Political Science

Catalog Home › The College › Programs of Study › Political Science

Contacts

Undergraduate Primary Contact

Undergraduate Program Chair Charles Lipson
P 418B
702.8053
Email

Administrative Contact

Student Affairs Administrator Kathy Anderson
P 406
702.3042
Email

Listhost

http://political-science.uchicago.edu/undergrad-listhost.shtml

Website

http://political-science.uchicago.edu

Program of Study

Political science contributes to a liberal education by introducing students to concepts, methods, and knowledge that help them understand and judge politics within and among nations. A BA degree in political science can lead to a career in business, government, journalism, education, or nonprofit organizations; or it can lead to a PhD program in the social sciences or to professional school in law, business, public policy, or international relations. These are only some recent examples of options that have been chosen by our graduates.

Program Requirements

Course Requirements

The department requires twelve political science courses. Students who write a thesis must take ten courses, plus two required courses: PLSC 29800 BA Colloquium and PLSC 29900 BA Thesis Supervision. Students not writing a thesis must take twelve courses.

Up to four courses from outside the department may count toward these requirements. A list of pre-approved outside courses is maintained by the department and can be found below. To count other courses toward the major, students must submit a petition to the program chair, which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. (See the section below for more information on submitting a petition.)

Subfield Distribution Requirement

To gain a broad understanding of political science, the department believes that students should take a wide range of courses. To ensure that breadth, students must take at least one course in three of the following four subfields: Political Theory, American Politics, Comparative Politics, or International Relations. A course on Aristotle, for instance, would be classified as Political Theory (which is called subfield "A"). To identify the subfields, refer to the letter at the end of each course description. When students submit a petition asking that a course outside the department be used to meet political science requirements, they may also ask that the course count toward a specific subfield. For example, a petition might ask that a course from the Department of Philosophy be used to meet our subfield requirement in Political Theory.

The four subfields are:

A. Political Theory: the history of ancient and modern political philosophy, the history of American political thought, and several varieties of contemporary political theory

B. American Politics: American political institutions, behavior, opinions, development, and public policy

C. Comparative Politics: the politics of particular foreign countries and regions and the comparative study of particular political phenomena such as leadership or state formation

D. International Relations: theoretical approaches to the study of politics among nations, the international relations of particular regions, the foreign policies of particular countries, and such topics as international political economy and military security

Writing Requirement

Students who are majoring in political science must write one long paper. There are two paths to meeting this requirement: the Long Paper Path and the BA Thesis Path. NOTE: Students may decide in their fourth year to pursue the Long Paper Path instead of the BA Thesis Path; however, those students are reminded that they are required to complete twelve courses (excluding PLSC 29800 BA Colloquium and PLSC 29900 BA Thesis Supervision).

The Long Paper Path. Students who do not wish to write a BA thesis must submit a form to the departmental office signed by an instructor who verifies that their paper meets the following guidelines:

The paper must receive a grade of B or better; a grade of B- or below does not meet the requirement.
The paper must be twenty pages or longer, double spaced. If the course requires a shorter paper, students may ask the instructor for permission to write an extended version. The departmental requirement will be met whether the long paper is written for the course itself or is written as an extra assignment. Another option is for a student to ask an instructor to read and grade a long paper after a course is completed.
Students may write a long paper for any course that is used to meet requirements for the political science major (whether it is a political science course or it is, for example, a history or sociology course; and whether it is taught by a professor or by an advanced graduate student).
Students are responsible for obtaining an approval form to verify the successful completion of this requirement from the departmental office and giving it to the relevant instructor. Please ask the instructor to sign the approval form and return it to the departmental office. The deadline for submitting the approval form and the paper is 4 p.m. on Friday of the second week of the quarter in which the student expects to graduate. NOTE: Students complete their paper before their final quarter; the approval form should be submitted to the departmental office as soon as the writing requirement is completed.

The BA Thesis Path. Writing a BA thesis will meet the writing requirement in political science and may also qualify a student for consideration for honors; see sections below for more information. In either case, the paper is typically from thirty-five to fifty pages in length and must receive a grade of B or higher. Students choose a suitable faculty member to supervise the writing and research process. The deadline for submitting two copies of a BA thesis to the departmental office is 4 p.m. on Friday of the fourth week of the quarter in which the student expects to graduate.

Summary of Requirements: The Long Paper Path

12 Political Science courses ^*		1200
Fulfillment of the writing requirement
Total Units		1200

*	Students must take at least one course in three of the four subfields. PLSC 29800 BA Colloquium and PLSC 29900 BA Thesis Supervision may not be used to meet this requirement.

Summary of Requirements: The BA Thesis Path

10 Political Science courses ^*		1000
PLSC 29800	BA Colloquium	100
PLSC 29900	BA Thesis Supervision	100
Total Units		1200

*	Students must take at least one course in three of the four subfields.

Independent Study

It is possible for students with extensive course work in political science to pursue more specialized topics that are not covered by regular courses. They have the option of registering for PLSC 29700 Independent Study, to be taken individually and supervised by a member of the political science faculty. Students must obtain prior consent of the program chair and the instructor, as well as submit the College Reading and Research Course Form that is available from their College adviser. The substance of the Independent Study may not be related to the BA thesis or BA research, which is covered by PLSC 29900 BA Thesis Supervision. NOTE: Only one PLSC 29700 Independent Study course may count toward requirements for the major and may be used to meet the subfield distribution requirement.

