Politics (POL-UA)

Offered every semester. 4 points. Introduces students to some outstanding theories of politics. The theories treated offer alternative conceptions of political life, and they are examined from both theoretical and historical perspectives. Among the theorists included are Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Rousseau, Mill, and Marx.

Examines the development of political thought from Machiavelli to Nietzsche through a careful study of primary works. Authors include Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hegel, Marx, and Nietzsche.

Provides students with the ability systematically to evaluate ethically controversial public policy issues using concepts from normative political theory. In the first half of the course, we consider the means by which policy is implemented: Under what conditions, if any, might we permit political actors to do bad in order to do good? In the second half, we consider the ends of public policy: What is it we want the state to accomplish, and at what cost? Substantive policy topics vary from semester to semester.

Concentrates on those socialist schools?Christian socialism, utopian socialism, Marxism, Fabianism, and anarchism?that have proved to be the most successful. Presents their major theories and examines the usefulness of such theories in helping us to understand and, in some cases, alter the world in which we live.

Democracy and dictatorships have traditionally been analyzed in terms of their apparently different institutional characteristics and legal foundations. Examines these traditional interpretations but leans heavily toward ideological and contextual factors. Challenges traditional distinctions between democracy and dictatorship.

Study of American political ideas and debate from colonial times to the present. Topics include Puritanism, revolution and independence, the Constitution framing, Hamiltonian nationalism, Jeffersonian republicanism, Jacksonian democracy, pro- and antislavery thought, Civil War and Reconstruction, social Darwinism and laissez-faire, the reformist thought of populism, progressivism and socialism, legal realism, the New Deal and 20th-century liberalism, modern conservatism, civil rights, and war protest. Readings and discussion are based on original and interpretative sources.

Offered every semester. 4 points. Advanced seminar for juniors and seniors in political theory. The specific topic of the seminar is announced each year.

A survey of national political institutions and behavior in the United States, which introduces students to a variety of analytical concepts and approaches useful for the study of domestic politics. Concepts typically covered include public goods and collective action; preference aggregation and the median voter theorem; delegation, representation, and accountability; agenda control; inter-branch bargaining; and the mechanisms of private influence on public policy.

Introduction to public policymaking in American federal government. The issues politicians address at election time often have little to do with what they actually do in office. Looks at the operations of the government in the terms Washingtonians use. Examines the roles of Congress and the bureaucracy; the procedures of budgeting and regulatory agencies; and the issues in several concrete areas of policy, mainly in the domestic area.

Study of the American presidency, its origins, and roles, including those of commander in chief; director of foreign policy; leader in legislation, administration, and party affairs; manager of the economy; and dispenser of social justice. The president is also viewed as a decision maker and compared with the heads of other governments. Readings include the works of presidents and their associates, analytical commentaries by observers of the presidency, and biographies.

Why do we participate in politics? Who tends to participate? When are we most likely to participate? Political scientists have traditionally focused on factors such as demography, socioeconomic status, mobilization, electoral institutions, and social norms to answer these questions. However, scholars have recently begun to explore the possibility that genetic differences may, at least in part, help to explain individual differences in political participation.

This course is about using logic to think about issues of public policy and evidence to do the same thing. One way to think about this course is it is sabermetrics (logic and evidence applied to baseball, and in Moneyball) applied to vastly more important topics than baseball: making schools better, designing health policy and dealing with climate change (with tons of other policy applications possible, but we will focus on these three).

Origin, structure, functions, and dynamics of legislatures in the United States. Although some attention is given to state legislatures and municipal lawmaking bodies, the major emphasis is on the Congress. Readings include a textbook, official sources such as the Congressional Record and Congressional District Data Book, and the new behavioral studies and commentaries.

Offered every semester. 4 points. Interpretation of the U.S. Constitution through the reading of Supreme Court opinions. Distribution of constitutional power among Congress, the president, and the federal courts; between the national government and the states; and among the states. Constitutional law and American political and economic development. Cases are read and discussed closely for their legal and philosophical content.

