printer friendly pagePOLISCI 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
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Units: 3
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UG Reqs: WAY-SI
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Grading: Letter or Credit/No Credit
Instructors:
Ehrlich, T. (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.
Terms: not given this year, last offered Winter 2018
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Units: 3
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UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
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Grading: Letter or Credit/No Credit
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.
Terms: not given this year, last offered Winter 2016
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Units: 3
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UG Reqs: WAY-SI
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Grading: Letter (ABCD/NP)
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.
Terms: not given this year, last offered Autumn 2013
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Units: 3
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UG Reqs: WAY-ED, WAY-SI
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Grading: Letter or Credit/No Credit
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.
Terms: not given this year, last offered Winter 2017
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Units: 3
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UG Reqs: WAY-ED, WAY-SI
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Grading: Letter (ABCD/NP)
POLISCI 31Q: Justice and Cities
Cities have most often been where struggles for social justice happen, where injustice is most glaring and where new or renewed visions of just communities are developed and tested. What makes a city just or unjust? How have people tried to make cities more just? Why have these efforts succeeded or failed? Each of our sessions will focus on questions like these and include a case study of a particular city, largely with a focus on the United States, including very local cases like San Francisco, Palo Alto and East Palo Alto. The central goal of this class is for you to gain an understanding of the roles of urban design and urban policies in making cities just or unjust places. You will critically engage with some of the debates on cities and justice and gain experience connecting theoretical debates about justice and democracy to empirical data and contemporary work on city design, planning, and policies through readings, our class discussions, and a sustained research project looking a particular city in depth.
Terms: Win
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Units: 3
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UG Reqs: WAY-SI
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Grading: Letter or Credit/No Credit
Instructors:
Coyne, B. (PI)
POLISCI 43Q: Immigration Crisis? Policy Dilemmas in the US and Europe
Immigration is a hotly contested social, economic, and political phenomenon in countries throughout the world. People migrate for many reasons, including the desire to start careers, reunite families, and escape oppression. While each story of migration is unique, migration in the modern world has certain commonalities, and these patterns often manifest as political conflict. Labor migration promises economic productivity and efficiency but may threaten existing labor protections and social welfare guarantees to natives. Facilitating migration from failed nation-states may protect the human rights of migrants but introduce security concerns. In the 21st century, the world has witnessed political violence¿by natives and migrants, both first and second generations¿including the September 11th attacks, the London bombings, the mass killings in Norway, and the Paris attacks. How can policymakers harness the promises of immigration without succumbing to its pitfalls? Why do some countries r
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Immigration is a hotly contested social, economic, and political phenomenon in countries throughout the world. People migrate for many reasons, including the desire to start careers, reunite families, and escape oppression. While each story of migration is unique, migration in the modern world has certain commonalities, and these patterns often manifest as political conflict. Labor migration promises economic productivity and efficiency but may threaten existing labor protections and social welfare guarantees to natives. Facilitating migration from failed nation-states may protect the human rights of migrants but introduce security concerns. In the 21st century, the world has witnessed political violence¿by natives and migrants, both first and second generations¿including the September 11th attacks, the London bombings, the mass killings in Norway, and the Paris attacks. How can policymakers harness the promises of immigration without succumbing to its pitfalls? Why do some countries respond so differently than others in similar circumstances? When does the meaning of citizenship evolve and when does it stay the same? What lessons do other countries have for the United States as it considers immigration reform? n n This course is designed to provide students with an overview of immigration law and politics in the United States and other countries, particularly in the European Union. Students will develop the necessary tools to critically analyze immigration policies, starting with the historical evolution of immigration policy in the United States. We will visit Angel Island and discuss the legacy of the Chinese Exclusion Act as well as contemporary immigration politics in San Francisco, a so-called ¿sanctuary city¿ for undocumented immigrants. There will also be a screening on La Haine (Hate), an acclaimed French film which chronicles the challenges of immigrant integration. Students will study the economics of immigration and the politics of refugees in the context of post-9/11 security dilemmas. Students will design a concrete immigration policy proposal.
Terms: not given this year, last offered Spring 2017
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Units: 3
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UG Reqs: WAY-ED, WAY-SI
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Grading: Letter (ABCD/NP)
POLISCI 49N: Dictators
This course explores how dictators perpetuate their rule through the use of ideology, coercion and political institutions. We will examine existing typologies of authoritarian rule and investigate examples of dictatorship from across the world, both contemporary and historical. Using works of fiction in addition to historical and political science texts, we will consider why some people resist authoritarian rule while others do not and the conditions under which dictators are overthrown.
Terms: not given this year
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Units: 3
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UG Reqs: WAY-SI
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Grading: Letter (ABCD/NP)
POLISCI 101: Introduction to International Relations
The course provides an introduction to major factors shaping contemporary international politics, including: the origins and nature of nationalism; explanations for war; nuclear weapons and their impact of international politics; international implications of the rise of China; civil war and international peacekeeping since the end of the Cold War; understanding international institutions and how they facilitate interstate cooperation despite anarchy; and the politics of international environmental treaties.
Terms: Aut
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Units: 5
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UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-AQR, WAY-SI
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Grading: Letter or Credit/No Credit
POLISCI 101Z: Introduction to International Relations (INTNLREL 101Z)
Approaches to the study of conflict and cooperation in world affairs. Applications to war, terrorism, trade policy, the environment, and world poverty. Debates about the ethics of war and the global distribution of wealth.
Terms: Sum
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Units: 4
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UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
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Grading: Letter or Credit/No Credit
Instructors:
Tomz, M. (PI)
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