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:
Grimmer, J. (PI)
;
Rodden, J. (PI)
;
Schultz, K. (PI)
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Instructors:
Grimmer, J. (PI)
;
Rodden, J. (PI)
;
Schultz, K. (PI)
;
Weinstein, J. (PI)
;
Allie, F. (TA)
;
Fanlo, A. (TA)
;
Lueders, H. (TA)
;
Myrick, R. (TA)
;
Parreira, C. (TA)
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: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Lipscy, P. (PI)
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 22SI: Issues in American Politics and Public Policy
This course, administered in conjunction with Stanford in Government, will explore prominent contemporary issues in American politics and public policy. It will consist of eight guest lectures by Stanford professors, visiting scholars, and practitioners on salient public policy topics, and student-led discussion in non-lecture weeks. Grading will be on a satisfactory/no-credit basis, and to receive credit a student must attend at least eight of the ten total class sessions.
Terms: Win, Spr
| Units: 1
Instructors:
Diamond, L. (PI)
;
Reich, R. (PI)
POLISCI 24SI: Deliberative Discussions (ETHICSOC 24SI)
As America has polarized so too has Stanford. In response, Deliberative Discussions - spurred at the initiative of the ASSU Undergraduate Senate - aims to help depolarize our campus by offering the opportunity for students of different backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences to meet regularly over weekly dinners and share in a process of mutual exchange. Deliberative Discussions is unique in its recognition that six essential elements - community, conversation, continuity, inclusion, equality, and accountability - are vital for fostering meaningful dialogue and impactful respectful discourse about difficult campus and global topics. Rooted in the understanding that polarization can consist of both ideological and social distance, Deliberative Discussions strives to reduce social distance between communities at Stanford and build the sort of understanding that separates dislike from disagreement. Participants will learn about and from one another as they acquire skills and tools that will help them to transform contentious debates into meaningful exchange. Enrolled students will be split into two deliberative groups of ten students each meeting once per week for dinner over Spring Quarter, limiting total enrollment to twenty students. To apply, email Matthew Wigler (mwigler@stanford.edu) before March 26, 2019 at 5:00PST.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 1
Instructors:
Bendor, J. (PI)
;
Martinez, J. (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.
Last offered: Winter 2018
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
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
POLISCI 28N: The Changing Nature of Racial Identity in American Politics
Almost one-third of Americans now identify with a racial/ethnic minority group. This seminar examines the relationship between racial identity, group consciousness, and public opinion. Topics include the role of government institutions in shaping identification, challenges in defining and measuring race, attitudes towards race-based policies, and the development of political solidarity within racial groups. Particular attention will be paid to the construction of political identities among the growing mixed-race population.
Last offered: Autumn 2013
| UG Reqs: WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
POLISCI 29N: Mixed-Race Politics and Culture (AFRICAAM 52N, ENGLISH 52N)
Today, almost one-third of Americans identify with a racial/ethnic minority group, and more than 9 million Americans identify with multiple races. What are the implications of such diversity for American politics and culture? In this course, we approach issues of race from an interdisciplinary perspective, employing research in the social sciences and humanities to assess how race shapes perceptions of identity as well as political behavior in 21st century U.S. We will examine issues surrounding the role of multiculturalism, immigration, acculturation, racial representation and racial prejudice in American society. Topics we will explore include the political and social formation of "race"; racial representation in the media, arts, and popular culture; the rise and decline of the "one-drop rule" and its effect on political and cultural attachments; the politicization of Census categories and the rise of the Multiracial Movement.
Last offered: Winter 2017
| UG Reqs: WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
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