Third Year

During Autumn or Winter Quarter of their third year, students considering a major in political science will have the opportunity to attend a meeting with the program chair that will introduce the political science program, provide information about requirements, and answer questions. The time and place of this general meeting will be announced via email. To receive this announcement and other information about the Department of Political Science, students should sign up for the undergraduate email list either in the departmental office or at political-science.uchicago.edu/undergrad-listhost.shtml.

Students who plan to write a BA thesis must attend a second meeting with the program chair in Spring Quarter of their third year. This second meeting will answer questions and provide information on methods for doing research in political science, how to find an appropriate topic for a thesis, and how to choose a suitable faculty adviser. By the end of eighth week of Spring Quarter, students who intend to write a BA thesis must have completed a brief (one or two page) proposal describing their topic, chosen a faculty adviser, and received a written agreement from the faculty adviser that he or she will supervise the project. A signed copy of the approved proposal must be filed in the departmental office. The proposal form is available at political-science.uchicago.edu/BA Thesis Proposal Form.pdf. Students studying abroad in Spring Quarter of their third year should correspond with the program chair about their plans for the BA thesis before the end of Spring Quarter. Out-of-residence students should proceed to write their proposal and should conduct the process of choosing a faculty adviser via telephone or email.

The BA Colloquium

Students who choose to write a BA thesis are required to participate in in Autumn and Winter Quarters of their fourth year. The colloquium is designed to help students carry out their BA thesis research and to offer feedback on their progress. It meets weekly in Autumn Quarter and biweekly in Winter Quarter. Although the course meets over two quarters, it counts as a single course and has a single grade. The final grade for the colloquium is based on the student's contribution to the colloquium during both quarters. NOTE: Registration for PLSC 29800 BA Colloquium is limited to either Autumn or Winter Quarter of the fourth year, but attendance is required in both quarters. Students who plan to study abroad during Autumn or Winter Quarter of their fourth year must contact the program chair in advance to make arrangements to meet the BA Colloquium requirement.

BA Thesis Supervision

During their fourth year, students who choose to write a BA thesis must register with their BA thesis faculty adviser for one (and only one) quarter of PLSC 29900 BA Thesis Supervision. NOTE: Students are required to submit the College Course Reading and Research Form, which is available from the College advisers. The final grade for the course will be based on the grade given the BA thesis by the faculty adviser.

Double Majors

Students who plan to double major may complete the political science requirements by either the BA Thesis Path or the Long Paper Path. Students who write the BA thesis must attend the political science BA Colloquium even if the other major requires attendance at its colloquium.

A request to use a single BA thesis for two majors requires the approval of both program chairs on a form available from the student's College adviser. Students should consult with the departments by the earliest BA proposal deadline (or by the end of their third year, if neither program publishes a deadline). A consent form, to be signed by both departments, is available from College advisers or at college.uchicago.edu/policies-regulations/forms-and-petitions. It must be completed and returned to the College adviser by the end of Autumn Quarter of the student's year of graduation. To be considered for honors in political science, however, the thesis must be evaluated by the faculty adviser and preceptor using the criteria specified in the section below. Students can meet the writing requirement in the Long Paper Path with a paper written for another department, but they must also meet the requirement that they complete twelve courses in political science.

Grading

Courses that meet requirements for the major are typically taken for quality grades. However, students may take up to two courses on a P/F basis if they receive prior consent from the instructor.

Honors

Students who have done exceptionally well in their course work and who write an outstanding BA thesis are recommended for honors. A student is eligible for honors if the GPA in the major is 3.6 or higher and the overall GPA is 3.0 or higher at the beginning of the quarter in which the student intends to graduate. Students who wish to be considered for honors are required to register for PLSC 29800 BA Colloquium and PLSC 29900 BA Thesis Supervision and to submit a BA thesis.

Courses Taken on Campus in Other Departments

Students may count up to four courses outside the Department of Political Science toward political science courses required for the major.

Students may choose from the list of pre-approved courses at the end of this section without submitting a petition. For updates to this list, visit the departmental office or the department's website at political-science.uchicago.edu. The department also maintains a list of courses that students routinely ask about that it has denied.

Other courses that are offered by other departments at the University of Chicago will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Such courses must have political science content and must deploy methodology relevant to the study of political science. Students must submit a formal petition to the program chair that presents a clear, complete statement of the student's request and the student's reasons for the request. The petition must include the name of the course instructor, the course title, and the course number; and, if possible, a course syllabus should be attached to the petition. Students may submit petitions soon after completing a course, but, because not all petitions are approved, it is preferable to obtain prior consent. The department will not consider petitions submitted after the second week of the quarter in which the student intends to graduate. For more information, visit college.uchicago.edu/policies-regulations/forms-and-petitions.

Transfer Credit

Students transferring from other institutions who wish to apply credit to their political science major for course work taken at another institution should petition the program chair shortly after matriculation. The petition should include a complete description of the course and professor; and, if possible, a course syllabus should be attached to the petition. If the petition is approved, up to four courses outside the department may be counted toward a political science major. The department will not consider petitions submitted after the second week of the quarter in which the student intends to graduate. NOTE: A one-semester course at another institution that grants at least three semester hours equals one course in the major at the University of Chicago.

