Rotating Course Descriptions

2990s Special Topics

Topics vary by semester. May be repeated for credit provided the topic differs.

Fall 2026 offerings include:

2990: Crafting Novel Policies: AI, Biometrics, & Data Privacy

This course will provide the tools and knowledge required to become a thoughtful leader in policymaking by using AI, biometrics, and data privacy as case studies for how to conceive of, draft, and enact novel legislation.

Artificial intelligence powers the use of biometric technologies, which are used for an ever increasing number of purposes ranging from unlocking one’s phone to enhancing urban planning. Biometric technologies are rapidly evolving, and they are an increasing focus of federal and state policymaking. As of 2024, only four states have a biometric privacy law on the books. AI itself has been a rapidly increasing area of state and federal legislative focus. A patchwork of general data privacy laws exist in select states, but there are no federal AI, biometric or broad data privacy laws in the United States. Policymakers are now ideating what to include in new AI, biometrics, and data privacy laws as they try to catch up to rapidly advancing technologies.

By entering this course, students should have a strong interest in public policy, legislative  advocacy, and some curiosity about technological advancements. A large majority of Americans consent to the use of biometric technology and data usage, but very few are protected by laws on the subject. This course will explore where legislative initiatives will go on AI, biometrics, and data privacy.

2991: Tocqueville’s Vision of American Democracy

In the 1830s Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States and, subsequently, wrote a two-volume account of his observations about politics and society in this country. One of his purposes was to explain to Europeans the ways in which the Americans dealt with the problems that arose in a democracy. This course will review his observations about the American system of that time in order to better understand the theoretical origins of the American political system and the ideas that have motivated the changes that have occurred in that system since the 1830s. It will also explore the strengths and weaknesses of the political theory that motivated Tocqueville’s analysis.

2992: Southern Politics

Explore the role of the Southern United States in national, state and local politics. An engaging state-by-state review of battleground states, swing districts, and fascinating politicians in the contemporary American South.

2992: Interest Groups and Lobbying

For anyone that has ever considered becoming a lobbyist, non-profit advocate,  public servant or is just interested in how lobbying works. The class includes opportunities to meet and learn from lobbyists in-person. Build the knowledge base to succeed in the world of lobbying firms, unions, trade associations and public interest groups. 

2992/2993: Comparative Constitutionalism

Why does the United States have a written Constitution while some countries function without one? How do constitutions change, and who gets to decide? This course adopts a global perspective on constitutional systems, comparing the U.S. model with those found around the world. We will explore foundational questions in constitutional design, including how constitutions are created, the surprising ways some nations organize their legal and political systems, and how constitutional change occurs, whether through formal amendments or more troubling tactics. Special attention will be given to how populist leaders around the world have used constitutional change to consolidate power and reshape democratic institutions. Students will gain a deeper understanding of U.S. constitutional structures and rights by placing them in a global context and will critically consider how foreign models may inspire or caution future developments in American constitutionalism. No previous knowledge of constitutional law is required. Prerequisites: PSC 1002 

2993: Democratization

This course aims to examine the role of social, economic, and political factors in the origin of  regime change and democratic transition. This course offers a comparative study of why some authoritarian political states initiate a successful transition to democracy while others fail. In the past five decades, we have witnessed waves of democratization sweep much of Latin America, southern Europe, and East Asia. At the same time, many nondemocratic states in Africa and the Middle East have resisted change. In this course, we will also reflect on the recent trend of democratic backsliding in some parts of the world, where some established democracies are experiencing the erosion of their democratic institutions and are even transitioning to autocracy.  

Throughout the semester, we will scrutinize the meaning of democracy and authoritarianism, as well as the factors affecting them, including variables that accelerate or hinder democratization. In addition, we will investigate the role of institutional arrangements and civil society as well as the relationship of economic development to democratic transition. During this class, we will address questions such as the following: What are the impacts of international actors on the spread of democratization since 1970? Does democratization mean different things in different geographical and historical contexts? Under what conditions do political institutions such as elections pave the way for democratization, and when do they fail? The readings reflect diverse approaches and methods employed in the literature on democratic transition. 

