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, Win
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
POLISCI 21N: Conflict and Climate Change
This course explores whether and how climate change might 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 migration in response to economic hardship or rising sea levels bring people into conflict? 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. Students will also gain familiarity with some of the methods that political scientists use to explore these issues systematically.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Schultz, K. (PI)
POLISCI 34N: Nationalism (GLOBAL 34N)
SU Intro Seminar - Freshman. Nationalist platforms have been on the rise for years across the globe. The success of nationalist parties and candidates is often accompanied by backlash against outgroups, from immigrants to religious and ethnic minorities. Nationalism often leads people to act against their material interest, from voting against economic policies that would improve their standing, to undertaking extreme actions like self-sacrifice. Why is nationalism such a dominant force in today's world? And why is it such a powerful driver of human behavior? In this course, we will explore this question through a broad interdisciplinary lens, drawing lessons from the social sciences and history. We will ask what national identity is, where it comes from and why it has such appeal for humans. We will go back to the roots of nationalism in early modern Europe in order to understand the historical origin of national identities. And we will try to identify the forces that drive the rise in right-wing nationalism today, by exploring a number of country cases across the world.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Fouka, V. (PI)
POLISCI 79: Security Issues in the Middle East
Security Issues in the Middle East introduces political science students to the main geopolitical and security issues facing the contemporary Middle East. We survey some of the main actors in the region today, the challenges to external and internal political stability they encounter, and the role of political Islam in shaping these processes. The course will explore non-Arab countries, including Turkey, Iran, and Israel, as well as Arab actors, including Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The Palestinians, Saudia Arabia, and Yemen.
Terms: Win
| Units: 1
Instructors:
Rabinowitz Batz, O. (PI)
POLISCI 110C: America and the World Economy (AMSTUD 110C, INTNLREL 110C)
Examination of contemporary US foreign economic policy. Areas studied: the changing role of the dollar; mechanism of international monetary management; recent crises in world markets including those in Europe and Asia; role of IMF, World Bank and WTO in stabilizing world economy; trade politics and policies; the effects of the globalization of business on future US prosperity. Political Science majors taking this course for WIM credit should enroll in
POLISCI 110C.
Terms: Win
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI, GER:DB-SocSci
Instructors:
Goldstein, J. (PI)
POLISCI 110X: America and the World Economy Non-WIM
This is the NON-WIM version of the course. Examination of contemporary US foreign economic policy. Areas studied: the changing role of the dollar; mechanism of international monetary management; recent crises in world markets including those in Europe and Asia; role of IMF, World Bank and WTO in stabilizing world economy; trade politics and policies; the effects of the globalization of business on future US prosperity. Political Science majors taking this course for WIM credit should enroll in
POLISCI 110C.
Terms: Win
| Units: 5
Instructors:
Goldstein, J. (PI)
POLISCI 114S: International Security in a Changing World (INTNLREL 114S)
International Security in a Changing World examines some of the most pressing international security problems facing the world today: nuclear weapons, the rise of China, the war in Ukraine, terrorism, and climate change. Alternative perspectives - from political science, history, and STS (Science, Technology, and Society) studies - are used to analyze these problems. The class includes an award-winning two-day international negotiation simulation.
Terms: Win
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI, GER:EC-GlobalCom
POLISCI 116M: Global Futures: History, Statecraft, Systems (HISTORY 105F, INTLPOL 222, POLISCI 316M)
Where does the future come from? It comes from the past, of course, but how? What are the key drivers of continuity or change, and how can we trace those drivers going forward, too? What are the roles of contingency, chance, and choice, versus long-term underlying structure? How can people, from whatever walk of life, identify and utilize levers of power to ty to shift the larger system? What is a system, and how do systems behave? To answer these questions and analyze how today's world came into being and where it might be headed, this course explores geopolitics and geoeconomics, institutions and technologies, citizenship and leadership. We examine how our world works to understand the limits but also the possibilities of individual and collective agency, the phenomenon of perverse and unintended consequences, and ultimately, the nature of power. Our goal is to investigate not just how to conceive of a smart policy, but how its implementation might unfold. In sum, this course aims to combine strategic analysis and tactical agility.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Kotkin, S. (PI)
;
Rice, C. (PI)
POLISCI 132A: The Ethics of Elections (ETHICSOC 134R)
Do you have a duty to vote? Should immigrants be allowed to vote? Should we make voting mandatory? How (if at all) should we regulate campaign finance? Should we even have elections at all? In this course, we will explore these and other ethical questions related to electoral participation and the design of electoral institutions. We will evaluate arguments from political philosophers, political scientists, and politicians to better understand how electoral systems promote important democratic values and how this affects citizens' and political leaders' ethical obligations. We will focus, in particular, on issues in electoral design that have been relevant in recent US elections (e.g. gerrymandering), though many of the ethical issues we will discuss in this course will be relevant in any electoral democracy.
Terms: Win
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER
Instructors:
Chapman, E. (PI)
POLISCI 148: Chinese Politics (INTNLREL 158, POLISCI 348)
China, one of the few remaining communist states in the world, has not only survived, but has become a global political actor of consequence with the fastest growing economy in the world. Why has the CCP thrived while other communist regimes have failed? What explains China's authoritarian resilience? What are the limits to such resilience? How has the Chinese Communist Party managed to develop markets and yet keep itself in power? How does censorship work in the information and 'connected' age of social media? How resilient is the party state in the face of technological and economic change? Materials will include readings, lectures, and selected films. This course has no prerequisites. This course fulfills the Writing in the Major requirement for Political Science and International Relations undergraduate majors. PoliSci majors should register for
POLISCI 148 and IR majors should register for
INTNLREL 158. Graduate students should register for
POLISCI 348.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: GER:EC-GlobalCom, GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Oi, J. (PI)
Filter Results: