PLSC 20693. Psychology of Power: Hobbes, Spinoza, & Nietzsche. 100 Units.

This seminar will examine the development of the concept of power as a psychological principle in Hobbes, Spinoza, and Nietzsche. The moderns give unprecedented significance to the notion of power, especially making it a central term of analysis for moral psychology and political philosophy. What is power? In what sense do human beings desire power, and is this desire good or bad? Does an inclination to power come from the passions or reason? What is the importance of scientific or theological meanings of power for the psychological-political concept? We will consider the relation between the modern notion of power and classical liberal understandings of natural right, liberty and equality, the sovereign state, and war and peace. What is achieved, theoretically and politically, by explaining human phenomena through a concept of power, and what is sacrificed?

Instructor(s): Brian Bitar     Terms Offered: Winter 2013
Equivalent Course(s): FNDL 20601,SCTH 20693

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, Spring
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 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: Autumn
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 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 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 28213. Parties and Elections around the World. 100 Units.

Elections are the defining feature of a democracy, and political parties are an integral part of the electoral process. This course examines political parties and elections, drawing on the experiences of countries around the world. Major topics covered in the course will include the formation and evolution of party systems, the role of parties, partisanship, the origins and consequences of electoral rules, and voting behavior. Readings will focus mainly, though not exclusively, on consolidated democracies. (C)

Instructor(s): A. Ziegfeld     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 38213

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 28812. The Politics of International Justice. 100 Units.

This course will address the major theoretical debates and empirical trends in accountability for atrocities and human rights violations and the political dynamics of international justice. By bridging the fields of international relations, law, and comparative politics, students in this course will gain an understanding of the globalization of the rule of law and post-conflict societal transitions from violence to peace. Course topics will focus primarily on international tribunals and the International Criminal Court, with some comparative focus on local and non-judicial mechanisms of justice, and framed by debates of retributive vs. restorative justice and peace vs. justice. The case studies selected will be global in scope but with a sustained focus on Africa. This is a lecture course that is open to upper level undergraduate and graduate students. (D)

Instructor(s): A. Tiemessen     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 38812

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: Spring
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.

Instructor(s): E. Bueno de Mesquita     Terms Offered: Fall
Equivalent Course(s): PPHA 30800,INRE 30800

PLSC 30500. Introduction to Data Analysis. 100 Units.

This course is an introduction to the research methods practiced by quantitative political scientists. The first part lays out the enterprise of empirical research: the structure and content of theories, the formulation of testable hypotheses, the logic of empirical tests, and the consideration of competing hypotheses. The second part considers the implementation of empirical research: the potential barriers to valid inferences, the strengths and limitations of research designs, and empirical representations of theoretical constructs. The final part provides hands-on experience with the two kinds of analyses most frequently performed by quantitative political researchers: contingency tables and regression. (E)

Instructor(s): M. Dawson     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Open to Political Science Ph.D. students only.

PLSC 30700. Introduction to Linear Models. 100 Units.

This course will provide an introduction to the linear model, the dominant form of statistical inference in the social sciences. The goals of the course are to teach students the statistical methods needed to pursue independent large-n research projects and to develop the skills necessary to pursue further methods training in the social sciences. Part I of the course reviews the simple linear model (as seen in Stat 220 or its equivalent) with attention to the theory of statistical inference and the derivation of estimators. Basic calculus and linear algebra will be introduced. Part II extends the linear model to the multivariate case. Emphasis will be placed on model selection and specification. Part III examines the consequences of data that is "poorly behaved" and how to cope with the problem. Depending on time, Part IV will introduce special topics like systems of simultaneous equations, logit and probit models, time-series methods, etc. Little prior knowledge of math or statistics is expected, but students are expected to work hard to develop the tools introduced in class. (E)

Instructor(s): J. Brehm     Terms Offered: Spring

PLSC 31410. 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): PLSC 21410,ARTH 21400,ARTH 31400,ENGL 21401,ENGL 30201,GNSE 31400,MAPH 36500

PLSC 33401. 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 23401

PLSC 34700. Political Economy of China. 100 Units.

