Political Science

Political science encompasses the study of governments and international organizations, political behavior, public policies, political processes, systems, and theory. It includes American politics, comparative politics, political philosophy, international relations and world politics. The department's curriculum is designed to cultivate judicious and productive citizenship, as well as provide versatile skills and knowledge. These can be applied to a wide range of fields, including law, business, government, international service, education, journalism, and other fields.

Majors choose between two tracks: Political Science or Political Science/International Relations. Within each of these tracks, students have flexibility to plan their courses of study around subfields of interest.

Requirements for the Political Science track

Sixty-six credits, including:

1. Core Courses (18 credits) Majors are required to complete three of the following core courses prior to their senior year.

POSC 120 Democracy and Dictatorship
POSC 122 Politics in America: Liberty and Equality
POSC 160 Political Philosophy
POSC 170 International Relations and World Politics

2. Methods Sequence (12 credits):

STAT 120 (formerly MATH 215) Introduction to Statistics, STAT 230 (formerly MATH 245) Applied Regression Analysis, STAT 250 (formerly MATH 275), Introduction to Statistical Inference or MATH Stats AP score of 4 or 5. (6 credits) Math courses may be taken on an elective S/CR/NC basis.
POSC 230: Methods of Political Research (6 credits) This course should be taken as soon as possible after declaring a major, but not simultaneously with the math class listed above.

3. Elective Courses (30 credits in the department): At least two courses (12 credits) must be at the 300-level, and one of these two must be an asterisk * designated seminar. It is recommended that majors take their seminar course during the junior year.

A maximum of 12 credits earned on a non-Carleton off campus studies program may be granted toward the electives requirement. These credits may not be used to replace a core course and should be distinct and independent from electives offered at Carleton. The chair may require a copy of the off-campus course syllabus.

4. Integrative Exercise (6 credits total - POSC 400): During their junior or senior year students will revise substantially the final paper from an advanced seminar in political science. (Department-approved courses are designated with an asterisk (*). Also see separately published list, which does not include courses taken on non-Carleton off-campus programs.)

The professor in the course will act as the student's comps adviser. Usually revision will take place during the term following the seminar and the revision will be completed during that term. However, professors and advisees may mutually define the scope of revision. The integrative exercise will be completed with preparation of a poster for a group poster presentation.

Requirements for the Political Science/International Relations track

Coordinator: Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science, Greg Marfleet

The International Relations Program was originated in 1937 by the former Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Frank B. Kellogg, through the establishment at Carleton of the Kellogg Foundation for Education in International Relations.

Sixty-six credits, including:

1. Core Courses (12 credits): Majors are required to complete the two core courses prior to their senior year, as listed below.

POSC 170 International Relations and World Politics
Plus one of the following:
- POSC 120 Democracy and Dictatorship
- POSC 122 Politics in America: Liberty and Equality
- POSC 160 Political Philosophy

2. Methods Sequence (12 credits):

STAT 120 (formerly MATH 215) Introduction to Statistics, STAT 230 (formerly MATH 245) Applied Regression Analysis, STAT 250 (formerly MATH 275) Introduction to Statistical Inference or MATH Stats AP score of 4 or 5. (6 credits) Math courses may be taken on an elective S/CR/NC basis.
POSC 230 Methods of Political Research (6 credits) This course should be taken as soon as possible after declaring a major, but not simultaneously with the Math class listed above.

3. Elective Courses (36 credits): Six courses from the following four subfields of electives, and area studies, subject to the following distribution requirements. (May not be taken as S/Cr/NC).

three of these six courses (or 18 credits) must come from the student's main subfield electives list and one (6 credits) from another subfield list.
One of the six courses must be a non-POSC selection. (May not be taken as S/CR/NC)
One of the six courses must be an area studies course (If a non-POSC course, it will also satisfy the (b) requirement.) Approved area studies courses are listed below. Area studies cannot be used as a main subfield.
Two of the six courses must be 300-level courses in the Political Science Department, and one of those two 300-level courses must be an asterisk * designated seminar in the student's main subfield.

It is recommended that majors take their seminar course during the junior year. A course which was listed as fulfilling the International Relations electives requirement at the time the student elected that course, but which has been deleted from the catalog simply because it has not been taught this year or last, will continue to be accepted in fulfillment of the IR requirement.

a) Leadership, Peace and Security

HIST 158 Cold War in East Asia (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 212 The Era of the American Revolution (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 247 The First World War as Global Phenomenon (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 270 Nuclear Nations: India and Pakistan as Rival Siblings
HIST 281 War in Modern Africa (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 346 The Holocaust (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 347 The Global Cold War
POSC 204 How American Campaigns and Elections Work (and Don’t Work) (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 223 Political Science Lab: Content Analysis
POSC 229 The U.S. Congress: Coordination and Conflict (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 231 American Foreign Policy (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 232 Political Science Lab in Focus Group Analysis (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 235 The Endless War on Terror
POSC 236 Global, National and Human Security (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 241 Ethnic Conflict (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 249 From the International to the Global: Critical Theories of World Politics
POSC 267 Comparative Foreign Policy (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 280 Feminist Security Studies
POSC 282 Terrorism and Counterterrorism (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 284 War and Peace in Northern Ireland (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 285 The U.S. Intelligence Community (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 307 Go Our Own Way: Autonomy in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement*
POSC 308 Global Gender Politics*
POSC 324 Rebels and Risk Takers: Women and War in the Middle East (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 328 Foreign Policy Analysis (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 330 The Complexity of Politics*
POSC 331 Cooperation and Conflict* (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 380 Political Economy of China and Zomia (not offered in 2021-22)
SOAN 263 Terrorism (not offered in 2021-22)
WGST 240 Gender, Globalization and War (not offered in 2021-22)

b) Globalization, Development and Sustainability

AMST 396 Commodifying and Policing: Globalization of the American Suburb and City
ECON 240 Microeconomics of Development
ECON 241 Growth and Development (not offered in 2021-22)
ECON 257 Economics of Gender
ECON 271 Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment
ECON 274 Labor Economics
ECON 275 Law and Economics (not offered in 2021-22)
ECON 280 International Trade
ECON 281 International Finance
ENTS 310 Topics in Environmental Law and Policy
EUST 231 Economics and European Studies in Cambridge: Britain in Europe: Brexit and its Aftermath (not offered in 2021-22)
EUST 233 Economics and European Studies in Cambridge: Capitalism and Crises: Political Economy from Marx to Hayek (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 205 American Environmental History
HIST 226 U.S. Consumer Culture (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 262 Public Health: History, Policy, and Practice (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 263 Plagues of Empire
HIST 365 Colonialism in East Asia (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 383 Africa's Colonial Legacies (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 212 Environmental Justice
POSC 219 Poverty and Public Policy in the U.S. (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 238 Sport & Globalization London/Seville Pgm: Globalization and Development: Lessons from Int'l Football
POSC 265 Public Policy and Global Capitalism
POSC 266 Urban Political Economy (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 268 Global Environmental Politics and Policy (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 274 Globalization, Pandemics, and Human Security
POSC 333 Global Social Changes and Sustainability*
POSC 334 Global Public Health* (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 338 Politics of Inequality and Poverty* (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 361 Approaches to Development*
POSC 366 Urban Political Economy (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 379 Political Economy and Ecology of S.E. Asia: Diversity of Social Ecological Systems in Southeast Asia (not offered in 2021-22)
SOAN 323 Mother Earth: Women, Development and the Environment

c) Democracy, Society, and the State

ECON 264 Health Care Economics
ECON 268 Economics of Cost Benefit Analysis
ECON 270 Economics of the Public Sector
ECON 277 History and Theory of Financial Crises
EUST 159 "The Age of Isms" - Ideals, Ideas and Ideologies in Modern Europe
HIST 123 U.S. Women's History Since 1877
HIST 242 Communism, Cold War, Collapse: Russia Since Stalin
HIST 277 Revolution, Rebellion, and Protest in Modern Mexico (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 341 The Russian Revolution and its Global Legacies
POSC 203 Political Communication: Political Advertising in Elections and Public Policy (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 205 News Media and Democratic Electoral Processes (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 207 Global Decline of Democracy: Urban Revanchism and Popular Resistance (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 209 Money and Politics (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 210 Misinformation, Political Rumors, and Conspiracy Theories
POSC 213 Psychology of Mass Political Behavior
POSC 214 Visual Representations of Political Thought and Action (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 215 Comparative Political Communication: News Coverage of Elections (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 216 Politics in the Post-Truth Society (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 217 Monuments, Museums & Meaning: How Politics Shapes Memory in Artifacts (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 218 Schools, Scholarship and Policy in the United States
POSC 220 Politics and Political History in Film (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 221 Latin American Politics
POSC 222 Political Science Lab: Interviewing Techniques
POSC 223 Political Science Lab: Content Analysis
POSC 242 Middle East Politics (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 244 The Politics of Eurovision
POSC 247 Comparative Nationalism
POSC 253 Welfare Capitalisms in Post-War Europe
POSC 263 Revolutions in the Age of Internet (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 264 Politics of Contemporary China
POSC 269 I Did My Own Research: Information and Political Division in America
POSC 273 Race and Politics in the U.S.
POSC 277 Religion in Politics: Conflict or Dialogue? (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 279 Global Challenges and Civil Society Solutions
POSC 283 Separatist Movements (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 288 Politics & Pub Policy in Washington DC Program: Politics and Public Policy in Washington DC
POSC 294 Central and Eastern European Politics Program: Perceptions of Otherness in Modern Eastern and Central Europe (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 295 Central and Eastern European Politics Program: Nation-Building in Central and Eastern Europe between Politics and Art (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 296 Central and Eastern European Politics Program: Challenges to the Nation-State in Eastern and Central Europe: Immigrants and Minorities (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 302 Subordinated Politics and Intergroup Relations*
POSC 303 Political Communication: Political Advertising in Elections and Public Policy (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 305 News Media and Democratic Electoral Processes* (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 308 Global Gender Politics*
POSC 315 Polarization and Democratic Decline in the United States (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 318 Advanced Topics Urban Policy* (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 336 Global Populist Politics*
POSC 337 Political Economy of Happiness* (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 345 Politics of Dictatorship (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 348 Strangers, Foreigners and Exiles (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 358 Comparative Social Movements (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 359 Cosmopolitanism (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 367 Social Welfare in a Time of Crisis*
POSC 372 Mansions and Shantytowns: Politics of the Spaces We Live In*
POSC 378 Political Economy & Ecology of Southeast Asia: Social Changes in Southeast Asia (not offered in 2021-22)
RELG 247 The Islamic Republic: Explorations in Religion and Nationalism (not offered in 2021-22)
RELG 264 Islamic Politics (not offered in 2021-22)
SOAN 225 Social Movements
SOAN 288 Diversity, Democracy, Inequality in America (not offered in 2021-22)
SOAN 350 Diversity, Democracy, and Inequality in America (not offered in 2021-22)

