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Grading basis/credits:
Description: Without an understanding of its institutions, ideologies, and history, American politics can sometimes be viewed as chaotic and confusing. After developing that knowledge, a critical eye toward leaders, policy, and "spin" will allow students to better understand and participate in the political process. The hope and intent of the course is to make each student feel empowered to participate rather than to feel jaded or apathetic. Recent events have shown that Generation "Y", when it is involved, can have huge impacts on the political process.
Class Time: 40% Lecture, 10% Film/Video, 40% Discussion, 10% Small Group Activities.
Work Load: 75 pages reading per week, 15 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 2 papers.
Grade: 20% mid exam, 30% final exam, 40% reports/papers, 10% written homework.
Instructor: Gott,Katherine M
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Description: This course is intended to introduce students to the expressed hopes of the American people for their government and to the institutions and processes that have been created and recreated to achieve these hopes. What do we mean by good government? Have we achieved it? How do we build it? Through an examination of the roles of American political institutions and the behavior of American citizens, we will be able to critically reflect on issues such as political and economic inequality in the U.S., the role of American political and economic power in the world, and the possibility for an American public policy that lives up to the ideals of the founders. By the end of the semester students should have a basic understanding of the structure and function of American government as well as an increased ability to critically reflect on the degree to which our institutions, processes, and citizens live up to the expectations placed on them.
Class Time: 60% Lecture, 20% Discussion, 20% Small Group Activities.
Work Load: 50-100 pages reading per week, 10-12 pages writing per term, 3 exams, 2 papers.
Grade: 50% mid exam, 25% final exam, 25% reports/papers.
Instructor: Abernathy,Scott F
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Description: This course intends to generate interest in American politics. What are the values and identities that shape what it means to be American? What does it mean to act politically? Whose interests are and are not represented in the United States? Students will learn about the fundamental characteristics of American political institutions; the political parties and actors who administer these institutions; and the laws that establish the rules and norms by which the American people and their organizations must abide. Throughout the semester, students will engage in various learning activities in order to critically examine the political forces competing to influence the scope of the U.S. national agenda. The class will tie important political science works to current events and give particular attention to race, religion, class, gender, and citizenship.
Class Time: 60% Lecture, 5% Film/Video, 20% Discussion, 15% Small Group Activities.
Work Load: 50-80 pages reading per week, 10 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 2 papers.
Grade: 30% mid exam, 30% final exam, 30% reports/papers, 10% class participation.
Instructor: Udani,Adriano A
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Equivalencies:
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Cothran III,Boyd Dean
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Description: Global politics introduces students to the study of the world's political systems and to the debates over certain global issues. Various theroretical frameworks are examined throughout the semester, but the emphasis is on the so-called liberal perspective. Related middle range accounts of war and of international political economy also are studied. While many global political issues will be mentioned, the focus will be on the legacies of the East-West conflict, particularly nuclear proliferation, and on the North-South conflict, expecially Southern demands for distributional justice. At the end of the semester, students will be able to describe and predict the evolution of a global political system. In addition, they will be able to carve out and defend a stand on one of the global issues mentioned above.
Class URL: http://www.polisci.umn.edu/kiosk
Class Time: Some digitized video materials are used.
Work Load: 100 pages reading per week, 3 exams.
Grade: 30% mid exam, 40% final exam. Weightings are approximate
Exam Format: A mix of short answers/essays and long essays
Instructor:
Freeman,John Roy
(Morse Alumni Award; Grad and Profl Teaching Award; CLA Dean's Medal; CLA Distinguished Tchg Awd)
Grading basis/credits:
Description: This course introduces students to some of the basic concepts, processes, and issues in global politics. We will examine relevant theoretical frameworks, but the focus will be on their connection to substantive issues in today?s globalizing world. The goal is for students to develop a systematic understanding of international relations in their political, economic, and social aspects. Readings will be drawn from scholarly and policy-oriented sources, as well as from the mass media from time to time. Some of the main themes that we will explore together in this course include: conventional, unconventional and asymmetric warfare, the contemporary global economic system, trade and security, the rise of international organizations, and the relationship between emerging states and industrialized countries. This course also serves as an introduction to Pol 3835, which has a more theoretical focus.
Instructor: Leon,David Pak Yue
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Description: The course is a mixture of historical background, examination of various processes and institutions that determine US foreign policy, and selected foreign policy issues that are important in fall 2009. The course objectives are that people leave the course (1) aware of how the US foreign policy process operates and aware of major, long-running debates about Congressional-Executive relationships in that process; (2) aware of the contours of public opinion as it relates to foreign policy; (3) conversant with major events and dates in the history of US foreign policy; and (4) able to think about how this knowledge relates to selected events of fall 2009 and beyond.
Class Time: 65% Lecture, 35% Discussion. Class attendance is important. Lectures and readings supplement each other.
Work Load: 110 pages reading per week. The paper is a two part "rolling paper". The first part can be a partial basis for the second part. The course has one test and a final exam
Grade: 20% mid exam, 35% final exam, 35% reports/papers, 10% other evaluation. The course papers are based on readings assigned in the syllabus.
Exam Format: Combination essay and short answer. A handout sheet is provided a week in advance
Instructor:
Sampson III,Martin Wright
(Morse Alumni Award)
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Description: This course introduces political science through the comparative study of politics in various countries. There is a considerable emphasis on democracy and how it works -- including comparison and contrast with how politics works in nondemocratic regimes. We will look at all aspects of politics -- the nature of political power, how politics is lodged in the state, various ways to organize at the mass level and to govern, the nature of justice, etc. The class will consist of three lecture sessions a week. The course is appropriate for both majors and non-majors.
