Rotating Course Descriptions

Pro-Seminar (3192W)

Examination of selected problems in political science. May be repeated once for credit. Includes a significant engagement in writing as a form of critical inquiry and scholarly expression to satisfy the WID requirement. Restricted to juniors and seniors in the political science program.

Fall 2025 offerings include:

Origins of Totalitarianism

This course will engage in a close reading of Hannah Arendt’s masterpiece The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951). Considered by many contemporary writers to be an essential reference today, the text demands and deserves careful exploration. It challenges us to integrate many levels in the study of politics: history, institutions, philosophy, and psychology, and demands moral, analytical and political argument. Since publication in 1951, it has stirred a great deal of controversy for its discussion of antisemitism, race and imperialism, and communism, to name only the most explosive topics. I’m excited to devote an entire semester to a close analysis with you of Arendt’s ambitious achievement. Hans Morgenthau (a founder if 20th century Realism in IR theory) observed: “You can fight over many things with her, but she was the first to understand fascism. Then all the professors came along years later to make details where she was the pioneer. She was a historian very close up, like Thucydides".

Infrastructure: Inaction & Inequality

How should we decide where to put things society needs, but few people want nearby? In this writing seminar, we will focus on the political challenge of infrastructure in the United States. Infrastructure is broadly defined, but we will focus primarily on the supply of market-rate and affordable housing, as well as clean energy infrastructure. The political challenge at hand is how to provide infrastructure but also ensure equity in its distribution of costs and benefits. Having defined normative goals, we will review the political hurdles to its provision, from the behavior of political actors to the institutional designs which create challenges.

Politics of Water

Water is the basis of all life on earth, and an adequate supply of quality water is necessary not only for life, but for the social and economic well being of society for agriculture and industry. The World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 8 people worldwide do not have access to a safe drinking water supply.  The U.S. State Department has stated that armed conflict over water rights is possible on many of the world’s river systems including the Nile, Tigris/Euphrates, Brahmaputra-Jamuna, and Mekong. What is the cause of these problems, and how will changes to the hydrologic cycle and world water supply brought about by climate change affect them?

Domestic water policy issues affect all levels of U.S. government and our society.  Access, quality, and rising costs of water, and what these three portend for the future, are of huge economic and political consequence. These issues, as well as other related issues will be used as major reference points for the class discussions and student writings, research, and presentations.  This course will provide a background on water policy and examine some of the complex governmental, political, economic, and social forces that are shaping water policy today. It will introduce some of the principles at stake in the debate including financing, organization, and regulatory issues.

Students will learn about the hydrologic cycle, the general characteristics of surface water and groundwater, and patterns of water use.  Students will also learn about the geographical distribution of water resources, areas of water deficit, and the health, economic, and social consequences of severe water scarcity. Laws, treaties and regulations governing water withdrawal and use will be covered, as will techniques to extend the available water supply.  Students will consider the positive and negative consequences of increasing the sustainability of the water supply through efficiency, conservation, inter-basin transfer, water use export, grey & black water reuse, urban runoff capture, and the creation of fresh water through desalination. 

Power & Violence in America

In this course we will explore the complex relationship between industrialization, the labor movement, race relations, and the organization of violence in America. Students will learn about major events in American history, from the founding of the United States through the end of World War II. The topics covered include labor strikes, riots, and ethnic and racial tensions, as well as the related formation of police forces, private security guards, and vigilante groups. In learning about such conflicts, we will examine the indelible mark that these events left on American political development in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Throughout the semester, students will encounter fundamental questions concerning the distribution of income and the use of force in American society.

Leadership

In this class we are going to look at past and current examples of leadership in the hopes of learning some timeless lessons that will prove to be invaluable in whatever career you choose to pursue.

Because this course is offered by the Political Science Department our focus is on political leadership and primarily recent American political leadership.

Leaders do not operate in a vacuum. To learn from a leader’s actions you need to understand the context in which the leader operated. For that reason, we will be discussing leadership in relationship to a number of issues dealing with a range of subjects including health care, immigration, climate change, just and pre-emptive wars, drug policies, criminal justice and prison reform, race relations, education, the role of the media and especially social media, Islam, and American foreign policy with respect to China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Middle East and both north and sub-Saharan Africa.

We will also examine leadership as it relates to the traditional American belief in a vibrant free enterprise system and how that squares with crony capitalism, income inequality, inadequate job creation, the role government has in fostering innovation and economic development, and in managing, regulating and taxing economic enterprise.

Chinese Politics & Society in Film

This class will focus on political and social trends in China through the lens of film. The films will focus on how the major events of the past 100 years have impacted ordinary Chinese citizens. We will examine how film has been used for political purposes, how China’s changing political system has influenced film-making, and how the portrayal of events has changed over time. We will use both documentary and feature films, both produced in China (with subtitles) and in the US.

