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Fall 2006 Course Descriptions
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100.01FWS:Pwr/Pol:Slavery & the Law3 creditsTR 2:55-4:10 Sledge, D. This course will examine the legal foundations of American slavery. Students will analyze the development of slavery, the unique legal relationship between master and slave, and the demise of slavery during the Civil War. The class will emphasize the legal doctrines that defined the limits and meaning of slavery within the wider context of American democracy. Emancipation, which transformed the coercive bond between former masters and slaves into a contractual relationship, will also be discussed. Students will be exposed to a variety of writings on slavery in the antebellum South, which will provide the basis for classroom discussions. Students will strengthen their writing capabilities through a series of writing assignments closely related to topics covered in the readings and classroom discussion. All freshman seminars are 3 credits. Descriptions are available in the Writing Program Brochure, available from the College. Back to Government Course List
100.02FWS:Pwr/Pol:Globaliz in 21st-C3 creditsMW 2:55-410 Nelson, S Globalization is a controversial topic. It is fraught with conceptual and empirical problems (do we actually live in a globalized world; if so, how would we know?), and it is charged with normative implications (who are globalization’s winners and losers?). This course intends to tackle globalization through close examination of its manifestations in several areas: economic (the effects of the reduction of cross-border barriers to exchange), political (the impact on state power and sovereignty and mobilization of new actors), and social (effects on patterns of migration, human security, human rights practices, and national cultures). The course will draw on many different sources, including scholarly books and articles, journalistic accounts, and visual materials. Students will improve their writing skills throughout the course by producing several critical and analytical papers. In addition to readings, papers, and classroom discussion, students will participate in several policy-making simulations in the course. All freshman seminars are 3 credits. Descriptions are available in the Writing Program Brochure, available from the College. Back to Government Course List
100.03FWS:Pwr/Pol:Anarch Hist/Theory3 creditsTR 1:25-2:40 Hannan, J Proudhon, Emma Goldman, the Situationalists, the Sex Pistols, Noam Chomsky, the Unibomber, the Black Bloc: this course will investigate the milestones and icons of anarchist history and theory. Through the readings’ denaturalizing effect on the notion of ‘the State,’ we will work on developing the capacity for critical, reflective thinking and writing. We will begin with nineteenth century articulations of anarchist theory, its split with Marxism and the development of ‘revolutionary syndicalism.’ As the course moves forward, we will explore moments in 20th Century anarchism such as the Spanish Civil War, ’68, and the ‘anti-globalization’ currents of today. In addition to primary theoretical and historical sources, the course will make use of films, graffiti, murals, and other social texts. All freshman seminars are 3 credits. Descriptions are available in the Writing Program Brochure, available from the College. Back to Government Course List
100.04FWS:Pow/Pol:Internat Hmn Right3 creditsTR 1:25-2:40 Shively Jacobson, A What are international human rights? What norms and standards guide international human rights law? Why have mass violations of human rights, such as genocide and torture, continued into the 21st century when restrictions on such abuse exist through the international legal regime? This course will provide a broad introduction to the theory, law and politics behind international human rights norms, and the cases that seemingly render such standards futile. Contributing to the students’ understanding of the debate will be materials drawn from political science and legal scholarship, news sources, non-governmental reports, films, and oration. In exploring diverse writing styles and experimenting with various forms of writing, this course aims to provide a solid foundation for understanding and participating in the international human rights debate. All freshman seminars are 3 credits. Descriptions are available in the Writing Program Brochure, available from the College. Back to Government Course List
100.05FWS:Pwr/Pol:Culture Wars3 creditsMW 2:55-4:10 Shields, J In recent decades Americans have been increasingly divided over such issues as abortion and the appropriateness of religion in the public square. This writing seminar will explore the sources and origins of such divisions by exploring the writings of activists themselves. We will also investigate how deeply our nation is divided. Is it the case, for instance, that only a handful of radicals wage these wars while most Americans are actually quite moderate? In addition, we will ask whether the culture wars have been good or bad for American democracy. For example, have the culture wars prevented a decent into mass apathy or coarsened public life? In addressing these questions, we will read some prominent public intellectuals, such as Alan Wolfe and James Hunter. All freshman seminars are 3 credits. Descriptions are available in the Writing Program Brochure, available from the College. Back to Government Course List
