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Courses

Boldface letters in parentheses refer to the areas noted in the preceding Summary of Requirements section.

214. Education for Liberty: Locke and Rousseau. A reading of Locke's Some Thoughts Concerning Education and Of the Conduct of the Understanding and Rousseau's Émile, considered in relation to their political theories in the Second Treatise of Government and the Social Contract. N. Tarcov. Spring. (A)

216. Introduction to Critical Urban Studies: Cities and Globalization in the Late Twentieth Century. The goal of this course is to provide an introductory survey of the vast international literature on capitalist urbanization that has emerged since the late 1970s. The first part of the course focuses on theoretical approaches to a study of cities under capitalism including works by authors such as Lefebvre, Harvey, Castells, and Gottdiener. The second part of the course examines how theories of capitalist urbanization have been applied to study the contemporary configuration of world capitalism. N. Brenner. Winter. (C)

217. An Introduction to Comparative Political Institutions: Nuts and Bolts Democracy. This course in comparative political institutions explicitly confronts the "nuts and bolts," the political institutions and electoral systems, of the two dominant theories of modern democratic institutions, parliamentary and presidential systems, with the actual political practice in four democracies. First, we introduce the intellectual origins of the British parliamentary system and the American presidential system. Second, we compare the institutions arrangements regulating the interaction among voters, representatives, and bureaucrats in Britain and the United States. Next, we examine political crises in Weimar Germany and Allende Chile to explore possible shortcomings in parliamentary and presidential systems. Finally, we consider recent developments in democratic theory and practice. We focus on issues of representation, accountability, political stability, gridlock, and minority rights. R. Larocca, J. Zielinski. Spring. (C)

218. The Politics of Race in Twentieth-Century South Africa in Comparative (U.S.) Perspective. This course examines how twentieth-century South African politics (including imperial, state, and oppositional politics) have been organized around various conceptions of race and racial difference. Using both implicit and explicit comparisons with the United States, we consider which aspects of racial domination appear in different settings and which seem specific to Southern Africa. We then consider several questions, including: (1) whether "racism" is one phenomenon or many, and the consequences that different answers entail; and (2) whether racial difference is better understood as a cause of other, more basic phenomena--including political economic organization and historical transformation--or as an effect of them. E. Tennant. Spring. (C)

222. Feminism and U.S. Politics. This course examines how gender, feminism, and women's political behavior shape U.S. politics. We look at how women vote and how they act when they assume political office, and we ask whether the institutions of U.S. politics address feminist concerns. L. Sanders. Winter. (B)

224. Introduction to Islam and Politics. J. D'Urso. Spring

230. Policy Analysis in Education (=Educ 266/366, PubPol 260/384). This course serves as the analytical foundation for students who are interested in education policy. It introduces various analytical perspectives in study of public policy, with particular emphasis on education. Among the approaches are institutional analysis, the bargaining model, the rational actor paradigm, the organizational bureaucratic model, and the "policy typology" school. K. Wong. Autumn. (B)

232. Political Sociology (=PubPol 336, Sociol 235/335). PQ: One general social sciences course. This course provides analytical perspectives on citizen preference theory, public choice, group theory, bureaucrats and state-centered theory, coalition theory, elite theories, and political culture. These competing analytical perspectives are assessed in considering middle range theories and empirical studies on central themes of political sociology: the social bases of politics, social stratification and political organization, citizen preferences and political activation, voting behavior, social movements and mobilization, voluntary associations and "special interest groups," political parties, elected officials, government policy outputs, including public goods and free rider problems, separable goods and patronage, policy continua, and alternatives to traditional left-right classifications. Local, national, and cross-national analyses are explored. T. Clark. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

235. Public Choice (=Econ 269, PubPol 258). PQ: Knowledge of microeconomics. This course is an introduction to the major ideas in the literature that seeks to apply the economic notion of rational choice to the context of politics and social choice. Some of the authors covered are Samuelson, Arrow, Schelling, Olson, and Downs. H. Margolis. Winter. (B)

