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Discussion # 11764 (Section 005) Fridays 10:35 am-11:30 am
Discussion # 11795 11765 (Section 006) Fridays 12:45 pm-1:40 pm
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The purpose of this course is to give students an understanding of New York State government. The course will go over the formal structures of government - the executive, legislative & judicial parts as well as public authorities. The class will also cover how political parties, lobbyists, interest groups, and the media interact with government and shape public policy. Classwork will emphasize participation and teamwork. Written assignments will apply course concepts to the real world work of New York state legislators like bill sponsor memos and letters in support or opposition of policy.
PSC PSC 300 m006 Black Feminist Politics
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This seminar critically examines key issues, assumptions, and debates in contemporary, post-civil rights Black Feminist thought, action, and behavior. As such, we will understand that Black Feminism is global and diasporic. We will begin with a survey and broad analysis of Black Feminist history and origins. We will pay particular attention to how Black Feminists make use of standpoint theory, Black nationalism, Black liberalism, liberal feminism, Black Marxism, and radical feminist thought. We will also investigate the simultaneity of race, gender, class, and sexual oppression and its relationship to power. This means that we will draw connections between Black Feminist models and contemporary queer and trans politics. In this course, we will also focus on Black feminist understandings of intersectionality, the history of this analytical frame, and how this framework has contributed to today’s politics. The particular questions we will analyze include but are not limited to the following: How do we evaluate Black movements and leadership using a Black Feminist lens? What is the relationship between racism, gender based oppression, homophobia, and classism in Black women’s lives? What forms of resistance do many Black women engage in? How do these decisions shape politics?
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PSC 300 m007 Politics of Academic Freedom
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Prerequisites: None
Course Description
PSC 300 m101 Policy Implementation
Instructor: Zachary Huitink
Class #: 11667
Offered: T/Th 2:00 pm – 3:20 pm
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Meets with PAI 305.001
Course Description
This course is about how public policy gets put into action, with a focus on developing knowledge and skills essential for addressing some of society’s most complex problems. The course will help you understand what we really mean when we say “policy implementation,” as well as some realities of implementation as it is done in practice. The course will stress, in particular, the widespread roles of not only government but also the private and nonprofit sectors at all levels in the implementation process, and how these actors use policy tools like regulations, grants, vouchers, and public-private partnerships to get things done. Government and non-governmental actors have taken numerous approaches to achieving public policy goals, from (among many others) reducing poverty and improving education to ensuring public health and safety, protecting the environment, and recovering from disasters. What are the trade-offs of different strategies to pursuing goals like these, and why has the record of achievement been mixed? How do government, business, nonprofits, and individual members of the public contribute to implementation efforts? How can they work better with one another to make public policy successful? How do we assess whether policies have had their intended impacts on people and communities? Students will consider these questions through a mix of lecture, discussion, examples, and hands-on exercises, and develop abilities in areas including policy field mapping, logic modelling, planning, and applied implementation analysis.
PSC 300 m104 U.S. Intelligence Community *
Instructor: Robert Murrett
Co-Instructor: Kristin Patel
Class#: 12204
Offered: M/W 2:15 pm – 3:35 What is academic freedom and why is it important for faculty in the United States to have the ability to teach, research and speak on a wide variety of topics, including controversial ones? Should faculty be fired for their social media posts? What rights do students have when it comes to academic freedom? These are some of the main questions of this class. Universities are under pressure to think through what type of curricula, research, and speech they allow on campus from actors both on campus and off. We will study different approaches to academic freedom - we think about the nature and meaning of that freedom, if it is necessary for professions to enjoy broad freedoms, and whether there are necessary limitations to that freedom (and if so, who decides?). We will consider the changes in academic freedom over time in the US and compared to other countries.
PSC 300 m101 Policy Implementation
Instructor: Zachary Huitink
Class #: 11667
Offered: T/Th 2:00 pm – 3:20 pm
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Meets with PAI 338 m003, IRP 338 m001305.001
Course Description
This course will focus on the practice, structure and governance of the intelligence field, and material that has a direct bearing on its current posture. In order to understand the full range of today’s intelligence activities, students will examine the evolution of the U.S. Intelligence Community (I.C.) since its inception in 1947 through the present day. Key phases and specific events will be explored, including I.C. efforts throughout the Cold War, The Cuban Missile Crisis, The Vietnam Conflict, the Church Committee, the Balkans Conflicts, pre and post-9/11 operations, the 911 and WMD Commissions and the subsequent executive and legislative changes implemented over the past ten years. The course will also review governance and oversight of the I.C., including roles of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government. In addition to understanding the development of the I.C., students will study the functional elements of intelligence tradecraft (human intelligence, signals intelligence, imagery analysis, etc.), and engagement with international counterparts. The class will participate in case studies, in which the students will evaluate, provide briefings and recommend decisions in realistic scenarios, both in terms of analysis and intelligence-driven decision-making on policy and operational matters.
