University Bulletin (2020-2021)

• Minor
• Major (BA)
• Master of Arts
• Doctor of Philosophy

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.

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:

1. Thinking critically about arguments, based on the evaluation of evidence.

2. Articulating reasoned arguments clearly, both orally and in written form.

3. Familiarity with a variety of research methods for understanding politics, including comparative case study, area studies, textual interpretation and statistical analysis.

4. Ability to use the concepts and methods of political science to conduct research and analysis.

Courses in the Politics curriculum impart Knowledge about:

1. The functioning and distinctive features of the American political system.

2. The diversity of other political systems and the significance of these differences.

3. How states, societies and transnational actors cause and resolve conflict.

4. Foundational political ideas and thinkers.

5. 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:

1. The fundamentals of at least two major subfields of political science.

2. The scholarly literature and existing research on a specialized problem in a political science subfield.

3. The variety of methodologies applied in professional political science research.

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

1. The ability to independently design, plan, execute, and write up an original scholarly investigation in political science.

2. Familiarity with the scholarly conventions and professional standards of the field of political science.

3. Educational preparation and professionalization necessary to undertake Ph.D. work in a political science doctoral program.

4. 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:

1. A minimum level of competence in at least two major subfields of political science.

2. In-depth knowledge of a specialized area of a political science subfield.

3. The ability to design and plan an original research paper in political science.

4. Knowledge and professionalization necessary to gain admission into a Ph.D. program in political science or a related field.

5. 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:

1. The fundamentals of five major subfields of political science, including qualitative research methods.

2. The major theoretical and analytical approaches of a primary and secondary area of specialization in a political science subfield.

3. The variety of methodologies applied in professional political science research.

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

1. 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.

2. Proficiency sufficient to effectively teach an introductory undergraduate course in each of five major subfields of political science.

3. The ability to independently design, propose, plan, execute, write up, and defend a substantial piece of original scholarship in political science.

4. 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.

5. 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:

1. Proficiency in each of five major subfields of political science.

2. Expertise in a primary and secondary area of specialization in a political science subfield.

3. Preparation to design and teach courses at the college and university level.

4. 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.

5. The ability to design and plan a major political science research project.

6. Completion of a substantial piece of original scholarship that contributes to the development of knowledge in the field.

7. The ability to produce research for a wider scholarly community.

8. Qualifications necessary to secure employment in professional political science, or in an area related to the student’s doctoral education.

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.

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.

Eva Bellin, Chair
Comparative politics, Middle East politics.

Zachary Albert
American Politics. Political Institutions. Public Policy.

Kerry Chase
International political economy.

Shai Feldman (on leave academic year 2020-2021)
International relations. Middle East politics.

Jill Greenlee
American politics. Women in politics. Political behavior.

Jytte Klausen
Comparative politics. Western Europe. Global terrorism.

Daniel Kryder
American political development.

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

Gary Samore
International security. U.S. Foreign Policy.

Amber Spry
Afro-American Politics. American national politics.

Ralph Thaxton (on leave fall 2020)
Comparative politics. East Asia. China. Comparative revolutions. Comparative democratic movements.

Steven Wilson
Comparative politics. Russia and post-communist countries. Digital politics.

Bernard Yack (on leave fall 2020)
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)

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.

1. Five courses are required: All Politics minors must complete at least five semester courses from among politics and cross-listed courses. A minimum of four of these 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.

2. Subfield requirement: Among the five courses, minors must complete one course in at least two of the four sub-fields: political theory, American politics, comparative politics, and international politics.

3. Seminar requirement: Minors must take at least one departmental seminar course.

4. No course grade below C will be given credit toward the minor. No course taken pass/fail may be counted toward the minor. Not more than two introductory politics courses (POL 10a, 11b, 14b, or 15a) may be counted toward the minor. Politics minors are not eligible for the departmental honors program, or for enrollment in politics graduate courses.

1. Nine courses are required: Majors must complete at least nine courses from Politics and cross-listed courses. The department strongly recommends that majors complete introductory courses in at least three of the subfields by the end of the sophomore year. 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 faculty advisor when selecting courses.