Offered every semester. 4 points. Interpretation of the Bill of Rights, the Civil War amendments, and other rights in the U.S. Constitution through the reading of Supreme Court opinions. Topics include freedom of speech and press; free exercise of religion and separation of church and state; the right of privacy; rights of the criminally accused; equal protection of the law against race, gender, and other discrimination; and the rights of franchise and citizenship. Cases are read and discussed closely for their legal and philosophical content.

Critically examines the relationship between law and political and social movements such as the civil rights movement, the women?s movement, and the labor and environmental movements. Emphasis on law as a political process and legal remedies for racial and gender discrimination and class action torts. Deals with the politics of rights and the limits and possibilities of law as a process for social change.

Examines the relationship between gender politics, legal theory, and social policy. Studies the role that the legal arena and certain historical conditions have played in creating, revising, and protecting particular gender identities and not others and examines the political effects of those legal constructions. Analyzes the major debates in feminist legal theory, including theories of equality, the problem of essentialism, and the relevance of standpoint epistomology. In addition to examining how the law understands sex discrimination in the workplace and the feminization of the legal profession, also addresses to what extent understandings of the gender affect how law regulates the physical body by looking at the regulation of reproduction and of consensual sexual activity. In light of all of the above, considers to what extent law is or is not an effective political resource in reforming notions of gender in law and society.

Topics: analysis of mechanisms of influence (selection of sympathetic incumbents, the provision of incentives for public officials, and the provision of information); objects of influence (voter choices, legislative behavior, bureaucratic decisions); collective action; and organizational maintenance.

Prerequisite: POL-UA 300. Offered every other year. 4 points. Covers two areas of great importance to American democratic society. One area deals with the attempts made to define, identify, survey, analyze, and evaluate the influence of what is referred to as public opinion. The other concerns how citizens unite in interest groups to influence or pressure government. Role and methods of interest groups in American society and their relationship to political parties, elected and appointed officeholders, and the democratic process. A study of who governs in the United States.

Provides an understanding of election processes in the United States through different theoretical approaches to the study of campaigns and elections and the testing of empirical hypotheses. Analyzes campaign strategies of political candidates, the use of polls and media in campaigns, and the effects of issues and personalities on election outcomes. Evaluates the role of presidential primaries and elections in the functioning of a democracy.

Offered every other year. 4 points. Examines legal, political, and economic issues in government regulation. Covers such classic debates and issues as the historical origins of regulation, the legal philosophy of administrative regulation, the relationship between courts and agencies, the political and social conflicts surrounding regulatory politics, and the role of law in state formation.

This course will introduce you to the study of local and urban politics in the U.S. Municipal governments profoundly impact the day-to-day of citizens. Cities have substantial power over policy areas from education and public safety to transportation, and they also address basic needs: making sure the trash gets taken out, the water runs, and that people are safe from crime. And yet, cities are often quite constrained in their policy choices. For example, one of the central challenges facing municipal government is how to attract and maintain a middle class tax base while providing essential services for low-income residents. This course will explore patterns of city politics against the background of American social and cultural history, including the impulse toward reform and the effects of reform efforts on the distribution of power in the community. Additional topics will include issues related to voting, race and ethnicity, gentrification, and the relationship between cities and the federal government.

Prerequisite: POL-UA 300. Offered in the spring. 4 points. Poverty and welfare problems in the United States and the controversies aroused by them. Concentrates on the causes of poverty and dependency among the controversial working-age poor, the history of programs and policies meant to help them, and the enormous impact these issues have had on national politics.

Advanced seminar for juniors and seniors in American politics. The specific topic of the seminar is announced each year.

Prerequisites: Power and Politics in America (POL-UA 300), three other politics courses, junior or senior standing, and a minimum 3.5 GPA. Offered periodically. 4 points. Reexamines the premise that independent courts have functioned as the best guarantor of civil rights and liberties, particularly against the supposed abuse of legislative majorities. Considers the record of rights protections both in the United States and more globally.

