Political Science

Tools needed to think critically about questions of political science; various research methods employed by political scientists; skills necessary to write cogent essays and conduct original research. .

Topics of special interest in American Government.

Topics of special interest in Comparative Politics.

Topics of special interest in Political Theory.

The contemporary House and Senate; elections, structures, functions, procedures, theories and controversies examined through current scholarship; relations with the president and executive branch.

Nature, functions and evolution of the American presidency; competing definitions and intrepretations of the power of the office; special attention to recent presidents.

A review of key decisions in American Constitutional law, with particular attention to adopted modes of argumentation.

Influence of race and ethnicity on American political attitudes and behaviors; nature and consequences of race and ethnicity in American politics; group identities and political decision-making.

Underpinnings of public opinion; opinion formation, stability and change; effects of public opinion on political participation; media influences on public opinion; equality and representation in a democratic society.

How and why the United States defended itself with conventional, covert, and nuclear strategies during the Cold War and post-Cold War eras.

Issues, history, laws and bureaucratic concerns pertaining to U.S. intelligence.

Organization and function of American political parties as contestants for political power and architects of public policy; political party realignment; parties and campaigns; the party in the electorate and the party in government.

The development of international law, including legal principles, theoretical approaches, major treaties and disputes; application to contemporary issues.

Institutions, processes, and politics of the United Nations and regional international organizations.

Conceptual, analytical and theoretical approaches to genocide and mass killing; causes of violence; contexts in which violence occurs; variations in violence; perpetrators' motivations; intervention and prevention; trials and tribunals; the politics of memory.

Theories of international relations, focusing on causes of interstate war. Laws and norms of war; terriorism and counterterrorism; civil war and insurgency; religion and conflict; violence against civilians; humanitarian intervention and peacekeeping; cyber-security.

Mercantilism, classical liberalism, imperialism, world systems theory, international trade and finance, multinational corporations, foreign aid, development, integration.

The role of political elites, institutions, socio-economic development, religion, and culture in promoting or hindering democracy in different parts of the world.

The interaction between states and markets in developing and advanced industrial countries; theories of economic development; varieties of capitalism and the rise of state capitalism; post-communist transitions; causes and consequences of development and underdevelopment.

Russian political system in transition from authoritarian rule; historical and ideological roots of the Soviet system and initial efforts to reform it; the collapse of communism in Russia and the emergency of a new system.

Patterns of political change in Africa; problems of political and economic development, national integration, and interregional cooperation; linkages between internal and external affairs.

Political patterns and crosscutting influences in political identity in the Arab world, Israel and Iran. The interaction of secular nationalism and political Islam. Political thinkers and political movements.

Political systems of the developing world; nation- and state-building; constitutional and legal development; the role of the military; refugees; gender issues; religion and ethnic conflict.

The impact of European integration and globalization on domestic political economies (labor relations, welfare spending and Keynesianism); the rise of Green parties and right-wing populists; long-term political development (causes of interwar fascism, social democracy and liberalism).

Relationship between civic and religious identity in Western and non-Western societies; the role of shared values and goals in a liberal democracy.

Required for students on research track. Objectives are to address problems of research and question formulation and conceptualization; apply foundational research skills, techniques, broad survey of methodological and data techniques and appropriate applications; development of thesis proposal and research design.

Directed thesis research.

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An individual student with a specific interest which cannot be satisfied by a regular course is allowed to work on a tutorial basis with a particular professor.

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