236-237. Research Project in Sociology and Public Policy (=PubPol 264-265, Sociol 283-284). This two-quarter sequence is designed to acquaint advanced College students with specific research experience. It includes reading, hypothesis development, and research design in the autumn and completion of research projects in the winter. Starting from an overview of urban policy analysis, we focus on leadership patterns of public officials and their implications for urban finance and economic development. What strategies encourage or discourage fiscal health and economic development? Which specific cities and leaders have followed different sets of strategies and with what consequences? What shifts in urban political cultures have accompanied different sets of policies? Case studies of individual cities and projects and comparative analyses across cities are used. Class meets with Sociol 256 in the autumn and 410 in the winter. T. Clark. Autumn, Winter. (B)

239/386. Presidential Government in America. This course examines the background and development of the executive in America; the personalities, ideas, and leadership styles of selected presidents; and the president's relations with his political and institutional environments, including Congress, the courts, public opinion, interest groups, and party and electoral politics. L. Rudolph. Winter. (B)

240-241. Introduction to Political Science I, II. Must be taken in sequence. This course sequence covers the basic concepts and theories in comparative politics, American politics, international relations, political theory, and political science methods. The course is designed for, but not required of, students who plan to concentrate, or to apply to a graduate program, in political science. D. Laitin. Winter, Spring.

245/359. Gandhi. Course readings deal with Gandhi's life (including his autobiography), texts that articulate his thought and practice, and critical and interpretative works that assess his meaning and influence. Topics include nonviolent collective action in pursuit of truth and justice, strategy for cooperation and conflict resolution, and alternatives to industrial society and centralized state. L. Rudolph. Spring. (A)

249. Problems of Policy Implementation (=PubPol 223, Sociol 340). PQ: Subject to individual prerequisites. PubPol 221-222-223 may be taken in sequence or individually. This course is a systematic examination of the interplay among the executive, the administrator, the legislator, and the public as these relationships affect policy and its undertaking. Emphasis is on the politics of administration as well as those political forces that organize around the implementer of public policies. R. Taub. Spring. (B)

**CANCELLED** 250. Comparative Politics of Latin America. This course introduces major theories of Latin American political and social change, and the political systems of three countries. We focus on the determinants and dynamics of regime change in Latin America. Why do democracies, even apparently stable and enduring ones, sometimes succumb to military takeover? And why in the past fifteen years did most military governments in Latin America fall, making way for civilian regimes? Do regimes fall under economic stress? If popular movements play a role in ousting dictatorships, are they driven by economic demands or do they value democracy as an end in itself? What is the quality of the democracies that have succeeded Latin American dictatorships? We first read general studies of modernization and political change and then focus on these issues as they worked themselves out in Chile, Mexico, and Nicaragua. S. Stokes. Winter. (C) **CANCELLED**

251. Introduction to Political Theory. S. Holmes. Winter.

253/363. State, Society, and Economy in South Asia. This is an introductory course designed to familiarize students with the institutional structures of the Indian state, political processes, and the social and economic forces that shape and are shaped by the state and politics. There is special emphasis on the way in which state and polity have provided an arena for contests about the nature and role of caste, class and religion, and urban/rural differences. S. Rudolph. Winter. (C)

254/354. Essentials of International History for the Study of International Relations. This course deals with major aspects of international history since the mid-seventeenth century, particularly the origins and resolutions of major wars and the development of close economic ties among states. The purpose is to give students of international relations a fundamental background in interstate diplomatic relations and the key domestic factors that affect foreign policy. The focus is on relationships among the Great Powers of Europe, the major wars among them, the development of imperialism, the extensive development of trading relationships, the rise and decline of the Cold War, and the evolution of post-Cold War relationships. C. Lipson. Autumn. (D)

256. Urban Policy Analysis (=PubPol 248/348, Sociol 256/329). This course addresses the explanations available for varying patterns of expenditure and service delivery which cities exhibit. Topics include theoretical approaches and policy options, service delivery, productivity, migration as a policy option, group theory, citizen preference theory, incrementalism, economic base influences, and an integrated model. T. Clark. Autumn. (B)

259/356. Japanese Politics. This course is a survey of the major aspects of Japanese politics: party politics, bureaucracy, the diet, and political behavior in post-World War II Japan. B. Silberman. Autumn. (C)