Courses Taken Elsewhere

Students registered at the University of Chicago who wish to receive credit for courses taken at other institutions must receive approval. Students may submit petitions soon after completing a course, but, because not all petitions are approved, it is preferable to obtain prior consent. The department will not consider petitions submitted after the second week of the quarter in which the student intends to graduate. Credit will be granted only for courses that meet departmental standards, whether they are taken at institutions within the United States or abroad.

University students who wish to receive credit for courses taken abroad should petition the program chair within one quarter of their return. NOTE: The Office of the Dean of Students in the College must also approve the transfer of all courses taken at institutions other than those in which students are enrolled as part of a study abroad program that is sponsored by the University of Chicago. For more information, visit college.uchicago.edu/newstudents/examination-credit-and-transfer-credit.

Courses Outside Political Science That Will Be Approved

Students may draw on the following courses to count toward political science courses required for the program. Some courses may not be offered every year, and other courses will be considered on a case-by-case basis. For updates, visit political-science.uchicago.edu or the departmental office. Please note that students may choose from this pre-approved list without submitting a petition; any of these courses will automatically count as one of the four courses outside the Department of Political Science that may be used for the major.

(C)

ANTH 21264 Intensive Study of a Culture: Political Struggles of Highland Asia (C)

ANTH 21316 Modern Readings in Anthropology: Militarization (C)

ANTH 22205 Slavery and Unfree Labor (C)

ANTH 29715 The Politics of Ethnicity in Burma (C)

BPRO 29000 Energy and Energy Policy (B)

EALC 22630 Democratization of South Korea in Literature and Visual Drama (C)

EALC 25001 Change, Conflict, and Resistance in Twentieth-Century China (C)

ECON 20710 Game Theory: A Formal Approach(A)

ECON 22300 Business Ethics in Historical Perspective (B)

ECON 26010 Public Finance (B)

ECON 28600 Economic Analysis of Law (B)

EEUR 24500 Cult of Personality: Hitler, Stalin, and Mao (C)

ENST 21800 Economics and Environmental Policy (B)

ENST 23100 Environmental Law (B)

ENST 24101 U.S. Environmental Politics (B)

ENST 24102 Environmental Politics (B)

ENST 24400 Is Development Sustainable? (B)

ENST 24700 Environmental Policy (B)

ENST 24701 U.S. Environmental Policy (B)

FNDL 22301 The Ethics of Albert Camus (A)

FNDL 24401 American Originals: Franklin and Lincoln (A)

GNSE 23304 Women and Power: Rights Politics in International Perspective (A)

GNSE 27700 Pragmatism, Feminism, and Democracy (A)

HIJD 41801 Religion, Culture and Politics (A)

HIJD 47705 Jewish Political Theology (A)

HIST 12100 War in the Middle Ages (D)

HIST 13801 Post Soviet Union, 1945 to 1953 (C)

HIST 17202 Globalization (C)

HIST 17702 War in American Society: Violence, Power and the State (B)

HIST 18000 War in Modern American Society (B)

HIST 18500 Politics of Film in Twentieth-Century American History (B)

HIST 18600 U.S. Labor History (B)

HIST 21500 John Locke in Historical Context (A)

HIST 22800 Machiavelli and Renaissance Italy (A)

HIST 23004 Montesquieu and the Enlightenment (A)

HIST 23401 Genocide Euro Jews, 1933-1945 (C)

HIST 24402 History and Popular Culture in Japan (C)

HIST 24702 Globalization and Asia (C)

HIST 25300 American Revolution, 1763 to 1789 (B)

HIST 25600 Contemporary Central Asia (C)

HIST 25902 History of Israeli-Arab Conflict (C)

HIST 26206 The "Southern" Age of Revolution (C)

HIST 26405 US Imperialism in Latin America (C)

HIST 26601 Postcolonial Theory (A)

HIST 26802 Colonial Rule in South Asia (C)

HIST 27010 Politics of Reproduction in Historical Perspective (B)

HIST 27108 The Politics of Mass Incarceration, 1945-Present (B)

HIST 27400 Race and Racism in American History (B)

HIST 27705 Introduction to Black Chicago, 1893 to 2008 (B)

HIST 27901 Asia American History (B)

HIST 28102 Business History in the Late 20th Century (B)

HIST 28402 US and the World Since 1945 (B)

HIST 28404 Politics of Reproduction in Historical Perspective (B)

HIST 28604 Law and Social Movements in Modern America (B)

HIST 29410 Cultural Globalization: History and Theory (D)

HIST 29500 Law and Social Theory (A)

HIST 29507 Overcoming Torture: Past and Present (C)

HMRT 20100 Human Rights I: Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights (A)

HMRT 20200 Human Rights II: History and Theory (A)

HMRT 20300 Human Rights III: Contemporary Issues in Human Rights (A)

HMRT 20500 Human Rights and International Relations (D)

HMRT 21200 Armed Conflict and Politics of Humanitarian Action (D)

HMRT 22230 State Collapse and State Reconstruction (D)

HMRT 23630 Secularism and Religious Freedom in America and South Asia (C)

HMRT 24701 Human Rights: Alien and Citizen (D)

HMRT 26101 Accountability for International Human Rights Abuses (D)

HMRT 26300 Practices of Othering and the Logic of Human Rights Violations (D)

HMRT 26400 What is a Human? The New Sciences, the Nature/Culture Divide and Human Rights (A)

HMRT 27500 Human Rights in Africa: A History of Twentieth Century Articulations (D)

HMRT 29500 Reason & Passion: The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law (D)

HUMA 23801 The Thought of Hannah Arendt (A)

(D)

INST 23102 Contemporary Global Issues II (D)

INST 23310 Do POWs Have Rights? The Geneva Conventions from 1864 to Today (D)

INST 27301 The Politics of Global Governance (D) NOTE: INST 27301 may be used as a “regular” political science course in the major; it will not be counted as a petitioned course.