This is a research-oriented seminar for graduate students interested in exploring current research on China and in conducting their own research. Our emphasis will be on the changing nature of the Chinese Party-state, and the relations between state and economy and between state and society. Special attention will be paid to the course, dynamics, and challenges of making reform. China's development will be also considered in comparative perspective and in view of recent developments in political science. Special topics for research may be designated each year. (C)

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

PLSC 34900. American Political Behavior. 100 Units.

This course begins on the premise that individuals are likely to influence each other's political behavior. Canonical work in American political behavior models individual political decisions as though they are independent – this course will challenge this assumption and provide suggestions for alternative models and measurements. This course examines current political science literature on interpersonal influence and works through the theoretical assumptions or models necessary for different behavioral assumptions. The key questions of the course will be to evaluate to what extent individuals influence each other's political behaviors, and when persuasion or influence is possible. When is communication most effective? What types of relationships permit this type of influence and communication? (B)

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

PLSC 35000. Race and Politics in the U.S. 100 Units.

Fundamentally, this course is meant to explore how race, both historically and currently, influences politics in the United States. For example, is there something unique about the politics of African Americans? Does the idea and lived experience of whiteness shape one's political behavior? Throughout the quarter, students interrogate the way scholars, primarily in the field of American politics, have ignored, conceptualized, measured, modeled, and sometimes fully engaged the concept of race. We examine the multiple manifestations of race in the political domain, both as it functions alone and as it intersects with other identities such as gender, class, and sexuality. (B)

Instructor(s): C. Cohen, M. Dawson     Terms Offered: Winter

PLSC 35500. Public Opinion. 100 Units.

A close examination of techniques employed, categories utilized and assumptions made by contemporary American students of public opinion. Criticism of these approaches from historical, philosophical and comparative perspectives will be encouraged. The course will make little sense to students without at least a background in Data Analysis (PLSC 30500). (B)

Instructor(s): E. Oliver     Terms Offered: Autumn

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 35712. Clientelism. 100 Units.

Democratic politics is most often theorized in programmatic terms, playing out along a left-right spectrum or reflecting the public's endorsement or rejection of a government's policies. But, in much of the world, democratic politics adheres to a very different—clientelistic—logic in which votes are bought and sold and politicians win support through the individualized distribution of resources rather than through public policy. This course examines clientelism, defined broadly to include vote-buying, patronage, and machine politics. We will investigate the variety of practices that fall under the rubric of clientelism, how clientelism is practiced, and what causes clientelism. Readings will draw on the experiences of countries in both the developing and developed worlds. (C)

Instructor(s): A. Ziegfeld     Terms Offered: Autumn

PLSC 36201. Race, Ethnicity and Politics in Comparative Perspective. 100 Units.

The primary objective of this course is to offer a comparative approach to understanding the relationship between race, inequality, and politics. It focuses primarily on examples from Latin America and the United States, and is organized in three sections. In the first, we explore the relationship between capitalist expansion, the modern-nation, state and the socio-historical construction of "race." In the second section, we explore differences in political elites' approaches to question of race in the period of nation-building. Examining the cases of Cuba, Brazil, Colombia, the U.S. and South Africa, we discuss how different ethno-racial groups were incorporated into, or excluded from, the nation both through legal institutions and nationalist ideologies. In the final section, we analyze the emergence of black and indigenous social movements as a critical response to the failure of the nationalist project. Throughout the course we analyze the different ways race, ethnicity, and identity are understood in these distinct contexts, and also explore how race intersects with other axes of power, such as class and gender. (C)

Instructor(s): T. Paschel     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): LACS 36201

PLSC 37000. Law and Politics: U.S. Courts as Political Institutions. 100 Units.