Instructor:
Shively,W Phillips
(Morse Alumni Award)
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Description: What does it mean to be free? What is the proper relationship between the individual and the community? What is power and how should it be limited? How we answer these questions matters for how we think about politics and how we live our lives. This course offers students an introduction to three branches of political thought that have each sought to provide coherent answers to these questions. They are Republicanism, Liberalism, and Socialism, and though they do not exhaust the wide spectrum of political thought, each has appeared and reappeared over the course of Western history as various thinkers have grappled with questions of freedom, duty, and power. In this course we will consider a few of the most important formulations of these three "isms" in the writings of figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Karl Marx. Each of these thinkers is important not just because each produced excellent works of political theory, but also because their works have come to form part of the vocabulary of modern political discourse, both inside and outside of academic settings, making an understanding of their writings necessary for any understanding of contemporary politics.
Class Time: 50% Lecture, 40% Discussion, 10% Small Group Activities.
Work Load: 50 pages reading per week, 12-15 pages writing per term.
Grade: 30% reflection paper, 10% class participation. 60% analytical papers
Instructor: Anderson,Joshua R
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Description: This course will introduce students to the study of major themes and problems in the history of western political theory. Political theory can be understood as a systematic/comprehensive inquiry on the foundation of collective life and the uses of collective power. From the Greeks on, reflection on the experience of political life has taken form in a variety of genres and modes of discourse. Each genre has placed different emphases in light of its own form as well as of the political experience and historical context in which the texts written in it were produced. Accordingly, in this course we will pay particular attention to the genres of political theory and the centrality of form and content in the activity of political theorizing. In doing so, we will consider the traditional themes that have occupied the minds of thinkers working within this tradition of discourse. Among these themes are: justice, responsibility, violence, terror, authority, civil disobedience, partisanship, democracy, and power. Our selection of thinkers seeks to combine canonical figures of the western tradition with writers whose work is not traditionally considered part of the canon of political theory, or is outside of it (say, works of literature), but who have reflected on the aforementioned problems in enlightening ways. As we examine traditional political concerns questions of racial and sexual politics will also be addressed.
Instructor: Vazquez-Arroyo,Antonio Y
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Prereq: Fr or FRFY
Description: The word ?welfare? is reviled in American politics, yet we spend three times more on social programs (social security, Medicare, Medicaid) than on defense. The media also portrays the recipients of social programs in starkly contrasting manners: as Cadillac-driving welfare queens, deserving sick children, or RV-driving baby boomers enjoying a long retirement. Why these differences? This seminar examines social policy in the US through an international lens, asking why the political dynamics among social programs in the U.S. are so varied, and why the U.S. looks different from many European and Asian countries. Why do attempts to introduce universal health insurance in the U.S. fail? Why does the U.S. provide public pensions to all elderly citizens, but lack universal programs for children and young people?
Instructor: Gingrich,Jane Rebecca
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Description: Political, social, and economic life is complex. And unlike the movement of atoms or the growth of cells, we cannot perfectly predict future behavior. But, in fact, there are regularities, patterns, and trends to human relations and this class will help you understand these issues systematically. During the semester you will learn to develop simple and testable theories, collect evidence, use that evidence to test and prove your theory. These are the kinds of skills not only in demand among academics; they are excellent training for careers in consultancy, policy, medicine, and the law. Among the topics of study are the rise and fall of states; drugs and crime; suicide terrorism; globalization and inequality; racism; and why you have to pay tuition fees. In each topic, there will be a particular emphasis on international comparisons, so that you can understand the diversity of human experience and how your life in the United States differs from those abroad.
Instructor: Ansell,Benjamin William
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Prereq: instr consent, dept consent
Description: Students working in political or governmental internships may receive credit for academic work completed in association with their internship work. Students may receive 1 credit for every 3 hours (per week) of internship work. Academic work increases with increased hours worked. Assignments will include: weekly journal, 5-7 page essay, 10 page research paper. Acceptable internships include: US Congress, MN state legislature, federal, state, and local gov't agencies, as well as political parties, campaign organizations, and non-governmental advocacy groups. To enroll in this course, students must first arrange their internship, and then contact the instructor before the semester begins. Students who do not contact the instructor before the end of the first week of the semester will NOT be enrolled in this course.
Class Time: Fieldwork/Participant-observation
Work Load: 20 pages reading per week, 30-50 pages writing per term, 2 papers.
Instructor:
Soper,Paul W
(CLA-Work Group Outstdg Svc Awd; Outstanding Service Award)
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: 9 cr social sciences recommended
Description: This course serves as an upper-level undergraduate introduction to how political scientists conduct empirical research to study political behavior and institutions. The objective of the course is to teach students how to interpret political phenomena from a systematic and analytical perspective. We consider issues of research design, hypothesis formulation, as well as study basic statistical techniques and analyze political science data. After completion of the course, students will be able to interpret data analyses presented in newspapers, magazines and basic government and academic studies. Students will also be prepared to conduct an empirical senior paper or honors thesis.