INST 27405 Seminar on Nuclear Proliferation (D) NOTE: INST 27405 may be used as a "regular" political science course in the major; it will not be counted as a petitioned course.

INST 27605 War, Sovereignty and the Subject of International Politics (D)

INST 28201 Chinese Foreign Policy (D)

INST 28250 The Global Condition (D)

INST 28303 Introduction to European Issues (D)

INST 28400 Lectures on International Organizations (D)

INST 28530 Critical Theories of the Hyper-Modern (D)

INST 28801 Propaganda States of the Twentieth Century (C)

INST 29302 U.S. Intervention in Latin America (D)

INST 29315 American Globalization: 1607 to Present (D)

INST 29500 Transnationalism (D)

LLSO 22400 Rhetorical Theories of Legal Reasoning (A)

LLSO 24300 American Law and the Rhetoric of Race (B)

LLSO 24711 Lincoln: Slavery, War, and the Constitution (A)

LLSO 27401 American Originals: Franklin and Lincoln (A)

MATH 19510 Mathematics Methods for Social Sciences I (A)

MATH 19520 Mathematical Methods for Social Sciences (A)

MATH 19610 Mathematics Methods for Social Sciences II (A)

MATH 19620 Linear Algebra (A)

MATH 20300 Analysis in Rn I (A)

MATH 20400 Analysis in Rn II (A)

(A)

NEHC 20505 Jews Under Islamic Rule (C)

NEHC 20511 Islam and the State (A)

PBPL 20000 Economics for Public Policy (B)

PBPL 22100 Politics and Policy (B)

PBPL 22300 Problems of Public Policy Implementation (B)

PBPL 24751 The Business of Non-Profits: The Evolving Social Sector (B)

PBPL 25300 Social Welfare in the United States (B)

PBPL 25405 Child Poverty and Chicago Schools (B)

PBPL 25800 Public Choice (B)

PBPL 26200 Field Research Project in Public Policy I (B)

PBPL 26300 Field Research Project in Public Policy II (B)

PBPL 26400 Quantitative Methods in Public Policy (A)

PBPL 27705 Human Rights and World Politics (C)

PBPL 28501 Process and Policy in State and City Government (B)

PBPL 29304 Urban Neighborhoods, Urban Schools (B)

PHIL 21423 Introduction to Marx (A)

PHIL 21600 Political Philosophy (A)

PHIL 24410 Human Rights and Human Nature: Philosophical Approaches (A)

PHIL 24790 Self-Transformation and Political Resistance: Michel Foucault, Pierre Hadot, Primo Levi, Martin Luther King, Jr (A)

PHIL 24800 Foucault and The History of Sexuality(A)

PHIL 27504 Plato's Republic (A)

PSYC 23900 Political Psychology (B)

SALC 20700 Critics of Colonialism (A)

SALC 20702 Colonizations III (A)

SOCI 20005 Sociological Theory (A)

SOCI 20102 Social Change (A)

SOCI 20103 Social Stratification (A)

(B)

SOCI 20111 Survey Analysis I (A)

SOCI 20116 Global-Local Politics (B)

SOCI 20120 Urban Policy Analysis (B)

SOCI 20138 Politics/Participation/Organization (B)

SOCI 20146 Culture and Politics (B)

SOCI 20169 Global Society and Global Culture: Paradigms of Social and Cultural Analysis (C)

SOCI 20171 Law, Organizations, and Markets (B)

SOCI 20184 Political Culture, Social Capital, and the Arts (B)

SOCI 20193 Religious Politics in the Neo-Liberal Epoch (C)

SOCI 21800 Social and Political Movements (B)

SOCI 22700 Urban Structure and Process (B)

SOCI 23100 Revolutions and Rebellions in Twentieth-Century China (C)

SOCI 23500 Political Sociology (B)

SOCI 25500 Survey Research Overview (A)

SOCI 26900 Globalization: Empirical/Theoretical Elements (C)

SOCI 27900 Global-Local Politics (B)

SOCI 28050 Understanding Social Change in China (C)

SOSC 20600. Qualitative Methods in the Social Sciences (A)

STAT 22000 Statistical Methods and Applications (A)

STAT 23400 Statistical Models and Methods (A)

Courses Outside Political Science That Will Not Be Approved

Many students ask about the following courses. Petitions will be denied to use courses on this list for political science credit.

ECON 19800 Introduction to Microeconomics

ECON 19900 Introduction to Macroeconomics

ECON 20000 The Elements of Economic Analysis I

ECON 20100 The Elements of Economic Analysis II

ECON 22200 Topics in American Economic History

ECON 26600 Economics of Urban Policies

Any introductory civilization studies courses.

AP 5 Statistics.

Courses

PLSC 21390. Philosophy of Poverty. 100 Units.

