International Political Economy
International Political Economy Website
Advisers: Professors ACRI (Economics), GOULD (Political Science), KAPURIA-FOREMAN (Economics), MCKENDRY (Political Science)
The major in International Political Economy prepares students for careers in government, international organizations, international business, or private foundations; for further study in international economics and politics; and for constructive citizenship in a world of increasing interdependence. The major is designed for students with broad interests in international studies.
The major focuses on the interaction between politics and economics in comparative and international settings. It examines the possibilities and constraints furnished by social structures, institutions, ideologies, and culture within and across societies, and it looks at the interplay of economic and political forces in the world arena.
Students are introduced to the field in their junior year when they take Introduction to International Political Economy, a course emphasizing theoretical foundations. They draw upon this body of theory as they undertake a research experience during the senior year.
Major Requirements
In addition to the general college requirements, a major in International Political Economy must complete a minimum of 16 units, distributed as follows:
1. Introduction (1 unit)
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1 unit |
2. Political Science Courses (5 units)
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PS290 Introduction to Political Philosophy |
1 unit |
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PS209 Introduction to International Relations*
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1 unit |
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Remaining units must come from the Comparative Politics and International Relations subfields, including at least one unit from each. Students may take a maximum of one pre-approved elective from outside the Department of Political Science. The Colorado College catalog lists Political Science courses by subfield. |
3 units |
* Students entering CC in AY 2024-25 or later (graduating class of 2028 and beyond) must take PS209 (Introduction to International Relations) as their introductory IR course.
3. Economics Courses (6 units)
International Baccalaureate (IB) Higher Level and Advanced Placement (AP) courses with registrar-approved test scores count as the equivalents of Economics 100, 101 and 102. Those scores, and answers to other IB and AP questions on course equivalents, can be found on the registrar's office site.
To get started with this (and any of our department majors), students will need our gateway courses of Principles of Economics, either as a 2-block course (EC100) or as two separate blocks (EC101 and EC102). Students will also need Calculus (MA125 or MA126).
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EC100 Principles of Economics (2 units) OR EC101 Principles of Microeconomics AND EC102 Principles of Macroeconomics
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2 units |
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EC301 Microeconomic Theory |
1 unit |
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EC302 Macroeconomic Theory |
1 unit |
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EC347 Economics of International Trade OR EC377 Economics of International Finance |
1 unit
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At least one of the following courses: EC371 Money, Banking, and Financial Markets EC372 Economic Development EC373 East Asian Tigers EC374 Economic Development of Latin America Other economics courses with prior approval from the chair of the Department of Economics and Business that they qualify as international economics electives from the following classes: |
1 unit |
4. Mathematics Courses (2 units)
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MA117 Elementary Probability and Statistics OR MA217 Introduction to Probability and Statistics |
1 unit |
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MA125 Pre-Calculus/Calculus1 OR MA126 Calculus 1 |
1 unit |
5. Capstone Research Experience (1 or 2 units)
While all IPE majors must complete a senior research experience, the course satisfying this requirement may be taken in either in the Political Science Department (as a one-block tutorial or a two-block thesis) or in the Economics Department (as a one-block tutorial or a two-block thesis). Supervising faculty in the two departments will seek to accommodate the interests and needs of IPE majors. Students must follow the guidelines of the respective department in registering for the Capstone Research Experience. One of the following:
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1. |
Tutorial in International Political Economy (PS470) or, with consent of Political Science Department, students may satisfy this requirement through a Tutorial in International Relations (PS410) or a Tutorial in Comparative Politics (PS412); |
1 unit |
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2.
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Seminar in International Political Economy (EC470), supervised by Economics and Business Department faculty; |
1 unit |
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3. |
Political Science Thesis (PS450), with prerequisites of a high GPA and approval by the Political Science Department; |
2 units |
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4. |
Economics Thesis in International Political Economy (EC498), with prerequisites of EC347 or EC377 or an approved international economics elective and approval by the Economics and Business Department Chair. |
2 units |
Whatever the choice of research experience, students must present their projects to their peers and discuss the research of fellow majors.
Distinction in International Political Economy may be awarded to students whose GPAs within the major put them in the upper 20 percent and who have also completed and received a grade of A in their Capstone Research Experience. Faculty in both departments must approve the award of distinction to students who meet these qualifications.
Advisers for the International Political Economy Major:
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Professor Vibha Kapuria-Foreman Economics (Campus extension 6419)
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Professor Corina McKendry Political Science (Campus extension 6788) |
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Professor Kristina Acri Economics (Campus extension 6445)
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Professor John Gould Political Science (Campus extension 6589) |
Courses
Economics
An introduction to the principles of economics (both microeconomics and macroeconomics) with emphasis on decision-making by households and firms, the way in which individual markets work, the distribution of income, governmental impact on specific markets, the behavior of economic aggregates such as total output, total employment, the price level, the rate of economic growth; and government policies which affect them. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Quantitative Reasoning requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: FRL requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
An introduction to the principles of microeconomics with emphasis on decision-making by households and firms, the way in which individual markets work, the distribution of income, and governmental impact on specific markets. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Quantitative Reasoning requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: FRL requirement.
