MODERN POLITICAL THOUGHT
This course is a survey of modern political theory (approximately the 16th-19th centuries), examining the revolutionary challenges to classical and medieval political philosophy posed by such writers as Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, and Marx. Our work seeks to address themes and questions such as: what is modern about modern political theory? What is human nature? What is power and how is it deployed? What are the possibilities and limits of social contract theory? What are the nature and scope of rights, duties, freedom, and equality? What is the relation between the state and the individual? What are rights and do they authorize political resistance? What are the core modern political values and how do modern political theorists grapple with their implementation? Does modernity signify
an age of progress
in terms of knowledge about the world and freedom for human beings? Or do modern technological, political and social developments actually constitute
a new kind of prison
? How do modern political thinkers conceptualize or fail to conceptualize race and gender? In what ways can modern political thought animate thinking about contemporary politics?
Simultaneously, we seek to critically engage with these classic texts about politics, political subjects, and political life in two ways. First, we will question what “modern” or “modernity” means historically and theoretically; in doing so, we will interrogate practices and theories of exclusion and violence that seek to grant only some subjects and collectivities access to the presumed progress of “modernity.” Second, and in a related vein, we will analyze these texts for the discourses of race and gender they produce, both explicitly and tacitly. We pursue these objectives by examining contemporary readings of this time period and of the theorists upon whom we will focus.
- TR 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Jonathan J Keller
Info - 3 points
POLITICAL VIOLENCE
When is violence used against noncombatants in conflicts and what is the impact of such violence? This course focuses on violence against civilians by armed organizations, whether states or non-state actors. We will examine a variety of explanations for such violence, including rationalist, psychological/emotion-based, and organizational approaches. We will also discuss the impact of political violence. Does it get the job done, so to speak? Does violence move terrorist groups closer to their goals? Does indiscriminate violence by the state spur rebellion or suppress insurgencies? Does insurgent violence against civilians make them more or less effective? While we emphasize violence intentionally causing harm to civilians we will also consider collateral damage.
- TR 5:40 p.m.-6:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Marjorie Castle
Info - 3 points
WRITING THE REGIME: LITERATURE AND POLIT
LITERATURE AND POLITICS
What can literature teach us about politics? How can fiction inform our understanding of real life and lived experience? Can literature have an impact on political thought or play a role in shaping the formation of a state? This course will consider such questions through close readings of political theory together with literary texts from around the globe to explore how artists reflect—or reject—ideology and its implementation. Students will learn how to assess artistic responses to political imperatives and, in turn, discuss the implications and influences that art and politics have upon one another. From Plato to Putin, the course will examine concepts such as the nation state, violence, authority, religion, race, gender, and environmental concerns. Students will engage with classic texts as well as lesser-known works to trace the recurrence of political ideas—and anxieties surrounding them—across time, culture, and genre. By the end of the course, students should be able to identify and define specific lines of political thought, as well as the mechanisms of their expression in literary texts.
- TR 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Elaine V Wilson
Info - 3 points
COLL: AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT
COLL: AMERICAN POL THOUGH
This course is a study of the development of American political ideas, through critical analysis of the writings of intellectuals and political leaders from the American Founding to the present. As our central theme, we will focus on the traditions of American Political Thought (APT) as simultaneously theorizing freedom and liberty on the one hand, and intense, often violent forms of domination on the other, especially domination on the basis of race. Consequently, we will devote time to both classic readings in APT (the Founders, Tocqueville, Lincoln, etc.) and to multiple strands of US political thinking that challenge the dominant narratives of APT. In analyzing the competing traditions of equality and inequality in theory, we will also explore the connections between this theory and practices of equality and inequality.
- T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
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Instructor:
Jonathan J Keller
Info - 4 points
COLL:PROBLMS IN INTNL SECURITY
Prerequisites: POLS V1501 or POLS V1601 or the equivalent. Admission by application through the Barnard department only. Enrollment limited to 16 students. Barnard syllabus. Examination of causes and consequences of major current problems in international security. Topics will focus on state power dynamics: the rise of China and the reemergence of the Russian military, challenges facing NATO with the rise of populism and authoritarianism in the West, nuclear deterrence and proliferation, cyber conflict and information war, and chemical and biological weapons.
