Undergraduate Field Seminars
Undergraduate field seminars are offered in each of the fields below each year. They are advanced seminars for juniors and seniors who are politics majors. Students must have completed four courses in politics, one of which must be the core in that subfield, and three other politics courses. They must also have a 3.0 cumulative average or the permission of the instructor. Enrollment is limited.
ANALYTICAL POLITICS
Quantitative Methods in Political Science
V53.0800 Offered every semester. 4 points.
Introduces students to the use of quantitative methods in the study of politics. Begins with a brief review of the basic elements of scientific thinking and their application to the social sciences. Next, students are introduced to probability theory and statistics with a view to testing hypotheses about politics. Students learn to use statistical software to organize and analyze data.
Political Engineering: The Design of Institutions
V53.0810 Offered every year. 4 points.
Institutions are the rules by which societies govern themselves. The tools of economic theory, game theory, and social choice theory are applied to the rational choice analysis of political institutions, whose consequences for society are derived from assumptions about what individuals seek to maximize.
Introduction to Game Theory in Political Science
V53.0840 Offered every year. 4 points.
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.
Doing Political Economy: Approaches to Public Policy
V53.0842 Offered every semester. 4 points.
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 class is to introduce students to these theoretical approaches and show how they can be used to address contemporary policy questions.
Games, Strategy, and Politics
V53.0844 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.
Social Choice and Politics
V53.0845 Offered every other year. 4 points.
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.
Experimental Methods in Political Science
V53.0846 Prerequisites: V53.0800 or equivalent. Offered every other year. 4 points.
This course is designed to provide an introduction to experimental methods in political science. Emphasizes several different styles of laboratory experiments, but field experiments (and briefly, survey experiments) are also discussed.
Undergraduate Field Seminar: Analytical Politics
V53.0895 Prerequisites: open to juniors and seniors; 3.0 or above general average; and at least four previous courses in politics or permission of the instructor. Offered every year. 4 points.
Advanced seminar for juniors and seniors in analytical politics. The specific topic of the seminar is announced each year.
POLITICAL THEORY
Political Theory (Core course)
V53.0100 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.
Topics in Premodern Political Philosophy
V53.0110 Identical to V65.0110. Formerly titled Political Thought from Plato to Machiavelli. Prerequisite: V53.0100. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Intensive introduction to the major themes of Western political thought through a careful analysis of classical and medieval works. Among the authors studied are Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas.
Topics in Modern Political Thought: 1500 to the Present
V53.0120 Prerequisite: V53.0100. Offered every year. 4 points.
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.
Ethics, Politics, and Public Policy
V53.0130 Prerequisite: V53.0100, V53.0300, V53.0500, or V53.0700. Offered once a year. 4 points.
Students systematically evaluate ethically controversial public policy issues using concepts of 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 that we want the state to accomplish, and at what cost? Substantive policy topics vary from semester to semester.
Socialist Theory
V53.0140 Prerequisite: V53.0100. Offered in the fall. 4 points.
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.
Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict
V53.0150 Prerequisite: V53.0100. Offered every year. 4 points.
Seeks to explain the varied forms of nationalism and extremism. To that end, we bring various psychological, economic, anthropological, and sociological theories to bear on the origins and development of nationalist movements. We attempt to understand the historical phases of nationalist development, from the early cases of Great Britain and the United States, through the later cases of Europe and Latin America, the anti-colonial cases of Africa and much of Asia, and, finally, the often religiously based movements of the present era. We also read some of the normative literature that has tried to justify nationalism, both in the abstract and in particular cases.
Democracy and Dictatorship
V53.0160 Prerequisite: V53.0100. Offered every other year. 4 points.
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.
American Political Thought
V53.0170 Prerequisite: V53.0100. Offered every year. 4 points.
Study of American political ideas and debate from colonial times to the present. Topics include Puritanism, revolution and independence, the framing of the Constitution, 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.