An introduction to the principles of macroeconomics with emphasis on the behavior of economic aggregates such as total output, total employment, the price level, and the rate of economic growth; and government policies which affect them Meets the Critical Perspectives: Quantitative Reasoning requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: FRL requirement.
Selected introductory topics in economics and business. Specific content and emphasis to be determined by the instructor. Exposes students to problems and trends in society which can be illuminated through application of basic tools and concepts drawn from economics and business fields. May be taught with Emphasis on Writing and Speaking.
Social entrepreneurship is the practice of identifying, starting, and growing successful mission-driven businesses, nonprofits, and social ventures - that is, organizations that strive to advance social change through innovative solutions. This course is an introduction to social entrepreneurship, an emerging field that lies at the intersection of entrepreneurship and social change. The course will review innovative leaders who are attempting to mitigate problems facing humanity and our planet today. Course materials and activities will introduce students to characteristics of the social impact leader, philanthropy skills and knowledge, scaling of social impact, and impact measurement for social ventures. Students will discuss philanthropy and giving and the ways you might contribute your time, energy, and skills to promote health, equity, peace – whatever it is you care most about – in your life beyond this course. The class will learn the complex web of individuals and organizations that make up the social impact sector before each student works to create their own social impact plan. (Summer only 2025-26).
Investigates the concept of sustainable development by first introducing students to necessary economic terms and concepts. It next explores traditional economic models of production and distribution. Finally it introduces the concept of sustainable development (meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs). The course includes fieldwork to explore the behavior of traditional economic models and examples of sustainable development. May involve additional expense $$$. Students can choose to take this course for credit either in Economics (EC 141) or Environmental Science (EV 141) (Fulfills one unit of the divisional requirement in the Social Sciences, but not in the Natural Sciences.) (Also listed as EV 141.) (Not offered 2025-26).
Examines current problems in water resource management on various scales — from local to international (transboundary) supply and quality issues. Aims to demonstrate on an introductory level the value of economic analysis in the context of other approaches for thinking about water resources issues. (Not offered 2025-26).
The course will examine sports economics models. Students will apply theory to various aspects of both collegiate and professional sports. Topics include (but are not limited to) wage discrimination in sports, the economics of stadiums, alumni giving and collegiate athletics, academics and collegiate athletics, sports rights and broadcasting, and sports and gambling. Field trips may be included.
This course develops: 1.) the tools necessary for the economic analysis of environmental and natural resource problems; 2.) the ability to apply those tools in the investigation of a real world environmental resource problem and; 3.) the insight to form policy recommendations on the basis of such analysis and investigation. Particular emphasis on problems of market failure, such as externalities, public goods, non-market goods, uncertainty, income distribution, inter-temporal resource allocation and policies to correct for imperfect markets.
The economic aspects of public revenues, expenditures and debt; the different types of taxes; the interrelationship between the activity of the private and public economy. (Not offered 2025-26).
Selected topics, with content and emphasis developed by the instructor.
Examination of classic and modern conceptions of political economy. Emphasis on understanding theory and applying it to explain political and economic outcomes within states and among states in the international arena. Meets the Equity and Power: EPG requirement.
Selected topics, with content and emphasis developed by the instructor. 1.0 units (Not offered 2025-26).
This course surveys the causes and manifestations of income and wealth inequality. We begin by studying the measurement and definition of inequality and mobility and their changes over time. We then examine how skill, education, and health map onto income and wealth over a person's lifetime and transmit from generation to generation. While we review inequality in a global context, most discussion is grounded in the historical and current social and institutional conditions of the United States, focusing on race, gender, and class. Lastly, we look at the driving forces behind the large rise in inequality in recent decades: changes in technology, globalization, demographic shift, and migration. We will hone our skills in handling large datasets, extracting information from data, and visualizing it. Meets the Equity and Power: EPUS requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
An advanced theory of pricing for both the product and factor markets with an emphasis on the economic behavior of: 1.) the individual; 2.) the household; 3.) the firm; and 4.) the industry.
An advanced study of business cycles and economic growth models.
The use of statistical and mathematical techniques in the applied analysis of economic models. Macro- and micro-economic applications.
Application of economic concepts to analysis of environmental problems. Development of approaches to dealing with the special problems of non-market goods. Discussion of the role of economics in policy analysis. Particular emphasis on problems of market failure, i.e., externalities, public goods, non-market goods, uncertainty, income distribution, inter-temporal resource allocation and policies to correct for imperfect markets.
This course adds real-world complexity and analysis to the perfectly competitive model, including transaction costs, imperfect information, and barriers to entry. The course will focus on determinants of firm and market organization and behavior, and practices such as advertising, innovation, price discrimination, and strategic behavior.
Problems of employment of labor from the standpoint of employees, employers and society including the following: economic analysis of trade unions; union types, theories, policies, methods and weapons; company and union public relations, Junior standing.