2. POL residency requirement: A minimum of six courses counted toward major must be taught by Politics Department faculty, including visiting professors, adjunct faculty members, or graduate students. 

3. Subfield requirement: Among the nine courses, majors must complete one course in each of the four subfields: political theory, American politics; comparative politics; and international politics. Cross-listed electives cannot fulfill the subfield distribution requirement, except when taught by a faculty member in the Politics Department. 

4. Seminar Requirement: 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.

5. Foundational Literacies: As part of completing the Politics major, students must:

   • Fulfill the writing intensive requirement by successfully completing one of the following: Any POL course approved for WI.

   • Fulfill the oral communication requirement by successfully completing one of the following: Any POL course approved for OC. 

   • Fulfill the digital literacy requirement by successfully completing one of the following: Any POL course approved for DL. 

     No single course may satisfy all three foundational literacies.

6. Honors: 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.

7. Undergraduates Enrolling in Graduate Courses: With the permission of the instructor, third- and fourth-year Politics majors may enroll in Politics graduate-level courses for credit toward the major.

8. Transfer Credit: 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 the major. Students who study abroad for one semester may apply to the Study Abroad advisor for credit up to two semester courses. The requirement of six courses taught by department faculty remains in effect in such cases.

9. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.
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 53b Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis
[ qr ss ]
Examines the most common empirical methods used by policy analysts in the study of public policy. Emphasis on descriptive statistics, regression and textual analysis, research design and data collection, and the substantive components of policy analysis. Students will be introduced to and develop proficiency in the R statistical program/language. Usually offered every year.
Zachary Albert

POL 54a Polling the American Public
[ qr ss ]
Workshop where students will learn to create, conduct, and analyze a national public opinion poll. Usually offered every year.
Amber Spry

POL 56a How Democracies Break Down
[ ss ]
A comparative study of democratic erosion and breakdown. This course examines the ‘usual suspects’ which make up the repertoire of democratic erosion – from restrictions on civil liberties and political participation to challenges to the rule of law and key democratic institutions. Using a comparative framework, this course will engage with empirical examples and theoretical perspectives which will enable students to better understand the causes and processes of democratic breakdown. Students will critically assess claims of democratic erosion and breakdown at home and abroad. Special one-time offering, spring 2021.
Mika Hackner

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.
Staff

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
[ dl oc wi ]
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

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 every second year.
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.
Staff

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.
Zachary Albert

POL 108a Seminar: The Police and Social Movements in American Politics
[ deis-us 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
[ dl 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.
Staff

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.
Staff

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.
Staff

POL 123a Seminar: Political Psychology
[ dl 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 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.
Staff

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.
Staff

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 133b Politics of Russia and the Post Communist World
[ ss wi ]
Prerequisite: POL 11b, POL 10a, POL 14b, or POL 15a.
Overview of the politics of Russia and the former Soviet world. Topics include the fall and legacy of communism, trends of democracy and dictatorship, European integration, resurgent nationalism, social and economic patterns throughout the former Soviet Bloc, and Putin’s rise and influence both within Russia and abroad. Usually offered every second year.
Steven Wilson

POL 134b The Global Migration Crisis
[ djw 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
[ dl 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 140b Contentious Politics in Agrarian Societies: Power, Culture, Development and Resistance
[ ss ]
Provides an interdisciplinary perspective on the modern transformation of agrarian societies and states. It explores the impact of capitalism, the formation and building of nation states, and secular and standardized education on rural people and their cultures across the globe, including Asia, Africa, and the Americas (and to a lesser extent the Middle East). Usually offered every second year.
Ralph Thaxton

POL 141a Elections and Electoral Systems in Comparative Perspective
[ djw dl oc ss wi ]
Introduces students to the scientific study of elections and electoral systems from a comparative standpoint. Students will be exposed to social scientific literature on elections, analyze these processes from a comparative perspective, and learn how to use digital tools, such as ArcGIS and online mapping software (GIS) to analyze electoral processes. Usually offered every year.
Alejandro Trelles