d) Philosophical and Legal Inquiries

AFST 112 Black Revolution on Campus (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 237 The Enlightenment (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 244 The Enlightenment and Its Legacies
PHIL 113 The Individual and the Political Community
POSC 239 The Poor and the Powerless (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 250 Kings, Tyrants, Philosophers: Plato's Republic
POSC 251 Modern Political Philosophy: Liberalism and Its Critics (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 252 Free Expression: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
POSC 254 Freedom, Excellence, Happiness: Aristotle's Ethics (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 255 Post-Modern Political Thought
POSC 256 Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil
POSC 258 Politics and Ambition (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 260 "A Savage Made to Inhabit Cities": The Political Philosophy of Rousseau (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 270 Political Philosophy and the Book of Genesis (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 271 Constitutional Law I (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 272 Constitutional Law II
POSC 275 Black Political Thought (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 276 Imagination in Politics: Resisting Totalitarianism (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 278 Memory and Politics
POSC 313 Legal Issues in Higher Education (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 314 Constitutional Convention 2020 (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 329 Reinventing Humanism: A Dialogue with Tzvetan Todorov
POSC 350 Kings, Tyrants, Philosophers: Plato's Republic*
POSC 350 "A Savage Made to Inhabit Cities": The Political Philosophy of Rousseau (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 350 Political Philosophy and the Book of Genesis* (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 351 Political Theory of Martin Luther King, Jr. (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 352 Political Theory of Alexis de Tocqueville (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 354 Freedom, Excellence, Happiness: Aristotle's Ethics (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 355 Identity, Culture and Rights (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 357 Politics and Ambition* (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 371 Modern Political Philosophy: Liberalism and Its Critics* (not offered in 2021-22)
WGST 234 Feminist and Queer Theory (not offered in 2021-22)

Approved Area Studies Courses

AMST 230 The American Sublime: Landscape, Character & National Destiny in Nineteenth Century America (not offered in 2021-22)
ARBC 144 Arabic Literature at War (not offered in 2021-22)
CAMS 295 Cinema in Chile and Argentina: Representing and Reimagining Identity (not offered in 2021-22)
CAMS 296 Cinema and Cultural Change in Chile and Argentina (not offered in 2021-22)
EUST 100 Allies or Enemies? America through European Eyes
EUST 110 The Nation State in Europe
EUST 249 The European Union: Constitution, Crisis and Conflict (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 138 Crusades, Mission, and the Expansion of Europe (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 139 Foundations of Modern Europe (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 140 The Age of Revolutions: Modern Europe, 1789-1914 (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 141 Europe in the Twentieth Century
HIST 150 Politics of Art in Early Imperial China
HIST 151 History of Modern Japan (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 152 History of Late Imperial China (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 153 History of Modern China
HIST 155 A Tale of Two Cities: Peking & Shanghai (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 156 History of Modern Korea
HIST 158 Cold War in East Asia (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 161 From Mughals to Mahatma Gandhi: An Introduction to Modern Indian History
HIST 165 From Young Turks to Arab Revolutions: A Cultural History of the Modern Middle East
HIST 170 Modern Latin America 1810-Present
HIST 181 West Africa in the Era of the Slave Trade
HIST 183 History of Early West Africa (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 184 Colonial West Africa
HIST 240 Tsars and Serfs, Cossacks and Revolutionaries: The Empire that was Russia (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 241 Russia through Wars and Revolutions
HIST 242 Communism, Cold War, Collapse: Russia Since Stalin
HIST 243 The Peasants are Revolting! Society and Politics in the Making of Modern France (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 245 Ireland: Land, Conflict and Memory (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 250 Modern Germany (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 255 Rumors, Gossip, and News in East Asia (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 257 Chinese Capitalism: From Local to Global
HIST 259 Women in South Asia: Histories, Narratives, and Representations (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 260 The Making of the Modern Middle East
HIST 263 Plagues of Empire
HIST 265 Central Asia in the Modern Age (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 266 History of Islam in South Asia (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 270 Nuclear Nations: India and Pakistan as Rival Siblings
HIST 277 Revolution, Rebellion, and Protest in Modern Mexico (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 279 Latin America and the Global Cold War (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 281 War in Modern Africa (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 341 The Russian Revolution and its Global Legacies
HIST 346 The Holocaust (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 347 The Global Cold War
HIST 360 Muslims and Modernity (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 365 Colonialism in East Asia (not offered in 2021-22)
HIST 383 Africa's Colonial Legacies (not offered in 2021-22)
LTAM 300 Issues in Latin American Studies (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 122 Politics in America: Liberty and Equality
POSC 221 Latin American Politics
POSC 232 Political Science Lab in Focus Group Analysis (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 242 Middle East Politics (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 264 Politics of Contemporary China
POSC 271 Constitutional Law I (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 284 War and Peace in Northern Ireland (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 294 Central and Eastern European Politics Program: Perceptions of Otherness in Modern Eastern and Central Europe (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 295 Central and Eastern European Politics Program: Nation-Building in Central and Eastern Europe between Politics and Art (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 296 Central and Eastern European Politics Program: Challenges to the Nation-State in Eastern and Central Europe: Immigrants and Minorities (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 324 Rebels and Risk Takers: Women and War in the Middle East (not offered in 2021-22)
POSC 380 Political Economy of China and Zomia (not offered in 2021-22)
RELG 150 Religions of India (not offered in 2021-22)
RELG 152 Religions in Japanese Culture (not offered in 2021-22)
RELG 247 The Islamic Republic: Explorations in Religion and Nationalism (not offered in 2021-22)
RELG 262 Islamic Africa (not offered in 2021-22)
RELG 264 Islamic Politics (not offered in 2021-22)
RELG 279 Pilgrimage and Sacred Space in Japan Program: Pilgrimage & Sacred Space in Japan (not offered in 2021-22)
SOAN 180 Anthropology and Colonialism in Africa (not offered in 2021-22)
SOAN 256 Africa: Representation and Conflict (not offered in 2021-22)
SOAN 257 Culture and Politics in India (not offered in 2021-22)
SOAN 353 Ethnography of Latin America

4. Integrative Exercise (Total of 6 credits - POSC 400): During their junior or senior year, students will revise substantially the final paper from an advanced seminar in international relations. (Department-approved courses are designated with an asterisk (*). Also see separately published list, which does not include courses taken on non-Carleton off-campus programs.)

5. Study Abroad: We recommend study in a Carleton College Off-Campus or non-Carleton program that includes a significant political component.

Political Science and International Relations Courses

POSC 120 Democracy and Dictatorship An introduction to the array of different democratic and authoritarian political institutions in both developing and developed countries. We will also explore key issues in contemporary politics in countries around the world, such as nationalism and independence movements, revolution, regime change, state-making, and social movements. 6 credits; SI, IS, WR2; Fall, Winter, Spring; Huan Gao, Juan Diego Prieto

POSC 122 Politics in America: Liberty and Equality An introduction to American government and politics. Focus on the Congress, Presidency, political parties and interest groups, the courts and the Constitution. Particular attention will be given to the public policy debates that divide liberals and conservatives and how these divisions are rooted in American political culture. 6 credits; SI, IDS, QRE; Fall, Winter, Spring; Richard A Keiser, Christina E Farhart, Brian F Harrison

POSC 150 The Political Thought of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. & the American Civil Rights Movement What justifies self-defense and retaliation in defending civil rights and liberty? What moral reasoning and strategies offer alternatives to using physical violence in a social movement to gain civil rights? Our seminar examines the American Civil Rights Movement 1954 and 1968, and compares the writings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X to learn about nonviolent direct action, self-defense, and the use of "any means necessary" to right the wrongs of racial injustice. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Fall; Barbara Allen

POSC 160 Political Philosophy Introduction to ancient and modern political philosophy. We will investigate several fundamentally different approaches to the basic questions of politics--questions concerning the character of political life, the possibilities and limits of politics, justice, and the good society--and the philosophic presuppositions (concerning human nature and human flourishing) that underlie these, and all, political questions. 6 credits; HI, WR2; Fall, Winter, Spring; Mihaela Czobor-Lupp, Laurence D Cooper

POSC 170 International Relations and World Politics What are the foundational theories and practices of international relations and world politics? This course addresses topics of a geopolitical, commercial and ideological character as they relate to global systems including: great power politics, polycentricity, and international organizations. It also explores the dynamic intersection of world politics with war, terrorism, nuclear weapons, national security, human security, human rights, and the globalization of economic and social development. 6 credits; SI, IS, QRE; Fall, Winter, Spring; Summer N Forester, Tun Myint