Offered every semester. 4 points. Major concepts, approaches, problems, and literature in the field of comparative politics. Methodology of comparative politics, the classical theories, and the more recent behavioral revolution. Reviews personality, social structure, socialization, political culture, and political parties. Major approaches such as group theory, structural-functionalism, systems analysis, and communications theory and evaluation of the relevance of political ideology; national character; elite and class analysis; and problems of conflict, violence, and internal war.

Analysis of how political power relates to social structure, economic change, and international pressures in Latin America. Presents case studies of three to five Latin American nations at distinct levels of social modernization. These comparative cases illustrate trends including the struggle for democracy, military interference in politics, and party competition. Covers political conditions in Caribbean nations.

Offered every other year. 4 points. Historical-political background of the Middle East and its contemporary social and political problems, including the impact of the West; religious and liberal reactions; conflict of nationalisms (Arab, Iranian, Turkish, and Zionist); and revolutionary socialism. Specific social, political, and economic problems?using a few selected countries for comparison and analysis?including the role of the military, the intelligentsia, the religious classes, the legitimization of power, urban-rural cleavages, bureaucracy, and political parties.

Offered every other year. 4 points. Introduction to the workings of the political systems of China and Japan. Examines the impact of tradition, demands of modernization, ideology, role of the elite, and social dynamics, as well as political institutions and processes. Compares the Chinese and the Japanese "models" of development with a view to evaluating their relevance to other areas.

Introduces the comparative politics of South Asia. Analyzes the politics of South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, individually and in a comparative framework. Readings are chosen from across disciplines, including political science, anthropology, economics, and history. The course also uses novels and films on South Asia to illustrate themes highlighted in the readings.

This course offers an introduction to contemporary African politics. Our goal is to introduce students to the most pressing problems African countries have faced since independence. Questions motivating the course include: (1) Why state institutions weaker in African than in other developing regions? (2) What explains Africa's slow economic growth? (3) What can be done to improve political accountability on the continent? (4) Why have some African countries been plagued by high levels of political violence while others have not? (5) Can or should the West attempt to "save" Africa?

Advanced seminar for juniors and seniors in comparative politics. The specific topic of this seminar is announced each year.

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Offered every semester. 4 points. Analysis of state behavior and international political relations; how things happen in the international state system and why. Emphasizes the issue of war and how and in what circumstances states engage in violence. Topics include different historical and possible future systems of international relations, imperialism, the Cold War, game theory and deterrents, national interests, and world organization.

Analysis of the sources of U.S. foreign policy and the major international problems facing the United States today. Considers the role of national interest, ideology, and institutions in the making and executing of U.S. foreign policy.

Prerequisite: POL-UA 700. Offered every year. 4 points. Starting with the traditional arena of national security and U.S. military policy, students analyze how national security decisions are made in this country, as well as the past and current military strategies used to carry out those decisions. From there, students examine the particular national security concerns and policies of Russia, China, Germany, and Japan. This course also looks at new thinking on national security, asking to what extent international trade and competition, immigration, illegal drugs, and the environment should be considered national security issues.

How did the United States become the world’s dominant nation? Does America differ from other countries in fundamental ways? Examines how American primacy builds on the earlier ascendancy of Britain and Western Europe and considers theories of dominance.

Analyzes the theory and practice of diplomacy, with special emphasis on bargaining strategies that nations use to try to settle their differences and avoid wars, including the use of mediators, arbitrators, and institutions like the United Nations. Applies game theory to analyze the use of exaggeration, threats, and deception in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy. Supplements case studies of international negotiation, especially in crises, with studies of domestic bargaining used in the formulation of foreign policy.

Detailed study of the nature, historical development, and basic principles of international organization. Emphasizes the structure and actual operation of the United Nations.

