. The course surveys the build-up of Al Queda leading up to the 9/11 attacks and ten years of counter terrorism. Students are given an introduction to Jihadist doctrines and Al Queda's structure, as well as theories about the cause of terrorism. Usually offered every year.
Jytte Klausen

POL 162b Middle East Crisis: Competing Explanations
[ nw ss ]
Explores how political developments in the Middle East (e.g. the Arab Spring, ISIS, the Iranian nuclear program) can be seen from a number of different disciplinary perspective. The class provides students a toolbox for understand current and future developments. Usually offered every second year.
Shai Feldman

POL 163a Seminar: Creating World Order: American Power and the Making of International Organizations
[ ss wi ]
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Investigates the founding of international organizations in the 1940s, using original research and digital archival materials to uncover how US diplomats shaped this new world order, why they launched these initiatives, and what this legacy means for global governance today. Usually offered every second year.
Kerry Chase

POL 164a Seminar: Conflict and Peacemaking in the Middle East
[ ss ]
Provides students with historical and analytic mastery of the Arab- Israeli conflict in a novel way. Through immersion in three competing narratives - Israeli, Palestinian, and pan-Arab - students will gain proficiency in the history of the conflict as well as analytic leverage on the possibility of its resolution. The course is organized as a seminar and is premised on active student participation. Usually offered every year.
Shai Feldman

POL 166b Seminar: The Middle East in International Relations
[ ss ]
Explores how the concepts, theories, and paradigms from the field of International Relations can be used to analyze the politics of the Middle East. This class provides students a toolbox for understanding current and future developments in the ever-changing relations between the region's states. Usually offered every second year.
Shai Feldman

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 U.S. foreign policy, the U.S. participation in the United Nations, post-Cold War foreign policy, and the making and implementing of foreign policy. Usually offered every year.
Robert Art

POL 172b Seminar: International Political Economy
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
The politics and modern evolution of international economic relations, comprising trade, money, multinational productions, and development. 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.
Kerry Chase

POL 173a Seminar: U.S. Foreign Economic Policy
[ oc ss wi ]
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above.
Presents the history and politics of the foreign economic policy in the United States. Emphasis is on political and economic considerations that influence the domestic actors and institutions involved in the formulation of policy. Usually offered every year.
Kerry Chase

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 last fifty years. 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.
Robert Art

POL 179a Seminar: China's Global Rise: The Challenge to Democratic Order
[ nw ss wi ]
Explores the implications of China's global rise for the global democratic order constructed by the United States in the aftermath of World War II. Among other issues, we will ask whether China's international strategy in Asia, Africa, and Latin America poses a serious challenge to democratic nations and their support for democratization. Usually offered every second year.
Ralph Thaxton

POL 184a Seminar: Global Justice
[ ss wi ]
Prerequisites: One course in Political Theory or Moral, Social and Political Philosophy.
Explores the development of the topic of global justice and its contents. Issues to be covered include international distributive justice, duties owed to the global poor, humanitarian intervention, the ethics of climate change, and immigration. Usually offered every second year.
Jeffrey Lenowitz

POL 187b Conservative Political Thought
[ ss ]
Focuses on American and European thinkers, with an emphasis on critics of equality and unlimited commercial and civil liberty. Readings include political philosophy and literature. Authors may include Burke, Oakeshott, Calhoun, Conrad, Hayek, Macintyre, and Strauss. Usually offered every second year.
Bernard Yack

POL 189a Marx, Nietzsche, and Twentieth-Century Radicalism
[ ss ]
Comparison of two powerful and influential critiques of modern politics and society. Explanation of Marx's work, both for its own insights and as a model for radical theorists; and of Nietzsche's work as an alternative conception of radical social criticism. Usually offered every second year.
Bernard Yack

POL 190b Seminar: Democratic Theory
[ ss ]
Explores in depth the nature, virtues, and limitations of democracy as a way of organizing political affairs. Brings together classic texts, for example, Rousseau's Social Contract, with more recent topical readings on topics like democracy and nationalism. Usually offered every second year.
Jeffrey Lenowitz or Bernard Yack

POL 192b Seminar: Topics in Law and Political Theory
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher. May be repeated for credit if different topic.
Interplay among law, morality, and political theory. Specific topics vary from year to year. Usually offered every year.
Bernard Yack or Jeffrey Lenowitz

POL 193a Seminar: Special Topics in American Politics
[ ss ]
Addresses an issue of particular interest or controversy in American politics. Specific topics vary from year to year. Usually offered every second year.
Jill Greenlee or Daniel Kryder

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 every second year.
Martin Levin

POL 195b Shakespeare and the Politics of Leadership
[ ss ]
Shakespeare as sources for understanding selected work of the role of leaders and followers, elites and masses, class and ethnicity, social change, the relations between disparate social orders, and societies ins transition. Usually offered every second year.
Martin Levin

(200 and above) Primarily for Graduate Students

POL 211a Graduate Seminar: Political Theory
Core course in political theory, required of all Politics Ph.D. students.
Explores a few themes, such as justice, freedom, and community, by means of careful reading of a selection of classical and contemporary texts. Usually offered every second year.
Bernard Yack

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 every second year.
Daniel Kryder

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 every second year.
Eva Bellin or Jytte Klausen

POL 213b Graduate Seminar: Selected Topics in Comparative Politics
Provides graduate students an opportunity to engage in research and discussion of selected issues in comparative politics. Usually offered every second year.
Eva Bellin or Jytte Klausen

POL 214a Graduate Seminar: International Relations
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 every second year.
Robert Art

POL 214b Graduate Seminar: Selected Topics in World Politics
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 every second year.
Robert Art or Kerry Chase

POL 215a Graduate Seminar in American Politics
Examines the creation and evolution of national institutions in the United States from an American Political Development scholarly lens, or focuses on understanding the political attitudes and action of individuals, groups, and publics from a Political Behavior lens. Usually offered every second year.
Jill Greenlee or Daniel Kryder

POL 298a Independent Study
Staff

POL 302a Readings in Politics
Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.
Offered every year.
Staff

POL 302b Readings in Politics
Usually offered every year.
Staff

POL 340d Proseminar
Required of all PhD and MA students. Not for credit.
Year-long course that meets biweekly. Focuses on professional development, including teaching competency. Offered every year.
Staff

POL 349a Directed Study
Usually offered every year.
Staff

POL 350a Master's Project
Master's project research and preparation. Usually offered every year.
Staff

POL 400d Dissertation Research
Independent research for the PhD degree. Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.
Staff

Departmental Seminars in Politics

Only the following courses fulfill the departmental seminar requirement.