Historical and economic analysis of foreign trade; theories of international trade; commercial policies and economic integration; changing patterns of trade; regional and world trade organizations. (Not offered 2025-26).
Exploration of the field of technological change: how technologies develop and evolve; and how technologies subsequently affect our economy and society. Using case studies and journal articles as a springboard for discussion, we will apply economic concepts to events ranging from the Industrial Revolution to the present. Topics may include artificial intelligence, patent law, copyright infringement, the Green Revolution, ecommerce, health and agricultural biotechnology, and energy-related innovation. Required field study during the block. Additional course fees apply. Please contact the department for details. Meets the Critical Learning: CP requirement.
This course applies economic theory and data analysis in an investigation of important issues in higher education. Issues of prestige, admissions, financial aid, access, student and faculty quality, alumni giving and endowments, and externalities will be addressed
An examination of consequences for home and host countries of the individual/family decision to migrate. (Not offered 2025-26).
Selected topics, with content and emphasis developed by the instructor.
Examines the economic theory and institutions of banking and other forms of financial intermediation and markets that channel savings into investment as well as the economics of financial crises, monetary policy and the government’s interaction with the financial system. Limit to be 15 when taught off campus.
What explains the current pattern of inequality of incomes between and within countries? What are the historical and contemporaneous causes of the distribution of the wealth of nations? This course gives an introduction to growth and development, focusing on the use of real-world data and theoretical and empirical research as the basis of development policies. The course aims to understand how low- and middle-income countries are institutionally, historically, or structurally different from high income countries, to learn and deploy theories and models of economic development and to understand policies that have been effective in dealing with particular problems affecting developing countries. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course utilizes economic theory to enable students to both understand and analyze the role of economic policy in the national arenas of Latin America. The course begins with an introduction to the global economic environment, the historical background of Latin America and the economic emergence of the region. The course focuses on several aspects of trade policy and regional agreements, monetary policy, fiscal policy, and their impact on the international policy environment, framing the analysis of these microeconomic and macroeconomic issues in the context of Latin America. The course will also address current events, both domestic and international, which are particularly relevant for the economic viability of the region. The purpose of the course is to understand the economic context and environment of policymaking in Latin America, as well as the impact on the different actors: workers, firms, the environment, political institutions. (Not offered 2025-26).
Historical and economic analysis of international financial arrangements; theories of foreign exchange, balance of payments and adjustment mechanisms; alternative world monetary systems in theory and practice; proposals for monetary reform; regional and world financial organization.
Selected topics, with content and emphasis developed by the instructor (Not offered 2025-26).
The use of advanced statistical and mathematical techniques in the analysis of economic models Meets the Critical Perspectives: Quantitative Reasoning requirement.
Selected topics in the study of Mathematical Economics. Specific content and emphasis are developed by the instructor(s). Topics will meet the ME elective requirement for the Mathematical Economics major. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course provides the student with the mathematical tools to explore the economic models of addiction. The course begins by exploring static demand-side models of addiction before proceeding to their dynamic counterparts. The course will rely on journal articles that explore the demand for addictive substances such as alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and cocaine. Also explored are models that treat gambling and sports spectatorship as addictive behaviors. A limited discussion of supply-side models is also included. This course requires a COI
Game Theory offers a framework for studying strategic interactions in a wide variety of circumstances. Most economics and business courses explore the nature of choice by individuals -- be those consumers or firms or even countries. The interdependence among decision-makers is usually captured as a constraint on the activities of the individual. Game theory broadens that perspective by allowing the agent to be aware of and to interact with other agents in dynamic and complex ways. We will set up and solve strategic and sequential form games and evaluate the quality of those outcomes. We will also consider multi-player interactions under conditions of uncertainty.
Exogenous and endogenous growth models and the effect of policy variables (functions) such as education, technical progress, and taxes on economic growth. Analysis of steady state equilibrium and convergence in levels and growth rates. Cross-sectional and panel data models of economic growth. (Not offered 2025-26).
Student readings of works selected by a faculty member on a common problem not covered directly by regular courses. Intensive research, writing, discussion, and oral reporting of ideas related to the assigned readings. Independent student work and initiative. May be taught as an extended year-long course.
A project normally organized around preparation of a substantial paper or project. Proposed and carried out at student initiative, under supervision of a department faculty member, in an area in which the student has already completed basic coursework and an elective and that extends the student’s knowledge beyond regularly offered courses.
Selected topics, with content and emphasis developed by the instructor. (Not offered 2025-26).
Students produce original research under the personal supervision of an assigned faculty member. (Not offered 2025-26).
Selected topics, with content and emphasis developed by the instructor. (Not offered 2025-26).
Cooperation between advanced students and faculty on an individual basis to jointly pursue research on a selected topic. The student will be responsible for a share of the research, discussion of the findings and significance, and preparation of a paper reflecting the procedures and findings of the investigation. May be taught as an extended year-long course.
Focuses on the economic interactions among countries as nation states to pursue their interests as well as the role of international institutions and multilateral treaties in establishing an international economic regime. Students write a substantial paper exploring some aspect of this interaction, and have considerable freedom in defining their research agenda. (Also listed as PS 470.) (Not offered 2025-26).
A travel and research opportunity on selected economics, business or political economy topics intended to provide a learning experience in an off-campus setting. Additional prerequisites determined by the instructor relevant to the selected topic. May involve additional expense $$$. Enrollment limit based on resources available for the selected topic. (Not offered 2025-26).
Students produce original research under the personal supervision of an assigned faculty member, who normally advises no more than six thesis students.
Students produce original research under the personal supervision of an assigned faculty member, who normally advises no more than six thesis students.
Students produce original research under the personal supervision of an assigned faculty member, who normally advises no more than six thesis students.
Political Science
Questions explored include the balance between state authority and individual liberty; analogies between the exercise of power in government and other areas of human life; the nature of ethical judgment in governance; and the varying ways in which constitutional regimes give expression to and tame the exercise of power. (Formerly 201 Political Analysis.) (Cannot be taken after 103.) (Not offered 2025-26).
This course examines the gripping drama of ancient Roman politics, from the struggle for freedom to the temptations of empire, as it is notoriously described by Machiavelli in “The Prince,” and vividly portrayed in Shakespeare’s Roman plays. (Summer only 2025-26).
The structure and process of United States national politics and government. Special attention to the ideas and values, institutions, and political processes that shape contemporary public policies in this country. 1 unit. Meets the Critical Learning: SHB requirement.
Examines enduring themes of Political Economy with a focus on the balance between individual liberty, state authority, regulation of economic activity and the relation of the polity to economy.
Introduction to the theory and practice of the contemporary state system. Emphasis on the last hundred years of inter-state rivalry.
Analysis of significant and controversial Supreme Court decisions on issues such as racism and the legacy of slavery, school desegregation, affirmative action, gender discrimination, sexual harassment, the right to an abortion, criminal law, freedom of speech, and the separation of church and state. (Not offered 2025-26).
Examines the relationship between women, government, and public policy -- with the primary goal of understanding how politics is gendered. Topics include the 'waves' of feminism, how female lawmakers navigate the electoral and legislative arenas, and the role of gender in public policy. Meets the Equity and Power: EPUS requirement.
Introduction to models and theories of leadership. Analysis of skills, styles and abilities that are frequently associated with effective leadership in political and organizational settings. Analysis of the paradoxes of leadership and the tensions among leadership, democracy, and creativity. (Not offered 2025-26).
Famously condemned by democratic Athens as an impious and immoral corrupter of the young, Socrates has subsequently become a kind of hero of intellectual freedom. Yet Socrates’s radical pursuit of self-knowledge, his claim that 'the unexamined life is not worth living for a human being” has also continuously provoked profound philosophical debates. What does it mean to live an “examined life”? Why is self- knowledge the most important kind of knowledge? Does progress in Socratic self-knowledge help to strengthen – can it even comport with – our heartfelt commitments to moral, religious, and political progress? In this course, we begin to explore Socrates’ enigmatic life and teachings through accounts given of him by Plato and Xenophon, as well as through the many different and thoughtful judgments made of him through the ages - from Aristophanes and Aristotle to Rousseau, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, and beyond. .5 or 1 unit. (Not offered 2025-26).
The course investigates the origins and development of theories justifying, and also seeking to limit, resort to war and conduct in war. The readings include ancient and modern formulations of what came to be known as the principles of justifying war, which have also gained recognition in international law. This includes consideration of the changing historical circumstances in which the principles are to be interpreted and applied to the use of force especially in relation to the issues of our time such as nuclear weapons and terrorism. (Not offered 2025-26).
Ideas and Institutions which condition the formulation and execution of the nation's foreign policy. (Not offered 2025-26).
Examines the following questions: Are there politically relevant differences between the sexes, and if so, are they the product of nature and/or convention? What is/ought to be the relation between the political community and private attachments? How has liberalism answered these questions? How does consideration of gender challenge liberal theories such as contract, individual rights, and human nature? Readings in both political theory and in feminist literature. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
An investigation into the strengths and limitations of nonviolent conflict in bringing social and political change. After a week investigating social movement theory drawing from several disciplines, students participate in a workshop in which they envision, organize and strategically guide a virtual nonviolent social movement. Class requires substantial engagement in class and group projects and a final exam.
Student internships in primary and general elections. Post-campaign written analysis required. (Offered as an independent study.)
Directed internships in national, state and local government agencies. Written analysis of the work experience required. (Offered as an independent study.)