PSC 300 m304 Geoeconomics & Statecraft
Instructor: Daniel McDowell
Class #: 13529
Offered: T/Th 9:30 am – 10:50 am
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
This course surveys how strategic and security considerations are transforming interstate economic relations, including how states wield their economic power toward coercive ends, but also how they work to enhance their strategic autonomy and resilience in a riskier, more crisis prone world. The topics we will survey include economic sanctions, domestic reactions to economic coercion, financial statecraft, the weaponization of energy, private sector responses to geopolitical risk, and de-risking in international trade and investment. Weekly readings draw on academic research as well as policy-oriented writing. We will engage with historical cases for additional context and comparison, though contemporary issues are the main event.
PSC 300 m305 AI Ethics & Governance
Instructor: Baobao Zhang
Class #: 13667
Offered: M/W 2:15 pm – 3:35 pmis about how public policy gets put into action, with a focus on developing knowledge and skills essential for addressing some of society’s most complex problems. The course will help you understand what we really mean when we say “policy implementation,” as well as some realities of implementation as it is done in practice. The course will stress, in particular, the widespread roles of not only government but also the private and nonprofit sectors at all levels in the implementation process, and how these actors use policy tools like regulations, grants, vouchers, and public-private partnerships to get things done. Government and non-governmental actors have taken numerous approaches to achieving public policy goals, from (among many others) reducing poverty and improving education to ensuring public health and safety, protecting the environment, and recovering from disasters. What are the trade-offs of different strategies to pursuing goals like these, and why has the record of achievement been mixed? How do government, business, nonprofits, and individual members of the public contribute to implementation efforts? How can they work better with one another to make public policy successful? How do we assess whether policies have had their intended impacts on people and communities? Students will consider these questions through a mix of lecture, discussion, examples, and hands-on exercises, and develop abilities in areas including policy field mapping, logic modelling, planning, and applied implementation analysis.
PSC 300 m104 U.S. Intelligence Community *
Instructor: Robert Murrett
Co-Instructor: Kristin Patel
Class#: 12204
Offered: M/W 2:15 pm – 3:35 pm
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Meets with PAI 338 m003, IRP 338 m001
Course Description
This course will focus on the practice, structure and governance of the intelligence field, and material that has a direct bearing on its current posture. In order to understand the full range of today’s intelligence activities, students will examine the evolution of the U.S. Intelligence Community (I.C.) since its inception in 1947 through the present day. Key phases and specific events will be explored, including I.C. efforts throughout the Cold War, The Cuban Missile Crisis, The Vietnam Conflict, the Church Committee, the Balkans Conflicts, pre and post-9/11 operations, the 911 and WMD Commissions and the subsequent executive and legislative changes implemented over the past ten years. The course will also review governance and oversight of the I.C., including roles of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government. In addition to understanding the development of the I.C., students will study the functional elements of intelligence tradecraft (human intelligence, signals intelligence, imagery analysis, etc.), and engagement with international counterparts. The class will participate in case studies, in which the students will evaluate, provide briefings and recommend decisions in realistic scenarios, both in terms of analysis and intelligence-driven decision-making on policy and operational matters.
PSC 300 m304 Geoeconomics & Statecraft
Instructor: Daniel McDowell
Class #: 13529
Offered: T/Th 9:30 am – 10:50 am
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a general-purpose technology that will affect nearly all aspects of society, including criminal justice, health care, employment, and international security. Private and governmental entities are already deploying autonomous systems that affect everyday life, such as facial recognition, hiring decisions, and disease diagnoses. Meanwhile, researchers are quickly making advances in developing algorithms that could outperform humans in tasks that require intelligence. While AI has enormous potential to benefit society, it can also introduce many risks to human safety and well-being. This class uses a cross-disciplinary approach to study how tech companies, national governments, international organizations, and civil society groups could manage the development and deployment of AI in the public interest. The class material draws upon research in political science, public policy, philosophy, legal studies, economics, and computer science. Topics include algorithmic fairness; privacy, transparency, and safety; automation and the future of work; the impact of AI on international security.