2993: Political Development in Slums

Over one billion people worldwide live in informal settlements—communities formed outside of formal urban planning. In Africa alone, over 60% of urban residents live in unplanned environments, historically known as slums. How did these areas form? Do the residents have rights to fresh water, shelter, and toilet facilities? Who develops these areas? This course examines the political economy, social organization, and development challenges of informal settlements, with a focus on Nairobi’s Mukuru Slum. Using Below the Proletariat as the central text, students will analyze key development themes: housing, land tenure, climate change, WASH, leadership, and social entrepreneurship. Students will connect theory and policy to lived realities through readings, case studies, guest speakers, quizzes, in-class exercises, and a comprehensive group project.

2993: Dictators in Europe & Russia

The terms ‘dictatorship,’ ‘authoritarianism,’ ‘autocracy,’ and others are widely used to describe many states around the world today. For most, these terms have become catch-all labels to characterize all governments that are not democracies. But within this category is a huge diversity of military juntas, monarchies, party-states, personalist dictatorships, electoral authoritarian regimes, and others that may defy easy description. Some authoritarian regimes last only a few years, others survive for decades – and many have yet to fall. This course introduces undergraduates to the world of authoritarianism across the broader European and Euro-Eurasian continents from the 1800s to the present day and beyond. In doing so, students will learn about concepts and theories of authoritarianism – how they rise, survive, fall, reemerge – as well as their internal structures, sources of legitimacy, types of ideology, and mechanisms of rule and decision-making. Using a mixture of social science theory and historical study, students will be prepared to understand the wide world of non-democratic governance, gain insights into the politics of older and newer dictatorships, and discover lessons in how such regimes exist even into the 21st century.

2993: Recruitment into Rebellion

Despite its often bloody and unsuccessful history, rebellions continue to appeal to some who believe in organizing collective action to make claims against political authority. The key question this class will examine is why - and how - do people participate in rebellion? It remains a paradox for social scientists, with wide-ranging rationales and competing explanations. We explore those explanations in the first third of the class, seek to understand how they apply to specific case studies in the second third of the class, and then synthesize theory and practice in the final third.

2994: US Foreign Policy in the Middle East

This course offers an in-depth look at the complexities and challenges of United States foreign policy in the Middle East. It explores the core interests of the U.S. in this pivotal region and examines the domestic and international factors shaping these interests. Students will analyze the strategies and approaches the United States has employed in its interactions with various countries and issues in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

The initial segment of the course focuses on the domestic discourse within the U.S. regarding its foreign policy in the MENA region, including the roles of political figures, institutions, and interest groups. Subsequently, the course shifts to a detailed study of U.S. actions and responses to key developments in the region through case studies and critical events.

Building on these case studies, the course will apply major foreign policy theories to assess whether recent developments in the Middle East represent a break from historical patterns or a continuation of them. Students will engage with scholarly debates that interrogate the extent to which U.S. policy choices are driven by enduring strategic interests, shifting geopolitical  realities, domestic political pressures, or normative commitments. This theoretical lens will enable students to evaluate competing explanations for both the persistence of entrenched 
dynamics and moments of apparent transformation in the region.

By the end of the semester, students will be equipped with the analytical tools to critically assess U.S. foreign policy and its capacity to address the region’s evolving challenges.

2994: Navigating National Security in Revanchism

The United States faces a unique threat from a set of revanchist states dissatisfied with the current global order. Russia, Iran, and China are coordinating to challenge the United States systematically in the economic, military, and information spheres. The United States has sought to counter these challenges using a wide variety of policy tools that include sanctions, export controls, law enforcement, technological innovation, and traditional military deterrence. Nonetheless, new tools are regularly required as the competition moves to arenas where challengers seek to obtain an advantage over the United States. This is complicated by divisions within the United States, which have made it difficult to shape a common foreign policy approach and agreement on what measures are necessary and appropriate.

This course will examine the foreign policy ambitions and tactics of revanchist states. Special attention will be paid to the latter’s use of asymmetric measures like illicit networks, information operations, and state-sponsored non-state organizations. At the same time, students will learn how the United States develops and applies its own foreign policy tools to counter these tactics. The course will also shed light on the interplay within U.S. governmental institutions as the country struggles to recognize, interpret, and adapt to this new national security paradigm. 

2994: Comparative Politics of Central & Eastern Europe

This course is designed to introduce students to analysis of the international politics of Central and Eastern Europe in the communist and post-communist periods. Issues to be considered include models and frameworks for analyzing Central/East European relations with other countries; the history of and recent changes in post-Soviet and Central/East European relations with Russia; Central/Eastern Europe's relations with Western countries and institutions including the EU and NATO; regional cooperation; and likely trends in Central and East 
European foreign policies in the near future.