Global poverty is a human tragedy on a massive scale, and it poses one of the most daunting challenges to achieving a just global order. In recent decades, a significant number of philosophers have addressed this issue in new and profoundly important ways, overcoming the disciplinary limitations of narrowly economic or public policy oriented approaches. Recent theories of justice have provided both crucial conceptual clarifications of the very notion of ‘poverty’—including new measures that are more informed by the voices of the global poor and better able to cover the full impact of poverty on human capabilities and welfare—and vital new theoretical frameworks for considering freedom from poverty as a basic human right and/or a demand of justice, both nationally and internationally. Moreover, these philosophers have pointed to concrete, practical steps, at both the level of institutional design and the level of individual ethical/political action, for effectively combating poverty and moving the world closer to justice. The readings covered in this course, from such philosophers as Peter Singer, Thomas Pogge, David Graeber, and Martha Nussbaum, will reveal, not only the injustice of global poverty, but also what is to be done about it.

Instructor(s): B. Schultz Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): PHIL 21390,HMRT 21390,PBPL 21390

PLSC 21410. Advanced Theories of Sex/Gender: Ideology, Culture, and Sexuality. 100 Units.

Beginning with the extension of the democratic revolution in the breakup of the New Left, this seminar will expore the key debates (foundations, psychoanalysis, sexual difference, universalism, multiculturalism) around which gender and sexuality came to be articulated as politically significant categories in the late 1980s and the 1990s. (A)

Instructor(s): L. Zerilli Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Completion of GNSE 10100-10200 and GNSE 28505 or 28605 or permission of instructor.
Equivalent Course(s): ARTH 21400,ARTH 31400,ENGL 21401,ENGL 30201,GNSE 31400,MAPH 36500,PLSC 31410

PLSC 21810. Global Justice. 100 Units.

What duties do states and societies have beyond their borders? Are obligations of justice global in scope? What is the moral standing of states? This course will examine theories of global distributive and political justice, controversies over cosmopolitan democracy, and theories of human rights, in light of global social structures and international inequalities. We will consider contemporary arguments in political philosophy, sometimes in conversation with texts in the history of political thought. Authors will include Immanuel Kant, John Rawls, Thomas Pogge, Amartya Sen, Thomas Nagel, Iris Marion Young. (A)

Instructor(s): J. Pitts Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): HMRT 39000,LLSO 21810,PLSC 39000

PLSC 22150. Contemporary African American Politics. 100 Units.

This course explores the issues, actions, and arguments that comprise black politics today. Our specific task is to explore the question of how do African Americans currently engage in politics and political struggles in the United States. This analysis is rooted in a discussion of contemporary issues, including the 2008 presidential election, the response to Hurricane Katrina, debates surrounding the topic of immigration, the exponential incarceration of black people, and the role of rap music and hip-hop among black youth. We situate the politics of African Americans into the larger design we call American politics. Is there such a thing as black politics? If there is, what does it tell us more generally about American politics? (B)

Instructor(s): C. Cohen Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): CRES 22150,LLSO 25902

PLSC 22200. Introduction to Political Economy of Development. 100 Units.

This course introduces the political economy of development. Our key question is: Why is life in some countries and regions "better" than in others? We explore different approaches to this question, using theories from economics and politics. Along the way, we examine a selection of topics of substantive interest that may include poverty, inequality, corruption, gender and development, health, the rule of law, microcredit, and remittances. (C)

Instructor(s): A. Simpser Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Advanced standing.

PLSC 22400. Public Opinion. 100 Units.

What is the relationship between the mass citizenry and government in the U.S.? Does the public meet the conditions for a functioning democratic polity? This course considers the origins of mass opinion about politics and public policy, including the role of core values and beliefs, information, expectations about political actors, the mass media, economic self-interest, and racial attitudes. This course also examines problems of political representation, from the level of political elites communicating with constituents, and from the possibility of aggregate representation. (B)

Instructor(s): J. Brehm Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): CRES 22400,LLSO 26802

PLSC 22510. Law and Society. 100 Units.

This course examines the myriad relationships between courts, laws, and lawyers in the United States. Issues covered range from legal consciousness to the role of rights to access to courts to implementation of decisions to professionalism. (B)

Instructor(s): G. Rosenberg Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): PLSC 28800 or equivalent and consent of instructor.
Equivalent Course(s): LLSO 28100

PLSC 22515. The Political Nature of the American Judicial System. 100 Units.

This course aims to introduce students to the political nature of the American legal system. In examining foundational parts of the political science literature on courts conceived of as political institutions, the seminar will focus on the relationship between the courts and other political institutions. The sorts of questions to be asked include: Are there interests that courts are particularly prone to support? What effect does congressional or executive action have on court decisions? What impact do court decisions have? While the answers will not always be clear, students should complete the course with an awareness of and sensitivity to the political nature of the American legal system. (B)

Instructor(s): G. Rosenberg Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): LLSO 24011,PLSC 42515

PLSC 22710. Electoral Politics in America. 100 Units.

This course explores the interactions of voters, candidates, the parties, and the media in American national elections, chiefly in the campaign for the presidency, both in nominating primaries and in the November general election. The course will examine how voters learn about candidates, how they perceive candidates, how they come to turn out to vote, and how they decide among the candidates. It will examine the strategies and techniques of electoral campaigns, including the choices of campaign themes and the impact of campaign advertising. It will consider the role of campaign contributors and volunteers, the party campaign organizations, campaign and media polls, and the press. Finally, it will assess the impact of campaigns and elections on governing and policymaking. (B)

Instructor(s): M. Hansen Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): LLSO 22710

PLSC 23100. Democracy and the Information Technology Revolution. 100 Units.