PSC 302 m001 Environmental Politics & Policy
Instructor: Sarah Pralle
Class #: 20645
Offered: T/Th 11:00 am – 12:20 This course surveys how strategic and security considerations are transforming interstate economic relations, including how states wield their economic power toward coercive ends, but also how they work to enhance their strategic autonomy and resilience in a riskier, more crisis prone world. The topics we will survey include economic sanctions, domestic reactions to economic coercion, financial statecraft, the weaponization of energy, private sector responses to geopolitical risk, and de-risking in international trade and investment. Weekly readings draw on academic research as well as policy-oriented writing. We will engage with historical cases for additional context and comparison, though contemporary issues are the main event.
PSC 300 m305 AI Ethics & Governance
Instructor: Baobao Zhang
Class #: 13667
Offered: M/W 2:15 pm – 3:35 pm
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
This course will examine the political processes surrounding environmental decision making in the United States. Emphasis will be placed on how environmental issues reach the governmental agenda, why and how natural resource and pollution policies change (or do not), and the challenges involved in implementing environmental policies. Theoretical readings will be interspersed with case studies of environmental policymaking.
PSC 304 m001 Judicial Process
Instructor: Rick Trunfio
Class #: 12913
Offered: T/Th 3:30 pm – 4:50 pm
Frequency Offered: Yearly
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
This course will take an in-depth examination of the Criminal Justice System from arrest to appeal, taught by an experienced prosecutor. Students will get a practical, realistic view of criminal justice and the court system through readings, lectures, class discussion and guest speakers who work in the legal system. This course is designed to give students a basic understanding of constitutional law and criminal procedure and will attempt to improve analytical ability and critical thought process. It will examine how the rights of those accused of a crime are balanced against the rights of those who are victims of crime. This course will also explore how the judicial process affects average citizens, their communities and American society, and how the system is often inaccurately portrayed in the media and by Hollywood.
PSC 305 m001 U.S. Congressional Politics
Instructor: Danny Daneri
Class #: 12990
Offered: T/Th 3:30 pm – 4:50 pm
Frequency Offered: IrregularlyArtificial intelligence (AI) is a general-purpose technology that will affect nearly all aspects of society, including criminal justice, health care, employment, and international security. Private and governmental entities are already deploying autonomous systems that affect everyday life, such as facial recognition, hiring decisions, and disease diagnoses. Meanwhile, researchers are quickly making advances in developing algorithms that could outperform humans in tasks that require intelligence. While AI has enormous potential to benefit society, it can also introduce many risks to human safety and well-being. This class uses a cross-disciplinary approach to study how tech companies, national governments, international organizations, and civil society groups could manage the development and deployment of AI in the public interest. The class material draws upon research in political science, public policy, philosophy, legal studies, economics, and computer science. Topics include algorithmic fairness; privacy, transparency, and safety; automation and the future of work; the impact of AI on international security.
PSC 302 m001 Environmental Politics & Policy
Instructor: Sarah Pralle
Class #: 20645
Offered: T/Th 11:00 am – 12:20 pm
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
This course is about the politics of will examine the political processes surrounding environmental decision making in the United States Congress. We will discuss the historical and contemporary functions of the U.S. Congress, with a focus on representation, elections, political parties, special interest groups, inter-branch relations, and the changing character of legislative politicking and policymaking. As we do so, we continuously consider the questions of how and why certain policy topics rise and fall on the agenda of the U.S. Congress over time.
PSC 306 m001 African American Politics
Instructor:
Class #: 12478
Offered: M/W 12:45 pm – 2:05 pm
Frequency Offered: Irregularly
Prerequisites: None
Cross Listed with: AAS 306.001Emphasis will be placed on how environmental issues reach the governmental agenda, why and how natural resource and pollution policies change (or do not), and the challenges involved in implementing environmental policies. Theoretical readings will be interspersed with case studies of environmental policymaking.
PSC 304 m001 Judicial Process
Instructor: Rick Trunfio
Class #: 12913
Offered: T/Th 3:30 pm – 4:50 pm
Frequency Offered: Yearly
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
This course is will take an examination of the African American Political experience in the United States with a focus on the nature of the American political system and the status of African Americans in it. The approach will be analytical and theoretical, but the main focus will be on the historical and contemporary political dynamic. Special attention will be given to the interplay of society, state, ideology, and political struggles.