An examination of the ways in which United States courts affect public policy. Questions include: How do the procedures, structures, and organization of the courts affect judicial outcomes? Are there interests that courts are particularly prone to support? What effect does congressional or executive impact, including judicial selection, have on court decisions? What are the difficulties with implementation of judicial decisions? (B)

Instructor(s): G. Rosenberg     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Mandatory preliminary meeting and consent of instructor.
Equivalent Course(s): LAWS 51302

PLSC 37500. 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 27500

PLSC 37600. 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 27600

PLSC 38100. 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 28100

PLSC 38213. Parties and Elections around the World. 100 Units.

Elections are the defining feature of a democracy, and political parties are an integral part of the electoral process. This course examines political parties and elections, drawing on the experiences of countries around the world. Major topics covered in the course will include the formation and evolution of party systems, the role of parties, partisanship, the origins and consequences of electoral rules, and voting behavior. Readings will focus mainly, though not exclusively, on consolidated democracies. (C)

Instructor(s): A. Ziegfeld     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 28213

PLSC 38500. Recent Literature: The Courts. 100 Units.

This course examines new and recent literature in public law broadly defined. It aims to bring participants in touch with the newest and most exciting work in the public law field and to identify the most promising questions for future research. (B)

Instructor(s): G. Rosenberg     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): PLSC 37000
Equivalent Course(s): LAWS 54402

PLSC 38613. Failed States in International Politics. 100 Units.

This course addresses theories and empirical realities of state weakness and failure in comparative perspective and its implications for international politics in terms of security, human rights, and political transitions. The defining characteristics of statehood and state-society dynamics that contribute to collapse will be the first topic addressed, and will provide the essential theoretical framework from which we can predict and understand the subsequent security and development implications. The second topic will cover the relationship between failed states and repression and violence, specifically those that prompt international intervention. The third topic will address the imminent and perceived transnational threats that stem from state collapse, specifically terrorism. The final topic will cover various engagement and containment options available to the international community to respond to weak and failed states, to both prevent threats and strengthen state-society relations. (D)

Instructor(s): A. Tiemessen     Terms Offered: Winter

PLSC 38700. Jewish Political Thought. 100 Units.

The theme for this seminar is Zionism and its Jewish critics. We will devote first half of the quarter to a historical survey of Zionism in its various forms (political, cultural, religious, etc). In the second half of the quarter, we will survey Jewish critiques of and alternatives to Zionism (religious anti-Zionism, post-Zionism, diasporism, etc). We will read these texts with an eye toward theoretical questions regarding the nature of sovereignty and place within traditions of Jewish political thought. (A)

Instructor(s): J. Cooper     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 28700

PLSC 38812. The Politics of International Justice. 100 Units.

This course will address the major theoretical debates and empirical trends in accountability for atrocities and human rights violations and the political dynamics of international justice. By bridging the fields of international relations, law, and comparative politics, students in this course will gain an understanding of the globalization of the rule of law and post-conflict societal transitions from violence to peace. Course topics will focus primarily on international tribunals and the International Criminal Court, with some comparative focus on local and non-judicial mechanisms of justice, and framed by debates of retributive vs. restorative justice and peace vs. justice. The case studies selected will be global in scope but with a sustained focus on Africa. This is a lecture course that is open to upper level undergraduate and graduate students. (D)

Instructor(s): A. Tiemessen     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 28812

PLSC 39800. 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 29000

PLSC 39900. 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: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 28900

PLSC 40400. Business and State. 100 Units.

This is a graduate level seminar on institutional intersections of business and state and the political role of business. How do firms articulate their agenda in the political arena? How many varieties of capitalism are there? We will also discuss corporate governance, property rights, corruption, and other topics. Examples will be drawn from diverse regional settings. (C)

Instructor(s): S. Markus     Terms Offered: Winter

PLSC 40501. Economic Development: Strategies and Institutions. 100 Units.

This is a graduate-level seminar that explores topics in political economy of development. The readings include a mixture of theoretical work on the importance of institutions and the dynamics of institutional change, as well as empirical research on economic reforms and development in Russia, China, and other developing countries. (C)

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

PLSC 40600. Seminar on IR Theory. 100 Units.