Instructor: Treier,Shawn A
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Description: We will begin with an examination of Puritan political ideas, and remain attentive to the role of religious ideas on American political thought throughout the course. Next we will devote considerable time to the Revolutionary and Constitutional periods, focusing in particular on the arguments for and against ratification of the Constitution. Then we will move on to examine arguments over federalism and slavery, women's and workers' rights, as well as the emergence of romantic individualism. Finally, we will look at debates over the emergence of industrial society, the Populist, Progressive, and Socialist responses to it, and debates over racial equality. Prominent theorists covered include Winthrop, Franklin, Paine, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Hamilton, the Anti-Federalist "Brutus," Emerson, Thoreau, Fuller, Calhoun, Fitzhugh, Douglass, Lincoln, Sumner, Bellamy, DuBois, Goldman, Debs, Dewey, and King. Throughout the course we will be attentive to understanding not only particular political theories, but also how each thinker was influenced by past theories, and by the political, social, and economic context in which he or she wrote.
Class Time: 25% Lecture, 75% Discussion.
Work Load: 150 pages reading per week, 30 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 1 papers.
Grade: 20% mid exam, 40% final exam, 40% reports/papers.
Exam Format: Essay
Instructor:
Soper,Paul W
(CLA-Work Group Outstdg Svc Awd; Outstanding Service Award)
Grading basis/credits:
Equivalencies:
Prereq: credit will not be granted if credit received for: 5251
Description: This course will provide students with an introduction to Greek, Roman, and early Medieval political thought. The revolts and reforms that gave birth to democracy, a new political experience, in the fifth century BCE in Athens also led to the consequent development of systematic political theorizing. The Greeks reflected on their new political experience in a variety of genres and modes of discourse. The same could be said, albeit to a lesser degree, about the Romans and Medieval thinkers in relation to their respective milieus. In this course we will examine some of the basic concepts emerging in the ancient polis - democracy, constitutions, justice, equality, and authority, as well as other thematics that defined this experience, such as the tensions associated with the distinctions between demos and the elite, ethics and politics, and war - and how these travel into the medieval world, along with their different transformations in different spatial configurations and historical moments. Accordingly, we will read selections from Thucydides' The Peloponnesian War, Aeschylus's Oresteia, Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Politics, Cicero's The Republic and the Laws, selections from Livy's Annales, as well as selections from Christian and non-Christian Medieval thinkers.
Instructor: Vazquez-Arroyo,Antonio Y
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Equivalencies:
Prereq: 1001 or 1002 or instr consent
Description: This course is a comprehensive survey of the contemporary U.S. Congress. We will begin by analyzing congressional elections, how members of Congress represent their states and districts, and the links between elections and governance. The course will then focus on the organization of Congress, including the interplay between parties and the committee system. We will then analyze the legislative process, rules and procedure, the budget process, interest groups, and the interaction between the Congress and the White House. In the 2008 elections, Democrats won the presidency and increased their majorities in both the House and Senate. This political and electoral context sets the stage for our study of the U.S. Congress, but as we will discover, it is not a guarantee of automatic success for Democrats' policy proposals. Class sessions will include lecture and discussion. It is important that students keep up with the assigned reading to understand the lectures and participate in class. Although attention to current congressional politics will enhance the value of this course, it is no substitute for careful reading and classroom discussion. Students will write two short papers, an 8-10 page paper, and take a midterm and a final exam.
Instructor: Pearson,Kathryn Lynn
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Description: This class introduces students to the theories of economics and politics that underlie debates between politicians and commentators in modern life. We begin by learning about the classic debates among economists and political scientists about the role of government in the market before moving to apply these theories to three important contemporary debates: the causes and response to the current financial crisis, what to do with the American healthcare system, and whether globalization threatens or benefits Americans. We begin by examining the history of economics, moving from Adam Smith and Karl Marx to the modern debate between Keynesian and neoclassical economics. Though these theories may seem arcane to you, they are fundamental to the current debate about the appropriate role of government and the decisions made today that will affect you over the next decades of your lives. We then turn to theories of politics to understand why politicians make particular choices in economic policy. Here we contrast rational choice theories of party behavior to theories that focus on state power to theories of culture and norms. In doing so we will discuss why political parties become successful, how they choose what policies to make, and how religion, norms, and theories of justice affect political life. We conclude by applying our theories of economics and politics to three contemporary debates: the financial crisis, the healthcare system, and the threats and opportunities of globalization.
Class Time: 80% Lecture, 20% Discussion.
Work Load: 65 pages reading per week, 2 exams, 2 quizzes.
Instructor: Ansell,Benjamin William
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Description: This course focuses on the politics of the European Union. In 1958, six European Countries joined together to form a common market. Fifty years later, the European Union now includes twenty seven European countries, and governs issues as diverse as trade, environmental, and immigration policy. Indeed, the EU has developed into one of the most important and interesting systems of contemporary governance. However, in recent years, the failure of the EU constitution, discontent among new and old member states, and an uncoordinated response to the world financial crisis, have raised questions about the future of the EU. This course introduces students to the European Union in three steps, looking at how its internal structure works, what areas it governs (and does not govern), and the challenges it faces the. The course combines careful analysis of the working of the European Union with weekly discussions of current events and key cases. In so doing, students will both learn about this crucial institution, and grapple with questions such as the nature of sovereignty, identity, democracy, and security in contemporary Europe.
Instructor: Gingrich,Jane Rebecca
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Equivalencies:
Prereq: 1054 or instr consent
Description: The course examines Latin American politics by introducing historical and contemporary patterns of democracy and development. It aims to help students understand the origins and effects of Latin America's "dual transitions" to political democracy and market-led economics in the 1980s-90s, analyzing the continued challenges to the deepening of democracy and to sustainable and equitable economic growth in the region. The course presents competing theoretical approaches and discusses them in the context of the political trajectories of four major Latin American cases: Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia. Readings on other countries will occasionally be assigned.