3192W Pro-Seminars

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 2026 offerings include:

British Politics

The course examines changes in Britain’s political system since 1945, including the emergence of the Attlee consensus in the 1940s and its collapse in the 1970s with the rise of Thatcherism.  It will consider constitutional changes, including devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the reform of the House of Lords, and the creation of a Supreme Court.  It will also examine the changing role of the Cabinet, the civil service, local government and the judiciary, and the rise of Think Ta no’s and special advisers.  We shall also study ideological changes in the main parties and the shift from a two party to a six party system, the decline in voter turnout and the move from class to age and education as the key determinants of voting behavior in an increasingly volatile political system.

Race, Film, and American Politics

This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the salience of race in American politics and film, and how film structures Black, Latino, Asian-American, American Indian and white attitudes on a number of cultural, political and policy dimensions. Through selected films we will develop an increased understanding of the cultural, economic, political, and ideological contexts of racial politics in the United States and the ways in which these contexts have evolved over time. The course will also explore a number of questions related to the historical relationship among Hollywood, film and racial politics in the United States. 

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.

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.

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.

Local News and American Democracy

This class is about 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. Even as the internet and social media have made information more accessible than ever, Americans pay less attention to local news today than they did a decade ago. Why did this happen? What are the consequences of this dramatic shift? What are the potential solutions? In this class, we will consider the importance of local media to American democracy; how the internet has reshaped the market for local political news; the reasons that local news outlets are struggling; how the loss of local news affects civic engagement and political behavior; and possible ways to revitalize local journalism.

Harry Potter & Social Identity

We find ourselves in a time where questions about the relevance of identity politics, which Kauffman (2000) defines as “the belief that identity itself—its elaboration, expression, or affirmation—is and should be a fundamental focus of political work” is seen as a bad thing. At the same time, we witness, almost daily at this point, the usage of identity in politics and everyday life, suggesting its continued relevance despite the pushback from political elites as well as many rank and file American citizens. This paradox pushes us to think about how we, as political scientists, engage with the ubiquity of identity in politics while also recognizing how difficult it can be to talk about our identities in certain contexts, and study identity’s presence in many socio-political contexts when doing so can be seen as lacking political sophistication and relevance. 

To overcome this particular hurdle, we will use discussions of identity and politics as they arise in the “Harry Potter” as a bridge to discuss similar issues in our own. I will ask you to read these novels with a desire to draw connections between our own society and of the wizarding world. While there are marked differences in the structures, there are meaningful similarities that offer a unique chance to have seemingly difficult discussions about identity. Our ultimate goal is to uncover and investigate when and where identity resides within social and political spaces, how it manifests differently for different people, and the extent to which its role changes. Through weekly discussions, we will see how identity appears in the series and extrapolate concrete lessons about identity politics and its relevance for ourselves and our world.

Labor Unions & Political Economy

Labor’s share of national income is falling around the world and governments in dozens of countries are becoming more autocratic.  This course explores the links between these two contemporary crises, with a focus on labor unions.  Through seminal works by scholars such as Marx, Polanyi, and Piketty we will examine labor union efforts to fight for economic and political equality.  We will learn about the effects of unions on working conditions, political regime type, labor rights, income distribution, and democratic survival. We will examine interdisciplinary work from political science, sociology, and economics to better understand these dynamics in the United States, as well as in countries around the globe.  Students will be introduced to these debates and make their own scholarly contributions through a semester-long research project.

Religion & Politics

This course examines the relationship between religion and politics in the United States, from its founding until present day.  We will explore the impact of religion on the American political system, including its influence on individual, group and political party behavior, political mobilization, policy formulation and electoral outcomes. In addition, we will examine America’s ‘civil’ religion and new religious/political trends in the United States.  After this course, students will understand the foundation and evolution of church-state relations in the United States; the role of religion in the public policy arena; the influence of religion on the American electoral process; and differences between the US and other church-state models. 

