Bard College Catalogue 2009-2010
2009-2010

Political Studies

http://politicalstudies.bard.edu

Faculty

Overview

Politics can be understood in many ways: as a struggle for power over other people and nations, or for freedom from control; as a social process that determines who has what kinds of authority; as a series of conversations or disputations about what counts as a “public problem” and how to address public problems; or as an art or science of institutional design, especially the design of governments.
However it is defined, politics matters. Political outcomes shape the choices we can make as individuals, and the fates of communities and nations. The Political Studies Program at Bard welcomes students who care about politics and want to reason critically about political outcomes and debates. The program intends to inform responsible participation in American and global public affairs. It also prepares students for work and/or further study in political science, international affairs, public policy, law, cultural studies, and related fields.

Areas of Study

At Bard, four broad clusters of political studies are identified: political theory, American politics, comparative politics, and international relations. The clusters necessarily overlap one another and other fields. Students are encouraged to combine courses in political studies with relevant courses in other disciplines, for example, history, economics, sociology, and literature.

Requirements

Prior to Moderation a student ordinarily should have taken at least four courses in the program. Depending on a student’s focus or interest, one course from another program may be counted toward this requirement. The courses in political studies must fall into at least two of the four clusters. Students must take one of the program’s required core courses, Introduction to Political Thinking and Introduction to Comparative Government.

In the junior year the student takes at least one 300-level course designed as preparation for the independent research and writing of a Senior Project. Students take at least two other courses in the program in the Upper College.

Recent Senior Projects in Political Studies:

“Harnessing Islam: Corporatism and Democracy in Modern Turkey”
“Legislation to Radicalization: An Analysis of the Effect of September 11th on U.S. Domestic Terrorism Policy”
“Serbia and Croatia at the Crossroads: Prospects and Implications of E.U. Membership”
“Sin Maíz No Hay País: Campesino Agriculture and Food Politics in Oaxaca, Mexico”

Courses

In addition to the courses described below, the following tutorials have been offered in recent years: Globalization and the Environment, Heidegger and the Law, Historical Roots of Islamic Nationalism, Intelligence and American Politics, Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil, Reading Marx, Texts and Pretexts in American War Rationales, and Women and the Law.

International Relations
Political Studies 104
cross-listed: gis, human rights
This course provides students with an understanding of the hows and whys of state how foreign policy is made; international organizations; and some of the “hot” issues in the world today—terrorism, preventive war, globalization, and the spread of democracy. Authors read include Thucydides, Morgenthau, Russett, Huntington, and Mearsheimer, among many others.

Introduction to Comparative Government
Political Studies 105
The intellectual premise of comparative politics is that we can better understand the politics of almost any country by placing it in its larger, global context. This perspective allows us to address some of the most fundamental questions of politics. Students examine not only the key institutions of liberal democracies, but also democracies constructed after dictatorships (Germany, Japan) and federalism as an emerging trend in contemporary regional politics.

Introduction to Political Thinking
Political Studies 115
cross-listed: human rights
This course examines politics through a core body of writings. It takes a comparative look at texts from diverse historical eras and reflects critically on different ways of thinking about political concepts such as justice, democracy, authority, and “the political.” Students reconstruct (and perhaps deconstruct) key strategic alternatives to such enduring questions as the relationship between the state and the individual, the conditions for peaceful political order, and the relationship between political action, intellectual contemplation, and morality.

American Politics: Issues and Institutions
Political Studies 122
cross-listed: american studies
This course introduces students to the basic institutions and processes of American government. The class is meant to provide students with a grasp of the fundamental dynamics of American politics and the skills to be an effective participant in and critic of the political process. Students examine how the government works, interpret current political developments and debates, and consider how to influence the government at various levels.

Western European Politics and Society
Political Studies 125
The United States often figures as the implicit model for its citizens’ thinking about what a relatively prosperous, industrialized, democratic country can or should be like. This course challenges that “U.S.-centric” perspective by examining the politics, policies, and institutions of Western European countries, focusing primarily on Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden from World War II to the present.

Introduction to Chinese Politics
Political Studies 130
cross-listed: asian studies, gis, human rights
A broad introduction to the politics of contemporary China and Taiwan. After providing some background on the Imperial and Republican periods and the development of the Communist Revolution, it focuses on some of the major political events on both sides of the Taiwan straits, such as the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the Tiananmen uprising. It also discusses popular participation and elite control in contemporary politics and considers comparative issues, including economic development, human rights, and the potential for democracy.