POSC 203 Political Communication: Political Advertising in Elections and Public Policy Crosslisted with POSC 303. How does political advertising influence the electorate? How does political advertising influence our understanding of policy proposals? Election ads along with the six-second "sound bite" are now among the major forms of political communication in modern democracies. Add to these forms a battery of visual "arguments" seen in news media, film, and paid ads aimed at persuading us to adopt various policy positions. We will study how ads are created and "work" from the standpoint of political psychology and film analysis. 6 credits; QRE, SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 204 How American Campaigns and Elections Work (and Don’t Work) Campaigns and elections are the cornerstones of our democracy. Formally, they are the way we select our elected officials; informally they tell us a lot about the American ethos, the preferences of particular demographics, and the future direction of our country. The course will draw from scholarship in political psychology, political behavior and participation, and public opinion and will examine American campaigns and elections through three lenses: the institutional structures that guide them; the candidates and voters that participate in them; and the political scientists who study them. 6 credits; QRE, SI, IDS, WR2; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 205 News Media and Democratic Electoral Processes How have news media affected democratic elections in the U.S., UK, and EU? Case studies show traditional and new media—from citizen journalism to bots—shaping views of candidates and issues—and democracy itself. Using recent elections worldwide as a base, we will investigate traditional media as an institution in a challenging environment of new media sources and charges of “fake news.” Coursework includes learning about research design through original data collection, data analysis, and visual representation of data. Political Science 223 is recommended as a way to learn quantitative and qualitative methods of social science research. 6 credits; SI, QRE, IDS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 207 Global Decline of Democracy: Urban Revanchism and Popular Resistance Our focus will be on policing, gentrification, gated communities and other tools for reclaiming and fortifying metropolitan space, as well as citizen responses. What community exists, for whom? 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 209 Money and Politics Modern elections have become multibillion-dollar ventures. How does money influence electoral and policy outcomes in the United States? Who donates and why do people or groups donate? Where does all the money go? How has campaign finance been regulated and what are proposed reforms? Focusing on recent elections, we will explore these questions by delving into the world of campaign finance. 6 credits; SI, QRE, IDS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 210 Misinformation, Political Rumors, and Conspiracy Theories Why do people believe in conspiracy theories, hold on to misinformed beliefs even in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary, and/or spread political and social rumors that may have little basis in fact? Who is most vulnerable to these various forms of misinformation? What are the normative and political consequences of misperceptions (if any)? This course explores the psychological, political, and philosophical approaches to the study of the causes, consequences, and tenacity of conspiracy beliefs, misinformation, and political rumors, as well as possible approaches that journalists could employ to combat misperceptions. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Spring; Christina E Farhart

POSC 212 Environmental Justice The environmental justice movement seeks greater participation by marginalized communities in environmental policy, and equity in the distribution of environmental harms and benefits. This course will examine the meaning of "environmental justice," the history of the movement, the empirical foundation for the movement's claims, and specific policy questions. Our focus is the United States, but students will have the opportunity to research environmental justice in other countries. 6 credits; SI, QRE, IDS; Winter; Kimberly K Smith

POSC 213 Psychology of Mass Political Behavior This course explores the political psychology of individual judgment and choice. We will examine the role of cognition, emotions, values, predispositions, and social identities on judgment and choice. From this approach, we will address the larger debate regarding the quality of democratic citizenship. 6 credits; SI, WR2, QRE, IDS; Spring; Kristin K Lunz Trujillo

POSC 214 Visual Representations of Political Thought and Action Visual media offer an alternative method of framing political ideas and events. Images found in such texts as film, posters, and even in statistical tables can enlighten--or mislead. Readings in visual theory, political psychology, and graphic representation will enable you to read images and use these powerful media to convey your ideas and research. 3 credits; LA, QRE; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 215 Comparative Political Communication: News Coverage of Elections This course will focus on the major theories of political communication in election advertising and political news contexts. Our case studies will focus on recent U.S., French, and UK elections. We compare the legal and cultural contexts of election news coverage and advertising in these countries and analyze media effects on voter perceptions using political psychology studies based on research in the U.S., UK, and EU. 6 credits; QRE, SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 216 Politics in the Post-Truth Society We live in an age marked by attacks on democratic institutions, suspicion of expertise, and a general sense that facts are disposable in the face of inconvenient truths. This course will examine misinformation and anti-intellectualism in the past and today, how and why people adopt misinformation and conspiracy theories, the political effects of the post-truth era, and what mitigates the spread of misinformation. Through readings, discussions, and investigative projects, students will both advance their knowledge on the topic and learn to better evaluate information and evidence. This course focuses on the United States but occasionally includes a comparative and/or non-U.S. perspective. 6 credits; SI, WR2, IDS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 217 Monuments, Museums & Meaning: How Politics Shapes Memory in Artifacts Why was naming the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian “political?” Why is the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Museum not on the Washington DC Mall? What is memorialized by the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum? Why care about the eight Confederate leaders in the U.S. Capitol (or other public places)? This class examines museums and monuments as important types of political communication that preserve cultural artifacts, create historical records, and tell present and future generations the meaning of communities and individuals. We learn about various practices including funding, naming, acquiring, appropriating, placing, designing, and constructing the artifacts that house community memories. 3 credits; SI, IDS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 218 Schools, Scholarship and Policy in the United States What can scholarship tell us about educational strategies to reduce achievement gaps and economic opportunity? Do the policies promoted at the city, state and federal levels reflect that knowledge? How are these policies made? What is the relationship between schools and the economic class, racial composition and housing stock of their neighborhoods? Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing. 6 credits; SI, IDS, WR2, QRE; Fall; Richard A Keiser

POSC 219 Poverty and Public Policy in the U.S. Deindustrialization, inequality, housing policy, and welfare will be major topics. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 220 Politics and Political History in Film How do representations of politics in film influence our ideas about governance, citizenship, power, and authority? How do film and TV reflect values and beliefs of democratic society, particularly in the United States? These are two questions that we will consider in the course as we study films representing politics and historical events in fiction and non-fiction genres for entertainment and education. Films to be analyzed include: Battle of Algiers, Fog of War, Cape Fear (1963), Manchurian Candidate (1960), Advise and Consent, All the President's Men, Primary, War Room, The Mushroom Club, When the Levees Broke. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 221 Latin American Politics Comparative study of political institutions and conflicts in selected Latin American countries. Attention is focused on general problems and patterns of development, with some emphasis on U.S.-Latin American relations. 6 credits; SI, IS; Fall; Juan Diego Prieto

POSC 222 Political Science Lab: Interviewing Techniques This class provides a hands-on introduction to how researchers devise, conduct, and analyze interviews in political science. Students will learn about different types of interview methodologies, including elite and non-elite, structured, semi-structured, and intensive approaches. Over the course of the class, students will consider the types of questions most appropriately answered by interviews, the fundamentals of different sampling strategies, how to devise questionnaires, and how to use the information collected for both quantitative and qualitative analysis. We will also cover interview ethics, how to employ culturally sensitive techniques, and how to employ interviews in individual, group, and crowd situations. 3 credits; SI, QRE; Spring; Dev Gupta

POSC 223 Political Science Lab: Content Analysis How do we know if a news organization is ideologically biased? How do we show that gender influences how world leaders approach defense policy? How do we track the growth in misinformation in political advertising worldwide? One foundational methodology for studying questions like these is content analysis. This course will enable you to analyze the texts of speeches, debates, news stories, tweets, press conferences, letters, ad texts--and the visual representations that accompany many of these forms of communication. Students will learn the basics of defining content, operationalizing variables, and conducting the analysis to get valid, reliable data. 3 credits; SI, IDS, QRE; Fall; Barbara Allen

POSC 229 The U.S. Congress: Coordination and Conflict How does Congress make public policy? What factors inhibit or enhance legislative productivity? Is the policymaking process too partisan? This course provides a comprehensive introduction to congressional organization and procedures, the policy process, and the core debates and theories surrounding legislative politics in the United States Congress. The path of policy within Congress is an incredibly complex and conflict-ridden coordination problem. As a class, we will explore how the underlying motivations to win office, produce policy, and gain prestige drive congressional member behaviors. We will also carefully consider the institutional details of the House and Senate that constrain these legislative actors and influence legislative outcomes. 6 credits; SI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 230 Methods of Political Research An introduction to research method, research design, and the analysis of political data. The course is intended to introduce students to the fundamentals of scientific inquiry as they are employed in the discipline. The course will consider the philosophy of scientific research generally, the philosophy of social science research, theory building and theory testing, the components of applied (quantitative and qualitative) research across the major sub-fields of political science, and basic methodological tools. Intended for majors only. Prerequisite: Statistics 120, 230, 250, AP Statistics (score of 4 or 5) or Psychology 200/201 or Sociology/Anthropology 239. 6 credits; SI, WR2, QRE; Fall, Winter, Spring; Christina E Farhart, Greg G Marfleet

POSC 231 American Foreign Policy An introduction to the actors and processes of American foreign policymaking and to the substance of American foreign policy. The course aims to provide students with an understanding of how knowledge of the past, the global policy environment, the processes of foreign policymaking, and the specifics of a foreign policy issue come together to help determine modern American foreign policy. The course will review the structure of the international system of states, state power and interests, the historical context of American foreign policy, actors in American foreign affairs, models of foreign policy decision making, and the instruments of foreign policy. Prerequisite: Political Science 122, AP American Government, or AP U.S. History is highly recommended. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 232 Political Science Lab in Focus Group Analysis This lab offers a hands-on experience in designing and moderating a small group discussion for the purpose of observing not only attitudes, beliefs, and opinions but also dynamic social interactions as a method for getting answers to complex, dynamic social science research questions. Students will design a focus group study, learning about participant selection and recruitment; question writing and protocol design; group conversation moderation; data extraction and analysis, report writing, and overall project and data management. 6 credits; IS, SI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 235 The Endless War on Terror In the aftermath of 9/11, the U.S. launched the Global War on Terror to purportedly find, stop,and defeat every terrorist group with a global reach. Without question, the Global War on Terror has radically shaped everything from U.S. foreign policies and domestic institutions to civil liberties and pop culture. In this course, we will examine the events of 9/11 and then critically assess the immediate and long-term ramifications of the endless Global War on Terror on different states and communities around the world. While we will certainly spend time interrogating U.S. policies from the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations, we will also examine reactions to those policies across both the global north and the global south. 6 credits; NE, WR2, IS; Winter; Summer N Forester

