Courses in the Department of Political Science

Courses

For teaching purposes the subject matter of political science has been divided into the following fields of advanced study: political theory, American politics, comparative politics, international relations, and methodology. These fields are thought of not as separate compartments but as broad and flexible areas of specialization. Ph.D. candidates with interest in the governments of particular geographical areas may specialize in those areas by combining work in political science with relevant courses from other departments.

Field I. Political Theory

The field of political theory deals with the basic problems of politics with respect to both substance and method. It is therefore regarded as the foundation for work in all other areas of political science. It is concerned with three orders of problems: with alternative theories relating to the way people act in political affairs; with alternative standards in terms of which policy may be judged; and with alternative kinds of models and methods for pursuing political research.

31600. Ancient and Medieval Political Thought.
Allen

31700. Pragmatism.
Larmore

32100. Machiavelli.
Tarcov

32900. Max Weber.
S. Rudolph

33800. Socrates.
Tarcov, Lerner

34200. Reason and Tradition in Political Philosophy.
Larmore

35200. Two Revolutions: American and French.
Tarcov

35900. Gandhi.
L. Rudolph

36200. Women and Political Theory.
Young

36600. Value Pluralism.
Larmore

38700. Politics of Rhetoric and Symbols.
Wedeen

40800. Normative Reasoning.
Larmore

40900. Schmitt, Nietzsche, Strauss.
Tarcov

41000. Rousseau.
Tarcov

42000. Augustine or Rousseau?
Elshtain

44000. Hegel and Marx
Markell

45300. Liberalism and Democracy.
Larmore

45900. Theories of Equality.
Young

46600. Jurisprudence.
Levy

48200. Contemporary Theories of Justice.
Larmore

48300. Plato: Laws.
Tarcov

50200. Political Realism.
Elshtain

50300. Just War and Politics.
Elshtain

50500. War and Human Identity.
Elshtain

51300. Topics in Social Theory.
Sewell

52000. Workshop on the History of Political Theory.
Allen, Larmore, Levy, Markell, Tarcov, Young

55600. Workshop on Social Theory.
Sewell, Postone

Field II. American Politics

The field of American politics deals with the organization, distribution, and orientation of political power in American society. The major items of emphasis are the development of American political thought, the political behavior of individuals, groups, and governmental institutions, elections, and the formation and execution of public policy. Attention is paid both to the present state of the American political system and to its historical roots. Courses cover the range of the field.

30300. Survey of American Politics.
Brehm, Dawson, Harris-Lacewell, Rosenberg

32200. Topics in Urban Politics.
Dawson

34300. Research Seminar on African-American Politics.
Dawson

35000. Race and U.S. Politics.
Dawson

35500. Public Opinion.
Brehm

37000. Law and Politics: U.S. Courts and Political Institutions.
Rosenberg

37500. Organizational Decision-Making
Padgett

38500. Recent Literature on Courts.
Rosenberg

38600. Presidential Government in America.
L. Rudolph

48800. Introduction to Constitutional Law.
Rosenberg

39100. Seminar on Legal Classics.
Rosenberg

54500. Workshop on American Politics.
Brehm, Dawson, Harris-Lacewell, Rosenberg

Field III. Comparative Politics

The field of comparative politics examines phenomena such as state formation, democracy, nationalism, economic organization, revolution, and social movements across time and space. One approach to these phenomena is to develop expertise in a particular era or area, and then to interpret the distinctive political processes and outcomes coming from that context. Another approach is to examine a set of cases in the search for valid generalizations about political phenomena that span across regions or historical eras. A third approach is to rely on formal theory to specify universal mechanisms or processes, and then to use data from a variety of sources to give credence to the models. All approaches share an assumption that the systematic study of political experience beyond that of the United States is a key ingredient for a discipline that seeks high levels of generality and abstraction.