The norms that govern states in their legal relations and the current development of law among nations, based on cases and other legal materials relating to the nature and function of the law; recognition of states and governments; continuity of states and state succession; jurisdiction over persons, land, sea, air, and outer space; international responsibility and the law of claims; diplomatic privileges and immunities; treaties; regulation of the use of force; and the challenges posed by new states to the established legal order. Emphasis on the case-law method, as used in law school instruction.

Characteristics and conditions of war and peace and the transition from one to the other from the perspective of political and social science. Examines the role and use of coercion in global affairs, with emphasis on attempts to substitute negotiation, bargaining, market forces, politics, and law for the resort to massive violence in moderating disputes.

Comparative study of terrorism as a domestic political phenomenon. Examines foundational issues, economic, psychological, strategic, and social theories of terrorism as well as theories of the cessation of terrorist violence, government negotiation with terrorists, the relationship between terrorists and nonviolent political actors, and the internal political economy of terrorist organizations. Considers terror in the Middle East (especially emphasizing Hamas), nationalist terror (ETA and the IRA), and Maoist revolutionary terror (with emphasis on the Shining Path).

Systematic study of the international politics of the Middle East, emphasizing the period since World War II. Emphasis on the relationship among patterns of inter-Arab, Arab-Israeli, and great-power politics, and on the relationship between domestic and external politics. Attempts to relate the Arab-Israeli conflict to interregional politics, the place and role of Turkey and Iran, and the problems in the Persian Gulf.

Identical to V33.0770. Prerequisite: V53.0700. Offered every other year. 4 points. The relations of and between the principal Asian national actors (e.g., China, Japan, India) and the relationship of the Asian "subsystem" to the international system. Covers the traditional Asian concepts of transnational order, the impact of external interventions, the modern ideological conflict and technological revolution, the emergent multilateral balance beyond Vietnam, the changing patterns of relations in the Asian subsystem traced to the international evolution from bipolarity to multicentrism, and the U.S. role in Asia.

This course serves as an introduction to the workings of the contemporary international political-economic system and introduces students to some of the main analytical frameworks that political economists use to understand this system. Finally, the course familiarizes students with analytical tools that serve to gain a better understanding of the current problems and opportunities facing actors in today?s international political economy.

Advanced seminar for juniors and seniors in international relations. The specific topic of the seminar is announced each year.

Prerequisites: V53.0700 and three other politics courses, junior or senior standing, 3.5 GPA. Offered every year. 4 points. A broad survey of the debate about American power and influence in international affairs that provides sufficient background for students to do a major research paper on the topic. Some view the American role today as creating an empire, while others view U.S. influence as just a reflection of the wealth and military might that Americans command. There are many other thoughtful perspectives as well.

Personality, the dynamics of social groups, and the effect of emotion on decision making, as applied to the media and political advertising, race relations, the legitimacy of government institutions, and the formation of opinions and ideologies. Describes political psychology experimentation.

Game theory is a mathematical tool used to study strategic interactions. Whenever the choices made by two or more distinct decision makers have an effect on the others? outcomes, the interaction between them is game-theoretic in nature. As suggested by its recent emergence into popular culture, game theory has been applied widely, in attempts to address phenomena in a variety of academic disciplines, including political science, economics, and biology. Because much of politics is about allocation of scarce goods, such as power and wealth, and the competition for these goods, much of politics would seem to be a natural fit for the language of game theory.

Political economy is a field of inquiry that has made great strides in recent years in explaining political and economic behavior by characterizing the incentives of actors and the context in which these actors make decisions and influence outcomes. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to these theoretical approaches and show how they can be used to address contemporary policy questions.

Offered every year. 4 points. Theories of political strategy with emphasis on the theory of games. Uses of strategy in defense and deterrence policies of nations, guerrilla warfare of revolutionaries and terrorists, bargaining and negotiation processes, coalitions and the enforcement of collective action, and voting in committees and elections. Secrecy and deception as political strategies and uses of power, with some applications outside political science.