Undergraduate Field Seminar: Political Theory
V53.0195 Prerequisites: V53.0100 and three other politics courses, junior or senior standing, 3.0 GPA, or permission of the instructor. Offered every semester. 4 points.
Advanced seminar for juniors and seniors in political theory. The specific topic of the seminar is announced each year.
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Power and Politics in America (Core course)
V53.0300 Offered every semester. 4 points.
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.
Public Policy
V53.0306 Prerequisite: V53.0300. Offered in the fall. 4 points.
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. The course examines the way the agenda is set and issues are processed in Washington. Covers Congress, the bureaucracy, program implementation, policy analysis, and budgeting. Students do a special project on an important current issue. In recent years, these issues have included Social Security reform, Medicare, and illegal immigration.
The Presidency
V53.0310 Prerequisite: V53.0300. Offered every other year. 4 points.
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.
Congress and Legislative Assemblies
V53.0320 Prerequisite: V53.0300. Offered every other year. 4 points.
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.
The American Constitution
V53.0330 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.
Civil Liberties
V53.0332 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.
The United States Supreme Court
V53.0333 Prerequisite: V53.0330 or V53.0332. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Institutional examination of the third branch of government as chief interpreter of the Constitution and reviewer of the work of government. Considers the structure, procedures, personnel, and informal organization of the court, along with the appointment process. Gives some attention to the impact of the court's decisions and to public opinion about the court. Emphasis on the court's political role in a democratic polity.
American Law and Legal System
V53.0334 Offered every other year. 4 points.
Introduction to law and the legal system through the reading of actual cases. Topics include the adjudication of conflict, the structure and functions of trial and appellate courts, civil and criminal procedure, judicial remedies, judicial decision making, and the limits of judicial relief. Uses tort, contract, property, divorce, and other law for illustration.
Law and Society
V53.0335 Identical to V62.0001, V18.0722. Offered every other year. 4 points.
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.
Gender in Law
V53.0336 Identical to V18.0723. Offered every other year. 4 points.
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 epistemology. In addition to examining how the law understands sex discrimination in the workplace and the feminization of the legal profession, the course also addresses to what extent understandings of 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, the course considers to what extent law is or is not an effective political resource in reforming notions of gender in law and society.
Political Parties
V53.0340 Prerequisite: V53.0300. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Background, structure, operation, and definition of the party systems. Development of the two-party system in the United States from its origins to the present. Formal organization of parties on the national and state levels and control of the parties within the state. Party politics in the South, political machines, ethnic politics, nominations for public office, and pressure groups on the party system. The national election from first stirrings of potential candidates through the general election.
American Public Opinion
V53.0342 Prerequisite: V53.0300. 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.
The Election Process
V53.0344 Prerequisite: V53.0300. Offered every other year. 4 points.
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.
Bureaucracy and Public Policy
V53.0350 Prerequisite: V53.0300. Offered every year. 4 points.
Bureaucracies are inescapably embedded in the American political environment, and political conflicts within administrative agencies are ubiquitous. We examine the major questions political scientists ask about public bureaucracies: How have they evolved to their current form? Why do bureaucrats engage in behavior that many of us consider pathological or arbitrary? How can unelected government officials be made more accountable to their elected counterparts and to citizens? In addressing these questions and others, we draw on cases of government in action in a number of different public policy areas.
The Politics of Administrative Law
V53.0354 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.
Urban Government and Politics
V53.0360 Identical to V18.0753. Prerequisite: V53.0300. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Study of politics and politicians in the contemporary American city. Evolution of local party organizations, the rise and fate of party "bosses," and the predicament of the ordinary citizen in the urban community. 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. Conceptions of effective leadership in urban politics and the role of the police, the press, and "good government" groups in local political life.
Government of New York City
V53.0364 Identical to V18.0752. Prerequisite: V53.0300. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Examines the exercise of power in New York City and its relationship to policymaking. The roles of mayor, city council, unions, and the bureaucracy as they interact with one another. Ethnic, racial, and other interest group questions. Who governs the city, if anyone, and the consequences of power relationships on the allocation of rewards. Analyzes the effectiveness of this system of power and decision making. Alternative arrangements for governing the city and what has been done in other cities in terms of urban rejuvenation.