POSC 236 Global, National and Human Security What are the greatest threats to national and global security? In this course we will explore a range of traditional security topics including: the proliferation of WMDs, terrorism, piracy, insurgencies, arms races, territorial disputes and strategic rivalries. In addition to these classic concerns, we also consider newer ones such as cyber-security, the threat of global pandemics, unmanned warfare and the impact of climate change. Our study begins and concludes with the debate over the concept of security in the twenty-first century. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 238 Sport & Globalization London/Seville Pgm: Globalization and Development: Lessons from Int'l Football This course uses international football (soccer) as a lens to analyze topics in globalization, such as immigration and labor, inequality, foreign investment, trade in services, and intellectual property. Students will be presented with key debates in these areas and then use cases from international football as illustrations. Focusing on the two wealthiest leagues in Europe, the English Premier League and the Spanish Liga, students will address key issues in the study of globalization and development, and in doing so enhance their understanding of the world, sports, and sport's place in the world. 6 credits; SI, IS; Winter; Bob S Carlson

POSC 239 The Poor and the Powerless This course examines the foundations of development and globalization, their representations as historical processes, their manifestations over time, and their advocates and detractors. This will be done against the backdrop of empirical and substantive representations of actually-existing development outcomes and globalization processes, their organization, and their practices. This course employs a critical approach to development and is taught from a political economy perspective. In particular, it deals with the relationship between theory, ideology and practice by contrasting classical approaches with critical, Marxist, and radical approaches. It examines outcomes of development practice, both positive and negative, through a focus on globalization. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 241 Ethnic Conflict Ethnic conflict is a persistent and troubling challenge for those interested in preserving international peace and stability. By one account, ethnic violence has claimed more than ten million lives since 1945, and in the 1990s, ethnic conflicts comprised nearly half of all ongoing conflicts around the world. In this course, we will attempt to understand the conditions that contribute to ethnic tensions, identify the triggers that lead to escalation, and evaluate alternative ideas for managing and solving such disputes. The course will draw on a number of cases, including Rwanda, Bosnia, and Northern Ireland. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 242 Middle East Politics This course introduces the politics and political structures of states in the Middle East. We explore the political origins of Middle Eastern states, and investigate how regional politics are shaped by colonialism, religion, tribes, the family, and more. We examine the persistence of authoritarianism and its links to other issues like nationalism and militarism. The course covers how recent and current events like the revolutionary movements of the ‘Arab Spring’ civil society affect the states and their societies. We conclude with a consideration of the future of Middle Eastern politics, evaluating lingering concerns and emerging prospects for liberalization and reform. 6 credits; SI, IS, WR2; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 244 The Politics of Eurovision At first glance, Eurovision, the decades-long, continent-wide singing contest, is nothing more than a mindless pop culture event. Dismissed as a celebration of (at best) mediocre music, Eurovision seems like it would be the last place to learn about serious politics. In this class, however, we will explore Eurovision as a place where art is deeply political and often engages in debates about gender and sexuality, race, the legacies of colonialism, war and revolution, nationalism, and democracy—not just within the context of the competition itself but how these discussions spill over into broader social and political dynamics. 3 credits; SI, IS; Spring; Dev Gupta

POSC 247 Comparative Nationalism Nationalism is an ideology that political actors have frequently harnessed to support a wide variety of policies ranging from intensive economic development to genocide. But what is nationalism? Where does it come from? And what gives it such emotional and political power? This course investigates competing ideas about the sources of nationalism, its evolution, and its political uses in state building, legitimation, development, and war. We will consider both historic examples of nationalism, as well as contemporary cases drawn from Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the United States. 6 credits; SI, IS; Winter; Dev Gupta

POSC 249 From the International to the Global: Critical Theories of World Politics Why is the world divided territorially? Why are some states considered more powerful than others? What can be done about violent conflict? This course will introduce students with critical approaches to world politics that ask these and other big questions. Marxist, feminist, post-structuralist and post-colonial scholars have challenged classical approaches of thinking about the international in terms of states and power. They have also questioned the dominance of western conceptions of politics in the way political scientists view the world. In this course will read and debate their contributions and apply them to real cases. 6 credits; SI, IS; Winter; Paul Petzschmann

POSC 250 Kings, Tyrants, Philosophers: Plato's Republic Cross-listed with POSC 350. In this course we will read Plato’s Republic, perhaps the greatest and surely the most important work of political philosophy ever written. What are the deepest needs and the most powerful longings of human nature? Can they be fulfilled, and, if so, how? What are the deepest needs of society, and can they be fulfilled? What is the relation between individual happiness and societal well-being? Are they compatible or in conflict with one another? And where they are in conflict, what does justice require that we do? The Republic explores these questions in an imaginative and unforgettable way. 6 credits; HI; Winter; Laurence D Cooper

POSC 251 Modern Political Philosophy: Liberalism and Its Critics Liberalism has been the dominant political philosophy of our age, and we who live in a liberal polity have been shaped by it. But liberalism has been, and continues to be, the target of sharp critique. What is liberalism, and what can be said both for and against it? In this course we will examine liberalism’s philosophic roots and engage with some of its most forceful advocates and most profound critics. Readings will be drawn from authors such as Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Marx, Mill, and Tocqueville. 6 credits; HI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 252 Free Expression: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Freedom of expression has never lacked obstacles or opponents, even if its opponents have often claimed to be friends. In recent years, however, both the possibility and the desirability of free expression have been openly contested on moral, political, and philosophic grounds. Is free expression simply good, or does it also impose costs? What is the relation between freedom of expression and freedom of thought or mind? Is freedom of mind even possible? These will be our questions. Readings will be drawn from philosophers ranging from Plato to Nietzsche and from political essayists such as George Orwell and Vaclav Havel. 6 credits; HI; Fall; Laurence D Cooper

POSC 253 Welfare Capitalisms in Post-War Europe In this course students will explore the different kinds of welfare states that exist in Europe, the political economic and social conditions that made them possible and the debates about their strengths, weaknesses and prospects. We will review the so-called “varieties of capitalism” literature along with key welfare policies such as social insurance, health care, education, unemployment insurance, family and income support, and pensions. Welfare states use combinations of these policies differently to insure citizens against “old” and “new” risks. Finally, the course looks at how welfare regimes have responded of migration, financial, and public health crises. 6 credits; SI, IS; Fall; Paul Petzschmann

POSC 254 Freedom, Excellence, Happiness: Aristotle's Ethics What does it mean to be morally excellent? To be politically excellent? To be intellectually and spiritually excellent? Are these things mutually compatible? Do they lie within the reach of everyone? And what is the relation between excellence and pleasure? Between excellence and happiness? Aristotle addresses these questions in intricate and illuminating detail in the Nicomachean Ethics, which we will study in this course. The Ethics is more accessible than some of Aristotle's other works. But it is also a multifaceted and multi-layered book, and one that reveals more to those who study it with care. 6 credits; HI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 255 Post-Modern Political Thought The thought and practice of the modern age have been found irredeemably oppressive, alienating, dehumanizing, and/or exhausted by a number of leading philosophic thinkers in recent years. In this course we will explore the critiques and alternative visions offered by a variety of post-modern thinkers, including Nietzsche (in many ways the first post-modern), Heidegger, Foucault, and Derrida. 6 credits; HI; Winter; Mihaela Czobor-Lupp

POSC 256 Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil Nietzsche understood himself to be living at a moment of great endings: the exhaustion of modernity, the self-undermining of rationalism, the self-overcoming of morality--in short, stunningly, the "death of God." He regarded these endings as an unprecedented disaster for humanity but also as an unprecedented opportunity, and he pointed the way to a new ideal and a new culture that would be life-affirming and life-enhancing. This course will center on close study of Beyond Good and Evil, perhaps Nietzsche's most beautiful book and probably his most political one. Selections from some of his other books will also be assigned. 6 credits; HI; Spring; Laurence D Cooper

POSC 258 Politics and Ambition Is personal ambition a threat to peace and the public good or is it a prod to nobility and heroism? Does it exemplify the opposition between self and society or does it represent their intersection and mutual support—or both? And what is the nature of political ambition, especially the ambition to rule: what does the would-be ruler really want? We will take up these and related questions by studying several classic works of philosophy and literature. Readings will likely include works by Plato, Xenophon, and Shakespeare as well as American founders, statesmen, and moral leaders. 6 credits; HI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 260 "A Savage Made to Inhabit Cities": The Political Philosophy of Rousseau In this course we will study what Rousseau considered his greatest and best book: Emile. Emile is a philosophic novel. It uses a thought experiment--the rearing of a child from infancy to adulthood--to explore human nature and the human condition, including their political dimensions. Among Emile's themes are natural goodness and the origins of evil; self-love and sociability; the differences and relations between the sexes; citizenship; and the principles of political right. The book also addresses the question of how one might live naturally and happily amid an unnatural and unhappy civilization. 6 credits; HI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 262 Displaced Lives: Freedom and Meaning To feel secure and accepted by society are essential human needs. However, even a cursory look at the twentieth century shows how often and unexpectedly the lives of individuals were profoundly disrupted and crushed by the forces of nature and history. Security and social acceptance are fragile gifts of history. If so, what freedom and meaning, if at all, are to be found in living a displaced life, against and through the destructive tidal waves of history? The course tries to answer this question through an engagement with the memoirs and writings of Stefan Zweig, Edward Said, Norman Manea, Mikhail Bulgakov, Karl Ove Knausgaard, and James Baldwin. 6 credits; HI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 263 Revolutions in the Age of Internet Do you want to create a revolution? This course studies how the Internet and social media present challenges and possibilities of expanding human freedom and democracy. How have the dynamics of revolutions been shaped by the Internet? What are the differences between revolutions before and after the Internet? Are agency and freedom of individuals different in actual and virtual worlds? What are the rising challenges and possibilities for democracy to capitalize on digital freedom? What are the theories and analytical concepts that will help us understand the rise of digital individuals and the future of freedom? The course primarily focuses on the politics and history of the democracy movement in Myanmar/Burma while students will comparatively study revolutions in other countries. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 264 Politics of Contemporary China This course examines the political, social, and economic transformation of China over the past century. Though contemporary issues are at the heart of the course, students will delve into an entire century of changes and upheaval to understand the roots of current affairs in China. Particular emphasis will be placed on state-building and how this has changed state-society relations at the grassroots. Students will also explore how the Chinese Communist Party has survived and even thrived while many other Communist regimes have fallen and assess the relationship between economic development and democratization. 6 credits; SI, IS; Fall; Huan Gao