The Hobbit

The Lord of the Rings is perhaps the most famous fantasy epic in world history. The story of the war of the rings, which culminated in a clash of great powers in Middle Earth, was written while great powers clashed on earth in World War II. The seeds formed in Tolkien’s imagination during World War I. The first elements of his mythology, captured in “The Fall of Gondolin,” were written from his hospital bed while on leave from the war. The book drew on famous stories describing the clash of arms, including Beowulf and the Song of Roland, among others. This class examines the politics of Middle Earth on three levels. In the first two parts of the course, we will take Middle Earth as a serious, historical subject, asking about the political constitutions of communities that live within it, the causes of war and alliance formation, and the problems of racism and nationalism.  The third part of the course examines the impact of war on culture by examining Tolkien’s early writings, identifying how his experiences in the First World War shaped his mythology, and also by examining how his understanding of World War II affected the composition of his epic. The fourth part of the course examines Tolkien’s sources. By comparing, for example, the Song of Roland to Boromir’s death and the relationship between Smaug and Beowulf, we will examine the continuity of languages of glory and manliness across literary time periods, asking about its significance for modern international politics and political culture. As such, this course searches for a way to better understand our own political culture and its relationship to war by thinking through how we understand and depict war in fantasy.

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.

Previously offered 3192W course descriptions: 

American Populism

Some politicians run against “the system,” and many voters like that. Recent examples come from the socialist left and far right alike. How might we think about these developments? What might be causing them? American Populism covers the major schools of thought and guides you through an independent project on a related topic of your choice. Your job will be to produce a research proposal in short, doable parts. This is about 2/3 of a full-length research paper. Along the way, you will learn how to efficiently read academic literature, make an argument about it, and turn that argument into one or more testable hypotheses. The professor will be doing the same alongside you.

Democracy and Violence

The dominant narrative in contemporary politics holds that democracy is in decline and that rising political violence is both a symptom and a cause of that decay. From the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2020, to growing reports of contentious politics across major democracies, violence is often viewed as democracy’s antithesis. Embedded in this view is the assumption that democratization has pacifying effects and that democracy and violence cannot coexist. This seminar challenges that conventional wisdom. Drawing on long-term historical trends, classical theory, and recent scholarly work, we will explore a provocative possibility: that democracy and political violence may coexist in more complex—and perhaps more enduring—ways than conventional democratic theory acknowledges.

Environmental Activism & Politics

Grassroots and activist movements can play a critical role in environmental politics and policy outcomes, but their impacts vary widely. We will explore when and how community organizations and activist networks influence local politics and environmental policies around the world across specific themes, such as water access, air pollution, conservation, mining, and renewable energy. The course evaluates how the characteristics of impacted communities and the dynamics of grassroots, indigenous, and youth movements shape priorities and actions. We will analyze how organized groups translate demands into policy changes that strengthen or weaken environmental outcomes. Students will choose an environmental case (U.S. or international) and topic for their final term paper. As a writing-in-the-discipline course, students will practice analysis, writing, editing, and presenting their research. Through experiential learning, such as attending a related activity in DC, students will connect theoretical frameworks with issues in our backyard.

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".

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. 

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.

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.

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 2026 offerings include:

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/

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. 

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.

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.

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.

China's Communist Party

This course will examine the history of the Chinese Communist Party from its founding in 1921 to the present. Key topics include: elite politics; the party’s relationship with key groups in society; ideology, organization, and propaganda; and international activities. 

Politics of Regulation

Regulation is one of the most common and important ways in which public policy is made in the United States. Just ask President Trump, whose administration has placed a high priority on "deconstructing the administrative state." Or ask President Biden, whose administration used regulation as a means of influencing policy in areas such as guns, abortion, and carbon emissions. Despite its centrality, regulation is perhaps the least well understood means of making policy in the United States. With this disjunction in mind, the central aims of the course are to develop a store of research-based knowledge about regulation and to experience regulation first hand as it is practiced.

On the research end, we will consider a variety of theoretical and empirical issues, including the process through which regulation in made, how this process has changed over time, the role of the public in shaping regulation, the impact of technology on the making of regulation, and the place of regulation in recent presidential administrations. Experientially, we will take part in regulatory proceedings by submitting comments on agency proposals, attending meetings, interviewing participants from inside and outside government, and interacting with prominent guests who visit our class.

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.

Previously offered 3500 course descriptions: 

Nuclear Strategy

This course is an advanced introduction to nuclear deterrence, focused on questions of nuclear strategy and the role of nuclear weapons in international politics and war. Part I introduces major concepts and controversies in the study of nuclear deterrence. Part II examines US and Soviet nuclear strategy and nuclear risks during the Cold War. Part III explores contemporary topics in nuclear strategy, including methods for studying nuclear stability (campaign analysis and wargaming), analysis of how emerging technologies shape the nuclear balance, and a series of case studies..

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.