Introduces students to social choice theory applied to political science. It focuses on (1) individual choice, (2) group choice, (3) collective action, and (4) institutions. It looks at models of individuals’ voting behavior, the incentive structures of interest groups, and the role of institutions. The emphasis is analytical, though students are not expected to have a background in formal mathematics.

New research is the most exciting and important aspect of political science: we are able to pose novel questions, construct fresh theories, and provide new evidence about the way the world works. But before we start doing research, we have to learn how it is done. With this in mind, this class will introduce students to quantitative techniques used for research in the study of politics. Part of this task is conceptual: helping students to think sensibly and systematically about research design. To this end, students will learn how data and theory fit together, and how to measure the quantities we care about. But part of the task is practical too: students will learn a `toolbox' of methods--including statistical software--that enable them to execute their plans.

Advanced seminar for juniors and seniors in analytical politics. The specific topic of the seminar is announced each year.

Prerequisite: application and admission to the honors program. Offered in the fall. 4 points. This seminar provides students with the skills needed to design a feasible research project in political science and supports students in the development of a detailed research proposal for the senior thesis.

The purpose of this seminar is to support students in the writing of their senior theses.

Not counted toward the major; normally limited to no more than 8 credits in total of internships (POL-UA 970) and Readings and Research (POL-UA 990). Prerequisites: open to junior and senior politics majors, 3.0 GPA overall, and permission of the director of internships. Offered every semester. 2 to 4 points per term. Integration of part-time working experience in governmental agencies or other political offices and organizations with study of related problems in politics and political science. Relates certain scholarly literature in the discipline to observational opportunities afforded by the internship experience. Internship applications can be obtained through the Department of Politics. Applications are due September 30 for fall internships and January 30 for spring internships.

Prerequisite: written approval of student's departmental adviser, instructor, and director of undergraduate studies. Offered every semester. 2 or 4 points. Students with exceptional intellectual ability (3.0 average in at least three previous politics courses) are permitted to carry on supervised individual readings and research with regular politics faculty members only.

Topics vary by semester

Offered every semester. 4 points. Advanced undergraduate course, often given in seminar style, to accommodate professors and faculty in the department who wish to give a one-time or experimental course. Encourages department or visiting faculty to give courses on subject areas or issues not in the permanent course offerings.

Topics vary by semester

The history of Germany in the twentieth century offers rich material to explore various approaches to organizing modern society. Beginning with Imperial Germany in 1900 and moving forward to today’s reunited Germany, we will look at different ways in which the relationship between the state and the individual, and relationship between politics, economy, and society developed over five different political systems. We will interrogate how these institutional arrangements were envisioned and structured and how they were experienced in everyday negotiations. In this course, principle narratives and events will be situated in a European and global context, allowing us to place the concept of German modernity in a comparative framework. Lectures will provide an overview of Germany in the twentieth century; readings and in-class discussions will explore different approaches to analyzing German history and society. During museum visits and walking tours, we will analyze contestations over the various attempts to integrate – both in concerted efforts to memorialize as well as to forget and erase – Germany’s oft-problematic pasts within the narrative of Germany’s present.

A study of Spain and its integration into the European Common Market. The historical background examines Europe in the aftermath of World War II, Spain under Franco's dictatorship and its relationship to other European countries, as well as the events leading up to the actual foundation of the European Economic Community (EEC). Emphasis is on the negotiations leading to Spain's incorporation into the EEC, and a detailed analysis is given of the present-day European Common Market and its goals for the future.

This survey course will focus on the historical development of U.S. federal authority and capacity over public lands and resources, including the germination and expansion of the idea of a coherent public interest with respect to air, water, forests, landscapes, and other environmental attributes. The course will address U.S. environmental policy through several lenses, including (1) a set of two introductory sessions in which students are introduced to key terminology, concepts, and orientations toward the domain of environmental policy; (2) a core series of sessions through which we survey how historical precedents have shaped contemporary U.S. environmental policies and programs. As we work through the semester, we will also review several contemporary, but still evolving, environmental policy topics (e.g., climate change, invasive species, fracking) in light of historical precedents.