Minority Representation in American Politics
V53.0380 Prerequisites: V53.0300. Offered every year. 4 points.
Explores whether and how racial and ethnic minorities are able to organize effectively and press their demands through the American political system. Specifically, focuses on the political behavior of minority citizens, the relative strength and effect of these groups at the polls and in political office, the theory and practice of group formation as it applies to minority groups, the responsiveness of elected officials, and the legal and constitutional obstacles and instruments that provide context and shape these phenomena.
The Politics of Poverty and Welfare
V53.0382 Prerequisite: V53.0300. 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.
Political Economy: The United States in Comparative Perspective
V53.0385 Prerequisite: V53.0300 or V53.0500. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Examines various aspects of the role of the American government in the economy. In addition to that of the United States, the political economies of several other advanced industrial nations are examined, including those of Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, and Japan. Explores the institutional structure of the political economy, with particular emphasis on government, business, and labor.
Undergraduate Field Seminar: American Politics
V53.0395 Prerequisites: V53.0300 and three other politics courses, junior or senior standing, 3.0 GPA, or permission of the instructor. Offered in the spring. 4 points.
Advanced seminar for juniors and seniors in American politics. The specific topic of the seminar is announced each year.
Honors Seminar: Politics and Finance
V53.0396 Prerequisites: V53.0300, three other politics courses, junior or senior standing, 3.5 GPA, and one course in economics. Offered every year. 4 points.
Examines how legislation and regulation influences the structure of financial markets and how players in these markets intervene in the political process to create or modify legislative and regulatory outcomes. Particular emphasis is placed on the United States. International comparisons are also present. The class assumes that students have had exposure to microeconomics and finance but not to political theory. A brief introduction to political theory is provided. The approach is similar to that used in microeconomics, except that transactions are made through voting institutions rather than through economic exchange.
Internship Fieldwork (through Metropolitan Studies)
V53.0401 Identical to V18.0040. Corequisite: V53.0402. Offered every semester.
See description under Metropolitan Studies (18).
Internship Seminar (through Metropolitan Studies)
V53.0402 Identical to V18.0042. Corequisite: V53.0401. Offered every semester.
See description under Metropolitan Studies (18).
U.S. Foreign Policy
V53.0710 Offered every year. 4 points.
See "International Politics," below.
National Security
V53.0712 Offered every year. 4 points.
See "International Politics," below.
COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Comparative Politics (Core course)
V53.0500 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.
Elections and Voting
V53.0505 Prerequisite: V53.0300 or V53.0500. Offered every year. 4 points.
Examines how and why elections differ so much across democracies. Is it because voters are different in these countries? Or is it because the electoral laws differ across countries? The U.S. elections are used as the frame of reference for examining the effect of institutions and voting behavior. Other countries are discussed to illustrate how cross-national differences in voting behavior and institutions can affect the electoral processes. This comparative perspective provides a better way to understand the U.S. electoral process.
Immigration and Politics in Western Europe
V53.0511 Prerequisite: V53.0500. Offered every year. 4 points.
Explores immigration and patterns of immigrant incorporation in Western Europe in comparative perspective. Since the early 1960s immigration has transformed European countries into multiracial and multiethnic societies. We first explore how public policy contributed to this transformation, how it was structured by different concepts, traditions, and laws on citizenship, and how it was related to transformation of the party system and the emergence of the extreme right and "identity politics" in Western Europe. We then analyze the impact of this transformation on attempts by European states first to maintain control of their frontiers, and then to incorporate immigrants into the national community. Finally, we explore the emerging movement within the European Union to develop harmonized policies for asylum seekers and immigration at a time of growing pressures for increased immigration in Western Europe.