The revolution in information technologies has serious implications for democratic societies. We concentrate, though not exclusively, on the United States. We look at which populations have the most access to technology-based information sources (the digital divide), and how individual and group identities are being forged online. We ask how is the responsiveness of government being affected, and how representative is the online community. Severe conflict over the tension between national security and individual privacy rights in the U.S., United Kingdom and Ireland will be explored as well. We analyze both modern works (such as those by Turkle and Gilder) and the work of modern democratic theorists (such as Habermas). (B)

Instructor(s): M. Dawson Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): LLSO 27101

PLSC 23401. Genocide Euro Jews, 1933-1945. 100 Units.

What were the main features of the Jewish society that the Nazis destroyed and what were the conditions of Jewish life in inter-war Europe? Why and how did the genocide occur? Who were the perpetrators? What were the respective roles of the German policy apparatus, of the Germany army, of the Nazi Party, of the state bureaucracy, of ordinary Germans? What were the responses of occupied populations of neutral countries, of the Allies, and of the Jews themselves?

Instructor(s): B. Wassserstein Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 23401,HIST 33401,JWSC 23401,LLSO 28311,PLSC 33401

PLSC 23600. The Political Thought of W. E. B. Du Bois. 100 Units.

The seminar will concentrate on three of Du Bois's books: The Souls of Black Folk (1903), Darkwater (1920), and Dusk of Dawn (1940). Through close readings of these carefully wrought works, we will concentrate on the relationship between Du Bois's political thought and his conceptualization of race at different stages of his intellectual and activist career. We will also pay attention to Du Bois’s retrospective self-criticisms, and to his reliance on fictional and other genres of writing to articulate his thinking. (A)

Instructor(s): R. Gooding-Williams Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 43600

PLSC 24601. Islam/Politics/Gender. 100 Units.

This course begins with the development of concepts of gender, power, hierarchy, social order and class in early Muslim societies. We then explore the articulation of politics and gender in contemporary Muslim states and societies, across a variety of issues: law and courts, state and nation-building, secularism and Islamism, modernisation and reform. Finally, we ask, why and how has 'the woman question' come to figure so prominently in 'Western' discourses on Islam? (C)

Instructor(s): I. Hussin Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): Attendance required at first meeting.

PLSC 25102. The Politics of Blackness in the Americas. 100 Units.

The aim of this course is to examine the politics of blackness and black mobilization in historical context and across a number of countries in the Americas. The course begins with an analysis of the structural and ideological conditions that gave rise to particular kinds of expressions of black politics in countries like the United States, Cuba, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil. In this, we focus on the early part of the 20th century and analyze the very different ways black populations and African culture were incorporated into, or excluded from, nationalist projects. This laid the context for complex processes of identity formation that would both facilitate and constrain black mobilization in these countries. We then move to the second half of the 20th century where we examine the emergence of nation-based black political movements alongside a number of attempts to build a broader Pan-African movement of the Americas. In so doing, we pay special attention to the crosspollination of ideologies, strategies, and aesthetics among black activists in ways that complicate simple North to South flows of influence. Throughout the course we explore contestation between black activists over the meanings and boundaries around blackness itself, as well as the nature of their racial utopias, both within and across national contexts. (C)

Instructor(s): T. Paschel Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): CRES 25102,LACS 25102

PLSC 25215. The American Presidency. 100 Units.

This course examines the institution of the American presidency. It surveys the foundations of presidential power, both as the Founders conceived it and as it is practiced in the modern era. This course also traces the historical development of the institutional presidency, the president's relationships with Congress and the courts, the influence presidents wield in domestic and foreign policy making, and the ways in which presidents make decisions in a system of separated powers. (B)

Instructor(s): W. Howell Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): LLSO 25215

PLSC 25610. Authority, Obligation, and Dissent. 100 Units.

What is the basis of political authority? What, if anything, makes it legitimate? Under what conditions are we obliged to follow the laws and orders of government authorities? Under what conditions can we legitimately disobey such laws or orders, or even engage in violent rebellion? How have some of the most influential political thinkers answered such questions historically and which of their theories are most helpful for illuminating these issues for us today? Readings include classic writings by Plato, Hobbes, Locke, Burke, Paine, Kant, Thoreau, Gandhi, Fanon, and Martin Luther King, Jr. (A)

Instructor(s): S. Muthu Terms Offered: Spring

PLSC 25900. Japanese Politics. 100 Units.

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. (C)

Instructor(s): B. Silberman Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 35600

PLSC 26109. Core Values of the West. 100 Units.

This course examines the fundamental values of liberal Western democracies, including freedom of speech and religion, equality under law, individual autonomy, religious toleration, and property rights. We consider what these values mean, their historical origins and development, and debates about them in theory and in practice. This course is divided between lectures, which present each topic, and discussions. (A)

Instructor(s): C. Lipson Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): At least two prior college-level courses in U.S. or European history.
Equivalent Course(s): LLSO 26109

PLSC 26113. Attentat! Modern Theories of Political Violence. 100 Units.

This course examines the rise of theories of political violence in the period from the French Revolution to the era of modern day terrorism. Some of the theorists of violence who will be discussed include Robespierre, Blanqui, Bakunin, Labriola, Engels, Lenin, and Mao. (A)

Instructor(s): B. Silberman Terms Offered: Winter

PLSC 26610. Political Communication Networks. 100 Units.