PSC 310 m001 Refugees in International Politics *
Instructor: Lamis Abdelaaty
Class #: 12914in-depth examination of the Criminal Justice System from arrest to appeal, taught by an experienced prosecutor. Students will get a practical, realistic view of criminal justice and the court system through readings, lectures, class discussion and guest speakers who work in the legal system. This course is designed to give students a basic understanding of constitutional law and criminal procedure and will attempt to improve analytical ability and critical thought process. It will examine how the rights of those accused of a crime are balanced against the rights of those who are victims of crime. This course will also explore how the judicial process affects average citizens, their communities and American society, and how the system is often inaccurately portrayed in the media and by Hollywood.
PSC 305 m001 U.S. Congressional Politics
Instructor: Danny Daneri
Class #: 12990
Offered: T/Th 123:30 pm – 14:50 pm
Frequency Offered: Irregularly
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Course Description
This course deals with is about the global politics of refugee issues, broadly defined to include the movement of people displaced by persecution, conflict, natural or human-made disasters, environmental change, or development projects. It is grounded in the international relations subfield, but students are expected to engage with ideas from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Topics covered include historical trends in, analytical approaches to, and the international legal framework-governing refugees. We also explore the causes, consequences, and responses by state and non-state actors to refugee flows. A series of examples from recent and current events are examined, including a case study on refugees and the Syrian civil war.
PSC 315 m001 Politics & Media
Instructor: Johanna Dunaway
Class #: 20642
Offered: ?? 6:00 pm – 8:40 pm
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
This course provides an overview of the media’s role in American political life. In doing so, we will focus on several broad themes: the relationship between the media and government; the process of newsmaking and how it shapes the content of political news; and the effects of the media on public opinion and voting behavior. We will also examine recent developments in the media ecosystem, from Facebook algorithms to the rise of "fake news."
PSC 318 m001 Technology, Politics & Environment
Instructor: Takumi Shibaike
Class #: 20646
Offered: M/W 3:45 pm – 4:05 pm
Frequency Offered: Special Offeringthe United States Congress. We will discuss the historical and contemporary functions of the U.S. Congress, with a focus on representation, elections, political parties, special interest groups, inter-branch relations, and the changing character of legislative politicking and policymaking. As we do so, we continuously consider the questions of how and why certain policy topics rise and fall on the agenda of the U.S. Congress over time.
PSC 306 m001 African American Politics
Instructor: Horace Campbell
Class #: 12478
Offered: M/W 12:45 pm – 2:05 pm
Frequency Offered: Irregularly
Prerequisites: None
Cross Listed with: AAS 306.001
Course Description
This course is an examination of the African American Political experience in the United States with a focus on the nature of the American political system and the status of African Americans in it. The approach will be analytical and theoretical, but the main focus will be on the historical and contemporary political dynamic. Special attention will be given to the interplay of society, state, ideology, and political struggles.
PSC 310 m001 Refugees in International Politics *
Instructor: Lamis Abdelaaty
Class #: 12914
Offered: T/Th 12:30 pm – 1:50 pm
Frequency Offered: Irregularly
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
This course analyzes deals with the relation of government to policymaking in the domain of environment, where technology and politics intersect in many crucial ways. Attention is given primarily to politics and administration of environmental policy in the US at all levels of government. Comparative and international aspects of the problem are also examined. Particular emphasis is given to the processes by which policy is formulated, implemented and modified.
PSC 324 m001 Constitutional Law I
Instructor: Thomas Keck
Class #: 10785
Offered: T/Th 9:30 am – 10:50 amglobal politics of refugee issues, broadly defined to include the movement of people displaced by persecution, conflict, natural or human-made disasters, environmental change, or development projects. It is grounded in the international relations subfield, but students are expected to engage with ideas from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Topics covered include historical trends in, analytical approaches to, and the international legal framework-governing refugees. We also explore the causes, consequences, and responses by state and non-state actors to refugee flows. A series of examples from recent and current events are examined, including a case study on refugees and the Syrian civil war.
PSC 315 m001 Politics & Media
Instructor: Johanna Dunaway
Class #: 20642
Offered: This is a Washington, DC course held in DC. Must be accepted into the Maxwell in DC program or Newhouse in DC program for Fall 2025!