111Introduction to American Government and Politics3 creditsTR 2:55-4:10 Lowi, T. An introduction to government through the American experience. Concentrates on analysis of the institutions of government and politics as mechanisms of social control. Students registering for introductory courses should register for the lecture only. Sections will be assigned during the first week of class. Introductory courses are also offered during summer session. Back to Government Course List
181Introduction to International Relations3 creditsTR 1:25-2:40 Katzenstein, P. An introduction to the basic concepts and practice of international politics. Students registering for introductory courses should register for the lecture only. Sections will be assigned during the first week of class. Introductory courses are also offered during summer session. Back to Government Course List
182Writing in the Majors Section: Intro to International Relations1 creditsM 10:10-11:00 Staff This course is a special, writing intensive section of Government 181, designed to provide a small number of students the opportunity to practice and improve their writing skills as they learn about world politics. Students will complete a series of papers and be expected to take an active part in class discussion. Registration by instructor permission only. Interested students should register for and attend Government 181 in order to be considered for Government 182. (IR) Students registering for introductory courses should register for the lecture only. Sections will be assigned during the first week of class. Introductory courses are also offered during summer session. Back to Government Course List
227The Atomic Age4 creditsMW 2:55-4:10 Way, C. How has the advent of nuclear weapons changed world politics? In exploring this general question, we will address a wide range of issues: How do nuclear weapons work, and how difficult are they to obtain? Do nuclear weapons keep the peace by rendering war obsolete, or do they make the world a more dangerous place? What are the psychological effects of living with the specter of nuclear conflict? Are strategies of nuclear deterrence, which entail targeting civilians, ethically justified? Does the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) work, and what are the prospects for future proliferation? How likely is nuclear terrorism, and what can be done to prevent it? We will reflect on these issues theoretically and historically, but also in the context of particular current events, such as the nuclearization of South Asia, the 2005 Review Conference of the NPT, and the unraveling of the A.Q. Khan network. Our texts include film and literature as well as international relations literature, and writing assignments offer students the opportunity to explore a number of genres: policy memo, political research, film interpretation, fiction, and editorial. Enrollment is limited to 15 students. (IR) Back to Government Course List
303Imagining America4 creditsTR 10:10-11:25 Rubenstein, D. This course addresses nineteenth and twentieth century European travel writing about America from Alexis de Tocqueville's landmark work, Democracy in America to Jean Baudrillard's polemical America and Umberto Eco's Travels in Hyperreality. We will be concerned with the question of what America, as both "utopian" ideal and as a living example, represents for the European philosophical voyager. For example, what role does national fantasy play in the encounters revealed in Julia Kristeva's excursion to American universities in The Samourai or in Simone de Beauvoir's guided (by Richard Wright) tour as recounted in her diary American Day by Day? We will also discuss Francois-René de Chateaubriand's René and Atala as a literary limit case of inter-cultural exchange. We will also consider how race is implicated in these writings (e.g., de Tocqueville, de Beauvoir; Kristeva's consideration of "the foreigner") and the pertinence of American genres such as the captivity narrative for readings of Chateaubriand or de Tocqueville and Beaumont's writings on prison. Back to Government Course List
310Religion & American Democracy4 creditsMW 8:40-955 Shields, J Americans have worried a great deal recently about the relationship between religion and democracy both in the Moslem world and here in the United States. Americans have sharply disagreed, for instance, on the appropriateness of presidential candidates openly invoking faith and God. We have argued over whether a courthouse should be able to post the Ten Commandments. We have argued over whether the protection of fetal life is an illegitimate imposition of religious values. This class aims to help students think more knowledgeably and critically about such debates by investigating how American religions have—or have not—historically fostered a democratic culture. Such a culture promotes values, beliefs, and practices necessary for the functioning of a liberal democratic political system, such as tolerance for social difference, respect for individual liberties, civic engagement, and egalitarianism. (AM) Back to Government Course List