This course provides a general theoretical survey of the American Constitution, excepting its guarantee of individual rights, such as those enumerated in the Bill of Rights. The U.S. Constitution has endured for over two centuries as a touchstone for defining the U.S. as a sociocultural, economic, and political unit. As a textual and ideational construct, the Constitution continues to profoundly impact the fabric of American identity, political culture, and the socioeconomic actuality of those that reside under the (aegis of the) Constitution.

Topics: analysis of mechanisms of influence (selection of sympathetic incumbents, the provision of incentives for public officials, and the provision of information); objects of influence (voter choices, legislative behavior, bureaucratic decisions); collective action; and organizational maintenance.

This class will examine the origins of public opinion research, as well as the impact it has on news coverage, political campaigns, public discourse, elected officials, and in many cases, public policy outcomes. You will learn how to read, analyze, and critically-evaluate public opinion research; you will learn about “leading” and “trailing” research indicators; and you will understand why “character” attributes often matter more than “performance” attributes and issue positions. You will see how political campaigns, lobbyists, public relations professionals and others leverage public opinion to impact perceptions, as well as political, policy and business outcomes. Because this course is being taught in the nation’s capital, where politics and policy converge, we will be able to hear from political professionals from both political parties, congressional staffers, journalists, and others who will share their insights about how they apply public opinion research to conduct campaigns, shape policy, report the news, or address business challenges.

Europe has been the site of fundamental political, social, and economic changes in the postwar period. Episodes of integration and separation, development and crisis, characterize the dynamic nature of European politics. A brief introduction to the history and the development of the advanced industrial societies of Western Europe will be followed by a survey of the politics of the Western European democracies and the European Union (EU). The course's principal objective will be to enable students to analyze the political systems, institutions, parties, public opinion, and elections of states in the region. The final section will address the past, present, and future of the European Union (EU) and then will seek to assess the importance of European political integration for global politics. In addition, the course will offer students an opportunity to interact with and learn from governmental and political practitioners from Italy and the region.

Study of the politics of Britain, Ireland, France, and Germany. Compares the historical origins of these systems and analyzes their institutions as manifestations of their social and political culture and traditions. Treats each country's current politics and political trends. Attempts to introduce the basic concepts of comparative political analysis in developing cross-cultural theory.

Presents a study of post-World War II Italian politics and society in comparative and historical perspective. Seeks explanations of Italian political development in specific historical factors such as the 19th century patterns of state formation and the experience of fascism. Comparative analysis seeks to show how the social structure, political culture, and party systems have shaped Italy's distinct development. Current and recurrent political issues include the problem of integrating the south into the national economy and state response to social movements, particularly terrorism.

This course provides an introduction to British politics and carries no previous political science requirements. It will provide an introduction to the study of politics, focusing predominately on the British system of government, its institutions, and the historical processes that have shaped modern Britain. The topics included: parties and party systems, parliament, central government, nationalism and devolution and Britain’s membership of the European Union. The course topics will be approached from theoretical and historical perspective in lectures, and applied to analysis of current British politics in class discussions.

This course will focus on the history of the culturally rich region of “Mitteleuropa” through analysis of the parallel evolution of Germany and the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. Mitteleuropa as a region produced such important figures as Franz Kafka, Gustav Mahler, Sigmund Freud, Theodor Herzl and Milan Kundera; historical personalities whose influence internationally is indisputable. We’ll delve into the history of the region and on the central role played by German politics and culture from the end of the 19th century, through the turbulent 20th century to the present day. Emphasis will be on the evolution of the concept of nationalism as well as on Germany’s foreign policy in the “concert of nations”, especially towards its Eastern neighbors. The aim is to achieve an understanding of the complex evolution of national entities and their interaction between the birth of the modern German state and the integration of the Visegrád countries in NATO and the European Union.

