Visit the Course Catalog for the official Government and Law course description and listing
United States Politics: 101, 207, 211, 213, 215, 218, 245, 258, 310, 311, 313, 314, 315, 320, 321, 407, 410, 417, 421, 424
International Politics: 102, 220, 230, 231, 232, 238, 270, 332, 334, 336, 405, 412, 415, 419
Comparative Politics: 103, 223, 225, 227, 228, 229, 230, 412, 415, 420, 422
Political Theory: 104, 241, 242, 244, 245, 246, 248, 341, 342, 414, 416, 418, 423 (Prerequisite for most 200- and 300-level courses in this group: Govt 104 or permission of instructor.)
Other Courses: 275, 380, 390, 391, 495, 496
For a visual listing of course offerings by subfield designation and by course level, click here.
Course descriptions appear below.
This course is an examination of the American political system, its institutions and processes. Topics studied include political behavior, the Constitution, the Congress, the Presidency, the courts, and current foreign and domestic issues. Recommended for students who have not had an adequate secondary school preparation in American government. [SS] Chan, Clarke, Kincaid, Murphy
This course reviews the main issues and problems confronted by the international system and the literature devoted to them. The course deals with phenomena such as peace and war, integration and disintegration, economic and military assistance, and formulation and execution of foreign policy. Special emphasis is placed on stability and change in the global system. [SS] Cho, Peleg, Park
This is a survey of governments and politics in the industrialized and Third World countries. The course examines the question of what it means to compare political systems and explores the historical setting, nature of political participation, political values, governmental structures, and political performance of selected countries in Western Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America. [SS] Fabian, Groves, Stewart-Gambino
This course introduces students to several of the most important thinkers and themes in the tradition of political theory. The topics and texts of the course vary, but students can expect to confront such issues as justice, equality, and power, and to read both classic and contemporary authors. Feola, Miller, Silverstein
This course examines the role of racial and ethnic minority groups in United States politics. We will focus on four main minority groups (Blacks, Latinos/Hispanics, Asian Americans, and American Indians) assessing their engagement and influence in governmental processes historically and today. Specific topics covered during the semester include: how race has shaped American political institutions, laws, and practices over time, the formation of minority political attitudes, participation rates, and the degree to which racial and ethnic minorities are represented in the local, state, and federal levels of government. A strong focus will be placed on the salience of race in the post-Obama era. Chan
Prerequisite: GOVT 101 or permission of instructor
Examines what state and local governments do and why. Topics include state constitutions; state legislative, executive, and judicial processes and policymaking; state and local budgets, taxes, and spending; county, municipal, special-district, and school-district governments and services; state and local parties, elections, interest groups, and media; intergovernmental relations; Native American tribes, homeowner associations, and associated states; and selected policy issues such as civil rights, crime, business and economics, health care, and environmental protection. [SS, V, W] Kincaid
This course explores how law shapes and is shaped by political, social, and cultural contexts. Focusing on the U.S., students will examine: formal legal institutions and actors, including courts, judges, lawyers, and police; law in everyday life, legal consciousness, and varying perceptions of law’s legitimacy; and the gap between law’s promise and law’s practice. Special attention will be paid to the impact of racial and ethnic disparities on policing, courts, and criminal justice. [SS, GM1, V] Silverstein
Elections rest at the heart of America’s representative democracy. This course offers a general introduction to U.S. elections, with special attention paid to electoral campaigns. We will explore such questions as: What legal structures shape how American elections are conducted? What strategies do candidates follow to win elections? What is the purpose of political parties in elections? Do race, gender, religious, and other social identities affect electoral outcomes? What role do media play in elections? Clarke
Prerequisite: Govt 101 or permission of instructor
This course explores how politics influence each step of the U.S. policymaking process. We will explore how political dynamics shape why some issues get on the agenda while others don’t; why some solutions are considered and others ignored; and how citizens, interest groups, elected officials, and bureaucrats sway policy outcomes. We will examine these questions using case studies of several current economic, social, regulatory, and foreign policy issues in the U.S. [SS, W]
