111 - 120 of 323 results for: POLISCI

This course offers an introduction to major topics in the study of historical and contemporary Europe. We focus on European politics, economics and culture. First, we study what makes Europe special, and how its distinct identity has been influenced by its history. Next, we analyze Europe's politics. We study parliamentary government and proportional representation electoral systems, and how they affect policy. Subsequently, we examine the challenges the European economy faces. We further study the European Union and transatlantic relations.

This seminar examines recent policy from Bush to Obama in the context of two classic traditions: Wilsonianism vs. Realism. What is the role of the international system, what is the weight of domestic forces like ideology, history and identity? Prerequisite: junior or senior standing.

This seminar will examine the complexities and trade offs involved in foreign policy decision-making at the end of the twentieth century and the dawn of the post-9/11 era. Students will analyze dilemmas confronting policymakers through case studies including post-conflict reconstruction and state-building, nuclear proliferation, democratization and peace negotiation. The seminar will conclude with a 48-hour crisis simulation. For advanced undergraduates and graduate students. Application for enrollment required. Applications will be available for pick up in Political Science Department (Encina West 100) starting late-October.

What is ethnic violence and why does it occur? Should elite machinations, the psychology of crowds, or historical hatreds be blamed? Case studies and theoretical work on the sources and nature of ethnic violence. Counts as Writing in the Major for PoliSci majors.

The Middle East is known to be a volatile region, characterized by political violence, armed conflicts, and social instabilities. This volatility is of relevance for many countries including the US with its invested interests in the region and Israel that exists at the heart of the region, and along with its conflict with the Palestinians is considered to be one of the root causes of this volatility. Moreover, the volatility brings into encounter two kinds of collective goods: democracy and security. Their encounter in a conflictual and unstable environment raises a host of questions and dilemmas, both moral and practical: should we balance democracy and security and if so how? Can the two be accommodated at all? Does democracy is better or worse in addressing security problems? Does democracy and security constitute each other conceptually? Do democratic states tend to cooperate with each other when confronting security issues? And what about democratization: how good a ca use is it as a foreign policy? How good a cause is it in justifying war and/or not ending one? From its establishment the State of Israel found itself torn by these and others related questions and the recent decades saw the US drawn by these dilemmas as well (think of the Bybee Memo and the Patriot acts). In the course we will introduce these dilemmas, analyze them and examine different normative and policy answers that were discussed in academia and in the policy world.

Why do states develop nuclear weapons and why do some states, that have the technological capacity to build nuclear weapons, refrain from doing so? What are the strategic consequences of new states deploying nuclear weapons? What is the relationship between the spread of nuclear energy and the spread of nuclear weapons? We will study the political science and history literature on these topics. Research paper required.

How and when can external actors (others states, aid agencies, NGOs?) promote institutional change in weak and badly governed states?

During the Cold War two highly armed military blocs confronted each other in the center of Europe. What role did they play in the Cold War? How dangerous was their confrontation? This seminar will use archival materials from Britain, France, Germany, the Soviet Union to explore the US-Soviet rivalry in Europe, the politics of the two alliances, the role of nuclear weapons, the crises that took place, and the ending of the Cold War in Europe.

Prerequisite: HISTORY 231A/431A. During the Cold War two highly armed military blocs confronted each other in the center of Europe. What role did they play in the Cold War? How dangerous was their confrontation? This seminar will use archival materials from Britain, France, Germany, the Soviet Union to explore the US-Soviet rivalry in Europe, the politics of the two alliances, the role of nuclear weapons, the crises that took place, and the ending of the Cold War in Europe.