printer friendly pagePOLISCI 1: The Science of Politics
Why do countries go to war? How do social identities - including race, ethnicity, and gender - shape individuals' political behavior? How can we explain variation in rates of poverty and inequality? How does political representation differ across different electoral systems? How do attitudes towards immigrants influence immigration policy? We will use the tools of political science to investigate some of these basic questions of governance and 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 31: Democracy and Disagreement (COMM 3, CSRE 31, HISTORY 3C, PHIL 3, PSYCH 31A, PUBLPOL 3, RELIGST 23X, SOC 13)
Deep disagreement pervades our democracy, from arguments over issues ranging from foreign policy, free speech, and reparations to college admissions policy and the professionalization of college athletics. Loud voices drown out discussion. Open-mindedness, humility, and critical thinking seem in short supply among politicians, citizens, and other residents 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 improve their own understanding of the facts and values that underlie them. The course may be taken for one or two units. The basic, one-unit class is open to all Stanford students, with other members of the Stanford community welcome to audit individual classes. The requirements are to do readin
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Deep disagreement pervades our democracy, from arguments over issues ranging from foreign policy, free speech, and reparations to college admissions policy and the professionalization of college athletics. Loud voices drown out discussion. Open-mindedness, humility, and critical thinking seem in short supply among politicians, citizens, and other residents 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 improve their own understanding of the facts and values that underlie them. The course may be taken for one or two units. The basic, one-unit class is open to all Stanford students, with other members of the Stanford community welcome to audit individual classes. The requirements are to do readings in advance of each class, attend, and listen attentively and critically. Because the topics are different, students who took the course in 2023-24 may enroll this year as well. A limited number of undergraduates may take a second unit of credit. Students enrolled in the two unit course will participate in weekly small group discussion seminars about the topics discussed by guest presenters in the course that week. The discussion seminars will be led by peer facilitators, with the goals of developing critical thinking skills and discourse skills, such as active listening and curiosity. The peer facilitators are undergraduate students who have completed training in dialogue facilitation. Each discussion seminar will have a maximum of 10 students. If interest in discussion seminars exceeds the number offered, students will be chosen by lottery.
Terms: Win
| Units: 1-2
| Repeatable
4 times
(up to 8 units total)
Instructors:
Brest, P. (PI)
;
Satz, D. (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
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
POLISCI 113: Understanding Russia: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order (INTLPOL 231B, INTNLREL 131, REES 231B)
Russia presents a puzzle for theories of socio-economic development and modernization and their relationship to state power in international politics. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 brought into being the new Russia (or Russian Federation) as its successor in international politics. Russia suffered one of the worst recessions and experienced 25 years of halting reform. Despite these issues, Russia is again a central player in international affairs. Course analyzes motivations behind contemporary Russian foreign policy by reviewing its domestic and economic underpinnings. Examination of concept of state power in international politics to assess Russia's capabilities to influence other states' policies, and under what conditions its leaders use these resources. Is contemporary Russia strong or weak? What are the resources and constraints its projection of power beyond its borders? What are the determinants of state power in international politics in the twenty-first century? This course is a combination of a lecture and discussion, and will include lectures, readings, class discussions, films and documentaries.
Terms: Win
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Stoner, K. (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
Instructors:
Mastro, O. (PI)
;
Rand, L. (PI)
;
Materna, M. (TA)
...
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Instructors:
Mastro, O. (PI)
;
Rand, L. (PI)
;
Materna, M. (TA)
;
Pumerantz, A. (TA)
;
Yeager, J. (TA)
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
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