Theories and Practices of Development
Political Studies 135
This course provides an overview of the theories and practices of development and globalization. By reviewing key concepts such as colonialism, cold war, dependency theory, state-led development, and neoliberalism, it explores ways in which development has been conceptualized, defined, and practiced for more than three centuries. It also examines the effects of development and globalization on the Third World. In particular, it focuses on the social dimension: freedom, inequality, exclusion, human rights, and environmental degradation.

Latin American Politics and Society
Political Studies 153
cross-listed: gis, lais
An examination of political life in Latin America in the postcolonial period. The entire region is covered, but the most representative countries are emphasized: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, and Venezuela. The overarching purpose of the course is to understand change and continuity in this region, with an emphasis on the historical development of institutions and political actors in Latin America and the variety of theoretical frameworks that scholars have constructed to understand the dynamics of political development throughout the region.

U.S.–Latin American Relations
Political Studies 214
cross-listed: american studies, gis, human rights, lais
A comprehensive overview of the relationships between the United States and the nations of Latin America, how they were affected by historical and ideological events, and what possibilities exist for the future. The course provides a historical overview of the events that shaped U.S.–Latin American relations; an examination of the principal issues that currently dominate the relations between the United States and its southern neighbors; and a close look at the relationships between the United States and Cuba, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Theories of the Self, Gender, and Antiracism
Political Studies 218
cross-listed: gss, human right, sre
This course reviews competing ways of understanding the self, from Freud’s still controversial “psychoanalytic” approach to the more socially oriented perspectives of Goffman, Foucault, and Althusser. It also explores contemporary issues of gender, sexuality, and race, and how current thinking and practices of contestation continue to be informed by the major approaches to theorizing about the self.

Politics of Civil Wars
Political Studies 219
cross-listed: human rights
Internal armed conflicts are a major part of contemporary world politics, occurring far more frequently than interstate wars. These conflicts are not all the same, and the same conflict can have many layers. This course focuses on a few Asian cases—Burma, northeast India, southern Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Tibet. Readings include texts that introduce students to the theoretical literature.

Dependency, Development, and Democracy: Latin American Political Economy
Political Studies 222
cross-listed: gis, human rights, lais
The course considers the political consequences of a variety of economic models implemented in Latin America since the colonial period; examines several explanations that account for conditions of economic underdevelopment; and reviews contemporary developments in Latin American political economy, such as economic integration and the role of the United States and international financial organizations in the economic life of Latin American nations. Prerequisite: some social science background on Latin America.

The Rhetoric of Politics
Political Studies 223
Students explore political life as structured by rhetorical techniques that determine who counts as a viable member of the political community, who is excluded from it, and what sorts of conversations count as properly political. They examine the political consequences of particularly powerful—but not always conspicuous—rhetorical techniques. Finally, they consider which types of rhetoric effectively galvanize political activism, and which types lead merely to a self-satisfied good conscience.

Russian and Eastern European Politics and Society
Political Studies 228
cross-listed: gis, human rights, res
This course examines the monumental political, social, and economic changes that have swept Russia and Eastern Europe since 1985. It addresses a broad range of questions: Why did communism collapse? Why did some countries experience peaceful political transitions and others violence? What role did the United States play in the apparent failure of Russia’s transition? Students investigate political, social, and economic structures; the mass media; legal systems; and societal attitudes, through academic books and articles, literature, film, and speeches and writings of political figures.

The Modern American Presidency
Political Studies 235
cross-listed: american studies
An introduction to the office of the presidency and, more generally, to the major dynamics affecting American politics today. The class examines the 2000 presidential election in search of deeper historical patterns concerning the transformation of dominant issues, party coalitions, and the institutional capacities of the presidency. Particular attention is paid to the struggles and crises that have led to the enlargement and contraction of presidential power.

The United Nations and Model UN
Political Studies 239
cross-listed: gis, human rights
The first part of this course explores the history of the United Nations, providing an introduction to its structure and principal aims. It examines the role of specialized agencies and how alliances impact on the UN’s day-to-day operations. The second part of the course focuses on an assigned country whose history, politics, and economics are studied. The course concludes with the writing of “position papers” that reflect that country’s approach to issues confronting the UN. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

U.S.–East Asian Relations
Political Studies 240
cross-listed: american studies, asian studies, gis
An overview of foreign relations between the United States and the nations of East Asia, starting with their historical evolution and ending with a look at the region today. Topics include the imperialism of the 19th and 20th centuries, the origins and revolutionary consequences of World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, normalization of relations between the United States and China, and contemporary issues and problems in U.S.–East Asian relations.