260. Introduction to the Civilization of South Asia (=Anthro 308, SocSci 232, SoAsia 209). PQ: Consent of instructor. This course focuses on (1) literary, historical, and pictographic interpretations of the Raj as it saw itself, as South Asian historians have seen it, and as it has been retrospectively reconstructed; (2) South Asian social structure as assessed by an understanding of women's roles, of village, of family, and of law; and (3) the creation of subcontinental and global Hinduism and Islam in the last fifty years of politics, television, movements, and anthropological accounts. S. Rudolph. Spring. (C)

264. Security Issues in Post-Cold War Europe. This seminar examines the prospects for stability in post-Cold War Europe through study of four topics. First, we consider some of the key theories about the causes of war, because how one thinks about the prospects for stability in Europe is, in large part, a function of the international relations theories he or she brings to the table. Next, there are two lessons on the history of the Cold War to provide important background on European security issues before the Soviet Union collapsed. Third, there are three lessons on possible threats to security in the new Europe. Finally, there are three lessons on how to think about maintaining peace in post-Cold War Europe. J. Mearsheimer. Spring. (D)

267. From Restructuring to Revolution: Why Did the Soviet Union Collapse? This course explores, through lectures and discussions, the former U.S.S.R.'s evolution and collapse, with emphasis on the last decades of the Soviet system and the post-Soviet transition. Comparisons with other imperial declines are investigated. R. Suny. Autumn. (C)

268. Comparing Classic and Contemporary Works in Political Behavior: Are We Making Progress? We compare classic studies and contemporary works on the same or similar subjects to determine if and how much "scientific" progress we have made between the 1950s and 1960s and the 1990s. In comparing these works, we attempt to assess if progress is due to improvements in substantive theory, model building, theoretical quantification, empirical techniques in data gathering and statistical analysis, or other factors. N. Nie. Winter. (B)

269. Socialist and Postsocialist Societies (=Sociol 221/375). This course is an examination of attempts at radical reform in work, bureaucracy, income, health, education, welfare, family, and the position of women in Russia, Eastern Europe, and China. This examination considers the degree to which modern social systems have social options, as opposed to being constrained to a single mode of organization. W. Parish. Spring. (C)

**CANCELLED** 270. Nationalism and International Conflict. This course examines the diverse relationships between nationalism and interstate conflict. In the first half we consider the existing literature on theories of war. In the second half we ask how well these theories make sense of nationalism's role in current and past interstate disputes. The empirical focus is on conflicts in Yugoslavia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. Theories of the origins and nature of nationalism are also introduced. J. Fearon. Spring. (D) **CANCELLED**

272. Utilitarianism, Idealism, and Socialism. This course examines some of the most fascinating developments in nineteenth-century English political and philosophical theory. Close readings of key texts by such outstanding figures as John Stuart Mill, T. H. Green, and William Morris serve not only to place these figures in their historical context, but also to bring out the tensions inherent in the growth of modern liberalism. R. Schultz. Winter. (A)

273. Philosophy of Social Science. This course provides an introduction to some of the most fundamental debates concerning the nature of social scientific explanation and its relationship to normative claims about the good or just society. Key issues to be addressed include the nature of political power, the manufacture of consent, the ideology of work, and the social responsibility of social scientists to engage in critical opposition to prevailing political ideology. R. Schultz. Spring. (A)

275/375. Organizational Decision Making (=PubPol 335, Sociol 350). This course is an examination of the process of decision making in modern complex organizations such as universities, schools, hospitals, business firms, and public bureaucracies. The course also considers the impact of information, power, resources, organizational structure, and the environment, as well as alternative models of choice and other implications. J. Padgett. Autumn. (B)

276/376. War and the Nation-State. The aim of this course is to examine the phenomenon of war in its broader socioeconomic context during the years between the emergence of the modern nation-state and the end of World War II. J. Mearsheimer. Winter. (D)

277. John Dewey and the Problems of Democracy. This course provides a general introduction to the political thought of John Dewey, one of the most important and controversial philosophers of the twentieth century. The chief aim is to determine, through an in-depth reading of such works as The Public and Its Problems, the degree to which Dewey advocated a genuinely radical form of participatory democracy. But the examination of Dewey also involves an engagement with the most significant recent interpretations of his thought, particularly those by Richard Rorty, Alan Ryan, and Robert Westbrook. R. Schultz. Spring. (A)