Western European Politics
V53.0510 Identical to V42.0510. Prerequisite: V53.0500. Offered every year. 4 points.
Study of the politics of Britain, Ireland, France, and the German Federal Republic. 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.
East European Government and Politics
V53.0522 Prerequisite: V53.0500. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Introduction to the politics of Eastern and Central European countries. Considers political, social, and economic developments in these countries during the post-Versailles period. Subjects include the Communist takeover at the end of World War II, uprising during the de-Stalinization era, and the collapse of Communism at the end of the 1980s. Also deals with contemporary issues, including the process of democratization.
Politics of Latin America
V53.0530 Prerequisite: V53.0500. Offered every other year. 4 points.
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.
The Politics of the Caribbean Nations
V53.0532 Identical to V18.0802. Prerequisite: V53.0500. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Analysis of the political culture and institutions of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Concentration on the study of specific countries is possible and requires a research paper in addition to other requirements. Attention to the communities of Caribbean nationals in the United States to the extent that the study of these communities is relevant to internal political processes.
Politics of the Near and Middle East
V53.0540 Identical to V77.0750. Prerequisite: V53.0500. 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.
Politics and Society in Iran
V53.0545 Prerequisite: V53.0500. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Examines the relationship between the state and society in modern Iran by focusing on the social bases of politics. Recurrence of certain historical and cultural themes and their political implications from the Constitutional Revolution (1906-1909) to the current period. Topics include the rise and demise of the Pahlavi dynasty; the interaction of the Pahlavis with nationalist and religious forces; the Mosaddeq era; the politics of oil nationalization; the Shah's White Revolution and politics, culture, and economics in the 1960s and 1970s; the process leading to the revolution of 1978-1979 and the establishment of the Islamic Republic; the hostage crisis; export of the revolution and the Iran-Iraq War; and Iran's current regional and international role in the Middle East and Central Asia.
East Asian Politics: China and Japan
V53.0560 Prerequisite: V53.0500. 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.
Comparative Politics of South Asia
V53.0562 Prerequisite: V53.0500. Offered every year. 4 points.
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. Also uses novels and films on South Asia to illustrate themes highlighted in the readings.
Political and Economic Development in Comparative Perspective
V53.0570 Prerequisite: V53.0500. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Introduction to the political processes of change and development. Survey of classical and contemporary theories of political and economic development, ranging from neoclassical to structural to recent endogenous growth theories. Focuses on institutions and governance as conditions for growth and development. Examines the relationship between political and economic change in selected countries, as well as global patterns.
The Political Economy of Institutions
V53.0575 Prerequisite: V53.0500. Offered once a year. 4 points.
Examines the relationship between economic incentives and the creation and maintenance of political and economic institutions. Topics include, but are not limited to, the creation and assignment of property rights, the rule of law, and the creation of markets. Focuses on theories that advance an economic rationale for institutions and relies on the methodologies of game theory and rational choice, of which no prior knowledge is assumed.
Collective Action: Social Movements and Revolutions
V53.0580 Prerequisite: V53.0500. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Analyzes patterns of collective action by socially subordinate groups. Survey of theoretical approaches to social movements and revolutions. Focuses on the evolution of forms of collective action and the conditions for the emergence of revolutionary social movements from social protest. Examines closely several case studies, such as the civil rights movement in the United States, revolutionary social movements in Central America and southern Africa, and the French and Chinese revolutions.
Undergraduate Field Seminar: Comparative Politics
V53.0595 Prerequisites: V53.0500 and three other politics courses, junior or senior standing, 3.0 GPA. Offered every semester. 4 points.
Advanced seminar for juniors and seniors in comparative politics. The specific topic of this seminar is announced each year.
INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
International Politics (Core course)
V53.0700 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.
U.S. Foreign Policy
V53.0710 Prerequisite: V53.0700 or V53.0300. Offered every year. 4 points.
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.
National Security
V53.0712 Prerequisite: V53.0700. 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.