Class Time: 70% Lecture, 30% Discussion.
Work Load: 125 pages reading per week, 8 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 1 papers.
Grade: 20% mid exam, 25% final exam, 35% reports/papers, 20% class participation.
Exam Format: Combo of multiple choice, IDs, and essay
Instructor: Hilbink,Lisa
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: 6 cr in soc sci
Description: What similarities are there, if any, between the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, South Africa, Northern Ireland, Rwanda, and Palestine/Israel? Why does racial and ethnic conflict persist in so many regions of the world? To what extent does racial conflict in th U.S. reflect the increasing disparities in wealth? How is racial/ethnic oppression similar and different from sexual oppression? These are some of the questions that this course will address and attempt to answer. This will be done primarily through a comparative analysis of racial/ethnic/class conflict in the U.S., South Africa, and Cuba with particular attention on the experiences of Blacks in the three countries.
Class Time: 75% Lecture, 25% Discussion.
Work Load: 100 pages reading per week.
Grade: 25% mid exam, 50% final exam, 25% reports/papers.
Exam Format: Essay.
Instructor:
Nimtz Jr,August H
(Morse Alumni Award; CLA Distinguished Tchg Awd)
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: 1001 or equiv or instr consent
Description: This course will provide an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of political psychology. We will use theories and findings from both political science (particularly in the areas of public opinion and political behavior) and psychology (particularly in the areas of social psychology and personality) to better understand politics, with a special focus on understanding ordinary citizens' political attitudes and behaviors. Students do not have to have prior coursework in both political science and psychology for this class. However, prior coursework in one of the two fields (especially in the areas mentioned above) is recommended.
Class Time: 80% Lecture, 20% Discussion.
Work Load: 100 pages reading per week, 15 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 1 papers.
Grade: 25% mid exam, 25% final exam, 30% reports/papers, 10% attendance, 10% other evaluation.
Instructor: Miller,Joanne Marie
Grading basis/credits:
Equivalencies:
Prereq: 1001 or equiv or instr consent
Description: This course focuses on two overarching themes. First, we shall examine public opinion on the most important issues of the day, such as economic welfare, race, homosexuality and other controversial social issues, and foreign policy. We will see where the public has stood on these topics in the past and consider where it is likely to move in the future. Second, we shall examine electoral behavior at the individual level. Specifically, we will see what factors lead people to turnout on Election Day and motivate them to cast ballots for the Democratic or Republican presidential candidates. Finally, note that throughout the term we will consider whether the American public and individual voters make reasonable political decisions.
Instructor: Goren,Paul Nurullah
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Description: This course is organized in four units: The first unit, addressed in weeks 1 to 4, concerns the question, what distinguishes international from domestic politics? For that, we focus on the anarchic context of international politics to examine how the absence of authority and rule above states shapes insecurities and struggles for power. The second unit (weeks 5-8) focuses on how states play out the implications of the anarchic context in their political interactions of security, violence, and war. In this unit we include attention to the contemporary international politics of 'terrorism'. Can international politics foster stable, peaceful cooperation is the concern of the third unit (weeks 9-11). Here we ask whether and in what senses one can appropriately speak of an international community and international law. We conclude the course (weeks 12-14) with a unit on whether and how the realm of international politics is (or might be) being transformed into a realm of global and local politics. What is the significance of globalization and localized political movements for international politics? The principal objective of this course is for students to develop an appreciation of the ways in which various theoretical perspectives lead to different understandings of the structures and practices of world politics. Each of the perspectives that we address accepts the assumption that the many and varied interactions among states and non-state actors in the global arena are vital elements of our world. However, in interpreting these many and varied forms of world politics, each of the theories offers not only a unique accounting of why international relations take the form that they do, but also distinct guidance about what international political activity should be. Therefore, we investigate both the explanatory insights and the practical and normative political implications that distinguish each theoretical perspective. Through the highlighting of such theoretical differences, the course is intended to provide the means for students to develop their own theoretically informed analyses of issues in contemporary international relations, such as the changing security dynamics in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, whether a war on terrorism can be won, how the proliferation of nuclear weapons and other `weapons of mass destruction' affects international stability or instability, the extent to which cooperation on global climate change, human rights, or poverty alleviation is possible, and in what ways the functioning of the global economy shapes the terms and conditions of international politics.
Class Time: 50% Lecture, 10% Film/Video, 30% Discussion, 5% Small Group Activities, 5% Guest Speakers. students do a few in-class writing assignments
Work Load: 100 pages reading per week, 18 pages writing per term, 1 exams, 2 papers, 6 quizzes. the exam is a take-home
Grade: 30% final exam, 55% reports/papers, 15% quizzes. two analytical papers, six pages each. Each worth 30% of total grade, but lower grade is reduced to count only 25% (for a total of 55% for the two papers)
Exam Format: take-home, essay format
Instructor:
Duvall,Raymond D
(Morse Alumni Award; CLA Distinguished Tchg Awd)
Grading basis/credits:
Description: The world is a realm of order and disorder, conflict and cooperation, and crisis and stability. How are we, as students and scholars of the international system, to understand these seemingly contradictory tendencies? How do we make sense of the world? This course provides students the tools to do just that through a focus on the leading mainstream and critical theories of international relations. It is, at the core, a course that takes theory seriously; at the same time, these theories are grounded in and used to analyze diverse "real world" phemonena, including humanitarian intervention, conflict and war, and international organization and cooperation. Readings will span theoretical, historical, and policy-relevant areas; writing assignments will emphasize critical analysis of current events.