Public Opinion, Political Participation, and Democracy in America
Political Studies 245
cross-listed: american studies
Many political observers and players make sweeping claims about what Americans want, how they think, and to what extent they live up to ideals of citizenship. This course looks closely at what we know about the American people’s political and social beliefs and their political participation in all its various forms. Topics include public opinion polls, people’s voting decisions, the scope of citizen political activism, and fundamental attitudes toward government—and what they mean for the future of American democracy.

American Foreign Policy Traditions I
Political Studies 247
cross-listed: gis
An introduction to the history of American foreign policy and to the connections between foreign policy and domestic policy that have developed throughout the course of American history. Students review the principal geopolitical, economic, and ideological pillars that have shaped American strategic thought. Particular attention is devoted to how popular religious, cultural, and political movements have attempted to influence American foreign policy, including antiwar movements. In the context of the course, students read key documents that have defined American foreign policy.

Introduction to Quantitative Analysis: How Not to Lie with Statistics
Political Studies 250
cross-listed: eus, gis, social policy
It has been said that “figures never lie, but liars figure,” and in political debates, the incentives to lie with figures are ubiquitous. Political scientists, however, frequently resort to statistical analysis to gain insights into social phenomena and causal relationships. This course cultivates rudiments of statistical analysis, with emphasis upon the ability to interpret and evaluate inferential claims in social science literature.

Introduction to Latin American Politics
Political Studies 253
cross-listed: gis, historical studies, lais
A conceptual and historical introduction to the politics of Latin America. The course focuses on the actors, regimes, and processes that have characterized and structured the region’s political life. Among the topics covered are the widely different political regimes that have marked the 20th-century history of the continent; the return to electoral democracy in the 1980s, and the major sociopolitical shifts that have happened as a consequence; and the political history of some representative countries, including Venezuela under Chávez.

Politics and News Media
Political Studies 256
This seminar addresses the interaction between government and news media, concentrating on the characteristics of different media systems, the role of news media in elections, the impact of news media on the formation of foreign and domestic policy, and recent news media restrictions related to national security concerns. Although the course focuses on contemporary news media in the United States, some attention is devoted to comparisons of media in other countries.

Strategies of Radical Political and Social Change
Political Studies 258
cross-listed: gis
How can we change the political condition of society? Can such change be achieved through force of will, organization, and political strategies, or is long-lasting political change a product of slower transformations of the social fabric? This course examines various strategies designed to trigger and achieve social and political change. Students compare, for example, the guerrilla strategy used historically in Latin America with nonviolent strategies from Gandhi to contemporary civil disobedience.

Spanish Politics: Democracy after Dictatorship
Political Studies 259
cross-listed: gis, lais
During the 20th century, Spain went from anarchist politics, civil war, and fascist uprising to an emblem of right-wing authoritarianism, and finally to a stunning case of “Third Wave” democratization by the late 1970s. This course considers this series of political transformations and what they teach us about the domestic and international factors that condition political development in general and the rise of democracy in particular.

Environmental Politics in the United States
Political Studies 260
cross-listed: american studies, eus, social policy
Environmental politics involves many crucial themes in American politics. This course considers how government regulation works and fails to work, how competing interests and values shape policy outcomes, how policymakers grapple with (or evade) complex technical issues, and such topics as toxic waste, environmental justice, climate change, wilderness conservation, endangered species protection, and related issues.

Development for Empowerment
Political Studies 261
cross-listed: gis, human rights
Development is a historically constructed concept, and appears inevitable to most people. This course questions this inevitability, and critically examines how and why development is advocated, planned, and implemented. In particular, it focuses on the impact of development on the social dimensions—inequality, injustice, and powerlessness. Students draw upon politics, economics, sociology, anthropology, and history to discuss the problems and prospects of international development.

America and the Arab World
Political Studies 264
cross-listed: gis
This seminar focuses on the complex and contradictory relationship between the United States and the Arab world. Students discuss the creation of Arab nation-states, the pivotal year 1948, Nasserism, the Cold War, the Six-Day War, and the first Gulf War, among other topics. The class then considers challenges to the American role (if any) in the Arab world as well as fundamentalism, terrorism, democratization, trade, the Gulf emirates as liberals, and the war in Iraq.