- T 10:10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Kimberly Marten
CULPA: 71
Wikipedia
h-index: 19
Info
- 4 points
PUBLIC OPINION AND AMERICAN D
In this course, we will examine the relationship between government and the governed in the United States. To what extent and under what circumstances do elected officials consider public preferences in making policy? To what extent and under what circumstances might we want them to? What kind of power should the public have in American democracy? Thinking about the second and third, more normative questions leads us to other empirical questions. What shapes public preferences? How well can we measure them? How much do people know and care about politics? How do they evaluate their representatives? What constitutes high quality representation? We will examine these kinds of questions broadly, and also consider how they play out in particular policy areas and historical moments. We will also discuss the dynamics of public opinion across population subgroups (e.g. by race, sex, income, party, urbanity, etc.), and questions surrounding representation at the group level. In addition to engaging scholarly literature on public opinion and representation, students will also learn to access, manage, and analyze data measuring the composition of the public (e.g. the U.S. Census) as well as public views on political candidates, officeholders, institutions, and issues (e.g. survey data). These skills will help to prepare students for research projects in other courses and beyond Barnard. To balance the different aims of the course, our class time will be split between lecture, discussion, and hands-on lessons in a computer lab.
- MW 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
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Instructor:
Katherine L Krimmel
CULPA: 6 Info - 3 points
VOTING & POLITICAL BEHAVIOR
- TR 5:40 p.m.-6:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Michael Miller
CULPA: 18 h-index: 14 Info - 3 points
FIRST AMENDMENT VALUES
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or an equivalent. Not an introductory course. Not open to students who have taken the colloquium POLS BC3302. Examines the first amendment rights of speech, press, religion and assembly. In-depth analysis of landmark Supreme Court rulings provides the basis for exploring theoretical antecedents as well as contemporary applications of such doctrines as freedom of association, libel, symbolic speech, obscenity, hate speech, political speech, commercial speech, freedom of the press and religion. (Cross-listed by the American Studies Program.)
- M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
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Instructor:
Paula A Franzese
CULPA: 11 Wikipedia Info - 3 points
INTRO CONTEMP CHINESE POLITICS - DISC
INTRO CONT CHINESE POLTCS
Discussion Section for POLS-UN3620 Introduction to Contemporary Chinese Politics
- 0 points
INTRO CONTEMP CHINESE POLITICS - DISC
INTRO CONT CHINESE POLTCS
Discussion Section for POLS-UN3620 Introduction to Contemporary Chinese Politics
- 0 points
COLL: THEORIES OF PUNISHMENT AND THE AME
Why do we punish? How do we justify it? Is punishment, ultimately, good? In this course, we will examine a range of philosophical treatments of punishment, texts in political theory and contemporary case studies (involving issues like corporal punishment, symbolic punishment, outgroup alienation) in order to better triangulate the very function of punishment in society. We will begin with the thesis that punishment, as a whole, is good: the rehabilitative and restorative traditions, along with relevant readings from thinkers like Kant and Hegel, articulate the moral and social benefits of punishment. As the semester proceeds, we will look to more instrumental utilizations of punishment, as referenced by utilitarian and deterrent traditions along with readings from Bentham and Machiavelli. Finally, we will look to historical genealogies of punishment coming out of Nietzsche and Foucault, which argue that our received understandings of punishment are predicated on a contingent history of conflicting narratives that ultimately has come to deny or exploit us. As we confront this broad spectrum of viewpoints, from ‘punishment as a possibility for righting the soul’ to ‘punishment as a vector of power exerted upon us’, we will continually revisit the questions of
why
we punish and
to what end
we punish.
Questions relevant to contemporary politics to highlight: What political ramifications does punishing someone have? What effect does the rally-round-the-flag effect have? What happens when we punish other groups symbolically or physically? Can punishment be justified even if the accused is innocent? What forms of punishment are defensible? What does a philosophy of punishment have to do with mass incarceration? Should prisons be abolished?
- F 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
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Instructor:
Jonathan J Keller
Info - 4 points
COL:SOVEREIGNTY& ITS CHALLNGS
- M 10:10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Alexander A Cooley
CULPA: 22
h-index: 33
Info
- 4 points
DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING AND BREAKDOWN
DEM BACKSLIDING & BREAKDO
This course examines regime change from a democracy to an authoritarian regime. We explore both democratic erosion and dramatic breakdowns of democracy such as coups. Are these fundamentally different or do they happen because of similar reasons? Does democratic reversal happen because of a faulty institutionalization of democracy, a failure of democratic consolidation? Is it structurally determined or is it a matter of actors' choices that might have gone differently? How can these processes be stopped? These are the questions at the heart of this course. The purpose here is not for you to take in some kind of conventional wisdom on the topic. Avoiding this with democratic reversals is easier than with some other political science topics because no such conventional wisdom exists. If there ever was a point at which we thought we had a solid understanding of regime change, developments in recent decades have caused us to question that understanding. You will be introduced to a variety of competing theoretical explanations, and you will select a case of democratic reversal to which you will apply selected theories. All of this will prepare you to participate in a simulation of a case of a democracy in danger in which you will play the role of a political actor, making choices that either further democracy’s decline or reverse it.
- TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
Marjorie Castle
Info - 3 points
COLL: FOREIGN POLICY OF INDIA
India is an aspiring major power with the world’s largest population, fifth largest economy, and third largest military. The country is pivotal to the shifting geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific region and has emerged as a key (albeit reluctant) U.S. partner in its competition with China.
This course explores India’s relationship with the world. It is divided into two main parts. The first part will focus on the origins, logic, and drivers of India’s foreign policy, including domestic politics, leadership, and institutions. The second part will examine India's salient challenges in its quest to become a "leading" power in global affairs, including nuclearization, the Sino-Indian rivalry, and the Indo-U.S. partnership.
COLL: GENDER & PUBLIC POLICY
In this course, we will examine how notions of sex and gender have shaped public policies, and how public policies have affected the social, economic, and political citizenship of men and women in the United States over time.
- M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
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Instructor:
Katherine L Krimmel
CULPA: 6 Info - 4 points
COLL: POLITICS, VIOLENCE, AND CONFLICT I
COLL: VIOLENCE CON. SOUTH
This class examines key questions in the study of political order and disorder in South Asia, with a focus on India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka & Afghanistan, The course has three main parts. We examine the factors that explain variation in state formation, political order, and regime type across these cases. Second, we examine various forms of internal conflict in South Asia, including state repression, ethnic riots, civil wars, and insurgencies, to shed light on their sources and drivers. The third section examines key issues in regional security, including inter-state rivalry, and nuclear deterrence.
INTRO CONTEMP CHINESE POLITICS
This undergraduate course is designed to introduce to students who have limited knowledge of China some basic aspects of political institutions and processes as well as major events in Chinese political life under the communists since 1949, focusing on the post-Mao reform period since 1978. It examines economic and political development in China--their causes, patterns, consequences, and implications--in a broader context of transition from authoritarianism and state socialism. In this class, we will apply some concepts and theories in comparative politics in analyzing Chinese politics. By taking this class, students are expected to gain substantial knowledge about contemporary Chinese politics and acquire some basic ability to apply such knowledge to relate to and analyze current affairs concerning China.
SUPERVISED FAC-STUDENT RSRCH
Prerequisites: None formally; instructor may recommend introductory or advanced course in their subfield For joint Faculty-Student research on a deisgnated topic of the instructor's choice. Students will critically engage with scholarly debates, formulate research designs, analyze or interpret data, and learn to summarize and present findings. Apply directly to the instructor. Can be taken once for elective credit toward the major.
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Instructor:
Kimberly Marten
CULPA: 71
Wikipedia
h-index: 19
Info
- 3-4 points
COLL:POLITICS OF DEVELOPMENT
Prerequisites: V 1501 or equivalent Description: The semester-long course aims to study political and social factors behind economic development and exam empirical cases of the success and failure in economic growth in order to understand the key features of the development processes. In the last two centuries, some countries successfully achieved economic growth and development, while other failed to do so. Even in the post-WWII period, the world has witnessed the rise and decline of economies around the world. Why do nations succeed or fail in economic development? How do political institutions affect economic outcomes? What are the ways in which state and market interact and influence each other? Can democracy be considered a cause of development, an outgrowth of development, or neither and to which extent? How do external factors such as foreign aid encourage or discourage development? We will try to examine these questions by taking a historical-institutional and comparative approach and take a critical look at the role of political and other institutions by applying theoretical guidelines and empirical cases. We will explore competing explanations for the successes and failures of economic development in the world. Objective:1. Understand some important concepts and theories within the fields of comparative politics and political economy. To explore the interconnections between politics, economy, and society in the context of development policy and practice.2. Develop basic analytic skills to explore various factors that shape political, economic, and social development and underdevelopment in the world;3. Understand some country specific political economy processes and how these processes prove or disprove certain theories and policies.