Course Descriptions:
Comparative Politics
Comparative politics is one of the major areas of the political science discipline. In this course, we will think like comparativists, systematically comparing politics in multiple countries, looking for patterns, and asking why political phenomena are the way they are. To structure the course, we will focus primarily on power and obedience. We will define the state, explore different ways of gaining control of the state apparatus, and consider how political leaders generate both elite support and mass obedience. In doing so, we will explore similarities and differences between wealthy and poor countries as well as between democratic and nondemocratic ones. Throughout the semester, we will read rich descriptions of political life as well as dense theoretical texts. By the end of the course, you won’t be able to read the news without thinking of the ways in which contemporary politics is influenced by the capacities a state possesses.
Latin American Politics
This course explores the politics of Latin America, highlighting a number of different countries in the region. The class will focus on two broad themes. We will examine the region’s history of authoritarianism and consider the impacts of authoritarian rule on contemporary politics. Throughout the semester we will also explore how the region’s history of pervasive poverty and inequality effects politics. Readings include not only academic analyses, but also primary documents and journalistic accounts of political life. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to: (1) Describe Latin America’s modern political history and explain relevant political concepts; (2) Identify the ways that historical legacies effect contemporary politics; (3) Analyze the relationship between inequality and politics; (4) Identify links between course readings and contemporary politics in Latin America.
Violence, Justice, and the State in Latin America
This class explores contemporary issues in Latin American politics, focusing on the ways that the capacity of Latin American states impacts people’s everyday lives. The course will consider the role of the state in controlling actors operating within its territory, preventing and contributing to violence, and in enhancing and impeding struggles for social justice. The course emphasizes critical reading, data collection, and thinking about how variables such as violence, justice, and state power vary geographically. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Describe the defining features of the modern state
- Operationalize concepts and collect data
- Create maps in ArcGIS that illustrate the spatial relationship between state capacity and violence/justice
- Formulate a research question, develop an appropriate research design, build a theory, and evaluate the theory with empirical evidence.
Social Movements and Political Protest
In this course, we will examine the origins, dynamics, and consequences of social movements and political protest. In our exploration of how protest works, we will read journalistic accounts, first-person narratives, and activist handbooks alongside rigorous social science research in order to evaluate theoretically and empirically the concrete practices involved in both past and present movements for social change. As a class and in your independent research projects, we will analyze groups with severe grievances that did not mobilize, as well as violent and nonviolent movements that have attempted to reshape politics in countries across the globe. The course will also contain an experiential component. Students will use interviews and/or participant observation to develop an understanding of a movement (or non-movement) in one of their own communities of place or identity.
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Describe the factors that spark protest/social movements and those that determine its outcomes, including both repression and success.
- Formulate a research question, develop an appropriate research design, build a theory, and evaluate the theory with empirical evidence.
- Evaluate protest/social movement strategies using the tools of social science.
Senior Seminar: States and Citizens
In this course, we will work on crafting excellent research papers. Students will examine questions broadly focused on the relationship between states and citizens. Thesis topics could include questions involving social movements, protest, repression, social control, and state capacity. The seminar will address these questions in comparative perspective and will provide support for students to use both qualitative and quantitative tools to explore their research question.
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Formulate a strong research question in political science.
- Develop an appropriate research design.
- Build a social scientific theory and evaluate the theory with empirical evidence.
- Clearly present research orally and in writing.