311Urban Politics4 creditsMWF 2:30-3:20 Shefter, M. The major political actors, institutions, and political styles in large American cities: mayors, city councils, bureaucracies, ethnic and racial minorities, urban machine politics and the municipal reform movement. The implications of these political forces for policies pertaining to urban poverty, homelessness, and criminal justice. Back to Government Course List
314Prisons4 creditsTR 10:10-11:25 Katzenstein, M. This seminar will look at the politics of incarceration. Why is prison construction a growth industry? What is the role of public policy and of the law in this process of prison expansion? How does race and racism in American society figure in this? Are women's prisons designed to respond to the needs of a "generic-male" prisoner or are they organized around women's needs? Are there "spaces" within the prison (educational programs, libraries, chaplain's offices) which alleviate the grim realities of prison life. We will devote a section of the course to reading about and discussing different forms of political activism on behalf of prison reform. Seminar members should plan on an occasional extra class time, likely to be Wednesday or Thursday evenings, to hear guest speakers and see films. (AM) Back to Government Course List
315Political Trials4 creditsTR 11:40-12:55 Maxwell, L This course will examine the relation between law and theatricality by way of a consideration of political trials. We tend to think of theatricality in legal proceedings as an incursion of despotism into lawfulness – the failure of law to do justice to the individuals and crimes at stake. Show trials, after all, are a hallmark of totalitarian and despotic regimes. However, in trials like Saddam Hussein’s, O.J. Simpson’s, Adolf Eichmann’s, and the Nuremberg tribunals following World War II, we often portray the trial’s theatricality – or its public-ness – as a necessary part of doing justice to broader group s of people implicated in the case. In this course, we will ask what kind of resource theatricality is for justice and for law. When and how does showmanship and theatre detract from justice, and when and how is it necessary to it? Does theatricality represent a (dangerous) incursion of politics into law, or does it reveal law’s indebtedness to its theatrical (and political) enactment? We will also ask whether these extraordinary trials tell us anything about law’s enactment in everyday life. We will look at the controversies and issues surrounding several political trials in life and in literature – including the Adolf Eichmann and O.J. Simpson trials, and Melville’s “Billy Budd” – as well as theoretical work on political trials, and on the relation between law and theatricality. These readings include work by Hannah Arendt, Judith Shklar, Patricia Williams, and Shoshana Felman. (PH) Back to Government Course List
317Campaigns and Elections4 creditsTR 2:55-4:10 Mebane, W. Prerequisite: Government 111 or permission of the instructor. This course examines campaigns and elections, focusing primarily on national elections in the United States. Topics typically include campaign finance, negative campaigning, the noncompetitiveness of congressional elections, presidential elections, why there are almost but not quite three parties, voter turnout, individual voting decisions, how the votes are counted (or not), and elections and the economy. We examine several theories that may explain some of these phenomena, including in particular theories of rational choice. Course requirements usually include two papers with one being based on original analysis of election survey data. Back to Government Course List
329Comp. Politics of Latin America4 creditsMWF 10:10-11:00 Roberts, K Provides an overview of political development in Latin America, emphasizing the interrelationships between socioeconomic and political change. Different theoretical perspectives are used to interpret national experiences and regional patterns of authoritarianism, populism, revolution, and democratization. Back to Government Course List
330Politics of the Global North3 creditsTR 10:10-11:25 Turner, L. Offers an introduction to the contrasting political economies of Germany, Britain, the European Union, Japan, and the United States in today's changing global economy. Emphasis is on (a) national differences and comparisons; and (b) the different strategies pursued by labor, business, and government in society in the face of growing world trade competition, political conflicts, production reorganization, and labor movement revitalization efforts. Back to Government Course List
332Modern European Politics4 creditsMW 2:55-4:10 Zimmermann, H. This course offers an introduction into politics and political systems in Western Europe. It starts with a brief history of the consolidation of West European democracies before and after World War II. We then discuss core theoretical concepts guiding the comparative analysis of political systems. The main part of the course will consist of a discussion of the political cultures, parties, electoral systems, and current problems confronting the political systems of Britain, France, Germany, and Italy. Italy and Germany will be treated in-depth. Hotly debated issues in European politics will be presented by students in class and in a short research paper, before we conclude with an analysis of the European Union (EU) as political system. (CO) Back to Government Course List