Prerequisite: Govt 101 or PSTD 251, or permission of instructor
It is impossible to understand the expansion of the US’s international role in the past two hundred years without knowledge of our country’s relationship to the rest of the Americas, particularly the nations in Latin America. This course introduces students to the United States historical relationship with Latin America from the early 1800s to the present day. Students examine events and US policies from multiple ideological and national lenses, critically evaluating the debates that color so-called “objective” accounts of history. Stewart-Gambino
Prerequisite: Govt 102 or 103, or permission of instructor
Analysis of selected sub-Saharan states with particular attention to common institutional features such as ethnic pluralism, weak political parties, dominant public bureaucracies, dependence on external forces, and the problems associated with them: limited capacity to innovate, rural stagnation, ethnic competition, corruption, and military intervention. The South African situation is likewise examined.[W] Groves
After a brief examination of the politics of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe before World War II, the bulk of the course looks more in depth at developments in this region during and after the cold war. The final section of the course examines the post-1989/90 transition process toward democracy and a market economy in Russia, the other post-Soviet states, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary, and touches on the issue of NATO expansion to Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. [GM2, SS, V, W] Fabian
This course examines Latin American political history since the Iberian conquest. Topics include colonialism and its legacies, the rise of the oligarchy, industrialization and populism, Marxist revolutionary movements, military coups and dictatorships, the neoliberal turn, the third wave of democratization, the recent resurgence of the left, and the even more recent reversal of the left turn. The course employs various theoretical approaches to explain broad regional patterns as well as important crossnational differences. [W]
Prerequisite: Govt 102 or 103, or permission of instructor
This course examines democratization and democratic breakdown from the First Wave of Democratization (1828-1922) through the Third Wave (1975-95). We ask why stable democracies first emerged in Europe; why few stable democracies emerged outside Europe and its settler colonies before the 1980s; why stable democracies broke down in interwar Europe and Cold-War-era Latin America; and what caused the Third Wave of Democratization. In closing, we discuss the democratic exuberance of the immediate post-Cold-War period. [W]
Prerequisite: Govt 102 or 103, or permission of instructor
This course analyzes post-Cold-War political regimes. We proceed regionally, examining contemporary political systems in (1) Latin America, (2) Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, (3) sub-Saharan Africa, (4) China, and (5) the Middle East. We ask why these regions, and different countries within these regions, have different types of regime (e.g., democratic, competitive authoritarian, full authoritarian). We close by asking whether advanced Western democracies are in crisis, and whether the post-Cold-War era is over. [W]
Prerequisite: Govt 102 or 103, or permission of instructor
The course examines topics such as the Arab-Israeli conflict, the struggle for domination in the Arab World, the role of the superpowers in the region, and the politics of oil. An analysis of international political processes in some of the Middle Eastern countries is used to examine explanations for the foreign policies of these countries. The course assesses different solutions to problems confronted by the nations of the Middle East. [GM2, W] Peleg
Global Environmental Politics bridges international politics and environmental issues, offering an explicit focus on environmental problems and policies in the global context. Students in this course will study the development of global environmental regimes and analyze the successes and continuing deficiencies of political responses to various environmental issues, such as air pollution, water quality, waste management, climate change, and energy use.
[SS, V, W] Fabian
Prerequisite: Govt 102 or permission of instructor
Investigates the dynamics of wealth and power at work in the contemporary world. The course combines the analysis of politics, governance and institutions, and the production and distribution of wealth with the study of the social, cultural, and moral contexts in which power operates and wealth is created.
