printer friendly pagePOLISCI 1: The Science of Politics
Why do countries go to war? How can we explain problems such as poverty, inequality, and pollution? What can be done to improve political representation in the United States and other countries? We will use scientific methods to answer these and other fundamental questions about politics.
Terms: Win, Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Rodden, J. (PI)
;
Schultz, K. (PI)
;
Tomz, M. (PI)
...
more instructors for POLISCI 1 »
Instructors:
Rodden, J. (PI)
;
Schultz, K. (PI)
;
Tomz, M. (PI)
;
Weinstein, J. (PI)
;
Abadeer, C. (TA)
;
Abdelgadir, A. (TA)
;
Bauer, V. (TA)
;
Jee, H. (TA)
;
Lee, N. (TA)
;
Myrick, R. (TA)
POLISCI 2: Introduction to American National Government and Politics (AMSTUD 2)
American political institutions (the Presidency, Congress, and the Court) and political processes (the formation of political attitudes and voting) have for some time now been criticized as inadequate to the task of making modern public policy. Against the backdrop of American culture and political history we examine how public policy has been and is being made. We use theories from Political Science and Economics to assess the state of the American system and the policy making process. We use case studies and lectures to analyze contemporary issues including environmental policy, taxes and spending , gun control , economic growth and inequality and mobility. In some of these issue areas we use comparative data from other countries to see how the U.S. is doing relative to other countries. In addition to class room lecture and discussion, student groups are formed to analyze policy issues of relevance to them. (This course has merged with Political Science 123/PubPol 101)
Last offered: Winter 2015
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
POLISCI 10N: International Organizations and the World Order
Since the end of World War II, there has been an explosion in the number, scope, and complexity of international organizations. International organizations such as the United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and World Bank now play critical roles across a wide range of policy issues. Why have international organizations proliferated and expanded since the mid-20th century? How do these organizations shape the international system? Why do states sometimes conduct foreign policy through international organizations, while other times preferring traditional means? Why do some international organizations evolve over time, while others resist change? What are some of the pathologies and problems of contemporary international organizations? We will explore these questions by carefully examining the functions and operations of major international organizations. You will also complete a research project examining an international organization of your choice and present your findings in class.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Lipscy, P. (PI)
POLISCI 12N: Climate Change and Conflict: Will Warming Lead to Warring?
Policymakers and scholars are increasingly interested in whether climate change and its associated effects could contribute to the risk of violent conflict within and between countries. Will drought and rising temperatures lead to struggles over a dwindling supply of agricultural land? Will shortages of fresh water cause growing tension over access to rivers and lakes? Will rising sea levels cause mass migration from coastal areas, bringing people into conflict? Will social unrest arising from such stresses lead to violent efforts to topple governments or spill over across borders? In this seminar, we explore such questions as: How could the expected effects of climate change make civil or international conflicts more likely? What evidence is there that environmental factors contribute to violent conflicts, historically and today? What regions or countries are most at risk from these challenges, and why? Answering these questions requires that we not only think about the human and social impacts of climate change but also ask basic questions about what causes political violence within and between countries and how we can assess the contribution of different risk factors. Assignments will encourage students to learn more about the conflict risks in countries that interest them and to gain familiarity with some of the methods that political scientists use to explore these issues systematically. The connection between climate and conflict is relatively new area of inquiry, without many settled answers, so this seminar presents an opportunity to explore what we know, what we do not yet know, and what we can do to further our understanding of this issue going forward.
POLISCI 18SC: The Federal Government and the West
Historical development and current status of the relationship between the U.S. federal government and the American West. Land ownership, natural resource management, agriculture, water, energy, and environmental quality.
Last offered: Autumn 2007
POLISCI 19N: Politics of Energy Efficiency
We will examine the political context of energy efficiency and climate change. Why are some countries, such as Japan and France, able to achieve high levels of energy efficiency, while others, such as the United States and Australia, struggle to do so? What political factors faciliate or impede energy efficiency policies? Why is international cooperation on climate change so difficult?
Last offered: Winter 2013
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
POLISCI 20Q: Democracy in Crisis: Learning from the Past (EDUC 122Q, HISTORY 52Q)
This Sophomore Seminar will focus on U.S. democracy and will use a series of case studies of major events in our national history to explore what happened and why to American democracy at key pressure points. This historical exploration should shed light on how the current challenges facing American democracy might best be handled. (Cardinal Course certified by the Haas Center).
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Ehrlich, T. (PI)
POLISCI 22SC: The Face of Battle
Our understanding of warfare often derives from the lofty perspective of political leaders and generals: what were their objectives and what strategies were developed to meet them? This top-down perspective slights the experience of the actual combatants and non-combatants caught in the crossfire. This course focuses on the complexity of the process by which strategy is translated into tactical decisions by the officers and foot soldiers and on what actually occurs on the field of battle. We will visit Washington, DC, and meet with national security officials and members of non-government organizations there. In addition, we will spend a day visiting the battlefields of Gettysburg (July 1863) in Pennsylvania, and the Little Bighorn (June 1876) in Montana. The course's battlefield tours are based on the "staff rides" developed by the Prussian Army in the mid-1800s and employed by the U.S. Army since the early 1900s. While at Stanford, students will conduct extensive research on individual participants at Gettysburg and Little Bighorn. Then, as we walk through the battlefield sites, students will brief the group on their subjects' experience of battle and on why they made the decisions they did. Why did Lt. General Longstreet oppose the Confederate attack on the Union Army at Gettysburg? What was the experience of a military surgeon on a Civil War battlefield? What role did just war principles or law play in the treatment of enemy fighters and civilians? Why did Custer divide his 7th Cavalry troops as they approached the Little Bighorn River? What was the role of Lakota Sioux women after a battle? The final part of the class covers contemporary military conflicts discussing what the US public, political leaders, and military commanders have learned (and not learned) from the past. The course is open to students from a range of disciplines; an interest in the topic is the only prerequisite.
Terms: Sum
| Units: 2
Instructors:
Sagan, S. (PI)
;
Weiner, A. (PI)
POLISCI 25N: The US Congress in Historical and Comparative Perspective
This course traces the development of legislatures from their medieval European origins to the present, with primary emphasis on the case of the U.S. Congress. Students will learn about the early role played by assemblies in placing limits on royal power, especially via the power of the purse. About half the course will then turn to a more detailed consideration of the U.S. Congress's contemporary performance, analyzing how that performance is affected by procedural legacies from the past that affect most democratic legislatures worldwide.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Cox, G. (PI)
POLISCI 27N: Thinking Like a Social Scientist
Preference to freshman. This seminar will consider how politics and government can be studied systematically: the compound term Political SCIENCE is not an oxymoron. The seminar will introduce core concepts and explore a variety of methodological approaches. Problems of inference from evidence will be a major concern. Classic and contemporary research studies will be the basis of discussion throughout.
Last offered: Winter 2016
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Filter Results: