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: Aut, Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
POLISCI 31: Democracy and Disagreement (COMM 3, CSRE 31, HISTORY 3C, PHIL 3, PSYCH 31A, PUBLPOL 3, RELIGST 23X, SOC 13)
Each class will be focused on a different topic and have guest speakers. This class will be open to students, faculty and staff to attend and also be recorded. Deep disagreement pervades our democracy, from arguments over immigration, gun control, abortion, and the Middle East crisis, to the function of elite higher education and the value of free speech itself. Loud voices drown out discussion. Open-mindedness and humility seem in short supply among politicians and citizens alike. Yet constructive disagreement is an essential feature of a democratic society. This class explores and models respectful, civil disagreement. Each week features scholars who disagree - sometimes quite strongly - about major policy issues. Students will have the opportunity to probe those disagreements, understand why they persist, and to improve their own understanding of the facts and values that underlie them.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 1
| Repeatable
4 times
(up to 4 units total)
Instructors:
Brest, P. (PI)
;
Satz, D. (PI)
POLISCI 70: Dangerous Ideas (ARTHIST 36, COMPLIT 36A, EALC 36, ENGLISH 71, ETHICSOC 36X, FRENCH 36, HISTORY 3D, MUSIC 36H, PHIL 36, RELIGST 36X, SLAVIC 36, TAPS 36)
Ideas matter. Concepts such as progress, technology, and sex, have inspired social movements, shaped political systems, and dramatically influenced the lives of individuals. Others, like cultural relativism and historical memory, play an important role in contemporary debates in the United States. All of these ideas are contested, and they have a real power to change lives, for better and for worse. In this one-unit class we will examine these "dangerous" ideas. Each week, a faculty member from a different department in the humanities and arts will explore a concept that has shaped human experience across time and space.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 1
| Repeatable
4 times
(up to 4 units total)
Instructors:
Safran, G. (PI)
POLISCI 73: Energy Policy in California and the West (CEE 263G, ENERGY 73, PUBLPOL 73)
This seminar provides an in-depth analysis of the role of California state agencies and Western energy organizations in driving energy policy development, technology innovation, and market structures, in California, the West and internationally. The course covers three areas: 1) roles and responsibilities of key state agencies and Western energy organizations; 2) current and evolving energy and climate policies; and 3) development of the 21st century electricity system in California and the West. The seminar will also provide students a guideline of what to expect in professional working environment.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 1
| Repeatable
2 times
(up to 2 units total)
POLISCI 110D: War and Peace in American Foreign Policy (AMSTUD 110D, INTNLREL 110D, POLISCI 110Y)
The causes of war in American foreign policy. Issues: international and domestic sources of war and peace; war and the American political system; war, intervention, and peace making in the post-Cold War period. Political Science majors taking this course for WIM credit should enroll in
POLISCI 110D for 5 units. International Relations majors taking this course for WIM credit should enroll in
INTNLREL 110D for 5 units. All students not seeking WIM credit should enroll in
POLISCI 110Y or
AMSTUD 110D.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Schultz, K. (PI)
;
Kaufmann, J. (TA)
;
MacDonald, M. (TA)
...
more instructors for POLISCI 110D »
Instructors:
Schultz, K. (PI)
;
Kaufmann, J. (TA)
;
MacDonald, M. (TA)
;
Scott, E. (TA)
;
Tchaouchev, D. (TA)
POLISCI 110Y: War and Peace in American Foreign Policy (AMSTUD 110D, INTNLREL 110D, POLISCI 110D)
The causes of war in American foreign policy. Issues: international and domestic sources of war and peace; war and the American political system; war, intervention, and peace making in the post-Cold War period. Political Science majors taking this course for WIM credit should enroll in
POLISCI 110D for 5 units. International Relations majors taking this course for WIM credit should enroll in
INTNLREL 110D for 5 units. All students not seeking WIM credit should enroll in
POLISCI 110Y or
AMSTUD 110D.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Schultz, K. (PI)
;
Kaufmann, J. (TA)
;
MacDonald, M. (TA)
...
more instructors for POLISCI 110Y »
Instructors:
Schultz, K. (PI)
;
Kaufmann, J. (TA)
;
MacDonald, M. (TA)
;
Scott, E. (TA)
;
Tchaouchev, D. (TA)
POLISCI 120C: American Political Institutions in Uncertain Times (PUBLPOL 124)
This course examines how the rules that govern elections and the policy process determine political outcomes. It explores the historical forces that have shaped American political institutions, contemporary challenges to governing, and prospects for change. Topics covered include partisan polarization and legislative gridlock, the politicization of the courts, electoral institutions and voting rights, the expansion of presidential power, campaign finance and lobbying, representational biases among elected officials, and the role of political institutions in maintaining the rule of law. Throughout, emphasis will be placed on the strategic interactions between Congress, the presidency, and the courts and the importance of informal norms and political culture. Political Science majors taking this course to fulfill the WIM requirement should enroll in
POLISCI 120C.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
POLISCI 130: Liberalism and its Critics (ETHICSOC 130, PHIL 171P)
In this course, students will learn and engage with the core debates that have animated political theory in modern times. What is the proper relationship between the individual, the community, and the state? Are liberty and equality in conflict, and, if so, which should take priority? What does justice mean in a large and diverse modern society? The title of the course, borrowed from a book by Michael Sandel, is 'Liberalism and its Critics' because the questions we discuss in this class center on the meaning of, and alternatives to, the liberal ideas that the basic goal of society should be the protection of individual rights and that some form of an egalitarian democracy is the best way to achieve this goal. The course is structured around two historical phenomena: one the one hand, liberal answers to these key questions have at times seemed politically and socially triumphant, but on the other hand, this ascendency has always been challenged and contested. At least one prior class in political theory, such as Justice (PS 103), Citizenship in the 21st Century (
College 102), or Democratic Theory (PS 234) is recommended but not required.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER
POLISCI 131L: Modern Political Thought: Machiavelli to Marx and Mill (ETHICSOC 131S)
This course is an introduction to the history of Western political thought from the late fifteenth century through the nineteenth century. We will consider the secularization of politics, the changing relationship between the individual and society, the rise of consent-based forms of political authority, and the development and critiques of liberal conceptions of property. We will cover the following thinkers: Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Wollstonecraft, Mill, and Marx.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-ER, GER:EC-EthicReas
POLISCI 134P: Contemporary Moral Problems (ETHICSOC 185M, PHIL 72)
In this course, we will discuss the body as a site of moral and political conflict. Here are a few of the questions that will be explored: People are encouraged to become kidney donors, but we still don't have enough kidneys for everybody who needs one. Should you be allowed to sell a kidney? Suppose Robert is dying of a rare disease and the only thing that could save his life is a bone marrow transplant from his cousin David, but David doesn't want to donate. Should we force him to "donate"? Some people say a woman should be free to make abortion decisions on whatever grounds she wants, including prenatal genetic testing for conditions like Down syndrome; others condemn such selective abortion as an unacceptable form of eugenics. What genetic testing information, if any, should be allowed to influence a woman's decision about whether to terminate a pregnancy? In addition to these normative questions, we will also study related questions in constitutional law. When the Supreme Court decided that abortion was a constitutional right in Roe v. Wade, on what legal reasoning did they base their decision? When they decided to overturn Roe in the recent Dobbs v. Jackson, what legal reasoning did they use then? How will Dobbs affect other (current) constitutional rights?
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4-5
| UG Reqs: GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-ER
Instructors:
Mapps, M. (PI)
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