Class Time: 30% Lecture, 35% Discussion, 30% Small Group Activities, 5% Guest Speakers.
Work Load: ~100 pages reading per week, 15 pages writing per term, 1 exams, 1 papers. Writing assignments will include 5 one-page critical response papers. Take-home final exam.
Instructor: Kennedy,Denis Verne Flaugher
Grading basis/credits:
Description: Should nations intervene in other countries to prevent famine or ensure human rights? Under what conditions is war justified? On what principles should immigration policies be based? Who should pay to avoid global environmental problems? Should wealthy states provide foreign aid or forgive the debts of poor countries? Is the possession of nuclear weapons morally and legally acceptable? What do we mean by global citizenship? How does an understanding of global citizenship influence how we answer ethical questions in international politics? Are activist groups in transnational civil society practicing global citizenship? In this course we will grapple with these and many other related questions. This course will introduce you to different traditions of moral, legal, and political thought to provide you with the tools to make reasoned judgments about difficult political problems in global politics. This course meets the CLE ethics and citizenship requirement. The course first presents and defines ethics and the role of ethics in public life. We will then explore the origins of different ethical traditions, and see how those traditions have been subjected to public debate and contestation. Next, we will apply different ethical traditions to concrete problems and instances in international politics. We will study a range of cases from different parts of the contemporary world, and compare similarities and differences in ethical and philosophical traditions and ideas about citizenship in different regions of the world. One goal of the course is to help you understand that there is no single correct ethical approach to a problem, but that different philosophical traditions may provide different ways of understanding both ethics and citizenship. Learning about these traditions can help you make more thoughtful and informed decisions about your own practices of as a national and international citizen. Ideas about global ethics and citizenship are dynamic and contested; they have changed over time, often in response to pressures from citizenship movements. Throughout the course, I will encourage you to develop, defend, or question your own values and beliefs in relation to the ethical traditions and political cases we are exploring. The final section of the course will be specifically focused on individual ethical dilemmas.
Class Time: 35% Lecture, 3% Film/Video, 25% Discussion, 25% Small Group Activities, 10% Student Presentation, 2% Guest Speakers. This course will combine lecture, discussion, small group work, informal in-class writing assignments, and the case method of teaching. Cases are short factual descriptions of events that were written specifically as teaching tools.
Work Load: 100-110 pages reading per week, 18-22 pages writing per term, 1 exams, 4 papers, 2 presentations. * Papers include 3 (2 page) reflection papers and a first draft (8-12 pages) and a second draft (12 pages) of a research paper
Grade: 35% mid exam, 40% reports/papers, 15% reflection paper, 10% class participation. Papers: 3 short reflection papers and a first draft (8-10 pages) and a second draft (10 pages) of a research paper (each draft account for 20% of your grade).
Exam Format: Essay and short answer
Instructor:
Sikkink,Kathryn A
(Grad and Profl Teaching Award)
Grading basis/credits:
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Tronto,Joan C
Grading basis/credits:
Equivalencies:
Prereq: 1001 or equiv, non-pol sci grad major or instr consent
Description: While we often think of the federal government as the leader in American politics, state governments often produce most of the policymaking innovation in the U.S., and they are also responsible for most of the implementation of federal and state policies. So, studying state government and politics provides an excellent way of learning how government really works in the U.S. In this course, we will investigate the following questions: How do states differ in their political systems, governments, and public policies? Do different states have different political cultures? How do these political cultures affect politics in different states? How is Minnesota politics typical, and how is it unique, compared with other states? How does state politics and government intersect with national politics and government? This course is writing intensive, so we will spend considerable time in class discussing writing, and performing exercises to improve your writing skills. Your grade will be based not only on your comprehension of state government and politics, but on the quality of your writing.
Class Time: 40% Lecture, 40% Discussion. writing exercises
Work Load: 150-200 pages reading per week, 20-25 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 2 papers.
Grade: 20% mid exam, 30% final exam, 50% reports/papers.
Exam Format: essay
Instructor:
Soper,Paul W
(CLA-Work Group Outstdg Svc Awd; Outstanding Service Award)
Grading basis/credits:
Description: This course introduces students to justice efforts after transitions from authoritarian rule or internal and armed conflict. In addition to examining different types of transitions, we will study transitional justice and post-conflict justice. These include trials, truth commissions, amnesty, reparations, lustration and vetting, institutional reform, museums and memorials, testimonials and art. The course involves an interdisciplinary and case study approach. The key debates, concepts and theories explored include international relations and comparative politics, legal studies, sociology, social psychology, performance studies, and literary criticism. The course will focus on emblematic case studies of justice efforts, specifically: international trials in Germany, Cambodia, and Yugoslavia; domestic trials in Argentina and Peru; the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission; lustration in Eastern Europe and de-Baathification in Iraq; and reparations for slavery and Japanese interment in the United States. Students will develop expertise on a country of their choice. In addition to in-class exams on key concepts, students will students will apply the concepts, theories and debates learned in two research papers on the same case study. The goals of the course extend beyond knowledge about transitions and justice. The course is also designed to develop skills in independent critical and analytical thinking, writing and research, and argument.
Grade: 25% mid exam, 35% reports/papers, 25% special projects, 15% class participation.