Examines ancient politics, from the struggle for freedom to the temptations of empire, insofar as it is vividly portrayed in Shakespeare and the classical literature of Greece and Rome: the greatness, challenges and defects of the ancient republic; the nature of political and military ambition; and the causes and character of empire. Focus/possible works: Shakespeare's Roman plays; the Socratic Xenophon's novel on the rise and rule of Cyrus the Great; Tacitus on Roman emperors. The course may also draw upon Machiavelli on Rome. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course will explore Shakespeare’s dramas as political philosophy. In his plays, Shakespeare often immerses the audience in richly detailed political situations that give rise to profound political and moral dilemmas which human beings continue to confront to this day. The class will pursue the moral and political education that thoughtful and prudent political men and women had for generations found in so many of Shakespeare’s dramas. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course introduces the concepts, definitions, theories and scholarly approaches used to study comparative politics with reference to selected case studies in different regions of the world. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
Investigates the arts’ relation to narratives of power--those stories that justify why certain structures dominate, and why alternatives do not. An examination into those arts that expose these narratives, reveal silenced alternatives, and present challenger stories that aspire to power themselves. Includes two weeks of study in Serbia and Bosnia. Course fee/Passport and Visa, where needed. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Social Inequality requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: CP requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPG requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
Examination of leading conservative and liberal thinkers in America since 1945. (Not offered 2025-26).
Reading and discussion of classic and contemporary works of fiction and drama known both for their literary merit and for their insight into politics. (Not offered 2025-26).
Drawing on politics, economics, sociology and anthropology, this course critically examines the First World's relations with the Third World through the lens of 'development.' (Not offered 2025-26).
The superiority of liberal democracy to other forms of government rested, in the thought of the early modern philosophers who sought to establish it, upon more fundamental claims about the truth of human equality, the right to individual liberty and, more surprisingly, on the primacy in human life of the need for power. Through careful study of the writings of Hobbes, Rousseau, and Tocqueville, we will explore the philosophical and political questions surrounding these claims, questions such as: What is the philosophical case for human “equality,” and what is its relation to justice? What do we mean by “power,” why do human beings pursue it, and how does that pursuit relate to our concerns for equality and justice? For freedom? Are equality and freedom in harmony, or in tension with one another? 1 unit
This course examines the relationship between urban development and environmental justice in the United States, with a particular emphasis on the role of urban planning practices in creating and maintaining the disproportionate exposure to pollution and the unequal access to environmental amenities faced by communities of color. It also investigates the political processes through which municipal sustainability efforts are being used by activists and city officials to create solutions to environmental and social injustices in urban areas. Meets the Equity and Power: EPUS requirement.
Considers contemporary and historical environmental politics in the United States and how politics is translated into policy. Examines federal policies and their effectiveness in protecting the environment and furthering environmental justice and investigates the role of actors including social movements, environmental organizations, industry, and state and local governments in shaping environmental governance. Environmental Studies majors and minors may count this course or EV271 toward the major, but not both. Prerequisites: None. Recommended prerequisites: EV145 or PS200. 1 unit. - McKendry. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course explores how Syria's peaceful 2011 uprising transformed into a bloody international war. Key themes include authoritarianism, mass mobilization, sectarianism, militarization, proxy conflicts, and the power of political ideology. Note: the materials for this course include a significant amount of graphic imagery. Meets the Critical Learning: CP requirement.
Independent Study, readings on special topics for non-majors or students with little or no previous political science coursework.
Investigates the foundation and aims of political rule as well as fundamental debates over the meaning of justice, liberty, power, authority, law and rights through an examination of basic but competing perspectives drawn from ancient, medieval, and modern texts. Thinkers include, but are not limited to, Aristotle, Aquinas, Machiavelli, and Locke. (Also offered as a CC120 course.) Meets the Critical Learning: AIM requirement.
An examination of the political theory of the American founding and its relevance to contemporary political problems.
A comparative study of the political systems and political cultures of selected European countries with consideration of the history and prospects of European Union. (Not offered 2025-26).
Examination of modern philosophies of history since Hegel. Taught as an independent study, extended format or Summer Readings course in accordance with student schedules by arrangement with the instructor. Also fulfills a requirement in the Classics-History-Political Science major. COI.
An overview of the interdisciplinary field of political psychology. Questions include: 1)Why do people engage in 'evil' behavior; 2)Why is there intergroup conflict; 3)How does the media alter political attitudes; and 4)Why do people make 'irrational political decisions? To answer these questions we will engage the situationist - dispositionist debate which shapes political behavior more, the situations in which individuals find themselves, or the psychological dispositions of those individuals? Meets the Critical Learning: SHB requirement.
'Someone once said it is easier to imagine rhe end of the world than to imagine the end of capitalism.' (Fredric Jameson) This class examines Marx's diagnosis of capitalist political economy and imagines the end of capitalism from a Marxist perspective. We will also engage Marxist, post-Marxist, and neo-communist thinkers, such as Lenin, Gramsci, Althusser, David Harvey, Slavoj, Zizek, Jodi Dean, and others. (Not offered 2025-26).
A comparative examination of the introduction of democracy and markets in Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia, featuring an analysis of how the contemporary package of neo-liberal policies known as 'the Washington consensus' interacts with political institutions. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPG requirement.
Rotating, advanced courses in political science, with topic and subfield varying by instructor.