Prerequisite: Govt 102 or permission of instructor
This course explores the major analytical perspectives on the sources of stability and conflict in East Asian international relations and evaluates them by using empirical evidence from the East Asian region since the “clash civilizations” in the 19th century up to the current regional order. Topics for discussion include U.S. strategy in East Asia, the impact of the rise of China on regional security, nuclear proliferation, territorial disputes, nationalism, economic interdependence, and regionalism. [GM2, SS] Park
Prerequisite: Govt 102 or permission of instructor
Examining the fashion system, a multibillion dollar worldwide industry, this course raises issues of appearance, beauty, gender, and sexuality; power, liberation, and oppression; and class distinctions and equality. To develop a political theory of fashion, the course studies the practice and production of clothes and style, and analyzes texts from literature, sociology, history, and cultural studies. [W] Miller
Prerequisite: Govt 104 or permission of instructor
This course explores classic texts, questions, and debates addressed by contemporary African American political theory. We will ask: What are the similarities, differences, and overlaps among varying strains of African American political thought? How do they each deal with core concepts of freedom, identity, citizenship, and community? How do they respond to one another through time? Throughout the course, we will consider our times in light of this history of political thought. [H, GM1, V, W] Miller
Prerequisite: One of the following: GOVT 104, AFS 102, ENG 246, PHIL 102, HIST 119, HIST 261, A&S 214, or permission of instructor
An examination of selected theoretical texts from the Renaissance to the French Revolution. The separation of political theory from religious discourse, the rise of the state, and the development of liberal and democratic thought are examined. Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau are usually treated. [SS, V, W] Feola, Silverstein
Prerequisite: Govt 104 or permission of instructor
This course studies the theoretical and political struggle to define American politics that took place among Puritans, radical democrats, liberal individualists, and liberal nationalists. Early 19th century reactions to the liberal founding are also explored. Authors studied often include Winthrop, Franklin, Jefferson, Paine, the Federalists, Emerson, and Douglass. [W] Miller
Prerequisite: Govt 104 or permission of instructor
The themes of racial conflict, equality, the rise of the state, social Darwinism, education, and the changing role of women are explored. The course does not emphasize the historical contexts of ideas, but seeks to discover what is true and relevant for the present in texts written from the Civil War to the present. [W] Miller
Prerequisite: Govt 104 or permission of instructor
This course examines both the political goods that are associated with capitalism (freedom, democracy, etc.) – and challengers (classic and contemporary) who argue that this economic form has rather more problematic social effects. We will read texts that address a wide range of questions, ranging from poverty, to capitalist labor markets, to the marketization of greater domains of life (e.g. bodily organs, water, education), to the impact of market values on democratic practice. [SS, V, W] Feola
Prerequisite: Govt 104 or permission of instructor
This course examines the sources and conduct of Chinese foreign policy from both historical and theoretical perspectives. The first part of the course explores major factors that influence China’s foreign relations, including the international system, domestic politics, and nationalism. The second half of the course turns to the practice of Chinese foreign policy over a wide-range of issue areas, such as China’s relations with the United States, trade, regionalism, nuclear proliferation, energy, and climate change. [SS] Cho
Prerequisite: Govt 102 or Asia 101, or permission of instructor
This course provides a practical introduction to quantitative political analysis. First, we will explore experimental research methods widely used by private companies, governments, and political organizations. Second, we will learn how to visualize political data effectively. Throughout the semester, you will study a political topic – any topic – of your choosing. This course is designed to gently introduce quantitative methods to students anxious about working with data.