American Primacy
V53.0715 Prerequisite: V53.0700. Offered every year. 4 points.
Addresses the question: How did the United States become the world's dominant nation? We presume that America differs from most other countries in fundamental ways. But what are these? To seek answers, we range further back in history than most international relations courses. American primacy builds on the earlier ascendancy of Britain and Western Europe. We consider several theories of European, British, and American dominance organized under the general headings of geography, economics, sociology, and political science.
Diplomacy and Negotiation
V53.0720 Prerequisite: V53.0700. Offered every other year. 4 points.
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.
International Organization
V53.0730 Prerequisite: V53.0700. Offered in the fall. 4 points.
Detailed study of the nature, historical development, and basic principles of international organization. Emphasizes the structure and actual operation of the United Nations.
Business and American Foreign Policy
V53.0736 Prerequisite: V53.0300, V53.0700, or V31.0010. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Examines competing theories as to the relationship between business and government in the conduct of foreign policy. Assesses the applicability of these theories to case studies in East-West trade, the defense procurement process, intervention in the Third World, human rights, the effect of trade and investment on the American economy, security of supply of natural resources, and economic development in the Third World.
International Law
V53.0740 Prerequisite: V53.0700. Offered in the spring. 4 points.
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.
War, Peace, and World Order
V53.0741 Prerequisite: V53.0700. Offered every year. 4 points.
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.
Terrorism
V53.0742 Prerequisite: V53.0700. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Comparative study of terrorism as a domestic political phenomenon. Examines foundational issues and 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 (emphasizing Hamas), nationalist terror (ETA and the IRA), and Maoist revolutionary terror (with emphasis on the Shining Path).
International Politics of the Middle East
V53.0760 Identical to V77.0752. Prerequisite: V53.0700. Offered every other year. 4 points.
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.
International Relations of Asia
V53.0770 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.
International Political Economy
V53.0775 Prerequisite: V53.0700. Offered every year. 4 points.
An introduction to the workings of the contemporary international political-economic system. Introduces students to some of the main analytical frameworks that political economists use to understand this system. 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.
Inter-American Relations
V53.0780 Formerly Latin America and the World. Prerequisite: V53.0700. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Examines inter-American relations in the 20th century. The role the United States has played in influencing economic and social policy in Latin America and the Caribbean is examined through the Good Neighbor policy, the Cold War, the Alliance for Progress, the National Security Doctrine, and the democratization wave. The Mexican Revolution; import substitution industrialization policies; and the Guatemalan, Bolivian, Cuban, and Nicaraguan revolutions and their effects on U.S.-Latin American relations are discussed, along with U.S. social, political, and military intervention in the region and its effect on strengthening and/or hindering democracy. Heavy on readings, the course provides a historical, sociological, and economic background of Latin American political development in the 20th century.
Undergraduate Field Seminar: International Relations
V53.0795 Prerequisites: V53.0700 and three other politics courses, junior or senior standing, 3.0 GPA. Offered every semester. 4 points.
Advanced seminar for juniors and seniors in international relations. The specific topic of the seminar is announced each year.
Honors Seminar: American Empire?
V53.0796 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.
HONORS, INTERNSHIPS, AND INDEPENDENT STUDY
Senior Honors I
V53.0950 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.
Senior Honors II
V53.0951 Prerequisite: completion of Senior Honors I (V53.0950). Offered in the spring. 4 points.
The purpose of this seminar is to support students in the writing of their senior theses.
Internships in Politics and Government I, II
V53.0970,0971 Not counted toward the major; normally limited to no more than 8 credits in total of internships (V53.0970) and Readings and Research (V53.0990). 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.
Readings and Research
V53.0990 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
V53.0994 Prerequisite: core course in relevant field or permission of the instructor. 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.
GRADUATE COURSES OPEN TO UNDERGRADUATES
1000- and 2000-level courses are open to exceptional undergraduates with an adequate background in politics. Requires written permission of the instructor or, in his or her absence, the director of graduate studies.