The end of the Cold War ushered in a new set of debates about how to study international politics. This course is an introduction to some of those important theoretical approaches and is organized around debate among realism, liberalism, and constructivism and their variants. Seminar discussion will identify and criticize the central arguments advanced by different scholars in order to assess the relative merits of different theoretical perspectives. (D)

Instructor(s): R. Pape     Terms Offered: Spring

PLSC 41101. The Politics of Wealth Redistribution. 100 Units.

How do political institutions affect the structure and scope of wealth redistribution initiatives? This graduate seminar will introduce students to the scholarly literature on redistribution, focusing primarily on recent work. We will study the causes and consequences of redistribution, focusing both on the institutions that shape incentives for governments to implement redistribution, as well as the mechanisms, actors, and international conditions that can erode government incentives or capabilities to redistribute. The emphasis of the course will be twofold: rigorously examining the inferences we can draw from existing work, and designing research that can contribute to a better understanding of the fundamental questions regarding redistributive policies. (C)

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

PLSC 41500. Nationalism in the Age of Globalization. 100 Units.

Nationalism has been the most powerful political ideology in the world for the past two centuries. This course examines its future in the age of globalization, focusing in particular on the widespread belief that it is an outmoded ideology. Specific topics covered in the course include: the causes of nationalism, its effects on international stability, nationalism and empires, globalization and the future of the state, globalization and national identities, the clash of civilizations, American nationalism, and the clash between Zionism and Palestinian nationalism. (D)

Instructor(s): J. Mearsheimer     Terms Offered: Spring

PLSC 41800. Causal Inference. 100 Units.

This is the second course in quantitative methods in the University of Chicago's political science Ph.D. program. The course serves as both an introduction for the mechanisms by which political scientists draw causal inferences using quantitative data as well as an introduction for the basic statistical tools necessary for quantitative research in the social sciences. (E)

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

PLSC 42420. Approaches to the History of Political Thought. 100 Units.

This course will examine some of the most influential recent statements of method in the history of political thought, alongside work by the same authors that may (or may not) put those methods or approaches into practice. We will read works by Quentin Skinner, Reinhart Koselleck, J.GA. Pocock, Leo Strauss, Sheldon Wolin, Michael Oakeshott, Michel Foucault, and David Scott among others, with some emphasis on writings about Hobbes and questions of sovereignty and the state. (E)

Instructor(s): J. Pitts     Terms Offered: Spring

PLSC 42515. 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): PLSC 22515,LLSO 24011

PLSC 43100. Maximum Likelihood. 100 Units.

The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the estimation and interpretation of maximum likelihood, a statistical method which permits a close linkage of deductive theory and empirical estimation. Among the problems considered in this course include: models of dichotomous choice, such as turnout and vote choice; models of limited categorical data, such as those for multi-party elections and survey responses; models for counts of uncorrelated events, such as executive orders and bookburnings; models for duration, such as the length of parliamentary coalitions or the tenure of bureaucracies; models for compositional data, such as allocation of time by bureaucrats to task and district vote shares; and models for latent variables, such as for predispositions. The emphasis in this course will be on the extraction of information about political and social phenomena, not upon properties of estimators. (E)

Instructor(s): J. Brehm     Terms Offered: Autumn

PLSC 43600. 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: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 23600

PLSC 43601. Domination and Justice. 100 Units.

An examination of domination-centered theories of justice, including work by Iris Marion Young, Phillip Pettit, Rainer Forst, and Frank Lovett. (A)

Instructor(s): R. Gooding-Williams     Terms Offered: Spring

PLSC 43820. Plato's REPUBLIC. 100 Units.

This course is devoted to reading and discussion of Plato’s Republic and some secondary work with attention to justice in the city and the soul, war and warriors, education, theology, poetry, gender, eros, and actually existing cities.

Instructor(s): Nathan Tarcov     Terms Offered: Winter 2013
Prerequisite(s): Undergrad course by consent
Equivalent Course(s): FNDL 29503,SCTH 31770

PLSC 44612. Political Economy of Corruption and Development. 100 Units.