Past examples have included:

Previously offered 3192W course descriptions: 

Ethics and World Politics

What makes a war “just”? Are people entitled to their wealth? Are there moral duties to help people in other countries? Do we have obligations to future generations and if so why and what are they? These are old questions with new relevance in today’s politics. In this class we will use classic arguments about these issues to explore contemporary ethical challenges of war, poverty, genocide, immigration, human rights, gender issues, and climate justice. Our goal will be to learn from the past to think about politically possible routes to ethically better futures.

Criminal Violence, the State, and Society

Organized criminal groups often use violence and intimidation to enforce their dominance and settle disputes, exposing the inability of the state both to retain the monopoly of violence and to maximize social welfare. While their presence may be unsurprising in low-capacity states, such groups also affect industrialized countries with democratic institutions and institutionalized legal systems. This course offers an in-depth exploration into the complex world of criminal violence, its origins, dynamics, and the varied responses from state and societal actors across the globe. Through a comprehensive review of recent literature, we will examine the political, economic, and social roots of organized crime and the multifaceted consequences of their activities. We will cover cases from regions as diverse as Latin America, Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to presenting and discussing relevant literature, students will complete a short paper or research design addressing questions related to cooperative crime-state arrangements, the diversification of criminal activities, the role of protection networks, the militarization of policing strategies, and the political and economic impacts of organized crime, among other topics.

Money & Influence in Politics around the World

In a recent work, Francis Fukuyama, the author of The End of History who heralded liberal democracy as the final form of government, argued that if large ideological struggles were the defining issues of the 20th century, then corruption will be that of the 21st century. Seemingly every country in the world is grappling with the challenge of curbing influence of money on governance. Citizens in both developed and developing countries alike are growing increasingly concerned that political decisions are not reflecting the public will but rather the private interests of the powerful. Over the semester, this class will investigate the role of money and private influence in policymaking from a variety of theoretical and empirical perspectives. First, we will look at the concept of pluralism and sources of power and formation of preferences of different actors, such as business and other interest groups, in the policymaking environment. Next, we will review strategies of influence, discussing not only the mechanisms by which actors exert power but also the challenges they face in achieving their aims. Finally, the course will address more normative issues, such as problems concerning representation, political participation, corruption, and potential reform options. Although the readings will partly draw from the vast body of work on the United States, this course will also examine questions of collective action, political access, and elite behavior in countries around the world.

Local News & American Democracy

This class focuses on the ongoing local news crisis in the United States. Over the last 20 years, thousands of local newspapers have closed, and virtually every other remaining paper has cut its staff. We will consider the importance of local media to American democracy; how the internet has reshaped the market for local political news; the current difficulties facing local journalism; how the loss of local news affects civic engagement and political attitudes; and potential ways to revitalize local journalism.

3500 Advanced Topics in Political Science

Topics vary by semester. May be repeated for credit provided the topic differs. Students must have completed four PSC courses at the 2000 level in addition to the prerequisite courses prior to enrollment. Prerequisites: (PSC 1001 and PSC 1002; and PSC 1003 or IAFF 1005) or (PSC 1011 and PSC 1012W); and (PSC 2101 or PSC 2102).

Fall 2025 offerings include:

Fear and Politics

Modern America is often plagued by anxiety, panic, and fear. Political scares, education, religion, or international crises quickly grow, absorb public attention, and then fade. This course examines the causes of political panics, the political agents who profit from them, and their consequences for modern American society and politics.

Constitutional Interpretation

What does the U.S. Constitution mean? What is the correct way to derive its meaning? Who has the final say, over time, on what it means? The course will delve into compelling debates and theories of constitutional interpretation (e.g., originalism v. living constitutionalism), judicial review, judicial supremacy, popular constitutionalism, precedent and legal doctrine, and unitary executive theory. Importantly, we will apply these theories, insights, and arguments to constitutional issues, cases, and controversies that form the basis of important debates in American politics. Students will engage in simulations of oral arguments arguing their favored theory as applied to a legal issue. To see last year's syllabus, click here: https://blogs.gwu.edu/bartels/teaching/

Emerging Technologies, AI, and International Politics

Rapid developments in new technologies have the potential to transform the international landscape. At the same time, the international environment also shapes the development of new technologies. This course examines the interactions between emerging technologies and global politics. It first introduces students to broad debates about the effects of technology on politics. Then it surveys the intersection between technological change and various outcomes in international politics, including economic statecraft, the rise and fall of great powers, social movements, and war. Throughout the course, we focus on the global implications of artificial intelligence.