Congress: Campaigns and Policy Making
Political Studies 265
cross-listed: social policy
By constitutional design, the U.S. Congress is directly accountable to the citizens who elect its members. It is also the least trusted of the major government institutions. Who are the people we choose to make our laws, and why are we so ambivalent about them? This course considers how Congress is organized and how it has changed over time, how it is influenced by various forms of lobbying, and how it interacts with the executive and judicial branches.

Holy War and Sacred Peace: Religious Conflict in the 21st Century
Political Studies 266
cross-listed: human rights
After a century in which religion was widely believed to be fading from international politics, it began playing an increasingly prominent role in world affairs. The “secularization paradigm”—that as countries became more economically advanced they also become more secular in their politics—no longer seems solid. This course examines the rise of new religious and quasireligious movements in the world today, along with the return of religion to the formerly communist world and the revival of apocalyptic thinking and fundamentalism.

The Quest for Justice
Political Studies 267
cross-listed: human rights
Corporate executives hire high-priced lawyers to flout the law with impunity. Indigent defendants are falsely convicted and even executed for crimes they did not commit. This course explores the apparent disconnect between law and justice. Through readings of legal cases as well as political, literary, and philosophical texts, students address the problem of administering justice as it emerges in the context of contemporary legal institutions. Texts include selections from Dostoevsky, Kant, Melville, Plato, and others.

Revenge and the Law
Political Studies 268
cross-listed: human rights
In spite of the best efforts of philosophers, moralists, and jurists to banish it, revenge remains an irrepressible social and legal force. This course asks if revenge can be a just motive for criminal punishment. Students examine the phenomenon of revenge as it has been practiced, imagined, and conceived throughout history. Through a close reading of texts, films, and works of art, they explore why revenge persists as an ideal of justice despite the best efforts of lawyers to banish it.

The Power of Healing: The Politics of Medicine in East Asia
Political Studies 270
cross-listed: asian studies, gis
This course examines the history, culture, and politics of health, disease, and medicine in East Asia. Among the topics considered are the development of East Asian healing traditions; the political conflicts that ensued after the introduction of Western biomedicine to the region; parallel conflicts in the United States over acupuncture and other Asian medical practices; and a variety of contemporary issues in the politics of medicine in East Asia. Course readings are drawn from history, anthropology, sociology, and political science.

American Foreign Policy Traditions II
Political Studies 271
cross-listed: gis
This course is the continuation of Political Studies 247. In the second semester, students continue their study of American foreign policy, covering the period from the Spanish-American War to the present. The course examines how the United States gradually replaced Great Britain at the center of the evolving world order. Prerequisite: Political Studies 247 or its equivalent.

Politics of Globalization
Political Studies 274
cross-listed: gis, human rights
Advocates of free markets see globalization as a positive force that can generate employment and raise world living standards. Critics see it as an excuse for the exploitation of workers and the expropriation of resources of poor countries, environmental degradation, and a host of other ills. This course is framed by the question: What is new about globalization and what is not? Students review earlier historical processes that were global in scope, and explore the causes and consequences of 9/11.

African Politics
Political Studies 276
In what ways have precolonial and colonial historical processes shaped politics in postcolonial Africa? What are the human rights and democracy challenges that postcolonial Africa faces? In response to these and related questions, students explore Africa’s political culture, civil society, and the role of the media in shaping public political opinion. Emphasis is on South Africa, Sudan, Senegal, and Nigeria.

Women and Islam: Politics and Society
Political Studies 277
cross-listed: gis
The position of women in Islam is the subject of ongoing debate in both the Islamic world and the West. However, since 9/11, this debate has found a wider audience. This course examines some of the fundamental laws of Islam and the role and position of women in various Islamic countries. It also considers “Islamic feminism” through women’s art, writings, and political activities.

Government and Politics in South Africa and Zimbabwe
Political Studies 278
cross-listed: africana studies
This course focuses on a comparative study of government and politics in South Africa and Zimbabwe since 1980. It explores the governmental structure, political culture, electoral systems, media, and civil society of the two countries, and reviews the role of historical figures such as Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Pieter Willem Botha, Frederik Willem De Klerk, Robert Mugabe, and others in shaping the politics of South Africa and Zimbabwe.

International Organizations and Domestic Policies
Political Studies 282
cross-listed: gis
This course examines how international organizations such as the World Bank, the United Nations, and large, international nongovernmental organizations seek to influence domestic policy agendas and politics and how domestic political processes, in turn, constrain or respond to international actors. Issues covered in the course range from economic reform to poverty alleviation, human rights, indigenous rights, and the environment.