POL 144a Latin American Politics
[ djw nw ss wi ]
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 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 critical analysis of key issues in contemporary Chinese politics. Emphasis on the role of the state in promoting economic development, social change, and political stability. Focus on struggles for social justice under authoritarian rule. Special attention to the state response to popular efforts to use social media to hold the government accountable for past injustice and to promote open, pluralist discourse. Usually offered every second year.
Ralph Thaxton

POL 148b Dynamics of Dictatorship: Authoritarian Politics in the 20th and 21st Centuries
[ oc ss ]
Prerequisite: POL 11b.
Despite the world-wide advance of democratization over the past half century, authoritarian regimes continue to govern the vast majority of humanity around the world. Dynamics of Dictatorship aims to provide an analytic grounding in the logic and dynamics of authoritarian politics. What are the different flavors of authoritarian rule? How do authoritarian regimes sustain their control over society? Why do most people obey? How and when do people resist? Has technological advance enhanced the power of authoritarian regimes? What role do international forces play in authoritarian regime survival? When do authoritarian regimes collapse? This course will explore leading theoretical research on authoritarian politics and it will ground that theory in historical and contemporary cases of authoritarian rule found in Russia, Germany, Venezuela, Chile, China, Iraq, Syria, North Korea, Zaire, Zimbabwe, and beyond. Usually offered every second year.
Eva Bellin

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 156b Seminar: 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
[ dl 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 161b Good Neighbor or Imperial Power: The Contested Evolution of US-Latin American Relations
[ djw oc ss wi ]
Studies the ambivalent and complex relationship between the U.S. and Latin America, focusing on how the exploitative dimension of this relationship has shaped societies across the region, and on how Latin American development can be beneficial for the U.S. Usually offered every year.
Alejandro Trelles

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: The United Nations and the United States
[ djw dl oc ss wi ]
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Investigates the United Nations organization and charter, with an emphasis on the integral role of the United States in its founding and operation. Using archival documents and other digitized materials, explores topics such as UN enforcement actions, the Security Council veto, human rights, and the domestic politics of US commitments to the UN. 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.
Staff

POL 170a Nuclear Weapons in the Middle East and Asia
[ ss ]
Explores and analyzes the theories behind, dynamics within, and problems encountered with arms control as part of regional security in the Middle East and Asia, with emphasis on the nuclear weapons programs of Israel, Iran, India, Pakistan and North Korea. Usually offered every year.
Gary Samore

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.
Staff

POL 177b National Security Strategy: The Case of Israel
[ ss ]
Examines key concepts in national security studies and accesses their relevance to Israel's pursuit of national security. Evaluates the extent to which Israel's strategy is typical of small states facing numerically superior neighbors. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

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
[ djw 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 186b Classical Political Thought
[ hum ss ]
Major ancient political philosophers and the meaning and implications of their work for contemporary political issues. Usually offered every third year.
Bernard Yack

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/WGS 125a Gender in American Politics
[ deis-us ss ]
May not be taken for credit by students who took POL 125a in prior years.
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

HS/POL 220a Social Justice and Democracy Seminar
This joint GSAS-Heller graduate level course brings together graduate students from these schools in the engaged analysis of, and in an experience planning and executing, a collaborative campaign for political change. It include presentations by specialized scholars and practitioners from across Brandeis and from outside the university. It will combine the methods of analysis, and the political advantages of three approaches: the values revealed in personal narrative, the rules and authority structures of law and the analytical strategies of the social sciences. Usually offered every year.
Anita Hill and Dan Kryder

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.
Kerry Chase

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

Only the following courses fulfill the departmental seminar requirement.

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.
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.
Staff

POL 108a Seminar: The Police and Social Movements in American Politics
[ deis-us 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 119a Seminar: Red States, Blue States: Understanding Contemporary American Voters and Parties
[ dl 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.
Staff

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.
Staff

POL 123a Seminar: Political Psychology
[ dl 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 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.
Staff

