Courses

• CAS PO 504: Public Policy Analysis: Issues, Concepts, and Tools
  The analytical foundations of public policy analysis and the limitations on "rational" policy-making. An analysis of several controversial public policies (e.g., regulating the economy, immigration, health care reform) which may vary from year to year. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS PO 641.
• CAS PO 505: Readings in American Politics
  May be repeated for credit if the topics are different. Topic for Fall 2018: Controversies in American Justice. Are Supreme Court justices engaged in political decision making? Do judges' personal biographies affect decisions? Can juries find truth at trial? Should prosecutors be elected? This seminar considers controversial topics surrounding the American justice system through a scientific lens. Topic for Spring 2019: Women in Government: In the United States, about 20% of elected officeholders are women. So what? Addresses the causes and consequences of the gender gap in political leadership. We examine legislators, executives, bureaucrats, and judges to discern the role gender plays in recruitment, campaigning, and governance in America.
• CAS PO 507: Development of American Constitutional Law
  A survey of the development of constitutional law and the exercise of power by the U.S. Supreme Court. The course is drawn entirely from decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court and the principal theme is the development of national constitutions and power. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS PO 513.
• CAS PO 508: The Judiciary and Civil Liberties
  First Amendment rights of speech, press, assembly, religion; rights of defendants in criminal cases; and the constitutional protection of racial minorities. Supreme Court decision-making processes and modes of compliance with its decisions are also considered. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS PO 514.
• CAS PO 509: Legislative Behavior
  How has Congress evolved from the best club in town characterized by convivial relations between members to being a cockpit for partisan conflict? How do American legislators compare to legislators in other advanced democracies like Canada, Germany, and the UK?
• CAS PO 511: American Electoral Behavior
  The scientific study of elections and political participation with emphasis on voting in U.S. presidential elections. Topics include partisanship, ideology, voter turnout, political participation, campaign organization and strategy, and the effects of campaigns on voters.
• CAS PO 513: Interest Groups, Public Opinion, and the Policy Process
  Focuses on public opinion and interest group activities as they affect the policy-making process in the United States. Attention is paid to the role of the media, of lobbying, of litigation, and of the electoral process. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS PO 544.
• CAS PO 515: American Politics and Use of Force
  Examines how domestic politics drive the use of force in the postwar United States. Explores how Congress, courts, interest groups, media, and public opinion define Presidential action in times of crisis, as well as the kinds of crises that evoke action. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS PO 518.
• CAS PO 516: Gender and Politics
  Analyzes the relationship between gender and politics, law and policy primarily in the United States. Considers inequalities based on gender and sexuality, women's changing political, gender- and sexuality-based political action and social movements. Also offered as CAS WS 516.
• CAS PO 517: Urban Politics and Policy
  Explores the impact of American urban politics on the implementation of local policy. Topics include deindustrialization, white flight, neighborhood effects, housing policy, schools, regionalism, and factors that constrain policy-making capacities. Also offered as CAS AA 517.
• CAS PO 519: Inequality and American Politics
  Combining research from history, political science, economics, and public policy, this course examines the role of income inequality in shaping American politics and policy.
• CAS PO 520: Readings in Public Policy
  Topics vary. Topic for Spring 2018: The Politics of National Security: Theory & Practice. Combines classic and recent political science research with current events to explore threats to US national security, the tools available to U.S. policymakers to combat these threats, and the domestic and bureaucratic politics of the U.S. defense establishment.
• CAS PO 528: Seminar: The Political Economy of Advanced Industrialized Societies
  Meets with GRS IR 723. Surveys forces contributing to national differences in social and economic policy; identifies current challenges to state sovereignty, such as globalization and immigration; and examines how nations from different welfare state regimes are coping with these threats to the nation state. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS PO 621.
• CAS PO 529: Globalization and Contemporary Capitalism in Advanced Industrialized Nations
  Meets with CAS IR 596. Considers the impact of globalization on advanced industrialized nations. Explores global and regional governance of finance, trade, and multinationals. Examines changes in national economic practices in Europe, Asia, and the US, and their effects on jobs, inequality, welfare, and democracy. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS PO 538.
• CAS PO 530: Readings in Comparative Politics
  Topics vary. Topic for Fall 2017: Electoral Politics in Africa. After decades of military and single- party rule, the vast majority of African countries now hold multiparty elections to select leaders. Explores strategies African politicians employ for winning and maintaining power and how African voters decide for whom to vote.
• CAS PO 533: Globalization of Nationalism
  Focuses on the problem of nationalism, distinguishing types, examining origins, and analyzing political, social, and economic implications. Emphasis is on nationalism's spread into territories in Asia, specifically China, and under the cover of religion (e.g., ISIL) and secular social movements (e.g., "June Days" in Brazil).
• CAS PO 535: European Integration
  Meets with CAS IR 550. Explores present, past, and potential future of the European Union. Investigates who is in charge and who matters in policymaking and politics. Examines a wide range of EU policies, including economics, security, and trade, and their impact on EU member-states. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS PO 525.
• CAS PO 536: Social Europe: Identity, Citizenship, and the Welfare State
  Meets with CAS IR 551. The past, present and future of "social Europe." Impact of European economic and political integration on national identities, cultures, politics, and citizenship; EU policies affecting these social constructions; and changes over time in the welfare state. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS PO 528.
• CAS PO 537: The British Political System
  Meets with CAS IR 537. Links developments in U.K. politics to broader themes in comparative politics, ranging from identity politics to the evolution of bureaucracies, parties, and voting behavior. Examines the general failure to export the Westminster model in the aftermath of colonialism.
• CAS PO 542: Immigration: Politics and Policy
  Immigration has become a subject of much debate and controversy in democratic polities. This course explores the politics, economics, and social consequences of immigration policies across a number of countries, including European states and the United States.

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