The roots, rise, maturity, and collapse of Soviet Leninism. Addresses implications of the Soviet legacy and contemporary conditions of the post-Soviet political order in Russia and other successor states of the Soviet Union. (Not offered 2025-26).
Examines the development of international thought from the Renaissance to the Scottish, French, and American Enlightenments. How the modern thinkers saw antiquity, and how their thought is relevant to contemporary trends and debates, are key themes. (Not offered 2025-26).
How does the Chinese government see the world? How does China's domestic political concerns shape their actions on the global stage? How does the U.S. government see China? In what ways, do China and the U.S. misunderstand each other? This class examines key policy issues in Chinese foreign policy, and debates over the meaning of contemporary events, as artifacts of different world-views and understandings of power. (Not offered 2025-26).
Focuses on Yugoslavia's disintegration in the 1990's and the subsequent international response. Evaluates theories developed in the fields of international relations and comparative politics that purport to explain events. Places specific focus on the interaction of identity and political institutions. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: SHB requirement.
Traces major themes and developments in MENA politics through the 20th and 21st centuries, with an emphasis on better understanding contemporary events. This course takes seriously the complexity of Middle East politics, engaging with both social scientific theory and lived experience. Topics explored include authoritarianism, state capacity, ethnic and sectarian politics, ideology, and nationalism, approached through case studies, art, fiction, and film. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
The re-emergence of the Middle East as a regional subsystem in the 20th Century. The role of foreign powers, the rise and decline of Arabism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, wars in the Gulf, and the impact of the Islamist movements since 1967. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course considers current elections, with a focus on presidential and congressional races. We will pay particular attention to voting behavior, political parties, and elite messaging. (Not offered 2025-26).
Examines the main characters, events, and ideas of the era of revolution and constitution building. Focuses on the debates over the Federal Constitution and the diplomacy of the early republic. Considers changing views of the Constitution’s significance over time. Also listed as History 240. (Not offered 2025-26).
Examines and evaluates the institution, the politics and policy impact of the American presidency with special emphasis on theories, models and strategies of presidential leadership. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course uncovers the paradox of ideology in the United States: while Americans, on average, prefer to call themselves 'conservatives,' they hold mostly liberal policy preferences on cultural and economic matters. By evaluating ideology at both the macro and micro level, this course considers the myriad of forces that shape ideological identification. 1 unit (Not offered 2025-26).
Structure and operation of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. Emphasis on political organization, the committee system, lobby groups, roll-call analysis, and congressional relations with the executive and the bureaucracy. (Not offered 2025-26).
Forces shaping public policies and decisions; internal politics of the national bureaucracy, the Presidency and Congress. Applies theories of policymaking to such cases as the environment, race and military affairs. Meets the Critical Learning: SHB requirement.
This course examines the function of the courts in the United States as legal and governmental institutions, focusing primarily but not exclusively on the federal judiciary. It begins with the historical development of the trial courts and the adversarial system, and then considers the organization and function of the federal circuit courts and the Supreme Court of the United States. It concludes with an examination of legal reasoning, including the significance of legal sources, the doctrine of precedent, analogical reasoning, and the method and purpose of judicial decision-making. Some of the questions addressed during the course include: Are trials a search for truth? Should courts be concerned primarily with resolving legal disputes or creating legal rules? Are federal judges insulated from political motivations and influences? Is the Supreme Court a legal institution or a political institution?Why do judges follow precedent? What is the relationship between judges and justice? Meets the Critical Learning: AIM requirement.
Examines the role of subnational governments such as states, cities, and provinces in climate change politics, with a particular focus on the role of cities in mitigating and adapting to a changing climate. Investigates how local political actors ranging from business interests to social justice activists shape climate initiatives as well as the relationship between subnational climate policies and higher levels of government.
A study of the world involvement of the United States from World War I to the present. Examines themes of rise and decline; isolation and intervention; union and empire; military industrial complex and national security state; domestic influences on foreign policy. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course explores the role of the courts in the experience of racial minorities in the United States. Primarily, but not exclusively, the course examines the courts' impact on African Americans. Where race is concerned, the courts have figured prominently in some of America's proudest and most shameful moments. Slavery, segregation, affirmative action, political representation, and the criminal justice system are some of the topics addressed. The course considers some of the ways in which certain legal, political and policy debates are defined, informed and constrained by the historical arc of racial inequities in American law and politics. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Social Inequality requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: AIM requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPUS requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course studies the theory of law. It examines fundamental and recurring subjects of the field, including principally the relationship between law and morality, along with further links between law and justice, power and authority. Some of the questions addressed include: Must valid laws possess some moral value? Are laws the commands of the powerful, or the rules of self-government, or something else? Does law have any legitimate claim to obedience? What is the justification for legal punishment? Students will read the work of canonical and contemporary legal theorists including Austin, Hart, Aquinas, Finnis, Dworkin, MacKinnon, and others. The course also involves applying these theoretical writings to concrete legal disputes and debates, primarily through analysis of constitutional provisions, judicial decisions and legislation. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course explores the impacts of secrecy and surveillance on the exercise of democracy. How do secrets affect the governed and the state? How does surveillance affect the watcher and the watched? Is informed consent possible in a national security state? Who defines national security? Who benefits from the definition? How are civil rights safeguarded, and how is privacy redefined? How do secrecy and surveillance, in the digital age influence the practice of journalism and the exercise of citizenship?