Rule of the People
Political Studies 310
cross-listed: human rights
Democracy means, more or less, “rule of the people.” Do people rule in the United States? Do people know what they want, and should they get it, or, as H. L. Mencken implied, do they get what they deserve? This course addresses our knowledge about the public’s role in policymaking, and its intellectual and moral competence to make policy. Special attention is paid to racial politics, gender issues, and other controversies that complicate our evaluation of majority rule.

Immigration and Citizenship
Political Studies 311
cross-listed: gis, human rights, sre
This course examines the way that responses to immigration have affected existing policies and practices of citizenship. Studies focus primarily on the post–World War II experience of developed countries and the practical and theoretical issues raised by that experience, such as the challenge of integrating culturally and religiously diverse new social groups of immigrant origin and the ways in which different countries have confronted this task. Topics include multiculturalism, minority rights, visions of state and nationhood, and alien voting rights.

The Spread of Democracy
Political Studies 320
cross-listed: gis, human rights, lais
Since the mid-1970s, more than 40 nations in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia have exited authoritarian rule and inaugurated democratic government, occasioning a global democratic revolution of unprecedented proportions. What accounts for the triumphant rise of democracy at the end of the 20th century? And what are the prospects for democratic consolidation among fledgling democracies? These questions provide the anchor for this seminar. Cases covered include Spain, Argentina, Russia, and South Africa.

America’s Role in the World: Topics in Contemporary American Foreign Policy
Political Studies 322
This research seminar is open to students who have completed an introductory course in American foreign policy. It focuses on conveying the overall nature of U.S. global foreign policy while challenging students to gain an in-depth knowledge of one major contemporary policy issue. Students review background works in American foreign policy theory and strategy, and conduct a systematic study of world and American news, with a consideration of how the news media affect foreign policy.

American Politics Seminar: Religion and Politics
Political Studies 327
cross-listed: american studies, religion
This course illustrates the application of various research methods to a major theme in American politics: the impact of religious identities, movements, and divides—including the apparent contemporary cleavage between religious and secular Americans. Topics include the role of religious beliefs and institutions in major social movements and contemporary debates about the proper relationship between church and state. Texts include portions of George Lakoff’s Moral Politics, James Morone’s Hellfire Nation, Pat Robertson’s The New World Order, and others.

Popular Protest in the Modern World
Political Studies 329
cross-listed: asian studies
What moves people to take to the streets to protest injustice, or risk their lives for political change? This seminar examines the major social science theories about protest movements, social movements, rebellions, and revolutions. It provides an overview of the historical development of this school of social science theory, and reviews texts drawn from the leading theoretical approaches employed by contemporary scholars.

The Politics of Democratization
Political Studies 330
cross-listed: gis, human rights
The American invasion of Iraq and the attempt to implant democracy in the Middle East has awakened interest in the politics of democratization. What makes for a successful transition from dictatorship to democracy? Can democracy be successfully imposed from the outside? These and other questions are explored in this seminar through the expansive literature on democratization accumulated since the late 1970s. The course examines the politics of democratization in Spain, Brazil, Russia, and Iraq.

Crisis of the Rule of Law
Political Studies 336
After an introduction to the concept of “rule of law,” drawing on some classical formulations, the course focuses on areas in American legal practice, such as regulatory law in relation to property rights, labor law, family law, and presidential emergency powers, where serious commentators speak of “crisis.” If time permits, some comparative materials relating to “transitional justice” are also considered.

Rethinking Difference: Civil Society in World Politics
Political Studies 337
cross-listed: gis, human rights
This course reviews debates over the meaning of civil society and related terminology, and the importance of civil society organizations, from civic associations to protest groups, to democratic performance and stability. It examines the configuration of civil society across a wide range of states, from the United States to Western Europe to Latin America to the postcommunist world, and investigates the economic and political effects of what has been termed “global civil society,” from the Internet to the rise of international NGOs.

Populism and Popular Culture in Latin America
Political Studies 339
cross-listed: gis, lais
Politically incorporating the voices and claims of the poor has been a tumultuous central issue in Latin American politics, from the tragic to the outrageously “humorous.” This course examines the theoretical foundations, representational claims, and concrete appeal of populism. Among the topics covered are the role of populism in the creation of popular identities, the problematic relation between populism and liberalism, and the intriguing relation between populism and popular culture in Latin America.