POL 134b The Global Migration Crisis
[ djw 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
[ dl 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 141a Elections and Electoral Systems in Comparative Perspective
[ djw dl oc ss wi ]
Introduces students to the scientific study of elections and electoral systems from a comparative standpoint. Students will be exposed to social scientific literature on elections, analyze these processes from a comparative perspective, and learn how to use digital tools, such as ArcGIS and online mapping software (GIS) to analyze electoral processes. 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 148a Seminar: Contemporary Chinese Politics
[ nw ss ]
A broad and in-depth critical analysis of key issues in contemporary Chinese politics. Emphasis on the role of the state in promoting economic development, social change, and political stability. Focus on struggles for social justice under authoritarian rule. Special attention to the state response to popular efforts to use social media to hold the government accountable for past injustice and to promote open, pluralist discourse. Usually offered every second year.
Ralph Thaxton

POL 148b Dynamics of Dictatorship: Authoritarian Politics in the 20th and 21st Centuries
[ oc ss ]
Prerequisite: POL 11b.
Despite the world-wide advance of democratization over the past half century, authoritarian regimes continue to govern the vast majority of humanity around the world. Dynamics of Dictatorship aims to provide an analytic grounding in the logic and dynamics of authoritarian politics. What are the different flavors of authoritarian rule? How do authoritarian regimes sustain their control over society? Why do most people obey? How and when do people resist? Has technological advance enhanced the power of authoritarian regimes? What role do international forces play in authoritarian regime survival? When do authoritarian regimes collapse? This course will explore leading theoretical research on authoritarian politics and it will ground that theory in historical and contemporary cases of authoritarian rule found in Russia, Germany, Venezuela, Chile, China, Iraq, Syria, North Korea, Zaire, Zimbabwe, and beyond. Usually offered every second year.
Eva Bellin

POL 156b Seminar: 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 163a Seminar: The United Nations and the United States
[ djw dl oc ss wi ]
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Investigates the United Nations organization and charter, with an emphasis on the integral role of the United States in its founding and operation. Using archival documents and other digitized materials, explores topics such as UN enforcement actions, the Security Council veto, human rights, and the domestic politics of US commitments to the UN. 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 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.
Staff

POL 177b National Security Strategy: The Case of Israel
[ ss ]
Examines key concepts in national security studies and accesses their relevance to Israel's pursuit of national security. Evaluates the extent to which Israel's strategy is typical of small states facing numerically superior neighbors. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

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
[ djw 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 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

AAAS 123a Third World Ideologies
[ nw ss wi ]
Analyzes ideological concepts developed by seminal Third World political thinkers and their application to modern political analysis. Usually offered every second year.
Wellington Nyangoni

AAAS 126b Political Economy of the Third World
[ nw ss wi ]
Development of capitalism and different roles and functions assigned to all "Third Worlds," in the periphery as well as the center. Special attention will be paid to African and African American peripheries. Usually offered every year.
Wellington Nyangoni

AAAS 156a #BlackLivesMatter
[ deis-us ss ]
Explores the evolution of the modern African American civil rights movement through historical readings, primary documents, films and social media. Assesses the legacy and consequences of the movement for contemporary struggles for black equality. Usually offered every second year.
Chad Williams

AAAS 157a African American Political Thought
[ deis-us ss wi ]
Examines the ideological and intellectual traditions that have influenced African American politics. Addresses the question of what are the best strategies for black Americans to pursue freedom and opportunity in the United States. Usually offered every second year.
Amber Spry

AAAS 159a Identity Politics in the United States
[ deis-us ss wi ]
Examines the politics of identity in the United States. It brings together several disciplines: history, political science, sociology, psychology, and others. It spans several groups and social movements in order to equip students with the skills to understand identity group politics through historical contexts, theoretical underpinnings, and current manifestations. The course is organized around a central question: what is the relationship between democracy and identity politics in the United States? In addressing this question, the course will explore the complexities of intergroup relations across race, ethnicity, class, and gender, and examine when, why, and how policy and politics respond to group interests. Usually offered every year.
Amber Spry

AAAS 175a Comparative Politics of North Africa
[ nw ss ]
Explores the formation and development of political cleavages and cleavage systems, and of mass-based political groups, analyzing the expansion of mass political participation, elections, the impact of the military on political groups, and international factors. Usually offered every third year.
Wellington Nyangoni