POSC 265 Public Policy and Global Capitalism This course provides a comprehensive introduction to comparative and international public policy. It examines major theories and approaches to public policy design and implementation in several major areas: international policy economy (including the study of international trade and monetary policy, financial regulation, and comparative welfare policy), global public health and comparative healthcare policy, institutional development (including democratic governance, accountability systems, and judicial reform), and environmental public policy. Prerequisite: Statistics 120 strongly recommended, or instructor permission. 6 credits; SI, QRE, IS; Fall; Greg G Marfleet

POSC 266 Urban Political Economy City revenue is increasingly dependent on tourism. Cities manufacture identity and entertainment, whether we think of Las Vegas or Jerusalem, Berlin or Bilbao, the ethnoscapes of Copenhagen or the red light district of Amsterdam. As cities compete in the global economy to become playgrounds for a transnational tourist class, what is the role of urban residents? Who governs? Who benefits? Short essays or exams will be required. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 267 Comparative Foreign Policy Why do states act the way they do internationally? Why do some states act like "rogues" while others support the system? How do countries choose their allies or enemies? How do governments define their country's national interest and respond to global changes? Foreign policy is where internal politics and external politics intersect. Understanding any country's foreign policy requires that we pay attention to its position in the international system and its internal politics. In this course we will employ approaches from international relations and comparative politics to explore these questions across a range of countries. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 268 Global Environmental Politics and Policy Global environmental politics and policy is the most prominent field that challenges traditional state-centric ways of thinking about international problems and solutions. This course examines local-global dynamics of environmental problems. The course will cover five arenas crucial to understanding the nature and origin of global environmental politics and policymaking mechanisms: (1) international environmental law; (2) world political orders; (3) human-environment interactions through politics and markets; (4) paradigms of sustainable development; and (5) dynamics of human values and rules. 6 credits; SI, WR2, QRE, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 269 I Did My Own Research: Information and Political Division in America Many Americans sense that polarization makes governance harder; scholars argue that polarization can undermine democracy itself. How do we manage difficult problems in a polarized political era? Can we ever agree if we are so free to pursue information that only supports what we already believe? We examine group identity in American culture and how boundaries affect attitudes and behavior as well as information around policy disputes around incarceration/policing, free speech, LGBTQ rights, health care, elections, immigration, and more. Finally, we consider how to reduce unproductive polarization for a better America even when we don’t agree on what better entails. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Winter; Brian F Harrison

POSC 270 Political Philosophy and the Book of Genesis Much of the moral and political architecture of the post-modern, secular world traces back to pre-modern, religious scriptures--especially Genesis, the first book of the Bible. For this reason alone Genesis deserves attention. But there are even stronger reasons: With its accounts of creation, humanity’s relation to nature and the divine, human aspiration and failure, the origins of community, and the good life for both individuals and societies, Genesis offers enormous riches even for those who approach it from an "external" philosophic standpoint (as we will in this class) rather than an "internal" religious one. Readings include Genesis and commentary. 6 credits; HI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 271 Constitutional Law I This course will explore the United States Constitution and the legal doctrines that have emerged from it, using them as lenses through which to understand the history—and shape the future—of this country. Using prominent Supreme Court opinions as teaching tools and loci of debate (including cases on the Court’s recent and current docket), this course will explore the different kind of theoretical approaches with which to make Constitutional arguments and interpret the Constitution. It is one of two paired courses (the other being POSC 272) that complement each other. Both courses will address the structure and functioning of the United States government, and will explore in greater depth the historic Constitutional “trends” towards greater equality and more liberty (albeit slowly, haltingly, and with steps both forward and backward). This course will focus in particular on how matters of racial justice have been a Constitutional issue from the very beginning of the nation—and very much remain unfinished legal work. In exploring matters of personal liberty, this course will focus in particular on First Amendment freedom of religion. Finally, in examining governmental structures, this course will emphasize federalism and the distribution of power between the national and state governments, including the rise of a nationwide economic system and the modern administrative state. The course will require close reading of judicial opinions and other texts, and learning how to construct arguments using logic and precedent. A special feature of this course will be detailed examination and intra-class mock debate of the cases the Supreme Court will hear this fall challenging raced-based affirmative action programs at private and public universities. 6 credits; SI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 272 Constitutional Law II Covers American constitutional law and history from Reconstruction to the contemporary era. Extensive attention will be paid to the effort to refound the American constitution following the Civil War as manifest in the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments, and to the successive transformations which the Supreme Court worked in the new constitutional order. Political Science 271 is not a prerequisite. 6 credits; SI; Fall; Kimberly K Smith

POSC 273 Race and Politics in the U.S. This course addresses race and ethnicity in U.S. politics. Following an introduction to historical, sociological, and psychological approaches to the study of race and ethnicity, we apply these approaches to understanding the ways in which racial attitudes have been structured along a number of political and policy dimensions, e.g., welfare, education, criminal justice. Students will gain an increased understanding of the multiple contexts that shape contemporary racial and ethnic politics and policies in the U.S., and will consider the role of institutional design, policy development, representation, and racial attitudes among the general U.S. public and political environment. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Fall; Christina E Farhart

POSC 274 Globalization, Pandemics, and Human Security What are the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic on global politics and public policy? How do state responses to COVID-19 as well as historical cases such as the Black Death in Europe, the SARS outbreak in East Asia and Middle East, and the Ebola outbreak in Africa help us understand the scientific, political, and economic challenges of pandemics on countries and communities around the world? We will apply theories and concepts from IR, political economy, and natural sciences to explore these questions and consider what we can learn from those responses to address other global challenges like climate change. 6 credits; SI, WR2, QRE, IS; Fall; Tun Myint

POSC 275 Black Political Thought Western political thought has developed numerous ways to think about freedom, citizenship, the relationship between state and citizens, and more. This course turns to the tradition of Black political thought to consider how thinkers within this tradition developed new and alternative ways to conceptualize freedom and citizenship from racial domination through slavery, apartheid, and colonialism. We center thinkers of Black political thought in the modern Atlantic world from the Antebellum era through the era of mass incarceration and neoliberalism to provide a historical and theoretical analysis of freedom. 6 credits; SI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 276 Imagination in Politics: Resisting Totalitarianism Ideological fanaticism is on the rise today. Individuals prefer the incantation of slogans and clichés to autonomous thinking, moderation, and care for the diversity and complexity of circumstances and of human beings. The results are the inability to converse across differences and the tendency to ostracize and exclude others in the name of tribal and populist nationalism, as well as of racism. Hannah Arendt called totalitarianism this form of ideological hypnosis, which characterizes not only totalitarian political regimes, but can also colonize liberal-democracies. In this class we will read some of the works of Arendt to better understand the power of imagination to enhance critical and independent thinking and resist totalitarianism. 6 credits; HI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 277 Religion in Politics: Conflict or Dialogue? The course explores the relationship between religion and politics, especially in multicultural societies where believers and nonbelievers alike must live together. The leading question of the course is if religion is a source of violence, as seems to be so much the case in the world today, or if it can enter the public sphere in ways that educate and enhance the sensibility and ability of modern individuals to live with radically different others. In the attempt to answer these questions we will read, among others, from the writings of Kant, Habermas, Herder, Derrida, Ricoeur, Taylor, and Zizek. 6 credits; HI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 278 Memory and Politics Central to individual and collective identity, memory can be abused through the excess of commemoration. Is memory just a tool in the hands of nationalistic and divisive politics or can it be used for the cosmopolitan purpose of fighting oppression and injustice? To answer this question, we will read in this class literature on the nationalistic and cosmopolitan uses and abuses of memory and apply the theory to two case studies: the memory of the Jewish presence in Romanian society and politics and the role the memory of the Holocaust and Naqba plays in the relationship between Israel and Palestine. 6 credits; HI, IS; Fall; Mihaela Czobor-Lupp

POSC 279 Global Challenges and Civil Society Solutions Tocqueville once remarked, “if men who live in democratic countries did not acquire the practice of associating with each other in ordinary life, civilization itself would be in peril.” Today, our lives are affected by a wide spectrum of these associations of ordinary life from the Catholic Church, to international NGOs like Greenpeace, to mundane neighborhood groups. This course investigates whether these organizations can help solve some of the most pressing global challenges like climate change, inequality, and epidemics. We will engage classic literature about civil society, study contemporary organizations and movements, and think critically about their political, social and economic impact. 6 credits; SI, IS, WR2; Spring; Huan Gao

POSC 280 Feminist Security Studies Feminist security studies question and challenge traditional approaches to international relations and security, highlighting the myriad ways that state security practices can actually increase insecurity for many people. How and why does this security paradox exist and how do we escape it? In this class, we will explore the theoretical and analytical contributions of feminist security scholars and use these lessons to analyze a variety of policies, issues, and conflicts. The cases that we will cover include the UN resolution on women, peace, and security, Sweden’s feminist foreign policy, violence against women, and conflicts in Syria, Uganda, and Yemen. 6 credits; SI, WR2, IS; Fall; Summer N Forester