A seminar organized around comparative analysis of a common theme or topic, employing both historical and political science approaches to analysis and research. Designed principally for History/Political Science majors, but others may be admitted with consent of instructor.
This course provides an introduction into China's domestic politics and the challenges faced by its political system. How does the Communist Party rule? What are its sources of authority and power? How do China's Maoist legacies influence its present governance strategies? How is Chinese society shaped by China's political system, and how is the political system shaped by social changes and pressures? Meets the Critical Perspectives: Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course explores most of the major legal traditions of the world. It considers the concepts, functions and methods of comparative legal study. In doing so, it examines broad and specific distinctions between the common law and civil law traditions, with special emphasis on two common law systems (the United States and the United Kingdom) and two civil law systems (France and Germany). It then explores the EU legal system as an amalgam of these two traditions. This course addresses the relationship between legal systems and legal cultures, the challenge of understanding the mechanisms through which different legal traditions attempt to achieve the sometimes competing political, legal and social goals of order and justice, and it evaluates the purposes that constitutions and courts perform in maintaining the rule of law. Meets the Critical Learning: AIM requirement.
Students acquire the historical background and analytical tools necessary to understand the European Union. Covers EU history, institutions, and contemporary policies. Meets the Critical Learning: HP requirement.
This course examines the politics of environmentalism and environmental activism in the United States. It focuses on the development and transformation of environmentalism as a social movement from its roots in the preservationists of the late 19th century, through the emergence of the modern environmental movement in the mid-twentieth century, up to through the challenges environmentalism has faced from across the political spectrum in the past thirty years. It also examines the principal debates that have divided the environmental movement itself, including the debate between conservationism and reservationism, the relationship between wilderness protection and environmental justice, and debates about the efficacy of the movement’s traditional focus on state regulation. Finally, the course investigates the successes and failures of the environmental movement and the challenges and opportunities that mark environmental politics today (Not offered 2025-26).
An overview of theories of political change and a comparative analysis of the politics of Argentina, Brazil and Chile. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Social Inequality requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPG requirement.
This course examines theories of revolution through the lens of the Cuban experience. Special focus on the evolution of the Cuban regime and the evaluation of its performance. Additional topics include the analysis of U.S. policy toward the Castro government. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
How do the spaces in which people live and work shape their identities? How do strategies of agency and resistance interact with contexts of domination? Students will obtain training in ethnographic methods and interviewing techniques. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
In the words of George Orwell, 'political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable.' This course examines different uses of language in political life. Why is speaking political? How does language frame reality? We will study cases of political language, including: political discourse of the Third Reich in Nazi Germany, Communist-era propaganda in the Soviet Union, the tweets of President Trump, and more. (Not offered 2025-26).
Africa's diverse social and geographic landscape offers rich intellectual opportunities for the student of politics. This course broadly seeks two goals: to teach as much information as possible about Africa's politics and to provide a continent-wide theoretical framework. This course satisfies the comparative politics requirement for the Political Science major (Not offered 2025-26).
The field of International Relations is structured around broad theories that help us explain general outcomes surrounding the distribution of power in the international system. While useful for their intended purposes, these abstract theories are often insufficient for students who are seeking to understand the behaviors of individual states. In order to explain the motivations of particular states as they interact with other actors, we need to turn to more fine-grained analyses of foreign policy. Taking the United States as a case study, this course will explore the factors that influence how a state defines its foreign policy goals and the strategies it employs to execute those goals. (Not offered 2025-26).
The U.S.-Latin American Relationship: Explores the evolution of the U.S.- Latin American relationship over the last century. Focuses primarily on overt and covert intervention; the genesis and evolution of the drug war; and, the impacts of human migration. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Social Inequality requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPG requirement.
If we claim the mantle of change on behalf of social justice, we would be irresponsible to do so without first asking ourselves: what is justice and why do we care about it? Through careful reflection on what are widely acknowledged to be some of the most radical and thought-provoking philosophical works on the question of justice, we will seek to develop: a rigorous and critical understanding of what we mean by this word; careful reflection on the true character of our aspirations to justice; and a more precise assessment of the degree to which our aspirations can be made effectual, and of what would be necessary to make our hopes for a truly just society come to be. Meets the Critical Learning: AIM requirement.
Investigates competing narratives explaining Russia’s patterns of conflict and cooperation with the West. An in-depth empirical study of the historical record enables students to develop an informed, critical analysis of Russian foreign policy. (Not offered 2025-26).
Surveys contending theories of the contemporary global system, with attention to topics such as globalization, U.S. hegemony, regional conflict, the just war, and the environment. (Not offered 2025-26).