AMST 188b Louis Brandeis: Law, Business and Politics
[ ss ]
Brandeis's legal career serves as model and guide for exploring the ideals and anxieties of American legal culture throughout the twentieth century. Focuses on how legal values evolve in response to new technologies, corporate capitalism, and threats to personal liberty. Usually offered every second year.
Daniel Breen

FREN 111a The Republic
[ fl hum oc ]
Prerequisite: FREN 106b or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
The "Republic" analyzes how the republican ideal of the citizen devoid of religious, ethnic, or gender identity has fared in different Francophone political milieux. Course involves understanding how political institutions such as constitutions, parliaments, and court systems interact with reality of modern societies in which religious, ethnic, and gender identities play important roles. Usually offered every year.
Michael Randall

HIST 133a Politics of the Enlightenment
[ ss ]
Examines the Enlightenment as a source of the intellectual world we live in today. Examination of some of the political, philosophical, and scientific writings of the philosophers. Usually offered every third year.
Mark Hulliung

HIST 151a Conservatives and Liberals in Modern America: Race, Democracy and History in the U.S.
[ deis-us ss ]
Examines the history and politics surrounding ideas of "conservative" and "liberal" in the modern United States, through the lens of race and race relations, beginning in the post-World War II period. Our investigation will explore the ways in which political institutions, ideas, movements, and activism influenced a contemporary understanding of liberalism and conservatism, while also analyzing how conservatives and liberals have influenced structures, politics and policies, and the American state, with respect to the intersection of race. Moreover, this course provides students with the necessary tools to assess and understand the chaos and volatility that has come to define the intersection of race and presidential politics. Usually offered every second year.
Leah Wright Rigueur

HIST 160a American Legal History I
[ deis-us ss ]
Surveys American legal development from colonial settlement to the Civil War. Major issues include law as an instrument of revolution, capitalism and contract, invention of the police, family law, slavery law, and the Civil War as a constitutional crisis. Usually offered every third year.
Michael Willrich

HIST 160b American Legal History II
[ deis-us ss ]
Survey of American legal development from 1865 to the present. Major topics include constitutionalism and racial inequality, the legal response to industrialization, progressivism and the transformation of liberalism, the rise of the administrative state, and rights-based movements for social justice. Usually offered every year.
Michael Willrich

HIST 175b Resistance and Revolution in Latin America and the Caribbean
[ djw nw ss wi ]
Focuses on questions of race, gender and modernity in resistence movements and revolutions in Latin American and Caribbean history. The Haitian Revolution, Tupac Amaru Rebellion, and Vaccination Riots in Brazil are some topics that will be covered. Usually offered every second year.
Gregory Childs

HIST 181b Red Flags/Black Flags: Marxism vs. Anarchism, 1845-1968
[ ss ]
From Marx's first major book in 1845 to the French upheavals of 1968, the history of left-wing politics and ideas. The struggles between Marxist orthodoxy and anarchist-inspired, left Marxist alternatives. Usually offered every third year.
Mark Hulliung

HIST 192b Romantic and Existentialist Political Thought
[ ss ]
Readings from Camus, Sartre, Beckett, and others. Examination and criticism of romantic and existentialist theories of politics. Usually offered every second year.
Mark Hulliung

HS 104b American Health Care
[ ss ]
Examines and critically analyzes the United States healthcare system, emphasizing the major trends and issues that have led to the current sense of "crisis." In addition to providing a historical perspective, this course will establish a context for analyzing the current, varied approaches to health care reform. Usually offered every year.
Stuart Altman

HS 110a Wealth and Poverty
[ ss ]
Examines why the gap between richer and poorer citizens appears to be widening in the United States and elsewhere, what could be done to reverse this trend, and how the widening disparity affects major issues of public policy. Usually offered every year.
Tom Shapiro

HS 217f Eli J. Segal Seminar in Citizen Leadership
Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.
Engages students in a rigorous examination of the concepts of Citizen Leadership and Citizen Service, as they have been used in the past, in an effort to support them in integrating these ideas into their career plans and personal development. Each session will involve readings on a specific aspect of Citizen Leadership or Service and an opportunity to discuss these aspects with guest speakers and resources, most of whom are Segal Program Founders, men and women who have exemplified them. Usually offered every year.
Staff