International Politics of South Asia
Political Studies 344
cross-listed: asian studies, gis
The possibility of an enduring U.S. military presence in South Asia raises the specter of the unfolding of a 21st-century “Great Game” (Rudyard Kipling’s phrase to describe the 19th-century rivalry between Russia and Britain). In this scenario of a new Great Game, the United States would seek to control not territories, but access to oil and gas reserves. This course provides the historical and cultural background necessary to understand today’s conflicts and to examine closely a few key issues.

The Politics of Economic Development
Political Studies 345
cross-listed: asian studies, gis, lais
This seminar explores the intersection between politics and economics, centering on the vital problem of economic development. It considers some of the fundamental questions of political economy: What is development? Are some political systems “better” at economic development than others? Is there a trade-off between political freedom and economic growth? Students receive a broad overview of the dominant theoretical approaches to political economy and examine contemporary issues and problems of development. Empirical cases are drawn from almost every region in the world.

Civil Society and Democracy in Africa
Political Studies 347
This course examines the extent to which freedom of expression has empowered civil society and opposition political parties to challenge threats to democracy in various states on the African subcontinent. It analyzes case studies of countries where civil society—working in tandem with the political opposition, media, church, trade unions, and judiciary—has effectively challenged dictatorship. Censorship, government ownership of mass media, and the roles of Western NGOs and media coverage in postcolonial African struggles are also investigated.

Political Representation and Social Differences
Political Studies 348
cross-listed: gis, sociology
This seminar crosses borders between political sociology, electoral analysis, identity formation, and what political scientists call “spatial analysis.” It examines the conflicts associated with political representation both from the subjective angle of identities, as they relate to “self” and “experience,” and from a macrosociological perspective on society. Topics such as electoral sociology, social movements, and identity politics are reviewed, and the relational and discursive mechanisms of identity formation are analyzed from a political theory perspective.

Bard–West Point Seminar:
The Nature of Power
Political Studies 349
Hans Morgenthau wrote that “power may comprise anything that establishes and maintains control of man over man. Thus power covers all social relationships which serve that end, from physical violence to the most subtle psychological ties by which one mind controls another.” This seminar investigates “physical violence,” “subtle psychological ties,” and everything in between in an attempt to understand the nature and role of power in the international system. Joint sessions are held with Professor Scott Silverstone and his students at the United States Military Academy. Prerequisites: Political Studies 104 and/or permission of the instructor.

Southeast Asian Politics
Political Studies 350
cross-listed: asian studies, gis
This seminar explores the contested boundaries between state and society in historical and contemporary Southeast Asia. Currently, the region plays home to 11 nation-states, whose types of political regimes vary from military dictatorship to the single-party dominant system to multi-party democracy. The legitimacies of these states have always been contested by an array of social and political discontent. To what extent did the social structures in these countries shape the political foundation of the states?

Radical American Democracy
Political Studies 358
cross-listed: human rights
An exploration of radical American democracy. While most characterizations of democracy see it as a form of government, this course explores the essence of democracy as a specifically modern way of life. Students review texts by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Ralph Ellison, W. E. B. DuBois, and Hannah Arendt to understand the democratic spirit of radical individualism that has proven so seductive and powerful since its modern birth in the American Revolution.

The Great Asian Transformation
Political Studies 361
cross-listed: asian studies, gis
The dramatic economic growth of Asian countries—notably, China and India—undoubtedly will have consequences for global politics. But it would be misleading to view this shift entirely through traditional state-centric lenses, for there is a change in the spatial organization of the world economy. This course looks closely at this Asian transformation, its consequences, and how to make sense of it in historical terms.

Crusader America: Democratic Promotion in U.S. Foreign Policy
Political Studies 368
cross-listed: american studies, gis
Almost alone among the world’s superpowers, the United States has made promoting democracy abroad a central objective of its foreign policy. This course explores three questions about this “mission” to spread democracy: What explains the genesis and persistence of the centrality of democracy in American foreign policy? How have American administrations tried to construct policies to advance democratic development abroad? Why have these attempts to promote democracy abroad so often fallen short of their intended goals?

Public Policy Seminar
Political Studies 371
cross-listed: social policy
Public policy can be loosely defined as what governments “do about” various issues. This seminar begins with an overview of policymaking in the United States through broad themes such as policy entrepreneurship, agenda setting, and cost-benefit analysis. It goes on to examine selected aspects of U.S. social welfare policy with an eye to understanding the sources and effects of past and present policy, as well as the prospects for future policy initiatives.

Advanced Topics in Political and Legal Thinking
Political Studies 380
cross-listed: human rights
This course focuses on a close reading of one important thinker or book in the tradition of political and legal theory. Authors and books vary from semester to semester.