Politics of Crime & Violence in the Americas

Crime and violence represent major challenges in many countries across the Americas. Latin America remains the world’s most violent region, plagued by an unprecedented wave of organized criminal violence, while the United States stands out for its high levels of gun violence among high-income countries. This course provides an introduction to the political causes and consequences of crime and violence in the Americas. The substantive focus is on the historical roots, policy decisions, and political processes and institutions that shape contemporary patterns of crime and violence in the region. Through an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating insights from political science, economics, sociology, and criminology, students will engage with cutting-edge research to understand these issues. Students will become familiar with a variety of methodological approaches used in the systematic study of criminal violence and develop skills to think critically about relevant scholarly and policy work.

Democratic Experiments in Latin America

This course explores ways in which Latin American communities and countries are experimenting with democracy. How and why is democracy being updated and experimented with? What works in what ways, and what is resisted? We’ll explore these questions by studying 1- key moments in the development of democracy in Latin America, 2- how countries have and are experimenting with reforms like gender quotas, Indigenous rights recognitions, participatory budgeting, citizens assemblies, constitutional conventions, noncitizen and exterior voting, and more, and 3- how activists are conceiving of and working for new forms of democracy. This comparative politics course asks you to do the work of delivering on the ideals of democracy through theoretical and empirical analysis of democratic reforms over place and time. 

Democratic Backsliding: Latin America in Comparative Perspective

Democratic backsliding is occurring in an unprecedented number of countries across the globe. First, we ask: Why is democratic backsliding occurring? To what extent is backsliding explained by tepid economic growth, poverty, inequality, and/or the resource curse? To what extent by problems in political institutions, including problems in political parties and electoral rules? To what extent by the international context, including a country's particular neighborhood? By historical and cultural norms? By patterns in social media? And, we ask: How does backsliding occur? Are there distinctive pathways? Distinctive stages? Ultimately too, we ask: Under what conditions does resistance to backsliding mount? When does resistance succeed?  In the first half of the course, we will focus on Latin American countries (including Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela). Then, guided by students' interest, we will select countries in other regions of the world for analysis. The final weeks of the course will be allocated to students' presentations of their research papers; in their papers, students will explore topics in democratic backsliding with reference to countries in Latin America and/or beyond Latin America.

Previously offered 3500 course descriptions: 

Networks in Politics and Conflict

Political actors – voters, elected officials, lobbyists, protestors, rebels, migrants, and even countries – do not exist in isolation. They interact with others, and they influence each other’s perceptions and behaviors in ways that matter for politics and conflict. We can think of these webs of ties between people as networks. How do these networks matter for how political actors think and behave? Does certain types of links, or properties of networks, make conflict or polarization between groups – or peace between them – more likely? Does it matter whether communication through networks happens face-to-face, versus online? In this course, we will improve our understanding of why and how networks matter by reading scholarly works on networks in politics and conflict, solving practice problems, and writing an original research paper. Basic familiarity with statistics is helpful but not required.

The Politics of Division and Resentment

The Politics of Division & Resentment traces the rise of rhetoric in American political discourse by investigating key events in American history and politics.  While division and partisanship feel like the hallmark of American politics over the last twenty or so years, we will look first with a historical lens at the division in American politics, especially since the 1960s.  We will then further explore how division and resentment have led to the grievances and anger that fuel our politics today and have given rise to modern political movements like the Tea Party, Trump and MAGA.  In our exploration, we will take a somewhat interdisciplinary approach to see how historic context, sociology and political science can help explain some of the division that impacts the lack of civility and bipartisanship in modern politics.  We will examine how the concept of resentment, especially racial resentment, has morphed overtime within the discipline and the potential for it to be extrapolated to other areas of resentment (i.e. partisan, rural, gender, religious) in modern political division today.  We will explore how certain political and social contexts have fueled the narratives that drive much of this division (including the rise of social media).  Lastly, we will discuss examples of movements and politicians, in the past and in the present,  that have sought to bridge divides and lessen resentment in our politics.

Maladroit Monarchs 

How can we know what traditions must be respected and which ones should be changed? All societies must contend with the challenges posed by the rise of new ideologies, philosophies, and belief systems. But when these new ideas threaten the established order, how leaders respond can mean the difference between life and death. This course focuses on the struggles of two political communities at critical junctures in their histories – imperial Ming China and England under Henry VIII. Over the course of the semester, we will engage in extensive role-playing games where you assume the roles of important historical political figures and factions. Whether in the role of a Confucian purist, Renaissance humanist, or student of Machiavelli, your goal is the same – to convince others that your path is best with nothing more than the strength of your arguments.