POSC 282 Terrorism and Counterterrorism This course focuses on the historic and modern use of violence or the threat of violence by non-state actors to secure political outcomes. We will review the strategy and tactics of various terror groups, use case studies to understand the logic of terrorism, assess why some groups succeed while others fail, and study terrorist organizations’ efforts at recruitment and indoctrination. These topics will be addressed from theoretical and practical perspectives, with input from expert guest speakers. Finally, we will assess counterterrorism measures, including the moral, ethical, legal, and practical approaches to creating security in the modern world. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 283 Separatist Movements This course explores the emergence and resolution of separatist movements around the world. While separatist movements are often associated with the violent dissolution of states, not all separatist movements result in violence and not all separatist movements seek independence. We will investigate the conditions under which separatist pressures are most likely to develop and when such pressures result in actual separation. We will contrast the tactics of movements, from peaceful approaches in places like contemporary Quebec or Scotland, to peaceful outcomes like the "velvet divorce" of Czechoslovakia, to violent insurrections in places like the Philippines, Spain, and Northern Ireland. 6 credits; SI, QRE, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 284 War and Peace in Northern Ireland This class examines the decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland between Catholics and Protestants known as "The Troubles." We will investigate the causes of violence in this region and explore the different phases of the conflict, including initial mobilization of peaceful protestors, radicalization into violent resistance, and de-escalation. We will also consider the international dimensions of the conflict and how groups forged transnational ties with diaspora groups and separatist movements around the world. Finally, we will explore the consequences of this conflict on present-day Northern Ireland's politics and identify lessons from the peace process for other societies in conflict. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 285 The U.S. Intelligence Community This course covers the U.S. Intelligence Community, how intelligence supports national security policy development, and how intelligence is applied to execute strategy in pursuit of policy objectives (specifically, implementation of national security and foreign policy initiatives). Studying the structure, processes, procedures, oversight, and capabilities of the Intelligence Community will enhance understanding of how intelligence supported or failed policymakers in national security decision-making, including the areas of diplomatic and economic cooperation and engagement, and security challenges ranging from deterrence to conventional war. The course concludes with the study of asymmetric/hybrid warfare in our modern age and how intelligence might be used to better understand the changing dynamics of future global conflict. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 288 Politics & Pub Policy in Washington DC Program: Politics and Public Policy in Washington DC Students will participate in a seminar centered around meetings with experts in areas of global and domestic politics and policy. Over the course of the term they will collaborate in groups to produce a presentation exploring the political dimensions of public policy with a focus on how problem identification, institutional capacity, and stakeholder interests combine to shape policy options. Prerequisite: Mathematics 215, Statistics 120 or other statistics courses and participation in Washington DC OCS program. 6 credits; SI, IS; Winter; Greg G Marfleet

POSC 293 Politics & Pub Policy in Washington DC Program: Global Conservation Internship All students will intern in the office of a legislator, executive agency, interest group, or media outlet, keeping a journal of experiences and writing a summary paper. Prerequisite: Participation in Washington DC OCS program. 6 credits; S/CR/NC; NE; Winter; Greg G Marfleet, Aaron M Swoboda

POSC 294 Central and Eastern European Politics Program: Perceptions of Otherness in Modern Eastern and Central Europe Is nationalism fundamentally flawed in its inclusionary capacity? Can the same power of imagination to bring strangers together, which made nation-building possible, be deployed for inventing post-national forms of solidarity? The course will explore representations of strangers and foreigners in Central and Eastern Europe, throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century, with a special focus on Roma and Jews. The aim will be to understand how these representations will work to legitimize different forms of exclusionary politics. An important part of the course will explore the role that exiled and displaced people can play in reimagining identities on a cosmopolitan level. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 295 Central and Eastern European Politics Program: Nation-Building in Central and Eastern Europe between Politics and Art The state and its cultural politics played a pivotal role in building the Romanian nation. The first part of the course will analyze the difficulties of nation-building in modern Romania, with a special emphasis on the incapacity of Romanian liberalism to prevent the rise of extreme right wing politics. The second part will explore different images of Romanian national identity that art provided both during the communist regime and in the post-1989 decades, also in a comparative perspective with Hungary, Bulgaria, and Serbia. The course will include visits to galleries, architectural sites and neighborhoods in Bucharest and its surroundings. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 296 Central and Eastern European Politics Program: Challenges to the Nation-State in Eastern and Central Europe: Immigrants and Minorities How do democracies react when confronted with massive bodies of immigrants? Do the problems that Eastern and Central European countries face in dealing with immigrants reflect deeper challenges to their capacity of thinking of the nation along inclusionary lines? We will explore the legal and political issues that EU countries and their societies, particularly, in Eastern and Central Europe, face when confronted with a migration crisis. Then we will look at Roma’s history of exploitation and injustice in Eastern and Central Europe. The course will include visits with community groups and NGOs, as well as encounters with minority rights activists. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 300 Political Research Experience This course is a collaborative, hands-on, research seminar related to a faculty member’s research program. Students should expect to meet regularly with the faculty supervisor and, depending on the stage or type of research, collect and analyze data, read and interpret primary literature and engage its criticism, submit written material and prepare presentation content. To enroll, students must complete the application form (available on line or in the department office) in consultation with the professor. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission. 1-6 credit; NE; Fall, Winter, Spring; Barbara Allen, Greg G Marfleet, Tun Myint, Huan Gao

POSC 302 Subordinated Politics and Intergroup Relations* How do social and political groups interact? How do we understand these interactions in relation to power? This course will introduce the basic approaches and debates in the study of prejudice, racial attitudes, and intergroup relations. We will focus on three main questions. First, how do we understand and study prejudice and racism as they relate to U.S. politics? Second, how do group identities, stereotyping, and other factors help us understand the legitimation of discrimination, group hierarchy, and social domination? Third, what are the political and social challenges associated with reducing prejudice? 6 credits; SI, IDS; Spring; Christina E Farhart

POSC 303 Political Communication: Political Advertising in Elections and Public Policy Crosslisted with POSC 203. How does political advertising influence the electorate? How does political advertising influence our understanding of policy proposals? Election ads along with the 6-second "sound bite" are now among the major forms of political communication in modern democracies. Add to these forms a battery of visual "arguments" seen in news media, film, and paid ads aimed at persuading us to adopt various policy positions. We will study how ads are created and "work" from the standpoint of political psychology and film analysis. Our policy focus for 2016 will be on climate change and the 2016 general election. Students enrolled in the 303 version will conduct more extensive analysis of data for their seminar papers. 6 credits; SI, QRE, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 304 Media and Electoral Politics: 2020 United States Elections Our analysis of media influences on politics will draw from three fields of study: political psychology, political behavior and participation, and public opinion. Students will conduct a study of the effects of campaign ads and news using our multi-year data set of content analyzed election ads and news. We study a variety of quantitative and qualitative research methods to learn how political communication affects U.S. elections. Students enrolled in the POSC 304 version will conduct more extensive analysis of data for their seminar papers. Taking POSC 304 in conjunction with Political Science 223 is highly recommended to learn methods such as focus group, depth interview methods, and experiment design for conducting original research on elections. 6 credits; SI, QRE, IDS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 305 News Media and Democratic Electoral Processes* How have news media affected democratic elections in the U.S., UK, and EU? Case studies show traditional and new media—from citizen journalism to bots—shaping views of candidates and issues—and democracy itself. Using recent elections worldwide as a base, we will investigate traditional media as an institution in a challenging environment of new media sources and charges of “fake news.” Coursework includes learning about research design through original data collection, data analysis, and visual representation of data. POSC 223 is recommended as a way to learn quantitative and qualitative methods of social science research. Research paper required. 6 credits; SI, QRE, IDS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 306 Identity Politics and Group Behavior in America* In recent years we have heard a lot about “identity politics.” This course aims to answer the question, why do people form group-based identities and how do they impact mass political attitudes and behavior? Using examples from American politics, we will examine the psychological underpinnings of identity and group-based affiliations as well as their political consequences. In doing so, we will explore how bias, prejudice, and social hierarchy are formed, maintained, and changed. Such evaluations will be based on discussions of various dominant and minority group identities including partisanship, race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, religion, and place. Students will learn how and where the United States has progressed in promoting group equality and fairness and where it has not or has even moved backwards. Students end the course with a deeper understanding of the core American paradox of the persistence of group hierarchy in a country dedicated to democracy, equality, and liberty and what people can do to resolve that paradox. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Winter; Brian F Harrison

POSC 307 Go Our Own Way: Autonomy in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement* “Every civil rights bill was passed for white people, not black people. I am a human being. I know … I have right(s). White people didn’t know that. … so [they] had to … to tell that white man, 'he’s a human being, don’t stop him.' That bill was for the white man…. I knew [my rights] all the time.” Stokely Carmichael spoke for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee viewpoint in 1966. The Black Panther Party enacted basic civic responsibilities in their programs. Ella Baker spoke of autonomy in community. This seminar brings voices across generations speaking to current affairs. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Fall; Barbara Allen

POSC 308 Global Gender Politics* How have gendered divisions of power, labor, and resources contributed to the global crises of violence, sustainability, and inequity? Where and why has the pursuit of gender justice elicited intense backlash, especially within the last two decades? In this course, we will explore the global consequences of gender inequality and the ongoing pursuit of gender justice both transnationally and in different regions of the world. We will investigate a variety of cases ranging from land rights movements in East Africa, to the international movement to ban nuclear weapons. Finally, we will pay special attention to how hard-won gains in women’s rights and other related inequalities in world affairs are being jeopardized by new and old authoritarianisms. 6 credits; SI, IS; Winter; Summer N Forester