[W, SS] Chan, Clarke, Groves
Constitutional adjudication as a political process which generates and manages social conflicts regarding the basic allocation of governmental authority in the American system. Topics include judicial review, limits on executive and legislative power, federalism, and the court and social change. [W] Murphy
Prerequisite: Govt 101 or permission of instructor
This course examines the development of constitutional doctrine as it relates to the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. Topics include freedom of expression, church-state relations, and freedom of the press. [W] Murphy, Silverstein
Prerequisite: One of the following: Govt 101, 213, 311, 314, 315, or permission of instructor
Many of the social conflicts that the law considers relate to claims of rights grounded upon conceptions of liberty as a fundamental value of the constitutional system of the United States. This course explores the concept of liberty, its place in United States law and politics, and its application to questions of constitutional and political rights. Topics include privacy and criminal justice. [W] Murphy
Prerequisite: One of the following: Govt 101, 213, 311, 313, 315, or permission of instructor
Many of the social conflicts that the law considers relate to claims of rights grounded upon conceptions of equality as a fundamental value of the constitutional system of the United States. This course explores the concept of equality, its place in U.S. law and politics, and its application to questions of constitutional and political rights. Topics include discrimination on grounds of race, gender, etc., and remedial programs such as busing and affirmative action. [W] Silverstein
Prerequisite: One of the following: Govt 101, 213, 311, 313, 314, or permission of instructor
This course will explore patterns of political, social, and economic inequality in the United States through the lens of the American state. Specifically, we will investigate how U.S. governmental institutions and public policies create, reproduce, or mitigate intersecting forms of inequality for individuals and groups. Topics will include how political institutions and policies regulate citizenship, rights, political participation, representation, social welfare, finance, education, incarceration, and military service. Students will also conduct original research projects. [W]
Prerequisite: Govt 101 and one additional 200-level GOVT course, or permission of instructor
This course explores the dynamics of executive politics, with primary emphasis upon the structure and operation of the United States Presidency. Topics include the organization of the Presidency and the Executive Branch, models of presidential power and leadership, the process of presidential selection, relationships with other parts of the political system, and executive politics and public policy. [W] Clarke
Prerequisite: One of the following: Govt 101, 211, 311, 321, or permission of instructor
This course analyzes the process of lawmaking in the United States Congress within the context of the legislative process generally. Topics include the structural and functional development of the institution, the rules and norms which govern interaction, congressional elections, leadership and party organization, relationships with other parts of the political system, and public policy. [W] Clarke
Prerequisite: One of the following: Govt 101, 211, 311, 320, or permission of instructor
This course explores the various ways in which globalization is (re)shaping the concept and practice of international as well as national security. Throughout the course, we will examine the major concepts and issues in the globalization of security from both the theoretical and empirical standpoints. Topics for discussion include migration and national security, terrorism and asymmetric warfare, defense privatization, economic sanctions, and collective security.
[W] Park
Prerequisite: Govt 102 or permission of instructor
A study of the formulation, implementation, and effects of U.S. foreign policy. The course will examine and analyze U.S. defense and foreign policy vis-à-vis Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa; the decision-making community, and such concepts as globalism, imperialism, nuclear and limited war; insurgency; threat perception; confrontation and coexistence; and foreign policy ethics. [W] Peleg
Prerequisite: Govt 102 or permission of instructor
An examination of different forms of international conflict: nuclear war, conventional war, guerrilla war, limited reprisals, etc. Explanations for international conflicts are suggested in interdisciplinary terms. Some better-known historical and contemporary conflicts are analyzed. The course also deals with the effectiveness of various solutions for the elimination or the minimization of conflict on the international level. [SS, V, W] Fabian
Prerequisite: Govt 102 and one course from Govt 221-239, or permission of instructor
This course studies those 19th and 20th century thinkers most discussed by political theorists today. We will attempt to chart both the institutional forms of, and theoretical responses to, modern power. Hegel, Marx, Freud, Nietzsche, Weber, and Foucault are often studied in this course. [W] Feola
Prerequisite: Govt 104 or permission of instructor
This course explores the historic tradition of conservative political theory. To do so, the course will untangle the competing strains of conservatism and assess their influence on the contemporary political scene. The course will dedicate particular attention to the rise of what has been termed the New Right and it will treat topics such as anticommunism, traditionalism, the culture wars, and immigration. [SS, V, W] Feola
Prerequisite: Govt 104 or permission of instructor
An offering on a subject selected by the instructor to meet student and departmental needs as conditions permit. Announcement of the subject is made in advance.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
A combination of independent activities including selected readings, satisfactory completion of an internship or working assignment in a public agency, and a written report covering both reading and work assignments. Limited in enrollment by the availability of acceptable projects. Clarke
Signature of the Instructor Required
Subjects are chosen and arrangements are made to suit the needs of each student in consultation with the instructor.
