Politics (POLS1-UC)

An examination of the philosophies, principles, and practices of representative political systems. Attention is given to the major world powers as well as to smaller nations and countries undergoing political revolution or change. Introduces basic concepts of comparative political analysis.

The course examines the development of modern political thought through a study of some of the major texts and themes in the western canon. It addresses a range of issues pertinent to the modern era, such as the foundation and authority of the state, the nature of individual rights, the bases of political ideals of liberty, equality, justice. The works studied include the writings of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hegel, Mill, and Marx.

Course Description: World history has often been characterized as a history of warfare. Nation-states have fought each other for over two thousand years, and few scholars believe that the end of warfare is imminent. The ongoing U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan appear, unfortunately, to confirm this belief. Predictions that the deepening of economic globalization and the spread of democratic norms across borders would give rise to a more peaceful world have thus far proved overly optimistic. Ethnic and national rivalries, the rise of non-state actors with violent agendas, and the proliferation of old and new types of weapons of mass destruction have all complicated the international context in which war occurs, perhaps rendering international security as elusive a goal in the present era as it proved to be in past ones.

This course explores the American political system from a variety of viewpoints, including the intent of the Constitution, the influence of interest groups, the roles of the political parties, and the values and political behavior of the American people. Students also examine key political issues, such as minority rights, federal-state relations, and free speech.

This course introduces core concepts and theories of international politics including an analysis of selected international crises and the examination of issues such as the relation between power and security, the problem of order in an anarchic system, the causes of conflict and the bases of cooperation in a globalized world of integrated markets and national economies.

This course will examine how public opinion shapes political behavior in the U.S. First, we will focus on how “public opinion” is defined and understood in the U.S., examine how public opinion data is collected, and explore the uses and misuses of public opinion by the media. Building on these areas of inquiry, we will review several areas of political behavior, such as voting, the impact of campaigning and elections, the role of political parties, and the goals and activities of social movements and interest groups.

Explore the foundations of Western political thought with particular reference to the classical and medieval understanding of such concepts as justice, law, and power. Readings include Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Augustine, Aquinas, and others.

Study the city’s and state’s major political institutions and the roles of key political actors. An issues approach is emphasized and discussion topics include corruption, minority group representation, the reform movement, elections, gender issues, and education, health, and welfare policy. The focus is on New York as a case study in American state and local government.

This course is a historical and theoretical analysis of the gender and racial issues that have emerged on the public scene, exploring their evolving legal status and their impact on the political process. Typical issues explored are civil rights, reproductive rights, and equal opportunity employment law and practice.

In this course students explore the give-and-take between these two major institutions, with an emphasis on government regulatory policy, lobbying, and the crossover between government and business personnel. The question underlying the course is how the public interest is best achieved.

This course is an in-depth analysis of the meaning and significance of the Constitution through the study of critical works and Supreme Court decisions. Issues it explores include civil rights, interstate relations, the nationalization of government power, and the separation of Church and State.

Students review the recent history of U.S. foreign policy with an emphasis on the period following World War II. Topics include the emergence of the U.S. as a global superpower, the struggle to "contain" communism, American/Soviet confrontation in the Third World, and the new world order at the end of the cold war.

Explore the dynamics of Latin American political patterns and examine the issues of development, underdevelopment, revolutions, political stability, elites, nationalism, and democracy as they relate to the changing Latin American world and its interaction with other global powers.

Analyze the economic and political realities of Europe, following the dissolution of the Soviet Bloc in 1989 and the establishment of the European Union in 1992. The major issues facing Europe as a whole in the 21st century are identified and set in the context of European history since the end of World War II.

The course is an introduction to the politics of East and South-East Asian countries, focused on political history, political institutions, traditions and political ideologies and the impact of development and globalization on political developments.

This course focuses on the domestic, regional, and international developments that have taken place in the Middle East and North Africa since World War II. It explores internal and interstate relations, considering factors that generate political, economic, and military change in the region. Comparative politics, international relations, and political economy are drawn upon to examine the institutional, ideological, and religious characteristics of the region and their impact on particular issues.

This course provides an introduction to basic international legal principles, processes, and institutions and their influence on the behavior of states in the international system. Students examine the governance of legal relations among states on issues of war and peace, including issues such as territorial questions pertaining to natural resources, sea, and space; peaceful settlement of disputes; laws of armed conflict; Geneva Conventions governing conduct in war; and international criminal law.

This course investigates the process and difficulties of global governance and seeks to gain a better understanding of how international organizations, including the UN and its affiliated agencies (the IMF, the World Bank, WTO, and international nongovernmental organizations) address global problems. These problems include new (and old) international security threats, economic globalization and the expansion of market economies, global human rights, and environmental sustainability.

In this course students examine the ideas and conditions that have given rise to modern democracies. Students read works by Locke, Mill, de Tocqueville, Madison, Jefferson, Schumpeter, and Dahl. Students consider these theories in light of current movements by traditionally excluded groups, such as women, African Americans, the Basques, and black South Africans.

This course examines socialist ideas and movements from the 19th century to the present, including the Social Utopians, the Marxists, the Social Democrats, and the British Fabians. Special emphasis is placed on how changes in the 20th century affected these movements.

This course provides an overview of the issues and problems confronting contemporary Africa. It reviews Africa's history, focusing on pre-colonial and colonial contexts in which political structures were formed. The course examines the state, ethnicity, race, religion, class, and civil society that shape contemporary African politics.

The course examines the expansion of human rights ideas, issues, and evolving norms in law and politics; it covers the conceptual foundations of human rights issues, the historical evolution of ideas of human rights, and the legal frameworks to protect and promote human rights.

Students focus on the role of the state and the market in the pursuit of wealth and power by nations, covering the major analytical frameworks and current debates on issues such as the structure of power in the world economy; global systems of production; money and finance; trade, development, and the environment; and the processes of conflict, cooperation, and competition in the politics of international economic relations.

This new Big Ideas Course will address key questions such as, how better to understand and mitigate the global economic, social, political, and governance fallout of pandemics. This dynamic course will feature moderated discussions with NYU and leading non-NYU global experts in virtual meetings, coupled with real-world, policy-oriented assignments designed to provide practical scenarios to deal with similar crises. The course will be managed by CGA Professors Oppenheimer, who heads the International Relations/Futures concentration, and Sidhu, who oversees the United Nations and Global Governance specialization.

Study specialized topics in the field. Sample topics include religion and politics, the politics of Eastern Europe, nationalism and supernationalism, and current political issues. The specific topic is listed in each semester's schedule.

The specific theme of Current Politics Issues will change each time it is offered in order to provide students with an opportunity to focus on current issues related to Politics. Students will be able to take the course twice with a different subtitle for a total of 4 units.