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
Does the US Constitution impose adequate safeguards to prevent a sitting President from undermining free and fair elections? Does it authorize Congress to enact a law requiring all Americans to have health insurance? Does it require all states to allow same-sex couples to legally marry? Does it give the President free rein, as commander in chief of the US military, to authorize warrantless wiretapping of suspected terrorists? If you are interested in any or all of these questions, then this course is for you. In Constitutional Law I, you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the development of the American constitutional system from the founding through the mid-twentieth century. In Constitutional Law II, offered in the Spring, we will continue this inquiry right up to the present day. Recent versions of the syllabi are available on the instructor’s website, though there will be a number of updates for the coming year.
PSC 328 m001 US Social Movements & Interest Groups
Instructor: Sarah Pralle
Class #: 20647
Offered: T/Th 2:00 pm – 3:20 This course provides an overview of the media’s role in American political life. In doing so, we will focus on several broad themes: the relationship between the media and government; the process of newsmaking and how it shapes the content of political news; and the effects of the media on public opinion and voting behavior. We will also examine recent developments in the media ecosystem, from Facebook algorithms to the rise of "fake news."
PSC 318 m001 Technology, Politics & Environment
Instructor: Takumi Shibaike
Class #: 20646
Offered: M/W 3:45 pm – 4:05 pm
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
From Earth Day in 1970s to the Black Lives Matter protests, social movements have been an essential part of American politics. This course examines how social movements emerge, why people join them, the strategies they use to challenge the status quo, and why some succeed while others seemingly fail. Much of our attention will be on 20th century social movements, including the labor, civil rights, and environmental movements. We will also spend time discussion 21st century movements on both the ideological right and left.
PSC 329 m001 Modern American Presidency
Instructor: Margaret Susan Thompson
Class #: 13482This course analyzes the relation of government to policymaking in the domain of environment, where technology and politics intersect in many crucial ways. Attention is given primarily to politics and administration of environmental policy in the US at all levels of government. Comparative and international aspects of the problem are also examined. Particular emphasis is given to the processes by which policy is formulated, implemented and modified.
PSC 324 m001 Constitutional Law I
Instructor: Thomas Keck
Class #: 10785
Offered: T/Th 129:30 pm am – 110:50 pmam
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Cross-listed with HST 341.001
Course Description
This course will analyze the evolution of the modern presidency and its present operation. The focus of our attention will be on the years since the Second World War, and especially on those since 1960. The decision-making process and operation of presidential administrations from Kennedy through Trump will be studied in detail; we also will discuss the early challenges faced by the Biden administration. We shall consider the various roles that the president plays in government, politics and society. The presidency as an institution and as an individual office will be examined to identify factors that have contributed to the successes and failures of particular administrations. This course shall also examine the roles and influence of unelected officials (esp. senior White House staff), and popular attitudes toward both the symbolic and the practical presidency—especially as they have been shaped by the traditional mass media and the “new media” (especially online interactivity). We will consider what lasting effects, if any, events during the last quarter century have had upon the presidency as an institution.
PSC 334 m001 Mexico & the United States *
Instructor: Matt Cleary
Class #: 21163
Offered: T/Th 3:30 pm – 4:50 Does the US Constitution impose adequate safeguards to prevent a sitting President from undermining free and fair elections? Does it authorize Congress to enact a law requiring all Americans to have health insurance? Does it require all states to allow same-sex couples to legally marry? Does it give the President free rein, as commander in chief of the US military, to authorize warrantless wiretapping of suspected terrorists? If you are interested in any or all of these questions, then this course is for you. In Constitutional Law I, you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the development of the American constitutional system from the founding through the mid-twentieth century. In Constitutional Law II, offered in the Spring, we will continue this inquiry right up to the present day. Recent versions of the syllabi are available on the instructor’s website, though there will be a number of updates for the coming year.
PSC 328 m001 US Social Movements & Interest Groups
Instructor: Sarah Pralle
Class #: 20647
Offered: T/Th 2:00 pm – 3:20 pm
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: NoneCross-listed with LAS 335 m001
Course Description
This course focuses on the politics of modern Mexico, with special attention to relations between Mexico and the United States. We begin with an overview of the long history of U.S.-Mexican relations, including comparative colonial histories, the War (1846-48), and other conflicts up through the mid-20th century. However, the bulk of the course focuses on the historical roots and contemporary dynamics of various themes that are critical for understanding Mexico today, again with special attention to U.S.-Mexican relations. Topics of study include economic ties (e.g., the maquila industry, NAFTA/USMCA, and bilateral trade relations); the roots of migration and the effects of migration in both countries; Mexican democratization and inter-governmental relations; the drug trade; and the way that these bilateral issues are politicized and negotiated in both countries.
