Courses

  • CAS PO 361: European Politics
    Comparative study of politics in member states of the European Union, with emphasis on political development, institutions, major issues in contemporary politics, and the impact of European integration. Selective references to original and new member states of the EU.
  • CAS PO 363: Soviet Politics, 1917-91
    (Meets with CAS IR 363.) Analysis of the structure and functioning of major political institutions - government bureaucracy, Communist party, and others - and polity-society relations during the 74 years of the USSR's existence. Prime focus is institutional rather than historical and deals with the Soviet political "game" as it was played.
  • CAS PO 364: The Politics of Post-Communist Russia
    (Meets with CAS IR 364.) Analysis of the emergent political forces, institutions, and alliances in the post-Soviet Russian Federation, against the background of the unresolved economic, ethnic, and social problems that are the USSR's legacy to the "new Russia"; prospects for stabilization are assessed in the context of the multiple crises facing Russia today.
  • CAS PO 365: The Pacific Challenge
    (Meets with CAS IR 275.) The dynamic growth of the Pacific Rim countries poses an impressive array of challenges for the U.S. and the world. Analyzes Japanese trade and defense policies, the rise of the "mini-dragons" (Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore) and "new mini-dragons" (Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia), "Confucian capitalism," democratization (and its failure in China), and legacies of the Indochina war.
  • CAS PO 366: History of American Foreign Relations Since 1898
    Meets with CAS HI 366. Analysis of the history of American foreign policy from the perspective of the changing world and regional international systems; emphasis on the effect of these systems and the impact of America on the creation and operation of international systems.
  • CAS PO 367: Introduction to Latin American Politics and International Relations
    Introduction to the patterns and complexities of Latin American politics and foreign policies. Focuses on the distinctive Latin American political experience and alternative explanations for it, including colonization, the international economy, and human and material resource capacity and utilization.
  • CAS PO 369: China: from Revolution to Reform
    (Meets with CAS IR 370.) Explores the economic, political, and social upheavals that followed the Chinese revolution in 1949 and the cause of subsequent inauguration of reform in the late 1970s. Analyzes the tensions that brought about the 1989 upheaval in Tiananmen Square, as well as the implications of China's emergence as an economic power.
  • CAS PO 372: Making Sense of the World: Conceptual Foundations of International Relations
    (Meets with CAS IR 360.) Introduction to various analytical approaches for understanding the dynamics of global interaction. Explores the variety of "worlds" made visible through the lens of theory. Fosters critical thinking about how conceptual tools shape our understanding of the world and attempted solutions to global problems.
  • CAS PO 374: Rise of China
    (Meets with CAS IR 365.) China's political, economic, and strategic development since the late nineteenth century, with emphasis on the period since 1949. Examines three questions: In what ways is China rising? How did it happen? What are the impacts of China's rise on the U.S. and the global system?
  • CAS PO 375: Russian and Post-Soviet Foreign Relations
    Decisive factors in the foreign relations of Russia and the other former Soviet republics, including historical continuity and change, survival and change of ideology, domestic politics, economic and geographical factors, military and external political considerations. The future of arms control, nuclear weapons, the economy, and relations among the former republics are also examined.
  • CAS PO 381: History of Ireland
    Examination of four themes: Ireland's relationship with England; Ireland and the Catholic Church; Ireland during the Union with Great Britain (especially the famine); and the emergence of the modern Irish nation. Emphasis on economic, political, and religious developments.
  • CAS PO 391: Classical to Early Modern Political Theory
    A text-oriented study of the principal political ideas of Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Machiavelli.
  • CAS PO 392: Modern Political Theory
    Intensive study of the political philosophy of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Mill, Marx, and Nietzsche. Classes are generally a combination of lecture and discussion but also include formal debates, guest lectures, and films.
  • CAS PO 395: The European Enlightenment
    Survey of the intellectual and social transformation of Europe from the 1680s to the French Revolution. Readings draw on both eighteenth-century sources (including Voltaire, Diderot, Condorcet, Lessing, Smith, and Hume) and recent work by historians. Also offered as CAS HI 314.
  • CAS PO 401: Independent Work in Political Science
    Open to upper division concentrators. Students have a minimum GPA of 3.2 with a 3.4 in the concentration plus the ability to do independent work in the judgement of the concentration faculty advisor.
  • CAS PO 402: Independent Work in Political Science
    Open to upper division concentrators. Students have a minimum GPA of 3.2 with a 3.4 in the concentration plus the ability to do independent work in the judgement of the concentration faculty advisor.
  • CAS PO 406: Introduction to Congressional Policymaking
    Takes students through a step-by-step analysis of legalizing a bill. The process is studied in minute detail to give students a good understanding of the American system of government. All students who have not taken courses in American government are expected to enroll in this course.
  • CAS PO 450: Paris Politique
    Introduction to the political life of France, beginning with a historical overview of the French political system. Examines issues related to administrative organization, the civil service, regionalism, and France's role in the international community.
  • CAS PO 491: Directed Study in Political Science
  • CAS PO 492: Directed Study in Political Science

Note that this information may change at any time.

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