Signature of the Instructor Required
This seminar deals with the challenges to American foreign policy in the contemporary world. It compares the predictable environment of the Cold War and the competition with the Soviet Union to the unchartered waters of the post-Cold War era. The seminar begins by analyzing alternative paradigms of today’s world both in terms of the distribution of power (uni-, bi-, tri-, or multi-polar system) and in terms of the fundamental nature of international conflict (state-based power politics, clash of civilization, religious fundamentalism). It then examines possible U.S. responses to this “deregulated” world dealing with classical dilemmas of American foreign policy (e.g. isolationist tendencies vs. interventionism, U.S. as a world policeman vs. a “reluctant sheriff”). The seminar will cover U.S. policy vis-a-vis different regions and countries (Europe, the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, Russia, the Peoples’ Republic of China) and toward a variety of issues (human rights, weapons of mass destruction, NATO expansion). Satisfies exposure to international politics subfield. [W] Peleg
Prerequisite: Govt 102 plus one from Govt 221-238 or Govt 334, or permission of instructor
This course examines the relationship between law and social movement activism. The course explores whether or not the use of the legal system by social movements contributes to their attempts to advance reforms. Particular attention will be paid to the development of law by the following social movements in the United States: the civil rights movement, the women’s rights movement, the movement for gay and lesbian rights, and the animal rights movement. Satisfies exposure to U.S. politics subfield. [W] Silverstein
Prerequisite: One of the following: Govt 213, 311, 313, 314, 315, or permission of instructor
This course examines the relationship between the evolution of the personalities of members of the United States Supreme Court and their decision making. Particular attention will be paid to the application of the “life cycle” paradigms to the jurisprudence of various justices. Satisfies exposure to U.S. politics subfield. [W] Murphy
Prerequisite: One of the following: Govt 311, 313, 314, 315, Hist 258, or permission of instructor
This will be an advanced course on the challenges as well as the opportunities for further integration that face the European Union. Drawing the lesson from centuries of divisions, tensions, conflicts and war, European leaders initiated what can now be regarded as the most successful experiment of regional integration in the world. This course analyzes the process of European integration since 1945, by reviewing the EU’s history of enlargement, its main institutions and key policies. Satisfies exposure to international or comparative politics subfield. [GM2, SS, W] Fabian
Prerequisite: Govt 102 plus one from Govt 221-238, or permission of instructor
In this course, we will study some dimensions and themes of politics that can be reached by literature differently than by traditional works of political theory. We will read classic texts and think about their political meanings, understanding politics in its broadest sense. Works that may be treated in the course include Sophocles’ Three Theban Plays, Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Edith Wharton’s The Custom of the Country, Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, and Don Dellilo’s White Noise. Satisfies exposure to political theory subfield. [W] Miller
Prerequisite: Govt 104 or permission of instructor
This course explores the concept and practice of nationalism, with a particular emphasis on the role that it plays in world politics. We will survey the main concepts and theories in the study of nationalism, identify the major actors and processes in the politics of nationalism, examine the emergence of nationalism as a major force in international relations, and investigate various links between questions of national identity and interstate cooperation or conflict. Satisfies exposure to international or comparative politics subfield. [GM2, SS, W] Park
Prerequisite: GOVT 102 or 103, plus one from GOVT 220-270 or 332-336 (or permission of the instructor)
Should theorists just describe the world or, in cases of injustice, should they endeavor to change it? This course will explore an interconnected set of efforts to fulfill this latter task, through a wide variety of texts concerning power, domination, and the possibility of liberation. Although we will begin with Marxist concerns for class and exploitation, the second half of the course will interrogate forms of violence associated with race, normality, and gender. Satisfies exposure to political theory subfield. [W] Feola
Prerequisite: Govt 104 and one of the following: Govt 241, 242, 244, 245, 246, 248, 341, Phil 260, or permission of instructor
