Seminars

Spring 2013

POL 480 - Gender, Sex, and Power

taught by Prof. Sheffield

time - TBA

Political scientists study power. One system of power that is not so obvious or well-studied is gender. Everyone is aware of gender. It seems to be everywhere. But gender is not just some set of color-coded categories -- girls wear pink and boys wear blue -- it too is  a system of power. How we understand, analyze, critique, and care about our lives and the world is profoundly shaped by gender. Gender is a binary division of the social, political, economic, and personal world which privileges one group over another.  The gender binary moreover orders the processes and practices of other systems of power.  So things that don't seem on the surface to involve gender -- like globalization or war or law or health care or racism -- are in fact profoundly influenced by gender and only fully understood when analyzed through a gender-sensitive lens. And some things that obviously involve gender -- like sexual trafficking or homophobia or sexual terrorism -- only make real sense when looked at from the perspective of gender as a system of power. Students will be expected to take one of these topics, or some other in consultation with the instructor, and examine it using the concepts and tools of gender analysis.

POL 480 - Democracy and Elections in Developing Nations

taught by Prof. Bejar

time - TBA

Fall 2012

POL 480 - Politics and Markets: The Rise of China

taught by Prof. Aaron Tesfaye

time - TR 11:00 am -12:15 pm

This course explores the interconnectedness of politics and economy, in nations with a high degree of state intervention and a long history of planned heritage. First, the course will introduce the topic by offering the theoretical considerations of the role of the state among late industralizers, the development of East Asia states, but with particular emphasis on the rise of China. Second it will examine the role and function of politics and ideology in economic transformation and discuss whether particular political systems promote or hinder economic reform. Third, it will investigate the determinants of a market economy and whether its introduction is viable without reforming political processes and institutions. Finally, the course will critically assess the factors that determine the path of transition from “state socialism” to a more market-oriented system and the impact of globalization on political and economic developments.

POL 480 - Theories of Justice

taught by Prof. MIchael Thompson

time - M 4:15-6:50 pm

Justice is the central value of political philosophy. It lies at the heart of our legal theory, our concept of politics and the state, and it lies at the foundation of what we consider to be right and wrong. In short, as Plato knew all too well, justice is the central concept of the political community. But justice is also an elusive concept, complex in nature, endlessly generating debate. In this course, we will investigate contemporary theories of justice and try to understand how they help us come to grips with our world. This course will be an investigation in the major modern theories of justice and the ways we ought to think about a just social world, just laws, just economy, and the very concept of what constitutes justice. We will read the most compelling modern thinkers on this subject, such as John Rawls, Michael Walzer, Alasdaire MacIntyre, Robert Nozick, Philip Pettit, Amartya Sen, Ronald Dworkin, and others.

Spring 2012

POL 480-01, American Dissident Thought

taught by Prof. Christine Kelly

Monday, Wednesday 11:00-12:15 p.m.

This seminar will seek to uncover a political theoretical tradition of dissent and challenge to American ideology and political theory as commonly understood. From the Founding to the present, students will engage in an examination of recurring challenges to dominant political ideas and institutions by thinkers and movements which have both flourished and withered in the American context. Using the "post-War" understanding of the term "dissident' as any person or group which suffers state-sanctioned reprisals for their expression of dissent, participants will read about, research and evaluate the past and present for evidence of a dissident tradition in the U.S. Historical and qualitative research methods will be employed. Students will develop research proposals and write a thesis-driven, research-based paper which will test claims from the seminar against a contemporary or historical case.

POL 480-60, Democracy and International Human Rights

taught by Prof. Michael Principe

Wednesday, 4:15-6:50 p.m.

Fall 2011

POL 480-01, Democracy and Nation-Building

taught by Prof. Maya Chadda

Tuesday - Thursday 11:00-12:15 p.m.

Spring 2011

POL 480-01, Systems Thinking

taught by Prof. Collins

Monday, Wednesday 2:00-3:15 p.m.

The multiple challenges facing the human community in the 21st century—from global economic recessions to global poverty and inequality, epidemic disease, terrorism, war and the overarching challenge of climate change-- will require citizens who can think systemically. Systems thinking is a way of scientifically analyzing the structure of complex systems, so as to be able to analyze problems, make better decisions and avert disasters. During the last thirty years, the tools of systems thinking have been applied to understand a wide range of urban, regional, national/international, economic, political, ecological, and even psychological systems. This seminar provides an introduction to the basic concepts in the field and exposes students to the ways in which systems thinking is being used. Students will have the opportunity to practice systems thinking through a research project on a subject of their own choosing.

 

POl 480-60, Capitalism and Democracy

taught by Prof. Judd

Tuesday, 6:00-8:40 p.m.

In this seminar we will explore the origins, nature and evolution of two of the most fundamental concepts of the modern era: capitalism and democracy. Given the current economic and financial conditions of the world, it is more important than ever to understand how capitalism, as a concept and an organizing principle, evolved, what it replaced, and how it has been both criticized and lauded throughout modernity. Likewise, democracy and its myriad varieties has been subject to multiple critiques, and we will study the more fundamental of these. Capitalism and democracy have been linked together and actively spread by the United States since its rise as a world power in the twentieth century. Understanding why, and the assumptions behind these two concepts, is vital.

Fall 2010

 

Current Issues in U.S.-Latin American Relations

taught by Prof. Weinstein

Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00-12:15 p.m.

 

The State, Democracy & Efficiency

taught by Prof. Lewis

Wednesday, 6:00-8:40 p.m.