Instructor:
Payne,Leigh A
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Syllabus
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: 1025 or 1054 or equiv or instr consent
Description: The history of socialist revolutions over the course of a century or more reveals that what occurred in Cuba has proven to have more lasting power. In spite of all the challenges it continues to face, what explains why the Cuban Revolution is still in place after four decades? This is the central research question of the course. A definitive answer would require a thorough examination of the revolution from its initiation until today, which is beyond what can be done in a semester or its equivalent. The focus, rather, will be more limited. First, how was the revolution made and consolidated, from 1953 until about 1969. Second, how has it been able to survive and advance since the collapse of the Soviet Union, that is, since 1991? The emphasis here is on the role of leadership and strategy and how the Cubans and their leaders saw and see what they are doing, in their own words. This is an attempt to get into their heads, their understandings, through documents, speeches and writings. For the first question I will also draw on the data from a research/film documentary project that I'm involved in at this moment: the participation of women and men in the guerrilla army and underground movement.
Instructor:
Nimtz Jr,August H
(Morse Alumni Award; CLA Distinguished Tchg Awd)
Grading basis/credits:
Description: Composed of eleven countries, Southeast Asia covers a wide geographical region stretching from India to China. With a rich endowment of natural resources, a dynamic manufacturing base, and a strategic location on China's southern flank, the region has come to play an increasingly important role in the political and economic affairs of the globe. Culturally and ethnically diverse, hundreds of languages are spoken in the region, and the religions practiced include Buddhism, Catholocism, Hinduism, and Islam. All of the countries in Southeast Asia have exclusionary political systems, but they range from the formally democratic through civilian authoritarianism to military authoritarianism. Because the region is so diverse, the introduction must necessarily be incomplete. Readings and lectures will focus on seven countries: Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The course centers on three main themes: comparing the countries in the region with respect to political change and political systems, the Vietnam War, and counter-terrorism since 9/11. By the end of the course, students will have a better understanding of politics in the region and acquire theoretical tools for analyzing politics there.
Class Time: 30% Lecture, 20% Film/Video, 30% Discussion, 20% Small Group Activities.
Work Load: 80-100 pages reading per week, 8-10 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 1 papers.
Grade: 29% mid exam, 29% final exam, 29% reports/papers, 13% class participation. I use a point system, with 100 points each for the midterm, final, and research paper and 50 points for class participation.
Instructor: Caraway,Teri L.
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: 1054 or 3051 or non-pol sci grad or instr consent
Description: This course addresses the question of whether democracy and markets are compatible, whether democratic institutions enhance (undermine) the workings of market institutions and vice versa. Competing theoretical perspectives in the field of political economy are critically evaluated. And the experiences of countries with different forms of democratic market system are studied. Among the topics singled out for in-depth investigation are the economics of voting, politics of money management, political business cycles,and the politics of trade.
Class Time: 50% Lecture, 50% Discussion.
Work Load: 50-100 pages reading per week, 2-3 exams, 1 papers. Number of exams includes final exam. Paper will be short: 5-8 pages
Instructor:
Freeman,John Roy
(Morse Alumni Award; Grad and Profl Teaching Award; CLA Dean's Medal; CLA Distinguished Tchg Awd)
Grading basis/credits:
Description: Corporations are among the most powerful actors in the global political economy. They employ millions of people, produce a variety of goods, and have massive effects on the ecological and social environments in which they do business. How do ordinary people act in order to hold corporations accountable for the effects that their activities have on communities and individuals? This course focuses on two ways that people have mobilized to counter corporate power--as citizens and as consumers. When people mobilize as citizens, they put pressure on corporations through the political system--e.g. through mass protests, lobbying politicians, and pursuing claims through the courts. When people mobilize as consumers, they use the power of their purchasing decisions to encourage corporations to change their behavior. We will explore these different modes of action through an examination of Wal-mart, branding and corporate social responsibility, labor rights, the environment, fair trade, water privatization, the privatization of life, and outsourcing war.
Class Time: 40% Lecture, 15% Film/Video, 30% Discussion, 15% Small Group Activities.
Work Load: 80-100 pages reading per week, 14-18 pages writing per term, 1 exams, 3 papers.
Grade: 20% final exam, 60% reports/papers, 20% class participation. Students will write two short essays of 4-5 pages and one research paper, 6-8 pages in length.
Exam Format: The final exam will be an essay exam in which students will answer one question from a list of two or three questions.
Instructor: Caraway,Teri L.
Grading basis/credits:
Equivalencies:
Prereq: 1001 or 1002 or equiv or [non-pol sci] grad student or instr consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Mohammad-Zadeh,Kati
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Jr or sr
Description: The relationship of the United States to the Middle East is complex, and the Middle East region itself is complex. This course weaves these two topics together. It assumes that one cannot think sensibly about US policy without significant awareness of the Middle East region. A key objective is that students learn about Turkey, Iran, Israel, the Palestinians, and various Arab states including Iraq. Many readings have Middle Eastern authors. A second key objective is that students learn about debates, actions, inertias, and rationales for US engagement with the region. The course meets the Dept of Political Science major project requirement. It is also a writing intensive course. "Writing intensive" means the course devotes instructional time to helping you cope with the required writing assignments. The actual amount of writing is similar to what the course required before it became a writing intensive course.
Class Time: 65% Lecture, 20% Discussion, 15% Small Group Activities.
Work Load: 110 pages reading per week, 15-18 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 1 papers. The paper happens in various stages, whose activities are intended to help people write better papers more comfortably. To some extent the paper is based on course readings.
Grade: 20% mid exam, 30% final exam, 40% reports/papers, 10% other evaluation.
Exam Format: one large essay question, short answer, and blank-d multiple choice. A study guide appears a week before each test.