Does an individual's social context, such as her social networks or social environment, have the ability to impact her political behavior? We focus on identifying a causal relationship from the political behavior of one's social group to individual political activities. Specific readings are drawn from empirical research which relies upon public opinion surveys and field experiments, with a focus on the role of new media in American political life. (B)

Instructor(s): B. Sinclair Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): LLSO 20911

PLSC 26800. Insurgency, Terrorism, and Civil War. 100 Units.

This course provides an introduction to asymmetric and irregular warfare. From Colombia to Afghanistan, non-state armed organizations are crucially important actors. We will study how they organize themselves, extract resources, deploy violence, attract recruits, and both fight and negotiate with states. We will also examine government counterinsurgency and counterterrorism policies, peace-building after conflict, and international involvement in internal wars. Case materials will be drawn from a variety of conflicts and cover a number of distinct topics. This course has a heavy reading load, and both attendance and substantial participation in weekly discussion sections are required. (D)

Instructor(s): P. Staniland Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): LLSO 26804

PLSC 27216. Machiavelli's Political Thought. 100 Units.

This course is devoted to the political writings of Niccolò Machiavelli. Readings include The Prince, Discourses on Livy's history of Rome, selections from the Florentine Histories, and Machiavelli's proposal for reforming Florence's republic, "Discourses on Florentine Affairs." Topics include the relationship between the person and the polity; the compatibility of moral and political virtue; the utility of class conflict; the advantages of mixed institutions; the principles of self-government, deliberation, and participation; the meaning of liberty; and the question of military conquest. (A)

Instructor(s): J. McCormick Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Prior consent of instructor.
Equivalent Course(s): LLSO 28200,PLSC 52316

PLSC 27301. Weimar Political Theology: Schmitt and Strauss. 100 Units.

This course is devoted to the idea of "political theology" that developed during the interwar period in twentieth-century Central Europe, specifically Germany's Weimar Republic. The course's agenda is set by Carl Schmitt, who claimed that both serious intellectual endeavors and political authority require extra-rational and transcendent foundations. Along with Schmitt's works from the period, such as Political Theology and the Concept of the Political, we read and discuss the related writings of perhaps his greatest interlocutor, Leo Strauss. (A)

Instructor(s): J. McCormick Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Prior consent of instructor.
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 37301

PLSC 27500. Organizational Decision Making. 100 Units.

This course examines the process of decision making in modern, complex organizations (e.g., universities, schools, hospitals, business firms, public bureaucracies). We also consider the impact of information, power, resources, organizational structure, and the environment, as well as alternative models of choice. (B)

Instructor(s): J. Padgett Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 37500

PLSC 27600. War and the Nation State. 100 Units.

The aim of this course is to examine the phenomenon of war in its broader socio-economic context during the years between the emergence of the modern nation-state in the late eighteenth century and the end of World War II. (D)

Instructor(s): J. Mearsheimer Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 37600

PLSC 27815. Politics and Public Policy in China. 100 Units.

This course offers a historical and thematic survey of Chinese politics and of salient issues in China’s public policy. We review the patterns and dynamics of political development or lack thereof in the Mao and reform eras. We examine major political events including the rise of Mao and the Communists, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the politics of reforms. Later sections of the course look at China’s political institutions, leadership, as well as various issues of governance and public policy, including state-society relations, the relationship between Beijing and the provinces, corruption, population and environment. Emphasis is on how institutions have provided the incentives for change as well as how institutions have been transformed. (C)

Instructor(s): D. Yang Terms Offered: Winter

PLSC 27912. Field Seminar in Comparative Politics. 100 Units.

This seminar broadly surveys the study of comparative politics in contemporary political science. (C)

Instructor(s): D. Slater Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Advanced standing and consent of instructor.
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 48000

PLSC 28100. Russian Politics. 100 Units.

One of the major world powers, Russia commands a nuclear arsenal and vast energy reserves. This course will help us to understand Russia’s political development which is inextricable from the country’s history and economy. After reviewing some milestones in Soviet history, we shall focus on the developments since the fall of the ‘evil empire.’ Political institutions, economy, foreign policy, and social change will all receive some attention. (C)

Instructor(s): S. Markus Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 38100

PLSC 28212. African American Political Thought. 100 Units.

An intensive introduction to African American political thought, focusing on the writings of Frederick Douglass, Martin Delany, Alexander Crummell, Booker T. Washington, Anna Julia Cooper, and W. E. B. Du Bois. (A)

Instructor(s): R. Gooding-Williams Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): LLSO 28212

PLSC 28300. Seminar on Realism. 100 Units.

The aim of this course is to read the key works dealing with the international relations theory called "realism." (D)

Instructor(s): J. Mearsheimer Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): Limited enrollment.

PLSC 28615. Politics and Human Nature. 100 Units.

This course explores commonalities among psychoanalytic theory, Buddhism, and studies of emotions and brain physiology, particularly as they relate to questions of the self and political life. In addition to exploring each of these theories, we investigate particular questions (e.g., inevitability of conflict, dynamics of obedience and authority, emotional power of ideology, and non-Western understandings of human consciousness). (A)

Instructor(s): E. Oliver Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Third- or fourth-year standing
Note(s): Class limited to fifteen students.

PLSC 28710. Democracy and the Politics of Wealth Redistribution. 100 Units.