This course is a graduate-level seminar covering recent theoretical and empirical research, organized around the following questions. First, what are the consequences of corruption for socio-economic development? Does corruption help or hinder it? Second, what are the causes of corruption? Is corruption affected by political and economic institutions, regime type, bureaucracy, resource endowments, or culture? Third, why has corruption varied over time within a country or state? On the empirical side, the course will emphasize issues of measurement and inference: how can one draw reliable conclusions about these questions, and what are the pitfalls along the way? The empirical readings encompass qualitative, quantitative, observational, and experimental approaches. (C)

Instructor(s): A. Simpser     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): LACS 44612

PLSC 44810. Hannah Arendt: From Kantian Aesethetics to the Practice of Political Judgment. 100 Units.

The third volume of Hannah Arendt's The Life of the Mind was never written. As her editor, Mary McCarthy, observed: "After her death, a sheet of paper was found in her typewriter, blank except for the heading 'Judging' and two epigraphs. Some time between the Saturday of finishing 'Willing' [the second volume of the aforementioned work] and the Thursday of her death, she must have sat down to confront the final section." Fond of quoting McCarthy, commentators have turned the missing volume on Judging into an enigma of spectral proportions. It is said that Arendt's reflections on the faculty of judging suggest a turn away from the vita activa and toward the life of the mind; in short, judging brought Arendt back home to Western philosophy, especially the philosophy of Kant. Arendt's attempt to develop an account of political judgment based on Kant's theory of aesthetic judgment, say critics like Ronald Beiner and Jürgen Habermas, was deeply mistaken, for his transcendental philosophical approach to judgment leads away from the empirical realm and from anything that could possibly be considered political. Even more problematic, so the accusation goes, Arendt's attempt to model political judgment on a non-cognitive aesthetic judgment, (i.e., on a judgment that cannot be demonstrated by proofs and that is only "an example of a rule that we cannot state," as Kant puts it), bypasses the central problem of political judgment, namely the rational adjudication of competing validity claims. In this course we will consider the possibility that Arendt does in fact address the problem of validity (which, with Kant she calls "subjective validity"), with one important caveat: she does not think that validity in itself is the all-important problem or task for political judgment-the affirmation of political community as the realm of human plurality and freedom is. To develop this reading of Arendt, we will examine those aspects of Kant's Critique of Judgment that she neglected, such as the non-cognitive function of productive imagination and the limits of reproductive imagination in the aesthetic of the sublime. In this way we shall also consider the rather different critical view, advanced by postmodern thinkers like Lyotard, that Arendt does not repudiate but rather shares Habermas' attempt to ground political community on a practice of judgment at whose center stands not the demand to create political community anew, but the idea that radical differences of opinion are in principle resolvable by means of proofs. (A)

Instructor(s): L. Zerilli     Terms Offered: Autumn

PLSC 44902. Undemocratic Elections. 100 Units.

Certainly many and perhaps most elections, both historically and today, fall short of democratic standards. Much scholarship on elections has focused on the advanced industrial democracies. In this course we will study elections that, by comparison, are quite "imperfect." What are the different ways in which elections are undermined as instruments of accountability? What are the causes of election fraud and manipulation? What are the broader socio-economic consequences of a corrupt electoral system? How do electoral systems characterized by corrupt elections eventually come to hold free and fair elections? Under what conditions are domestic and international pressures to hold free and fair elections effective? We will bring to bear theoretical work, historical case studies and statistical analyses for a range of countries and time periods, from Roman times to the United States in the 19th century to current elections in developing countries. (C)

Instructor(s): A. Simpser     Terms Offered: Spring

PLSC 45601. Theories of Capitalism since Veblen. 100 Units.

This course serves as an introduction to the literature on political economy in the twentieth century. Emphasis will be placed on the way in which various authors normatively understand the relationship between politics and economic process. Works by Veblen, Keynes, Hayek, Schumpeter, Mandel, Piore & Sabel, Stiglitz, Lucas, Romer, Krugman and others will be considered. (C)

Instructor(s): G. Herrigel     Terms Offered: Spring

PLSC 46001. Sources of Order in International Politics. 100 Units.