PSC 338 m001 Race, Ethnicity & American Politics
Instructor: Steven White
Class #: 20648From Earth Day in 1970s to the Black Lives Matter protests, social movements have been an essential part of American politics. This course examines how social movements emerge, why people join them, the strategies they use to challenge the status quo, and why some succeed while others seemingly fail. Much of our attention will be on 20th century social movements, including the labor, civil rights, and environmental movements. We will also spend time discussion 21st century movements on both the ideological right and left.
PSC 329 m001 Modern American Presidency
Instructor: Margaret Susan Thompson
Class #: 13482
Offered: T/Th 312:30 pm – 41:50 pm
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Cross-listed with HST 341.001
Course Description
This course examines race and ethnicity in American politics, with particular attention to African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans as voters, activists, and policymakers. Among other topics, we will examine public opinion, trends in partisanship and voting behavior, the link between traditional civil rights organizations and new social movements, debates about “pan-ethnicity,” descriptive and substantive representation in political institutions, and intersectionality.
PSC 355 m001 International Political Economy *
Instructor: Dan McDowell
Class #: 13025
Offered: T/Th 11:00 am – 12:20 pm
Frequency Offered:
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
From the rise of Donald Trump’s economic populism to Great Britain’s “Brexit” from the European Union, it is impossible to deny the tenuous political underpinnings of economic globalization today. To borrow from Prof. Jeffry Frieden, globalization is a choice, not a fact. That is, the global economic integration we observe today is the product of governments’ policy decisions over a period of many decades. This course introduces the student to the field of international political economy (IPE). IPE studies how politics impacts the global economy and, in return, how the global economy impacts politics. There are two central questions that we will wrestle with in this class. First, what explains the international economic policy choices governments make? Second, what are the effects of those policy choices both within and across countries? Over the course of the session, we will engage with a number of key topics in IPE including: international trade, economic development, multinational corporations, international capital flows, exchange rates, sovereign debt, and financial crises. We will rely on two primary analytic tools: basic economic principles to explain how economic policies influence the distribution of income and political economy theories that explain how politicians set policies. Together, we will use these tools to help understand historical and contemporary phenomena.
PSC 357 m001 US Foreign Policy *
Instructor: Greg Smith
Class #: 12481
Offered: M/W 2:15 pm – 3:35 pm
Frequency Offered: Yearly
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
This course examines contemporary issues in U.S. foreign policy. The central goal of this course is to provide students with the knowledge and analytical skills necessary to grapple with the question: what should America’s role in a turbulent world be? Within the U.S. foreign policy community, an active debate has been raging about whether or not the U.S. should pull back its forces from around the world and return to a sort of neo-isolationism or if it should remain actively engaged in world affairs and continue to assert itself militarily and economically. The culmination of this class will require students to take a position on this central debate within U.S. foreign policy and to argue for the particular grand strategy that the United States should adopt moving forward. The course is broadly divided into two parts. The first part provides a theoretical foundation for the study of U.S. foreign policy. The second half of the class applies contemporary social science research to many of the most critical issues in U.S. foreign policy.
PSC 363 m001 Ethics & International Politics *
Instructor: Glyn Morgan
Class #: 12482
Offered: T/Th 6:30 pm – 7:50 pm
Frequency Offered: Yearly
Prerequisites: None
Cross Listed with PHI 363 m001
Course Description
This course examines the fundamental questions of ethics and international relations. Among the topics addressed: raison d’état; the just war tradition; humanitarian intervention; terrorism; torture; fair trade; foreign aid; immigration; human rights; nationalism; and climate change.
PSC 364 m001 African International Relations *
Instructor: Horace Campbell
Class #: 12919
Offered: T/Th 9:30 am – 10:50 am
Frequency Offered: Yearly
Prerequisites: None
Cross-listed with AAS 364 m001
Course Description
The course focuses on the relations between African societies and peoples and the wider international system. In the process, there will be the effort to seek to understand the imperial forces that shaped contemporary African international relations. Why is Africa viewed as an untapped treasure house for external forces? What accounts for the militarization of the state and the high propensity towards external military interventions, wars and environmental destruction? Is racial capitalism central to International Relations theory? Is there a need for the Decolonization of International Relations? What theories best explain the centrality of mineral extraction in African international relations? Is realism the best approach towards understanding the international relations of Africa? What forms of international cooperation are necessary for peace, reconstruction and restorative justice?