POSC 313 Legal Issues in Higher Education This seminar will explore pressing legal and policy issues facing American colleges and universities. The course will address the ways core academic values (e.g., academic freedom; the creation and maintenance of a community based on shared values) fit or conflict with legal rules and political dynamics that operate beyond the academy. Likely topics include how college admissions are shaped by legal principles, with particular emphasis on debates over affirmative action; on-campus speech; faculty tenure; intellectual property; student rights and student discipline (including discipline for sexual assault); and college and university relations with the outside world. 6 credits; SI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 314 Constitutional Convention 2020 Students in this course will create a podcast to consider proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Proposed amendments will be developed by students in other courses at Carleton, St. Olaf, and other participating institutions. Students will review and select proposals to be debated, and each proposal will be voted on at the end of the course. This advanced seminar will include work outside of class, independently and in collaboration with other students. Prerequisite: Political Science 271, 272 or 313 or instructor permission. 3 credits; SI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 315 Polarization and Democratic Decline in the United States The United States is more politically polarized today than at any time since the late nineteenth century, leaving lawmakers, journalists, and experts increasingly concerned that the toxicity in our politics is making the country vulnerable to political instability, violence, and democratic decline. Moreover, citizens are increasingly willing to call into question the legitimacy of this country’s core electoral and governing institutions. How did the U.S. get to this point? What can be done about it? This course will examine political polarization as a central feature of American politics and the consequences for American democracy. 6 credits; SI, QRE, IDS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 316 Nonviolent Revolutions in Latin America In this course, students will encounter ideas about nonviolent direct action from practitioners alongside theories from a rapidly growing literature in political science about the causes, dynamics, and consequences of civil resistance campaigns. We will then study major social movements in Latin America, including the Mapuche movement, the #NiUnaMenos campaign against femicide, and Brazil’s Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Teto (MTST). The course’s main focus, however, will be on nonviolent struggles for democratization: the No campaign against Pinochet’s regime in Chile, the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) in Bolivia, the Movimiento Autoconvocado in Nicaragua, and recent democratic crises in Venezuela, Bolivia, and El Salvador. 6 credits; SI, WR2, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 318 Advanced Topics Urban Policy* This course is a discussion seminar for students who seek to build on previous knowledge of public policy within the cities and suburbs of the United States or in comparisons of the U.S. to other urban cases. Focus will be on Housing, Education, Policing, Infrastructure and Social Regulation. Students will produce a research essay using Social Science and Humanities methods. Prerequisite: Political Science 201, 207, 209, 218, or 266 or instructor permission. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 323 Revolutionary Latin America Cycles of revolutionary upheaval and counterrevolutionary violence punctuated Latin America’s tumultuous twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This course compares “successful” revolutions (Cuba [1959], Nicaragua [1979]) with “unsuccessful” (Bolivia [1952], Chile [1970]) and abortive (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Peru in the 1970s and 1980s) attempts at revolutionary change. We will examine questions including, why do revolutionary outbreaks occur? Why do revolutionaries take power in some countries and fail in others? How can we explain (counter-)revolutionary mobilization, violence, and terror? Do revolutions produce enduring social change, or reproduce enduring problems? What do Latin America’s revolutionary legacies mean for twenty-first century politics? 6 credits; SI, WR2, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 324 Rebels and Risk Takers: Women and War in the Middle East How are women (and gender more broadly) shaping and shaped by war and conflict in the Middle East? Far from the trope of the subjugated, veiled, and abused Middle Eastern woman, women in the Middle East are active social and political agents. In wars and conflicts in the Middle East region, women have, for example, been combatants, soldiers, activists, spies, homemakers, writers, and political leaders. This course surveys conflicts involving Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and Iraq--along with Western powers like the U.S., UK, and Australia--through the wartime experiences of women. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 328 Foreign Policy Analysis Foreign policy analysis is a distinct sub-field within international relations that focuses on explaining the actions and choices of actors in world politics. After a review of the historical development of the sub-field, we will explore approaches to foreign policy that emphasize the empirical testing of hypotheses that explain how policies and choices are formulated and implemented. The psychological sources of foreign policy decisions (including leaders' beliefs and personalities and the effect of decision-making groups) are a central theme. Completion of a lower level IR course and the stats/methods sequence is recommended. 6 credits; SI, QRE; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 329 Reinventing Humanism: A Dialogue with Tzvetan Todorov Humanism is today severely criticized for reducing humanity to Western culture and history and for its aggressive control and destruction of the non-human. Concomitantly, the history of the twentieth century reveals a growing totalitarian and anti-humanistic tendency in (post)modern societies and their politics, to replace individual agency, freedom, and responsibility with systemic solutions. The course explores, through a dialogue with the work of the French thinker, Tzvetan Todorov, how being human could be reinvented today in ways that avoid the moral and political pitfalls of the previous humanistic tradition, without devaluing, in the process, the idea of a shared humanity. 6 credits; HI; Spring; Mihaela Czobor-Lupp

POSC 330 The Complexity of Politics* Theories of complexity and emergence relate to how large-scale collective properties and characteristics of a system can arise from the behavior and attributes of component parts. This course explores the relevance of these concepts, studied mainly in physics and biology, for the social sciences. Students will explore agent-based modeling to discover emergent properties of social systems through computer simulations they create using NetLogo software. Reading and seminar discussion topics include conflict and cooperation, electoral competition, transmission of culture and social networks. Completion of the stats/methods sequence is highly recommended. 6 credits; SI, QRE; Spring; Greg G Marfleet

POSC 331 Cooperation and Conflict* Why do countries go to war? What conditions promote a lasting peace? These may well be the two most important and enduring questions in international politics. The course combines an exploration of various theoretical approaches to war and peace—including rational, psychological and structural models—with an empirical analysis of the onset, escalation, and resolution of conflict. We investigate changing patterns in the frequency of global violence and identify where it occurs more (and less) often and assess whether there is an overall trend toward a more peaceful world. 6 credits; SI, QRE, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 333 Global Social Changes and Sustainability* This course is about the relationship between social changes and ecological changes to understand and to be able to advance analytical concepts, research methods, and theories of society-nature interactions. How do livelihoods of individuals and groups change over time and how do the changes affect ecological sustainability? What are the roles of human institutions in ecological sustainability? What are the roles of ecosystem dynamics in institutional sustainability? Students will learn fundamental theories and concepts that explain linkages between social change and environmental changes and gain methods and skills to measure social changes qualitatively and quantitatively. 6 credits; SI, WR2, QRE, IS; Spring; Tun Myint

POSC 334 Global Public Health* This seminar covers a variety of public health issues in advanced capitalist and developing countries, including communicable diseases, neglected tropical diseases and scourges such as malaria, dengue, and AIDS, the effectiveness of foreign aid, and the challenges of reforming health care systems. Emphasis will be on how these issues interact with patterns of economic and social development and the capacity of states and international regimes. Students will develop a perspective on public policy using materials from diverse fields such as political science, epidemiology, history, economics, and sociology. 6 credits; SI, QRE, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 336 Global Populist Politics* Are populist politicians scoundrels or saviors? Regardless of the answer, populism is undeniably a growing force in politics around the world: in democracies as well as autocracies, rich and poor countries, and involving different ideologies. How can we understand this diversity? In this class, we will explore populism using a variety of comparative frameworks: temporal (situating the current crop of populism in historical context), ideological (comparing populisms of the left versus the right), as well as geographic. We will try to understand the hallmarks of populism, when and why it emerges, and its impact on political institutions and society. 6 credits; SI, IS; Fall; Dev Gupta

POSC 337 Political Economy of Happiness* This course explores the political determinants of happiness in the United States and around the world. What makes citizens happier in one country compared to another? When might political institutions be most successful at producing happiness among people? What is the relationship between economic inequality, development, redistribution and happiness? The course starts by examining how happiness is conceptualized and measured in public opinion data, before exploring the political economy of happiness globally. 6 credits; SI, WR2, QRE, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 338 Politics of Inequality and Poverty* The unequal distribution of income and assets is arguably the most important issue in many political systems around the world, and debates over the appropriate role of government in fighting inequality form a primary dimension of political competition. In this course, we will explore the politics surrounding economic inequality around the world. We will discuss how inequality influences political participation in democracies and dictatorships, shapes prospects for democratic transition/consolidation, and affects economic growth and social well-being. We will also examine when and how political institutions can mitigate negative aspects of inequality. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 339 LGBTQ Politics in America The advancement of LGBTQ rights in the United States has experienced unprecedented success over the last twenty years, shifting public attitudes and legal protections for LGBTQ Americans. This course provides a discussion of LGBTQ history and in-depth analysis of how LGBTQ policy victories were achieved, including background on the strategies and tactics used to generate results. We will take a critical look at such milestones and examine what they mean for the entire LGBTQ population, including queer people of color, transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals, the disabled, and the economically disadvantaged. 6 credits; SI, WR2; Spring; Brian F Harrison