This course in international relations theory builds on students' prior graduate training to explore four distinct but overlapping sources of international order: coercion, norms, institutions, and contractual bargains. Students will discuss and critique existing literature in all four areas and write a major paper. The course presumes students have had some prior coursework at the graduate level in international relations theory, security studies, or international political economy. (D)

Instructor(s): C. Lipson     Terms Offered: Autumn

PLSC 46201. New Media and Politics. 100 Units.

Throughout history "new media," for better or worse, have on occasion transformed politics. The use of radio to share Roosevelt's fireside chats and of television to broadcast the Civil Rights Movement are recognized as landmark moments when "new media," intersecting with political life, changed the course of political engagement. Today's "new media" (the Internet, digital media production, and computer games) may also radically change how we think about and engage in politics. This course will explore the historical and potential impact of new media on politics. (B)

Instructor(s): C. Cohen     Terms Offered: Spring

PLSC 46401. Co-evolution of States and Markets. 100 Units.

This course will focus on the emergence of alternative forms of organization control (e.g., centralized bureaucracy, multiple hierarchies, elite networks, and clientage) in different social structural contexts (e.g., the interaction of kinship, class, nation states, markets and heterodox mobilization). Themes will be illustrated in numerous cross-cultural contexts. (C)

Instructor(s): J. Padgett     Terms Offered: Autumn

PLSC 46700. Politics and Religion in Comparison. 100 Units.

With a view to bringing the methodological and theoretical concerns of comparative politics to bear upon analysis of politics and religion, this course will pair readings of foundational thinkers on religion and politics with contemporary scholarship in the field. (C)

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

PLSC 47000. Politics without Sovereignty? 100 Units.

In recent years, historical circumstances – European integration, unprecedented levels of global migration, the rise of non-state actors, transnational capital flows – have led political theorists to diagnose the waning of state sovereignty. In this moment, political theorists have also attacked "the sovereign subject" as an impossible and destructive philosophical ideal. In this seminar, we will explore the concept of sovereignty – what it has historically meant, why its viability is currently in doubt, and whether it is possible (or advisable) to envision politics without sovereignty. In the course's first section, we will examine classic early modern formulations of sovereignty. In the following weeks, we will explore contemporary critiques of sovereign subjectivity; contemporary analyses of the ostensible crisis of state sovereignty; and contemporary projects to conceive politics without sovereignty. (A)

Instructor(s): J. Cooper     Terms Offered: Autumn

PLSC 47600. Castoriadis, Dewey, Creativity, and the Social-Historical. 100 Units.

This course will explore the role of creativity in social theory and social action by creating a conversation between Cornelius Castoriadis, John Dewey and other pragmatism informed contemporary theorists, in particular Roberto Unger. (C)

Instructor(s): G. Herrigel     Terms Offered: Winter

PLSC 50705. Law and Political Thought: Punishment. 100 Units.

This course will focus on punishment paradigms-past, present, and future. The United States experienced an exponential increase in its prison population beginning in 1973 and witnessed the collapse of earlier punishment paradigms, such as rehabilitation. At the same time, the early 1970s were marked by severe criticism of the excesses of the criminal justice system and many predictions of the future demise of the prison. This raises a host of questions: What happened in the 1970s that contributed to our present condition of mass incarceration? What is the punishment paradigm that governs the criminal justice system today? And can we envisage a radically different paradigm for the future? This course will explore these questions through readings of the classics of political, social, and legal theory on punishment since the 1970s. Students will be assessed via a substantial research paper and class participation. (A)

Instructor(s): B. Harcourt     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): LAWS 70705

PLSC 50901. Qualitative Methods. 100 Units.