How do political institutions affect the redistribution of wealth among members of a society? In most democracies, the distribution of wealth among citizens is unequal but the right to vote is universal. Why then have so many newly democratic states transitioned under conditions of high inequality yet failed to redistribute? This course explores this puzzle by analyzing the mechanisms through which individual and group preferences can be translated into pro-poor policies, and the role elites play in influencing a government's capacity or incentives to redistribute wealth. Topics include economic inequality and the demand for redistribution, the difference in redistribution between democracy and dictatorship, the role of globalization in policymaking, and the effects of redistribution on political stability and change. (C)

Instructor(s): M. Albertus Terms Offered: Autumn

PLSC 28713. Zionism and Diasporism. 100 Units.

In this seminar we will examine the political theory of Zionism and its critics. In addition to surveying the history of Zionist thought, we will read texts by religious anti-Zionists, post-Zionists, and contemporary diasporists. (A)

Instructor(s): J. Cooper Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 38713

PLSC 28900. Strategy. 100 Units.

This course covers American national security policy in the post–cold war world, especially the principal issues of military strategy that are likely to face the United States in the next decade. This course is structured in five parts: (1) examining the key changes in strategic environment since 1990, (2) looking at the effects of multipolarity on American grand strategy and basic national goals, (3) focusing on nuclear strategy, (4) examining conventional strategy, and (5) discussing the future of war and peace in the Pacific Rim. (D)

Instructor(s): R. Pape Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 39900

PLSC 29000. Introduction to International Relations. 100 Units.

This course introduces main themes in international relations that include the problems of war and peace, conflict and cooperation. We begin by considering some basic theoretical tools used to study international politics. We then focus on several prominent security issues in modern international relations, such as the cold war and post–cold war world, nuclear weapons, nationalism, and terrorism. We also deal with economic aspects of international relations, such as globalization, world trade, environmental pollution, and European unification. (D)

Instructor(s): C. Lipson Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 39800

PLSC 29700. Independent Study. 100 Units.

This is a general reading and research course for independent study not related to the BA thesis or BA research.

Terms Offered: Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring
Prerequisite(s): Consent of faculty supervisor and program chair.
Note(s): Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form.

PLSC 29800. BA Colloquium. 100 Units.

The colloquium is designed to help students carry out their BA thesis research and offer feedback on their progress. The class meets weekly in Autumn Quarter and every other week in Winter Quarter.

Terms Offered: Autumn, Winter
Note(s): Required of fourth-year students who are majoring in political science majors and plan to write a BA thesis. Students participate in both Autumn and Winter Quarters but register only once (in either Autumn or Winter Quarter). PLSC 29800 counts as a single course and a single grade is reported in Winter Quarter.

PLSC 29900. BA Thesis Supervision. 100 Units.

This is a reading and research course for independent study related to BA research and BA thesis preparation.

Terms Offered: Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring
Note(s): Required of fourth-year students who are majoring in political science and plan to write a BA thesis. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form.

PLSC 30200. Political Economy for Public Policy. 100 Units.

This course is designed to serve three interrelated goals. It is an introduction to core concepts in the study of political economy. These concepts include collective action, coordination, and commitment problems; externalities and other forms of market failure; principal-agent relationships; problems of preference aggregation; and agenda setting and voting. The course also introduces basic concepts in game theory, including Nash equilibrium, subgame Perfection, and repeated games. It is not, however, a suitable substitute for a game theory course for doctoral students in the social sciences. Finally, the course provides an overview of some of the key insights from the field of political economy on how institutions shape and constrain the making of public policy, with special attention to various ways in which governments can and cannot be held accountable to their citizens.

Terms Offered: Fall 2009
Equivalent Course(s): PPHA 30800,INRE 30800

PLSC 31410. Advanced Theories of Sex/Gender: Ideology, Culture, and Sexuality. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): L. Zerilli Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Completion of GNSE 10100-10200 and GNSE 28505 or 28605 or permission of instructor.
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 21410,ARTH 21400,ARTH 31400,ENGL 21401,ENGL 30201,GNSE 31400,MAPH 36500

PLSC 33401. Genocide Euro Jews, 1933-1945. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): B. Wassserstein Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 23401,HIST 33401,JWSC 23401,LLSO 28311,PLSC 23401

PLSC 35600. Japanese Politics. 100 Units.

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. (C)

Instructor(s): B. Silberman Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 25900

PLSC 36109. Core Values of the West. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): C. Lipson Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): At least two prior college-level courses in U.S. or European history.

PLSC 37301. Weimar Political Theology: Schmitt and Strauss. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): J. McCormick Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Prior consent of instructor.
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 27301

PLSC 37500. Organizational Decision Making. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): J. Padgett Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 27500

PLSC 37600. War and the Nation State. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): J. Mearsheimer Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 27600

PLSC 38100. Russian Politics. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): S. Markus Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 28100

PLSC 38713. Zionism and Diasporism. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): J. Cooper Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 28713

PLSC 39000. Global Justice. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): J. Pitts Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 21810,HMRT 39000,LLSO 21810

PLSC 39800. Introduction to International Relations. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): C. Lipson Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 29000

PLSC 39900. Strategy. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): R. Pape Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 28900

PLSC 42515. The Political Nature of the American Judicial System. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): G. Rosenberg Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 22515,LLSO 24011

PLSC 43600. The Political Thought of W. E. B. Du Bois. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): R. Gooding-Williams Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 23600

PLSC 48000. Field Seminar in Comparative Politics. 100 Units.

This seminar broadly surveys the study of comparative politics in contemporary political science. (C)

Instructor(s): D. Slater Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Advanced standing and consent of instructor.
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 27912

PLSC 52316. Machiavelli's Political Thought. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): J. McCormick Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Prior consent of instructor.
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 27216,LLSO 28200

2012-13 College Catalog