POSC 345 Politics of Dictatorship Seventy percent of the world’s population live in closed autocracies or electoral autocracies today. As the Taliban retook Afghanistan and Myanmar’s budding democracy fell to a military coup, there is an urgent need to better understand non-democratic regimes. This course takes a deep dive into dictatorships past and present, exploring key questions of who holds power, how power is monopolized, how controls and resistance interact, and how regimes transition to and from democracy. This course will also investigate the social and economic consequences of dictatorship, focusing primarily on how regime type interacts with economic development, the protection of rights, and inequality. 6 credits; SI, IS, QRE, WR2; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 348 Strangers, Foreigners and Exiles The course explores the role that strangers play in human life, the challenges that foreigners create for democratic politics, the promises they bring to it, as well as the role of exiles in improving the cultural capacity of societies to live with difference. We will read texts by Arendt, Kafka, Derrida, Sophocles, Said, Joseph Conrad, Tzvetan Todorov, and Julia Kristeva. Special attention will be given to the plight of Roma in Europe, as a typical case of strangers that are still perceived nowadays as a menace to the modern sedentary civilization. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 350 "A Savage Made to Inhabit Cities": The Political Philosophy of Rousseau Cross-listed with Political Science 260. In this course we will study what Rousseau considered his greatest and best book: Emile. Emile is a philosophic novel. It uses a thought experiment–the rearing of a child from infancy to adulthood–to explore human nature and the human condition, including their political dimensions. Among Emile‘s themes are natural goodness and the origins of evil; self-love and sociability; the differences and relations between the sexes; citizenship; and the principles of political right. The book also addresses the question of how one might live naturally and happily amid an unnatural and unhappy civilization. 6 credits; HI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 350 Kings, Tyrants, Philosophers: Plato's Republic* Cross-listed with Political Science 250. In this course we will read Plato’s Republic, perhaps the greatest and surely the most important work of political philosophy ever written. What are the deepest needs and the most powerful longings of human nature? Can they be fulfilled, and, if so, how? What are the deepest needs of society, and can they be fulfilled? What is the relation between individual happiness and societal well-being? Are they compatible or in conflict with one another? And where they are in conflict, what does justice require that we do? The Republic explores these questions in an imaginative and unforgettable way. 6 credits; HI; Winter; Laurence D Cooper

POSC 350 Political Philosophy and the Book of Genesis* Cross-listed with Political Science 270. Much of the moral and political architecture of the post-modern, secular world traces back to pre-modern, religious scriptures--especially Genesis, the first book of the Bible. For this reason alone Genesis deserves attention. But there are even stronger reasons: With its accounts of creation, humanity’s relation to nature and the divine, human aspiration and failure, the origins of community, and the good life for both individuals and societies, Genesis offers enormous riches even for those who approach it from an "external" philosophic standpoint (as we will in this class) rather than an "internal" religious one. Readings include Genesis and commentary. 6 credits; HI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 351 Political Theory of Martin Luther King, Jr. This seminar will examine the speeches, writings, and life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Students will study King as an example of the responsible citizen envisioned by the theory expressed in The Federalist, as a contributor to the discourse of civil religion, and as a figure in recent American social history. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 352 Political Theory of Alexis de Tocqueville This course will be devoted to close study of Tocqueville's Democracy in America, which has plausibly been described as the best book ever written about democracy and the best book every written about America. Tocqueville uncovers the myriad ways in which equality, including especially the passion for equality, determines the character and the possibilities of modern humanity. Tocqueville thereby provides a political education that is also an education toward self-knowledge. 6 credits; HI, WR2, IDS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 354 Freedom, Excellence, Happiness: Aristotle's Ethics Cross-listed with POSC 254. What does it mean to be morally excellent? To be politically excellent? To be intellectually and spiritually excellent? Are these things mutually compatible? Do they lie within the reach of everyone? And what is the relation between excellence and pleasure? Between excellence and happiness? Aristotle addresses these questions in intricate and illuminating detail in the Nicomachean Ethics, which we will study in this course. The Ethics is more accessible than some of Aristotle's other works. But it is also a multifaceted and multi-layered book, and one that reveals more to those who study it with care. Seminar paper required. 6 credits; HI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 355 Identity, Culture and Rights This course will look at the contemporary debate in multiculturalism in the context of a variety of liberal philosophical traditions, including contractarians, libertarians, and Utilitarians. These views of the relationship of individual to community will be compared to those of the communitarian and egalitarian traditions. Research papers may use a number of feminist theory frameworks and methods. 6 credits; SI, WR2, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 357 Politics and Ambition* Is personal ambition a threat to peace and the public good or is it a prod to nobility and heroism? Does it exemplify the opposition between self and society or does it represent their intersection and mutual support—or both? And what is the nature of political ambition, especially the ambition to rule: what does the would-be ruler really want? We will take up these and related questions by studying several classic works of philosophy and literature. Readings will likely include works by Plato, Xenophon, and Shakespeare as well as American founders, statesmen, and moral leaders. Seminar paper required. 6 credits; HI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 358 Comparative Social Movements This course will examine the role that social movements play in political life. The first part of the course will critically review the major theories that have been developed to explain how social movements form, operate and seek to influence politics at both the domestic and international levels. In the second part of the course, these theoretical approaches will be used to explore a number of case studies involving social movements that span several different issue areas and political regions. Potential case studies include the transnational environmental movement, religious movements in Latin America and the recent growth of far right activism in northern Europe. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 359 Cosmopolitanism Stoic philosophers saw themselves as citizens of the world (cosmopolitans), a position that Kant enthusiastically revived in the eighteenth century. After the end of the Cold War cosmopolitanism was back in fashion. Even the favorite drink of the girls on TV's Sex and the City was called Cosmopolitan. However, today it seems that nationalism and xenophobia are making a powerful comeback. Is cosmopolitanism dead? This course explores the promises and dangers of globalization, as well as the inexhaustible attraction of nationalism. The attempt is to show that the escape from the unsettling complexity of globalization is not within tribalistic nationalism, but rather in the cosmopolitan transformation of identity, as well as of the sense of being at home and of belonging. 6 credits; HI; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 361 Approaches to Development* The meaning of "development" has been contested across multiple disciplines. The development and continual existence of past civilizations has been at the core of the discourse among those who study factors leading to the rise and fall of civilizations. Can we reconcile the meaning of development in economic terms with cultural, ecological, political, religious, social and spiritual terms? How can we measure it quantitatively? What and how do the UNDP Human Development Indexes and the World Development Reports measure? What are the exemplary cases that illustrate development? How do individual choices and patterns of livelihood activities link to development trends? 6 credits; SI, WR2, QRE, IS; Spring; Tun Myint

POSC 366 Urban Political Economy City revenue is increasingly dependent on tourism. Cities manufacture identity and entertainment, whether we think of Las Vegas or Jerusalem, Berlin or Bilbao, the ethnoscapes of Copenhagen or the red light district of Amsterdam. As cities compete in the global economy to become playgrounds for a transnational tourist class, what is the role of urban residents? Who governs? Who benefits? A research paper will be required. Students who have taken POSC 266 remain welcome to take POSC 366. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 367 Social Welfare in a Time of Crisis* During COVID-19, many countries adopted new cash transfers, wage subsidies, and basic income experiments, among other innovative social policies, prompting major debates on the need to transform existing social protection systems. We will examine the origins and evolution of formal welfare institutions in the global north and south, with an intersectional focus on their consequences for diverse groups. We will also explore how non-state actors contribute to the construction and maintenance of social safety nets around the world. Based on these insights, we will consider how states, markets, families, and communities may shape the future of welfare states. 6 credits; SI, IS; Spring; Juan Diego Prieto

POSC 371 Modern Political Philosophy: Liberalism and Its Critics* Cross-listed with POSC 251. Liberalism is the dominant political philosophy of our time. Living in a liberal polity, each of us has been shaped by liberalism. But is liberalism the best political order? Do we even know what liberalism is? What are the strongest arguments in its favor, and what are the deepest criticisms we might level against it? In this course we will examine liberalism’s philosophic roots and engage with some of its most forceful advocates and most profound critics. Our readings will include authors such as Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Tocqueville, Mill, and Nietzsche. Research paper required. 6 credits; HI, IS, WR2; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 372 Mansions and Shantytowns: Politics of the Spaces We Live In* This course explores theories about spaces/places and investigates the impact of our physical environment on a broad range of social and political issues. We will look at how parks, monuments, residential communities, and other features of our cities and towns are made, who makes them, and in turn, their effects on our daily lives. Students will engage with important contemporary issues such as residential segregation, public space management, protest policing, etc. Most of the course will focus on urban politics, with a brief foray into rural issues. The goal of this course is to encourage students to think about everyday environmental features in a more systematic and theoretic manner and design social scientific inquiries into spatial issues. 6 credits; SI, IS; Winter; Huan Gao

POSC 378 Political Economy & Ecology of Southeast Asia: Social Changes in Southeast Asia Informed by the assigned readings, students will visit markets, factories, farms, and various cultural and natural sites to see first-hand the changes and challenges occurring in these areas. The course covers: (1) issues of livelihood transition from rural to urban; (2) the interaction between market systems and social relations; and (3) the impact on society of changes in physical infrastructures such as roads and telecommunication. Students will keep a journal and produce three thematic short essays, a 15-20-minute video, or a well-organized blog to document their learning. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 379 Political Economy and Ecology of S.E. Asia: Diversity of Social Ecological Systems in Southeast Asia Connecting the first and the second components, this course examines key actors, issues, and interests in the political economy of and ecology of Southeast Asia. Students will connect economy to ecology in Southeast Asia by connecting field experiences and observation to real data, facts, and cases that illustrate the interaction between economy and ecology. This course requires students to identify a topic of interest based on their field experience, research it using techniques taught in the field research and methods course, and write a research report in the form of a term paper. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 380 Political Economy of China and Zomia The role of China in world politics is the focus of this course. We will study the relationship between China and Zomia (regions of Southeast, South, and Central Asia), the South China Sea conflict, seaport and airport projects, gas-pipelines, OBOR, the ZTE-case, and several Chinese-led infrastructure projects. How is the Chinese model of political economic development different from and similar to the neoliberal economic model? How do contemporary Chinese policy and activities in Zomia, and around the world, explain the history and development of China’s centralized political order from the Qing dynasty to modern China? 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2021-22

POSC 400 Integrative Exercise 1-6 credit; S/NC; Fall, Winter, Spring; Christina E Farhart, Greg G Marfleet, Summer N Forester, Richard A Keiser, Tun Myint, Barbara Allen, Laurence D Cooper, Dev Gupta, Mihaela Czobor-Lupp, Kimberly K Smith