This course examines small-N research designs and methods for engaging in qualitative research. We will discuss concept formation, case selection, comparative case studies, process-tracing, combinations with other methods, and the virtues and limitations of different approaches to theory development and causal inference. We will then consider some of the tools that are often associated with qualitative research, including ethnography, interviews, archival work, and historiography. Because other courses in the department and university cover some of these methods in greater depth, this class will particularly emphasize their relationship to research design. (E)

Instructor(s): P. Staniland     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Prior methods coursework (PLSC 30500 or an equivalent) is strongly recommended.

PLSC 51700. Violence and State Formation. 100 Units.

This class examines state control over coercion and the relationship between states and non-state violent actors. The goal is a better understanding of how states manage, manipulate, and monopolize violence, whether through the military, sponsorship of militants at home and abroad, or collusive bargains with local strongmen. An overarching emphasis will be on the intersection of international security pressures with domestic threats and political interests. The unintended consequences and long-term effects of different structures of violence management are also considered. We will draw on a number of disciplines and sources of evidence. The course requires a major research paper. (C)

Instructor(s): P. Staniland     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

PLSC 51900. Feminist Philosophy. 100 Units.

The course is an introduction to the major varieties of philosophical feminism: Liberal Feminism (Mill, Wollstonecraft, Okin, Nussbaum), Radical Feminism (MacKinnon, Andrea Dworkin), Difference Feminism (Gilligan, Held, Noddings), and Postmodern "Queer" Feminism (Rubin, Butler).  After studying each of these approaches, we will focus on political and ethical problems of contemporary international feminism, asking how well each of the approaches addresses these problems. (I)

Instructor(s): M. Nussbaum     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Undergraduates by permission only.
Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 29600,HMRT 31900,LAWS 47701,RETH 41000,PHIL 31900

PLSC 53000. Seminar on Great Power Politics. 100 Units.

The specific aim of this course is to introduce students to some of the key policy issues involving the great powers that dominate the post-Cold War world. Three topics will receive special emphasis: European security, Asian security, and the role of the United States in the larger world after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is expected that all students in the class will be well-versed in international relations theory, and will bring their theoretical insights to bear on the relevant policy issues. The broad goal is to encourage students to appreciate that international relations theory and important policy issues are inextricably linked to each other. (D)

Instructor(s): J. Mearsheimer     Terms Offered: Winter

PLSC 53530. The Literature of Empire, 1750-1900. 100 Units.

This course considers the place of literature, broadly construed, in the imperial imagination of the British and French empires. Our range of interests will be broad enough to include, for example: historical narratives of imperial expansion and national consolidation; representations of race and slavery; the relationship of literary representations to political debates over conquest, slavery, imperial trading companies, and global commerce; and attempts in poetry and prose to represent personal experiences, or the "inner life," of empires. We will be reading works by British, Irish, French, and Indian writers such as Laurence Sterne, Samuel Foote, Adam Smith, Edmund Burke, Denis Diderot, Maria Edgeworth, Lady Morgan, Sir Walter Scott, George Sand, T.B. Macaulay, Robert Louis Stevenson, Rudyard Kipling, Rabindranath Tagore, and Joseph Conrad. We will also be looking at recent scholarly debates from various disciplinary angles in literary studies, political theory, history, and postcolonial studies. (A)

Instructor(s): J.Pitts, J. Chandler     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): CDIN 53530,ENGL 53530

PLSC 57200. Network Analysis. 100 Units.

This seminar explores the sociological utility of the network as a unit of analysis. How do the patterns of social ties in which individuals are embedded differentially affect their ability to cope with crises, their decisions to move or change jobs, their eagerness to adopt new attitudes and behaviors? The seminar group will consider (a) how the network differs from other units of analysis, (b) structural properties of networks, consequences of flows (or content) in network ties, and (c) dynamics of those ties. (E)

Instructor(s): J. Padgett     Terms Offered: Winter

PLSC 65200. Comparative Bureaucracy. 100 Units.

An examination and analysis of the theoretical and empirical literature on national-level public and private bureaucratic organizations in Japan, Great Britain and the U.S. (C)

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