This course will examine the philosophical origins, theoretical characterizations and historical and political evolution of fascist political movements in Europe. The course is comparative in method and scope concentrating on the common characteristics of all fascist regimes and neo-fascist political movements. Historically, the course will focus on the paradigmatic cases of the interwar period--Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany—and, especially, on the more unorthodox case of Francoist Spain, the only Fascist regime that survived WWII and into the Cold War era. Finally, we will survey the emergence of neo-fascist movements in contemporary Europe seeking to identify how they resemble, and differ from, their past precursors. The course is divided into three parts. Part I studies the philosophical roots of fascist ideologies in the European reactionary tradition while contextualizing its emergence as a political ideology, socio-political movement and regime type under the specific historical conditions existing in interwar Europe. Part II studies the most salient policies and historical evolution of the fascist political regimes that came into being during the XXth century in Italy, Germany and, Spain. In part III, we will reflect on the rebirth of neo-fascism in Europe, the continuing aesthetic attraction exerted by fascism in European politics and society and the lasting influence of fascism on certain democratic state policies such as interest representation (corporatism).

Both English and French taught versions of this course exist. See course notes for details.

Aim of the Course is to offer a wide perspective on the main economic issues concerning the European economy. We will discuss the characteristics of the role of EU and the EU monetary union that comes from a long period of economic coordination in a globalized context. We will focus on the role of EU and main international institutions on the recent financial turmoil. The financial crisis that hit the global economy since the summer of 2008 is without precedent in post-war economic history. Although its size and extent are exceptional, the crisis has many features in common with similar financial-stress driven recession episodes in the past. However, this time there's something different, with the crisis being global akin to the events that triggered the Great Depression of the 1930s. This crisis spread quickly and rapidly moved from the US to European countries that show the weakest economic indicators (PIIGS: Portugal, Ireland and Italy, Greece and Spain). This course will focus on the long run causes, consequences and EU responses to the crisis, conditionally on the characteristics of the countries involved. We will focus on the long process of European Integration and discuss whether it may represent a possible solution to the recent crisis.

The course description for this Topics in Politics course varies depending on the topic taught. Please view the course descriptions in the course notes section below.

The course description for this Topics in Politics course varies depending on the topic taught. Please view the course descriptions in the course notes section below.

This course explores the history and the current state of political, economic and cultural relations between the United States and Europe. Ever since the end of the World War II, the cooperative relationship between these two parts of the world, often described as „the West“, has been a bedrock of international stability, security and prosperity. After the end of the Cold War, this relationship has undergone changes, along with the whole system of international relations. Recently, on both sides of the Atlantic, the talk has been about a crisis of the Euro-American relationship. We will examine the validity of these claims, the causes of the current problems and possible ways of overcoming them. Throughout, we will emphasize the overwhelming nature of common values and interests on both sides of the ocean as well as the risks stemming from a potential rift for both Europe and America. We will examine the compatibility of current European and U.S. policies with respect to third countries or regions, such as Russia, China and the Middle East. We will also analyze the specific role played in this relationship by countries of Central and Eastern Europe as relative newcomers to democracy, to the Atlantic Alliance and to European Union.

International negotiation has become the most widely used means of conflict management in international affairs. Negotiations of international significance are today conducted not only between individual states, but also within and beyond them. At the same time negotiation practice itself is undergoing much change with changing patterns of conflict and intervention, new urgent issues on the global agenda, new actors and new emerging norms. This course provides an overview of negotiation and conflict resolution theories and practices of international importance – bilateral, regional and multilateral. The emphasis is on different approaches/aspects to understanding what drives the negotiation process and explains the outcome. Why do some negotiations succeed, while others keep failing? Why do some peace settlements succeed while others fail? We will examine not only the official negotiation process but also the important functions of pre-negotiation, second-track diplomacy and post-agreement negotiations concerned with implementation and compliance. While we will give many examples from various civil and international conflicts, our main focus will be on two regional conflicts – Cyprus and the Arab-Israeli conflict. There will also be guest lectures on some of the issues covered in class.