Liberal democracies typically promise equal benefits and rights to all citizens. But who gets to count as a citizen and who is excluded from all (or part) of its benefits? This course will explore the contested ideal of citizenship and chart a variety of ways that this ideal is undermined. Special attention is dedicated to mass incarceration and racial exclusion within the United States. [SS, V, GM1, W] Feola
Prerequisite: Govt 104 and one of the following: Govt 241, 242, 244, 245, 246, 248, 341, Phil 260, or permission of instructor
This seminar explores the main actors and processes of global governance. We will assess the role of power, international institutions, transnational networks, and ideas. Specific topics of inquiry include global economic governance, the environment, third-world state building, international justice, military intervention, nuclear proliferation, and global terrorism. We will apply competing analytical approaches to different issue areas, as they intersect with the nature and management of global governance in the 21st century. Satisfies exposure to international politics subfield. [SS, GM2, W] Cho
Prerequisite: Govt 102 and one from Govt 221-238, 270, 322-336, or permission of instructor
Government 420 is an advanced seminar in Latin American politics that focuses on present-day issues. The course proceeds thematically, examining topics such as party systems, presidentialism, neopopulism, democratic deconsolidation, economic and social inequality, deindustrialization and informalization, new social movements (including indigenous movements), the decline of Catholicism and rise of Protestantism and secularism, the problem of homicide, the regional policy landscape, and the vital, persistent issue of state ineffectiveness. [W]
Prerequisite: Govt 102 or Govt 103, or permission of instructor
This course examines the political development and function of the U.S. political economy. We will explore how political institutions and policies shaped economic arrangements from the founding to the present, and how economic interests, inequality, and identity influence U.S. politics today. The course will also explore in depth four aspects of U.S. political economy: the rise of finance, the welfare state, business regulation, and organized labor. This seminar will devote considerable attention to original research. [W]
Prerequisite: Govt 101 and one of the following: Govt 211, 215, 218, 258, 271, 310, 320, 321, PSTD 251; or permission of instructor.
The culmination of the extraordinary political process of negotiating a Brexit plan with the EU, its resounding failure in the British parliamentary vote, and the apparent splintering of major British political, economic, and socio-cultural institutions as the public grapples with Brexit’s ramifications — all will continue to play out in complex ways for the foreseeable future. The focus of this course is on comparative understanding Brexit’s ramifications for British politics. [W] Stewart-Gambino
Prerequisite: Govt 103 or permission of instructor
This course explores the rise and expansion of the extreme right across the globe. Recent years have seen an explosion of far right movements – acting against democratic institutions and movements for civic equality. These movements seek to overturn the central commitments of liberal democracies and bring about radical political change. The course will dedicate particular attention to white nationalism, conspiracy theory, and the racial anxieties that fuel the far right. [GM1, V, W] Feola
Prerequisite: Govt 104 and one of the following: Govt 241, 242, 244, 245, 246, 248, 341, 342, or permission of instructor
Immigration has shaped the United States’ population, its culture, and its politics since before the formal founding of the country. The United States has often called itself ‘a nation of immigrants’. Despite this claim, immigrants have faced significant political and social exclusion. In this course, we will examine the ways in which immigration dynamics have shaped who is seen as an American, the laws which have been implemented, American governmental institutions, and American public opinion. [W] Chan
Prerequisite: One of Govt 101, 102, 103, 104; plus one of the following: A&S 200, Econ 224, Govt 275, Psych 203, WGSS 285; or permission of instructor.
More than 41 percent of the world’s people live in federal countries. Because the United States was the first, it has been the main global model, but innovations in newer federations highlight strengths and weaknesses of American federalism. This course brings global perspectives to bear on the covenantal origins and constitutional theories of American federalism; historical transformations; legal, political, administrative, and fiscal facets of intergovernmental dynamics; and impacts of federalism on crucial policy issues. [SS, GM2, W] Kincaid
Prerequisite: Govt 101
An independent research project on a topic to be selected by the student and approved by the department. A student must undertake such a program for two semesters to graduate with honors.
Signature of the Instructor Required
Learn more about the Honor Thesis