32800. Capitalism in Modern Europe.
Sewell

35100 Comparative Politics of Latin America.
Stokes

35600. Japanese Politics.
Silberman

35800. Formal Approaches to Comparative Politics.
Medina

36100. Civil Wars.
Kalyvas

36300. State, Society and Economy in South Asia.
S. Rudolph

36500. From Restructuring to Revolution.
Suny

37100. Comparative Political Economy.
Boix

37300. Organizations in Historical Context.
Padgett

37800. Political Parties and Democracy.
Stokes

38000. Organizations, Ideology, and Political Change.
Silberman

38300. Political Economy for Postmoderns.
L. Rudolph

38400. Chinese Politics and Political Economy.
Yang

38800. Politics of Economic Reforms.
Yang

39200. Power and Resistance.
Wedeen

39300. Comparative Politics of the Middle East and North Africa.
Wedeen

39500. Membership and Citizenship.
Wedeen

40200. Seminar on Japanese Politics.
Silberman

40500. Sovietology and its Discontents.
Suny

41900. Comparing Social Movements.
Stokes

44400. Comparative Political Economy of East Asia.
Yang

44900. Topics in Historical Political Economy.
Herrigel

45000. Comparative Capitalisms.
Herrigel

47400. State and Market Formation.
Padgett

47800. Rethinking Democratic Practice.
Wedeen

48000. Seminar in Comparative Politics I.
Kalyvas, Stokes

48100. Seminar in Comparative Politics II.
Kalyvas, Stokes

49000. Politics and Society in the Soviet Union.
Suny

49400. The Nation and Its "Others".
Suny

49900. Voters, Politicians, and Accountability.
Stokes

51700. Comparative State Formation I: Historical Comparisons.
L. Rudolph, S. Rudolph

51800. Comparative State Formation II: Sovereignty.
L. Rudolph, S. Rudolph

53400. States and Cultures.
Sewell

54600. Workshop on East Asia.
Silberman, Yang

55000. Workshop on Nations and Nationalism.
Suny, Wedeen

55400. Social Bases of Comparative Politics.
Boix, Stokes

55500. Workshop on Comparative Politics.
Boix, Stokes, Wedeen

55900. Workshop on Theory and Practice in South Asia.
L. Rudolph, S. Rudolph

56200. Revolutions.
Sewell, Suny

58500. Workshop on Organizations and State Building.
Herrigel, Padgett

65200. Bureaucratic Rationalization of the State: Japan and Germany.
Silberman

65300. Modern Japanese Politics and Political Development.
Silberman

65400. Japanese Political Institutions.
Silberman

Field IV. International Relations

The field of international relations is concerned with theoretical and empirical examination of international politics, especially international security and international political economy. Methodological approaches represented by the faculty include historical, case study, quantitative and mathematical analysis. Workshops provide a common forum within the department for interchange between different questions about and approaches to international politics. In addition, there are important connections to other areas of political science including comparative and American politics, methodology and political theory. International relations further engages other social science disciplines including international economics, political geography, public policy, and diplomatic history. Students are encouraged to take courses in these and other disciplines, although the department assumes responsibility only for those approaches to the study of international relations which develop the assumptions and utilize the methods employed in the fields of political science. For this field of political science, students are expected to acquire fundamental knowledge of international politics, with special emphasis on international relations theory and research approaches.

32400. World Politics in the 19th Century.
Lipson

32500. World Politics in the 20th Century, 1914-1945.
Lipson

32600. World Politics in the 20th Century, 1945-1991.
Lipson

34700. Political Economy of China and International Affairs.
Yang

35400. Essentials of International History for International Relations.
Lipson

37400. International Relations: Perspectives on Conflict and Cooperation.
Lipson

37600. War and the Nation State.
Mearsheimer

37700. Global Political Economy.
Drezner

38100. The Conduct of Foreign Policy.
L. Rudolph

39400. International Political Economy.
Lipson

39800. Introduction to International Relations.
Lipson

39900. Strategy.
Pape, Mearsheimer

40600. International Relations Theory.
Pape

42900. Seminar on Realism.
Mearsheimer

44100. Social Theory of International Relations.
Wendt

47600. Classics of International Relations.
Drezner

48400. Workshop on International Security Policy.
Glaser, Mearsheimer, Pape

49800. Risks of International Agreements.
Lipson

53000. Great Power Politics.
Mearsheimer

59300. Workshop in International Relations.
Lipson, Snidal

Field V. Methodology

The field of methodology is concerned with the quantitative and model-building skills required for the study of political phenomena. It consists of introductory sequences of courses in both statistical and mathematical analysis, in addition to a variety of more advanced offerings focusing on specific topics. Applications of these methods in particular research areas will be encountered in a number of courses listed under the appropriate substantive fields.

30100. Mathematics for Political Science.
Staff

30200. Political Economy/Public Policy I: Formal Models.
Snidal

30500. Introduction to Data Analysis.
Dawson, Harris-Lacewell

30700. Introduction to Linear Models.
Staff

30800. Introduction to Game Theory.
Medina

30900. Game-Theoretical Applications.
Staff

33300. Science and Interpretation in Social Theory.
Herrigel, Wedeen

47300. Complexity.
Padgett

50900. Comparative Case Study Method.
Mearsheimer, Pape

57200. Social Network Analysis.
Padgett

This list was last revised on 7/25/2001.