Instructor:
Sampson III,Martin Wright
(Morse Alumni Award)
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: 3835 or non-pol sci grad or instr consent
Description: This course examines global governance - the creation, revision, and enforcement of the rules that are intended to govern the world. We will begin by considering the international order that lurks behind and defines any governance arrangement. The purpose of global governance is to create stability in global relations, further collective interests, and pursue the collective good. But whose stability and whose collective is it? How should we think about the relationship between Agovernance@ and Ainternational order?@ What is international order? How is it produced, sustained, and regulated? Whose order is it? How are different governance arrangements tied to different kinds of world orders? In this section we also will examine the role of international organizations. International organizations are frequently viewed as residing at the hub of any governance arrangement, but different theories have different conceptions of what purpose and effects they have. Accordingly, we will examine several different theories to better understand the different ways that international organizations matter in global governance. The remainder of the course is divided between governing global security, global economy, and global humanity, drawing from and extending themes developed the first part of the course. The section on governing global security will examine the logic that has driven states to develop rules intended to reduce the prospects of conflict and some of the problems states have following the rules that they insist is for their own good. The section on governing the global economy will examine how states control the international organizations they establish; whether these control mechanisms help or hurt the ability of the organization to do its job; the autonomy of international organizations to go where they want to go; and the difficulty of reforming IOs. The final section will examine the matter of governing humanity and will examine why states and other actors have fought hard to establish a global architecture to help distant strangers, and why this is an architecture without a solid base.
Instructor: Barnett,Michael Nathan
Grading basis/credits:
Equivalencies:
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Calkivik,Asli
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Pol sr, instr consent
Description: Can be attached to any 3XXX or 4XXX course (with the instructor's agreement). A 10-15 page paper is submitted for evaluation/advice by instuctor, then revised for final submission.
Work Load: 10-15 pages writing per term, 1 papers.
Grade: 100% reports/papers.
Exam Format: None
Instructor: STAFF
Grading basis/credits:
Equivalencies:
Prereq: grad student or instr consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor:
Soper,Paul W
(CLA-Work Group Outstdg Svc Awd; Outstanding Service Award)
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: grad student
Description: This course introduces students to justice efforts after transitions from authoritarian rule or internal and armed conflict. In addition to examining different types of transitions, we will study transitional justice and post-conflict justice. These include trials, truth commissions, amnesty, reparations, lustration and vetting, institutional reform, museums and memorials, testimonials and art. The course involves an interdisciplinary and case study approach. The key debates, concepts and theories explored include international relations and comparative politics, legal studies, sociology, social psychology, performance studies, and literary criticism. The course will focus on emblematic case studies of justice efforts, specifically: international trials in Germany, Cambodia, and Yugoslavia; domestic trials in Argentina and Peru; the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission; lustration in Eastern Europe and de-Baathification in Iraq; and reparations for slavery and Japanese interment in the United States. Students will develop expertise on a country of their choice. In addition to in-class exams on key concepts, students will students will apply the concepts, theories and debates learned in two research papers on the same case study. The goals of the course extend beyond knowledge about transitions and justice. The course is also designed to develop skills in independent critical and analytical thinking, writing and research, and argument.
Grade: 25% mid exam, 35% reports/papers, 25% special projects, 15% class participation.
Instructor:
Payne,Leigh A
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Syllabus
Grading basis/credits:
Description: Composed of eleven countries, Southeast Asia covers a wide geographical region stretching from India to China. With a rich endowment of natural resources, a dynamic manufacturing base, and a strategic location on China's southern flank, the region has come to play an increasingly important role in the political and economic affairs of the globe. Culturally and ethnically diverse, hundreds of languages are spoken in the region, and the religions practiced include Buddhism, Catholocism, Hinduism, and Islam. All of the countries in Southeast Asia have exclusionary political systems, but they range from the formally democratic through civilian authoritarianism to military authoritarianism. Because the region is so diverse, the introduction must necessarily be incomplete. Readings and lectures will focus on seven countries: Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The course centers on three main themes: comparing the countries in the region with respect to political change and political systems, the Vietnam War, and counter-terrorism since 9/11. By the end of the course, students will have a better understanding of politics in the region and acquire theoretical tools for analyzing politics there.
Class Time: 30% Lecture, 20% Film/Video, 30% Discussion, 20% Small Group Activities.
Work Load: 80-100 pages reading per week, 8-10 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 1 papers.
Grade: 29% mid exam, 29% final exam, 29% reports/papers, 13% class participation. I use a point system, with 100 points each for the midterm, final, and research paper and 50 points for class participation.
Instructor: Caraway,Teri L.
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: credit will not be granted if credit received for: 4481; 1054 or 3051 or non-pol sci grad student or instr consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor:
Freeman,John Roy
(Morse Alumni Award; Grad and Profl Teaching Award; CLA Dean's Medal; CLA Distinguished Tchg Awd)
Grading basis/credits:
Equivalencies:
Prereq: grad student or instr consent
Description: This course focuses on two overarching themes. First, we shall examine public opinion on the most important issues of the day, such as economic welfare, race, homosexuality and other controversial social issues, and foreign policy. We will see where the public has stood on these topics in the past and consider where it is likely to move in the future. Second, we shall examine electoral behavior at the individual level. Specifically, we will see what factors lead people to turnout on Election Day and motivate them to cast ballots for the Democratic or Republican presidential candidates. Finally, note that throughout the term we will consider whether the American public and individual voters make reasonable political decisions.