280/380. Ideology, Organization, and Political Change. This course centers on the comparative analysis of the emergence and institutionalization of public bureaucracies in the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Japan, and the former Soviet Union. The aim is to see whether there are distinctly different patterns of organizational rationality or whether bureaucracies are all culturally unique. B. Silberman. Winter. (C)

282. Politics and Policy (=PubPol 221). PQ: Open to non-public policy studies and political science concentrators with consent of instructor. Subject to individual prerequisites. PubPol 221-222-223 may be taken in sequence or individually. Public policy choices interact with politics in obvious ways (e.g., elections) but also in subtler ways turning especially on how organizations work and what governs persuasion and belief. This course surveys some key aspects of these interactions. H. Margolis. Spring. (B)

285. Politics of the Environment (=EnvStd 214). Through the introduction and development of core principles of American politics and liberal democracy, this course explores a topic that is receiving more and more attention: how to think about the environment as a political issue in America. We begin with a discussion of normative and ethical issues, surveying the various schools of environmental thinking. After exploring the history of American conservation and environmental movements, we move to the interplay between environmental goals and the implementation of environmental policy. Topics include legislative strategies, problems of implementation, judicial behavior, and the desirability of market solutions. S. Liebell. Winter. (B)

286-287. Field Research Project in Public Policy I, II (=PubPol 262-263/390-391). PQ: Open to non-public policy studies concentrators with consent of instructor; students must register for both quarters. Students work on a research team to prepare a report on an important public policy problem for a governmental agency, large public-interest group, or community-based organization; this project includes development and implementation of a research strategy designed to answer the policy questions. The objective is preparation of a publishable report. Staff. Winter, Spring. (B)

288. Introduction to Constitutional Law I (=LL/Soc 239). This course is an introduction to the constitutional doctrines and political role of the U.S. Supreme Court, focusing on its evolving constitutional priorities and its response to basic governmental and political problems, including maintenance of the federal system, promotion of economic welfare, and protection of individual and minority rights. G. Rosenberg. Winter. (B)

290/398. Introduction to International Relations. This course surveys modern approaches to international relations. The first several weeks are devoted to national security issues and the general problem of war. With that background, we consider U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War and afterwards, exploring America's impact on the global order. The last part of the course deals with political aspects of the world economy, such as international disputes over trade, debt, and multinational corporations, as well as international environmental issues. Among the topics covered are nuclear strategy, the Cold War, international commerce, and the difficulties of achieving international cooperation. C. Lipson. Autumn. (D)

292. Introduction to Constitutional Law II: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (=LL/Soc 240). PQ: PolSci 288 or equivalent and consent of instructor. This course examines selected civil rights and civil liberties decisions of U.S. courts with particular emphasis on the broader political context. Areas covered include speech, race, and gender. G. Rosenberg. Spring. (B)

294. International Relations: Perspectives on Conflict and Cooperation (=SocSci 204). PQ: Class limited to sixty students; preference given to students of third- or fourth-year standing. This course examines a number of competing approaches to the study of conflict and cooperation in the international system. Lectures by University faculty introduce key analytic concepts from several intellectual traditions (such as realism, liberalism, cultural theory, modernization theory, and social constructivism) and discuss their ability to explain war, alliances, revolutions, nationalism, cooperation, ethnic conflict, and other important international phenomena. S. Walt. Autumn. (D)

296. International Relations: Cultures, Societies, and Globalization (=SocSci 205). PQ: Class limited to sixty students; preference given to students of third- or fourth-year standing. PolSci 294 strongly recommended. This course brings together interested faculty and students to explore alternative research strategies for investigating conflict and cooperation. In contrast to a state-centered approach, this course emphasizes transnational and subnational processes, including issues of boundary designation, identity formation, nationalism, the role of communications, and the future of the interstate system. S. Walt. Winter. (D)

297. Independent Study. PQ: Consent of faculty supervisor and concentration chairman. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Available for either Pass or letter grading. Staff. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.

298. Fourth-Year Paper. PQ: Consent of instructor and concentration chairman; may be taken for one or two quarters. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Normally taken for a letter grade. Staff. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.

299. Reading Course. PQ: Consent of instructor and concentration chairman. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Normally taken for a letter grade. Staff. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.

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