The vast majority of humans throughout history have lived in undemocratic regimes. What is authoritarianism? How do we define and identify authoritarian regimes? How do they work, and under what circumstances do they collapse? Through case studies, fiction, memoir, and theory, this course explores authoritarian politics at both macro and micro levels. Meets the Equity and Power: EPG requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
An interdisciplinary analysis of environmental policy formulation and regulation at the international level. Examines the negative impact of human activity upon complex ecosystems and the 'global commons,' and analyses the efficacy of international regimes, such as the Kyoto Protocol. Debates the linkages between environmental change, prosperity, and conceptualizations of security. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Social Inequality requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPG requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
Analyzes the relationship between domains of public health, global governance and international development. Examines how health, effective governance and poverty alleviation combine to create virtuous spirals that accelerate trajectories of international development. Examines the relationship between health and human rights and effect of health on international security. (Not offered 2025-26).
Examination of works fundamental to the development of modern political philosophy, including Kant, Hegel, Marx, Mill and Nietzsche. (Not offered 2025-26).
Reading of major essays in political thought from Nietzsche to the present including such thinkers as Hannah Arendt, Friedrich Hayek, Pierre Manent, Michael Oakeshott, Leo Strauss and Eric Voegelin.
Examination of classic and modern conceptions of political economy. Emphasis on understanding theory and applying it to explain political and economic outcomes within states and among states in the international arena. Open to declared junior International Political Economy majors, and to others with consent of instructor. Meets the Equity and Power: EPG requirement.
Explores the effects of fossil fuels, nuclear and various renewable energy technologies on carbon emissions. Investigates the political and technological challenges to climate mitigation and adaptation, examines the projected perils that climate change poses to international security, and analyzes shortcomings in global governance that obstruct coherent solutions to climate change. (Not offered 2025-26).
Examines (1) the political and social dynamics and interpretive methods that shape the constitutional decisions of the U. S. Supreme Court, and (2) the political impact of the Court's constitutional decisions and doctrines on political and social conditions. Emphasis given to the shift from judicial concern with governmental structures and powers to the contemporary concern with individual and group rights. 1 unit Meets the Critical Learning: AIM requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course introduces students to the foundational concepts, questions, and debates in political science research methods. At its core, this course is designed to demonstrate how the choices one makes about research design and methods have significant consequences; the way that we ask research questions (and the choice about which questions to ask), the methodology that we use, and the way that we analyze the data all influence our 'knowledge' about politics and society. (Not offered 2025-26).
The writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Friedrich Nietzsche - as penetrating as they are eloquent, as radical in their philosophical explorations as they are revolutionary in their moral and political implications – continue to have a profound influence on our age. Both Rousseau and Nietzsche leveled scathing critiques at emergent modernity and incisively detailed its powerful but corrupting effects on our lives, while painting competing visions of how to ennoble modern values, politics and culture. Yet they seem to do so as polar opposites; indeed, Nietzsche directs his immense rhetorical firepower at Rousseau as a thinker who fostered values - values central to us now - that would only serve to deepen the problems that concern him. Nietzsche’s condemnation of Rousseau, however, is the obverse of his high regard for the latter as the originator of one of the most profound alternatives to modernity. The course will seek to enter into this great contest through an attentive reading of a number of Rousseau’s and Nietzsche’s fundamental texts. (Not offered 2025-26).
A project normally organized around preparation of a substantial paper. Proposed and carried out at student initiative, under supervision of a department faculty member, in an area in which the student has already completed basic course work. (May also be listed as North American Studies 402 if emphasis is on Canada.)
A directed research project on a topic of the student's choice. The project might involve an extended research paper, empirical research designed to test a hypothesis or describe some phenomena, a theoretical study of a political thinker or institution of government, or some combination of these. 1 unit.
May be taught as a block course or as an extended format year-long course.
A cross-subfield tutorial focusing on a directed research project, serving as capstone to the major/minor in Political Science. (Not offered 2025-26).
A semester long intensive study of advanced texts and topics in political philosophy. The seminar takes one of two forms: Morality of Power. Examines various accounts and defenses of the human interest in the pursuit of power; what constitutes power; and the relations among power, political rule, and justice. Philosophy and Politics in Post-modernity. An introduction to radical changes in philosophic thinking and their potential significance for our understanding of American politics and its principles. This introduction will take place, in part, through a debate with a modern approach to philosophy, politics and morals, including a consideration of its possible connection to Nihilism. (Not offered 2025-26).
Thesis on a subject chosen by the student with approval from the department. Independent-study format with regular consultation between student and faculty supervisor.
Focuses on the historical development and current role of international institutions and multilateral treaties in the regulation of the world economy and environment, with emphasis on the impact of and challenges presented by globalization. Students write a substantial paper exploring some aspect of this interaction, but have considerable freedom in defining their research agenda.
Optional for majors in American Political Economy and International Political Economy, upon application to, and approval of, the departments of Political Science and Economics and Business. (Must be taken in conjunction with Economics 491 for a total of 2 units.)