IGS 140a Styles of Globalization
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: IGS 8a or ECON 28b.
Why do some countries benefit from globalization while others lag behind? How do different nations balance issues such as free trade, foreign investment, and workers' rights? This course considers the real-world choices behind success and failure in the global economy. Usually offered every second year.
Lucy Goodhart

IGS/LGLS 128b Networks of Global Justice
[ ss ]
Examines how global justice is actively shaped by dynamic institutions, contested ideas, and evolving cultures. Using liberal arts methods, the course explores prospects for advancing peace and justice in a complex world. It is organized around case studies of humanitarian crises, involving health, poverty, migration, and peace-building across nations. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

LGLS 116b Civil Rights and Civil Liberties: Constitutional Debates
[ 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.
Daniel Breen

LGLS 125b International Law and Organizations
[ ss ]
Introduction to international law, its nature, sources, and application, for example, its role in the management of international conflicts. Topics may include international agreements, international organizations including the United Nations and the International Court of Justice, states and recognition, nationality and alien rights, territorial and maritime jurisdiction, international claims, and the laws of war and human rights. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

LGLS 161b Advocacy for Policy Change
[ oc ss wi ]
This hands-on course invites students to address concrete social problems through public policy reform. It provides background in theories, advocacy skills, networks, and key players that drive the legislative process. Focusing on policy change at the statehouse level, students engage with elected officials and community organizations to advance key legislation affecting social welfare, health, education, and economic justice. Usually offered every year.
Melissa Stimell

NEJS 141b Human Rights: Law, Politics, Theology
[ hum ]
How did human rights work arise in recent decades, and why only then? Is it a new sort of religion? What critical thinking will help this vast work of advocacy, international law, democratization and humanitarianism alleviate human suffering? Usually offered every second year.
Yehudah Mirsky

NEJS 189a The Arab-Israeli Conflict
[ hum ss ]
Consideration of Arab-Jewish relations, attitudes, and interactions from 1880 to the present. Emphasis on social factors and intellectual currents and their impact on politics. Examines the conflict within its international setting. Usually offered every third year.
Staff

NEJS 192b Power, Morality and Identity: Jewish Political Thought
[ hum ]
Explores the political thought of the Jewish people from biblical times to the present. Surveys the different genres in which Jewish thinkers have addressed political questions. Deals with questions of political legitimacy and authority: Who should rule over the Jewish people? (God, kings, priests, prophets, rabbis, lay leaders and the elected leaders of Israel today). Readiness include selections from the Bible and Talmud, midrashic literature, legal responsa, treatises, and pamphlets. Usually offered every second year.
Yehudah Mirsky

PHIL 111a What Is Justice?
[ hum ]
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or political theory or permission of the instructor.
What is justice and what does justice require? The course examines theories of justice, both classical and contemporary. Topics include liberty and equality, "who gets what and how much," welfare- and resource-based principles of justice, justice as a virtue, liberalism, multiculturalism, and globalization. Usually offered every second year.
Marion Smiley

PHIL 112a Social Contract Theory and its Critics
[ hum ]
Explores a variety of normative arguments for and against the legitimacy of the state that have been put forward by key figures in the history of western political philosophy; e.g. Hobbes, Kant, Rousseau, Hume, and Dewey. Usually offered every second year.
Marion Smiley

PHIL 116a Topics in Political Philosophy
[ hum ]
Prerequisite: PHIL 1a, PHIL 17a, or POL 10a.
Explores social contract theories of political obligation, the right to rebel against the state, and the possibility of a global political community. Usually offered every second year.
Marion Smiley

PHIL 120b Radical Social and Political Philosophy
[ hum ]
Explores a variety of works in the field of radical social and political philosophy and concentrates in particular on the early works of Marx, Foucault's theory of power, and contemporary philosophical arguments about racism and gender oppression. Usually offered every second year.
Marion Smiley

SOC 155b Protest, Politics, and Change: Social Movements
[ deis-us ss ]
Introduces major sociological theories about leadership, political context, culture, and identities in social movements in transnational perspective. Examines historical and contemporary cases of social movements through the lenses of race, gender, class, and sexuality. Usually offered every second year.
Gowri Vijayakumar