Instructor: Goren,Paul Nurullah
Grading basis/credits:
Equivalencies:
Prereq: grad student
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Calkivik,Asli
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Pol sci grad student
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Pearson,Kathryn Lynn
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: ABD student in pol sci
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor:
Sullivan,John L
(Morse Alumni Award; Grad and Profl Teaching Award; Regents' Award)
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Instructor Photo
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Instructor Bio
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Grad pol sci major or instr consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Samuels,David Julian
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Pol student, ABD status
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor:
Kelliher,Daniel R
(Morse Alumni Award; John Tate Award Ugrad Adv)
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Pol sci grad major
Description: This course offers a review of some of the major theoretical and empirical issues associated with survey research methodology (including questionnaire design and scientific sampling) and prepares students in the fundamental skill areas necessary to design and conduct survey research projects. Course requirements include regular attendance and participation in the weekly seminars, preparation for seminars by completing the readings, working with other students in groups outside of the seminar to prepare for class assignments, and a final examination. The course is designed so that anyone who concentrates on the work at hand can do well. Falling behind is not a good idea, as each class session builds on what you have learned before. It is particularly important to stay on top of the weekly readings.
Class Time: 70% Lecture, 30% Discussion.
Work Load: 100 pages reading per week, 1 exams, 2 papers.
Grade: 40% final exam, 60% reports/papers.
Instructor: Miller,Joanne Marie
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Grad pol sci major or instr consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Goren,Paul Nurullah
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Grad pol sci major or instr consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Treier,Shawn A
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Grad pol sci major or instr consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Tronto,Joan C
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Grad pol sci major or instr consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Abernathy,Scott F
Grading basis/credits:
Equivalencies:
Prereq: Grad pol sci major or pol psych minor or instr consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor:
Sullivan,John L
(Morse Alumni Award; Grad and Profl Teaching Award; Regents' Award)
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Instructor Photo
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Instructor Bio
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Grad pol sci major or instr consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Pearson,Kathryn Lynn
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Grad pol sci major or instr consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Jacobs,Larry
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Grad pol sci major or dept consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Barnett,Michael Nathan
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Grad pol sci major or instr consent
Description: This seminar explores a variety of theoretical approaches to the study of international norms and institutions in world politics with an emphasis on the development of contemporary research programs and their usefulness for helping us understand and explain current issues in global governance. The course is designed primarily for Ph.D. students in political science to help prepare them for the Ph.D. prelim exams in International Relations, but graduate students from other departments may be admitted with the permission of the instructor.
Class Time: 10% Lecture, 70% Discussion, 20% Student Presentation. Students will choose weeks for which they will write reflection papers, and they will be responsible for presenting and synthesizing the issues and readings for the week and leading discussion.
Work Load: 200-300 pages reading per week, 26-46* pages writing per term, 0 exams, 4 papers, 3 presentations. * Papers include 3 short reflection papers, and two drafts of a 20 page research paper relating theoretical readings from class to a specific empirical case involving international norms, institutions, or global governance.
Grade: 100% reports/papers.
Instructor:
Sikkink,Kathryn A
(Grad and Profl Teaching Award)
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: 8410 or instr consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor:
Sampson III,Martin Wright
(Morse Alumni Award)
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Grad pol sci major
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Co-Instructor: Samuels,David Julian
Co-Instructor: Hilbink,Lisa
Grading basis/credits:
Description: In Fall 2009 this interdisciplinary course will cover five areas of conflict over the family in contemporary politics: (1) Sex: Power in sexual relationships, sexual elements of political ideologies, sexual freedom & the state. (2) Who can make a family: Same-sex marriage, teenage childbearing, polygamy. (3) Children: Child-friendly social policies, child prostitution, child soldiers, sex-selective abortion & the "missing girls" problem. (4) Family survival: Financial crisis, taxation, bankruptcy, divorce, childcare, family leave, social support for families. (5) Electoral politics: Families & electoral behavior, manipulation of family imagery in political campaigns. Readings will come from several disciplines and cover a variety of national settings, both U.S. and other countries. Students from all departments are welcome.
Instructor:
Kelliher,Daniel R
(Morse Alumni Award; John Tate Award Ugrad Adv)
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Grad pol sci major or instr consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor:
Shively,W Phillips
(Morse Alumni Award)
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Grad pol sci major or instr consent
Description: This course examines theoretical debates about the role of religion in politics and governance. The course will primarily focus on these debates as they play out in the "Muslim world," that is, primarily in the Middle East, Muslim Eurasia, South and Southeast Asia and Africa. However, the course will discuss comparative political and sociological theories of religion more broadly. The course will also include a number of readings and examples that deal with the role of Christianity in western politics, historically and today. The course is divided into theoretical components, and each one will examine a major debate about the role of religion, especially Islam, in politics, such as: the intricate relationship between religious identity and tribe, ethnicity, nation and nationalism, and citizenship; religion and democracy; religion and gender politics; religion and state-building; religion and conflict; and religion and terrorism. The course will also cover a broad array of methodologies for studying religious identity and politics, from ethnographic to survey methods. These discussions are designed to help graduate students think about developing their own tools for pursuing field research related to religious and identity politics. The course has a political science focus, but is designed to be interdisciplinary. It draws on literature in anthropology (Saba Mahmood), sociology (e.g. Ronald Inglehart, Mounira Charrad), law (e.g. Noah Feldman, Hallaq), Islamic studies (e.g. Asma Afsaruddin) and history (e.g. Benin, John Esposito), as well as political science (Mark Tessler, Amaney Jamal, Robert Pape). Course requirements will include a final research paper and class presentations.
Instructor: Collins,Kathleen A