This course explores the role of the US in Europe from the end of World War II to the present with a particular emphasis on understanding the sources of cooperation and conflict. The topics covered in the first part will include the US vision of the new international order, the end of the old European balance of power, the Cold War and the division of Europe, the building of the Western alliance, the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. The second part of the course will concentrate on contemporary issues ranging from the evolution of NATO to trade relations and the role of the dollar and the euro in the international monetary system. Particular attention will also be given to the challenges posed by the ‘war on terror’, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Conducted in English.

Millions of lives around the world are impacted by poverty, natural disasters and other crises every year. Frequently, the people affected tend to live in countries that lack the autonomous capacities to pursue development without the assistance of international development agencies, foreign governments and NGOs. The development of a country requires a multilayered approach, taking into account the diversity of failures, the particularities of country related issues and, in most cases, the lack of development that already existed in the period preceding the crisis. Political Economy of Developing Countries explores how countries develop and looks at the role of the international community in contributing to development. This course introduces students to a cross section of academic topics relevant to development, including, economic development, international relations, law and rule of law, human rights and gender studies.

We are constantly reminded by current events that the assumption about Man being endowed with the unalienable rights to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" is far from self-evident for a large number of people. Humans still experience refugee crises, forced migration, war crimes, genocide, indiscriminate prison regimes, forms of contemporary slavery, torture, censorship, violation of privacy and free speech, discrimination based on individual attributes such as education, income, gender, race and disabilities in spite of two hundred and fifty years of Universal Rights discourse. Yet would we be able to identify these plights of Man in the absence of universal human rights principles? And to what extent the universalistic scope of these rights is the result of a common ground among different cultures or is a beacon of domination? This course focuses on Human Rights in principle and the current international Human Rights regime that is being criticised for its apparent ineffectiveness in handling humanitarian crisis. The course aims to familiarize the students with the mechanisms by which Human Rights emerge, are advocated, implemented, enforced, and criticised highlighting open questions as to the future of the current international Human Rights regime. The underlying ambition of the course is to provide the students with a critical framework to address Human Rights from the perspective of the Social Sciences rather than the dominant legalist frame on this topic.

The course is a historical and a topical approach to the international relations of Latin America. 1) The first section is divided analytically in two: 1.1. The first and briefest is an introduction and an overview to the main theories of international relations: realism, liberalism and constructivism. Theory will provide a common language for the class and patterns to order and interpret reality. 1.2. The second part is historical. We will cover the history of the international system and the history of Latin America, bridging both processes looking for divergences and convergences. We will review the patterns of insertion of Latin America in the broader global system and the influences of the system in the region. We begin at the so called “discovery” and journey through colonial times and the national organization period. Then we go into the XX century and the impact of the World Wars and the Great Depression. After that, the Cold War as the organizing paradigm in world affairs and how it was anything but Cold in Latin America. We then move to the end of the Cold War, the “New World order” and the rise of the neoliberal order. The last period we cover is from 2001 onwards. We will explore the transformations in American foreign policy, the rise of new powers in the world and the backlash against the Washington consensus in the region, the new left and the rise of the merging countries. We conclude by at the same time looking back and ahead. At this stage we will be able to unearth recurrent patterns and identify breaks with the past, always looking for its causes and implications. 2) The second part of the program is topical. We will analyze here the main issues in the international agenda and how are they perceived from Latin America. How are they incorporated into the regional agenda? How and to what extent are they taken into account in the national foreign policies? We will cover a wide array of topics such as poverty, inequality, climate change, terrorism, trafficking, drugs, energy and natural resources. What are the areas of coincidence between the global and the Latin American agenda? What does Latin America bring into the international agenda? We will be examining the mutual interaction and the interdependent effects in the context of globalization.

The course description for this Topics in Politics course varies depending on the topic taught. Please view the course descriptions in the course notes section below.