To answer these questions the course analyzes the humanity of Africans using an emancipatory gendered approach to the theory of African International Relations. In order to grasp the recursive impact of the politics of retrogression, the course will examine the nested loop of force, masculinity, plunder and militarism. This militarism will be linked to the global armaments culture and the legacies of racism and imperialism in Africa. Traditional IR conceptions of Africa will be interrogated to grasp how humanitarianism and the concepts of “failed states” constitute a component of the psychological warfare against Africans. How can the peoples of the planet develop a greater sense of solidarity and an appreciation of the principles of ubuntu? We seek to learn from the new interventions of the democratic forces and the impact of the ideas of Truth on the politics of reparations.
PSC 375 m001 Philosophy of Law
Instructor: Erica Schumener
Class #: 12323
Offered: M/W 3:45 pm – 5:05 pm
Frequency Offered: Yearly
Prerequisites: None
Cross-listed with PHI 397 m001
Course Description
This course is an introduction to philosophical debates about the nature, source, and authority of law. The fundamental question we will explore is “what is law?” but we will also consider how natural law theorists, positivists, realists, and critical legal scholars answer questions such as: Are there different kinds of law? Is law based on universal principles or does it depend on context? What is the relationship between law and justice? What is the source of law? Who is authorized to interpret law and what are the principles of its interpretation? When and why is punishment justified? When and why should individual rights be limited?
PSC 376 m001 Creation of the Constitution
Instructor: Dennis Rasmussen
Class #: 20649
Offered: M/W 2:15 pm – 3:35 pm
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
This course will examine the creation of the basic framework for America’s government and laws, the U.S. Constitution. The first half of the course will focus on the debates at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787, which formulated and proposed the Constitution, and the second half will focus on the ratification debates between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists in 1787-88. A study of these debates allows us to see the choices that were made—as well as the arguments behind the choices that were made—in the creation of the world’s longest-lasting and most influential national constitution.will analyze the evolution of the modern presidency and its present operation. The focus of our attention will be on the years since the Second World War, and especially on those since 1960. The decision-making process and operation of presidential administrations from Kennedy through Trump will be studied in detail; we also will discuss the early challenges faced by the Biden administration. We shall consider the various roles that the president plays in government, politics and society. The presidency as an institution and as an individual office will be examined to identify factors that have contributed to the successes and failures of particular administrations. This course shall also examine the roles and influence of unelected officials (esp. senior White House staff), and popular attitudes toward both the symbolic and the practical presidency—especially as they have been shaped by the traditional mass media and the “new media” (especially online interactivity). We will consider what lasting effects, if any, events during the last quarter century have had upon the presidency as an institution.
PSC 334 m001 Mexico & the United States *
Instructor: Matt Cleary
Class #: 21163
Offered: T/Th 3:30 pm – 4:50 pm
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Cross-listed with LAS 335 m001
Course Description
This course focuses on the politics of modern Mexico, with special attention to relations between Mexico and the United States. We begin with an overview of the long history of U.S.-Mexican relations, including comparative colonial histories, the War (1846-48), and other conflicts up through the mid-20th century. However, the bulk of the course focuses on the historical roots and contemporary dynamics of various themes that are critical for understanding Mexico today, again with special attention to U.S.-Mexican relations. Topics of study include economic ties (e.g., the maquila industry, NAFTA/USMCA, and bilateral trade relations); the roots of migration and the effects of migration in both countries; Mexican democratization and inter-governmental relations; the drug trade; and the way that these bilateral issues are politicized and negotiated in both countries.
PSC 338 m001 Race, Ethnicity & American Politics
Instructor: Steven White
Class #: 20648
Offered: T/Th 3:30 pm – 4:50 pm
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
This course examines race and ethnicity in American politics, with particular attention to African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans as voters, activists, and policymakers. Among other topics, we will examine public opinion, trends in partisanship and voting behavior, the link between traditional civil rights organizations and new social movements, debates about “pan-ethnicity,” descriptive and substantive representation in political institutions, and intersectionality.
