This course offers students the opportunity to study the work and processes of the United Nations system. The goal of this course is to build on previous knowledge in pursuing a more advanced understanding of what, how and why the United Nations system does what it does. Special focus is given to the work of the United Nations in the areas of: International Peace and Security, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, and Development.
What is democracy? Why is democracy desirable? Is ti desirable? How has democracy evolved over time? What causes countries to democratize -- does democracy come from within a country or from global influences? How do countries transition to democracy? Is democracy better suited to some peoples than others? How does democracy vary across world regions? Who benefits from it, and who loses? What are the alternatives?
This course addresses these and other questions in a comparative context. Students are expected to leave the course with a critical, nuanced view of democracy as well as knowledge of both democratic and non-democratic countries. We will keep tabs on elections from around the world as we examine key theories related to democracy. Above all, I want students to understand more fully why we have democracy and why people fight to create it, but also to recognize its shortcomings. Democracy is not the only thing that matters in politics, but it matters a great deal. I hope this course encourages you to value democracy and consider how to contribute to its strength in wherever you find yourself.
This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.
The study of American trade politics occupies a special place in the history of political science and policy studies. It has contributed to new insights into the role of economic groups in American politics, the creative and often independent role of state and public officials in the national policy process and the impact of international structures and processes on domestic politics and policymaking. This course examines the formation of American trade policy since World War II, when the United States assumed the mantle of global leadership and embarked on a world historic project designed to create an open international trading system. Organized around an exploration of state-society relationships at the intersection of international and domestic economies, the course seeks to answer an interrelated set of questions: who defines America’s national trade interest; under what conditions do they define it; and where does their power come from?
What is the state? How is it organized? How do different countries select leaders, where is power located, who rules, and who is excluded? Under what conditions do people obey the state, resist it, or transform it? Which societal configurations challenge state control? How do states gain the legitimacy to rule?
INTS/POLI 365, State - Society Relations in Comparative Context, provides students with a conceptual understanding of the composition of states in diverse societal contexts. The course begins with a discussion of regimes, leading to the first assignment, in which students assess the regime of a country of their choice. The second part of the course is concerned with defining the state and understanding its institutions. This will motivate the second assignment, in which students will design what they feel to be an ideal institutional configuration for their country. The third part of the course pushes back, looking at societies and how they undermine your designs. Your third paper will consider resistance from various societal forces. You will then assemble and revise your three papers to form a broader paper on state / society relations.
Students will develop a heightened understanding of democratic and non-democratic regimes, how electoral systems turn votes into seats, the tradeoffs in different systems, and how these systems interact with a myriad of societal forces that may resist the state (sometimes for good reason).
This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.
In PUBLIC POLICY, students will learn what public policy is and who makes it. The course focuses upon the policy process, structure, and context of policy-making. Special attention is paid to the institutional and non-institutional actors who make policy and the rules, strategies, culture, and resources that affect the making of policy. The course culminates in the writing of a policy brief that affects problems in the local area. The policy brief allows the students to understand the practical side of public policy-making.
This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.
For the first time in history, more people live in cities than in rural areas. Cities are the epicenter of many great things, such as entertainment, the arts, parks and recreation, museums, medical care, and employment. They also have more than their fair share of problems, such as crime, poverty, racism, and homelessness. This course examines theories about who governs cities and why and how cities are governed. The course focuses upon the policies that address urban problems. It pays special attention to political institutions, machine politics, informal actors who influence politics, the role of the national and state governments in city politics, and the politics of racial and ethnic minorities in cities. Power, race, and participation are three dominant themes that run throughout this class. Through this course, students will also better understand how culture, demographics, and politics affect California cities. They will devise solutions to major problems in one of the state’s urban areas. Even though this course focuses upon American cities, the lessons learned in it allow students to understand and examine cities throughout the world.
This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.