PSC 355 m001 International Political Economy *
Instructor: Dan McDowell
Class #: 13025
Offered: T/Th 11:00 am – 12:20 pm
Frequency Offered:
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
From the rise of Donald Trump’s economic populism to Great Britain’s “Brexit” from the European Union, it is impossible to deny the tenuous political underpinnings of economic globalization today. To borrow from Prof. Jeffry Frieden, globalization is a choice, not a fact. That is, the global economic integration we observe today is the product of governments’ policy decisions over a period of many decades. This course introduces the student to the field of international political economy (IPE). IPE studies how politics impacts the global economy and, in return, how the global economy impacts politics. There are two central questions that we will wrestle with in this class. First, what explains the international economic policy choices governments make? Second, what are the effects of those policy choices both within and across countries? Over the course of the session, we will engage with a number of key topics in IPE including: international trade, economic development, multinational corporations, international capital flows, exchange rates, sovereign debt, and financial crises. We will rely on two primary analytic tools: basic economic principles to explain how economic policies influence the distribution of income and political economy theories that explain how politicians set policies. Together, we will use these tools to help understand historical and contemporary phenomena.
PSC 357 m001 US Foreign Policy *
Instructor: Greg Smith
Class #: 12481
Offered: M/W 2:15 pm – 3:35 pm
Frequency Offered: Yearly
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
This course examines contemporary issues in U.S. foreign policy. The central goal of this course is to provide students with the knowledge and analytical skills necessary to grapple with the question: what should America’s role in a turbulent world be? Within the U.S. foreign policy community, an active debate has been raging about whether or not the U.S. should pull back its forces from around the world and return to a sort of neo-isolationism or if it should remain actively engaged in world affairs and continue to assert itself militarily and economically. The culmination of this class will require students to take a position on this central debate within U.S. foreign policy and to argue for the particular grand strategy that the United States should adopt moving forward. The course is broadly divided into two parts. The first part provides a theoretical foundation for the study of U.S. foreign policy. The second half of the class applies contemporary social science research to many of the most critical issues in U.S. foreign policy.
PSC 363 m001 Ethics & International Politics *
Instructor: Glyn Morgan
Class #: 12482
Offered: T/Th 6:30 pm – 7:50 pm
Frequency Offered: Yearly
Prerequisites: None
Cross Listed with PHI 363 m001
Course Description
This course examines the fundamental questions of ethics and international relations. Among the topics addressed: raison d’état; the just war tradition; humanitarian intervention; terrorism; torture; fair trade; foreign aid; immigration; human rights; nationalism; and climate change.
PSC 364 m001 African International Relations *
Instructor: Horace Campbell
Class #: 12919
Offered: T/Th 9:30 am – 10:50 am
Frequency Offered: Yearly
Prerequisites: None
Cross-listed with AAS 364 m001
Course Description
The course focuses on the relations between African societies and peoples and the wider international system. In the process, there will be the effort to seek to understand the imperial forces that shaped contemporary African international relations. Why is Africa viewed as an untapped treasure house for external forces? What accounts for the militarization of the state and the high propensity towards external military interventions, wars and environmental destruction? Is racial capitalism central to International Relations theory? Is there a need for the Decolonization of International Relations? What theories best explain the centrality of mineral extraction in African international relations? Is realism the best approach towards understanding the international relations of Africa? What forms of international cooperation are necessary for peace, reconstruction and restorative justice?
To answer these questions the course analyzes the humanity of Africans using an emancipatory gendered approach to the theory of African International Relations. In order to grasp the recursive impact of the politics of retrogression, the course will examine the nested loop of force, masculinity, plunder and militarism. This militarism will be linked to the global armaments culture and the legacies of racism and imperialism in Africa. Traditional IR conceptions of Africa will be interrogated to grasp how humanitarianism and the concepts of “failed states” constitute a component of the psychological warfare against Africans. How can the peoples of the planet develop a greater sense of solidarity and an appreciation of the principles of ubuntu? We seek to learn from the new interventions of the democratic forces and the impact of the ideas of Truth on the politics of reparations.
PSC 375 m001 Philosophy of Law
Instructor: Erica Schumener
Class #: 12323
Offered: M/W 3:45 pm – 5:05 pm
Frequency Offered: Yearly
Prerequisites: None
Cross-listed with PHI 397 m001
Course Description
This course is an introduction to philosophical debates about the nature, source, and authority of law. The fundamental question we will explore is “what is law?” but we will also consider how natural law theorists, positivists, realists, and critical legal scholars answer questions such as: Are there different kinds of law? Is law based on universal principles or does it depend on context? What is the relationship between law and justice? What is the source of law? Who is authorized to interpret law and what are the principles of its interpretation? When and why is punishment justified? When and why should individual rights be limited?
PSC 382 m001 Contemporary Political Philosophy
Instructor: Austin Philip Fraser
Class #: 11597
Offered: T/Th 3:30 pm – 4:50 pm
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