341Modern Euro Society & Politics4 creditsTR 1:25-2:40 Van Morgan, S The objective of this course is to provide an interdisciplinary overview of European affairs from the past to the present. Themes of this survey course will include, but will not be limited to, Europe’s political development from the nineteenth century forward, European integration, the making and unmaking of the welfare state, elections and voting behavior, the traditional party systems of Europe and their challengers, social movements and organized interests, religion and culture, and the shifting roles of women, minorities and migrants. A series of background and “contextual” lectures will be complemented by presentations delivered by leading Europeanists. (CO) Back to Government Course List
342Germany & Europe4 creditsTR 2:55-4:10 Katzenstein, P. German unification in 1990 and the accelerating movement toward European integration have created new political conditions for our understanding of German and European politics. The end of the Cold War has brought forth old fears about the domination of Europe by an unpredictable German giant. Alternately, these changes have also fueled new hopes for Germany and Europe as models of democratic pluralism in a more peaceful and prosperous world. This course analyzes the incomplete growth of a new polity in Europe that reflects two kinds of politics: the specter of the "Germanization" of Europe and the vision of a "Europeanization" of Germany. The course offers a historical analysis of German and European developments since 1945 (Part I) before developing competing realist (Part II), liberal (Part III) and institutionalist (Part IV) interpretations of German and European affairs. (CO/IR) Back to Government Course List
361Liberalism and Its Critics4 creditsMWF 10:10-11:00 Hendrix, B. The term “Liberalism” refers to a broadly allied set of political theories and practices that focus on maximizing individual liberty, generally through the protection of personal rights. This course will consider both competing views within the liberal tradition, and challenges made by those outside it. The course begins with the historical origins of liberalism in European religious wars and changing coalitions of power, and moves forward through its major theorists (including Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and John Stuart Mill) to the present day. We will then consider a variety of objections to liberalism, ranging from the very old (lodged by Plato) to the contemporary (by for example Michael Sandel and Michel Foucault). Back to Government Course List
362Modern Political Philosophy4 creditsTR 2:55-4:10 Miller, R. In this course, we will examine some major contemporary theories of justice, focusing in particular on the work of John Rawls. The following kinds of questions will give structure to our discussions: which basic rights and freedoms ought to be guaranteed to all citizens? What, if anything, justifies the existence of economic inequality? What kinds of values can we appeal to in justifying the laws that shape our political lives? What exactly does the ideal of political equality require of us? After a brief look at John Harsanyi's version of utilitarianism, we will examine Rawls's arguments for his two principles of justice as expounded in A Theory of Justice. Rawls's view is both liberal and egalitarian, and he defends that view by appealing to the idea a social contract. He proposes that justice requires first, that each citizen have a robust set of basic rights; and second, that economic inequalities work to the greatest advantage of the worst off citizens. We will consider various objections that have been leveled against Rawls including the criticisms of Harsanyi, Waldron, and Moller Okin. Next we turn to the libertarian conception of justice outlined by Robert Nozick in Anarchy, State and Utopia. Part of what distinguishes Nozick from Rawls is that Nozick's argument is based on the idea of certain "pre-political" or natural rights that each of us has over ourselves. After examining his rights-based argument for private property, we will turn to Nozick's reasons for rejecting the ideal of distributive equality. We will then consider some egalitarian replies to Nozick, among them Rawls's. Our third main topic is the doctrine of political liberalism as Rawls came to construe it in his book of that name. As a lead in, we will investigate Sandel's critique of Rawls which (arguably) helped prompt Rawls to formulate his novel account of the foundations of liberalism. For the later Rawls, the key difficulty facing citizens in modern liberal democracies is the existence of deep but reasonable disagreements about how to live. In the light of these disagreements, Rawls thinks, the principles of justice have to be formulated in a way that does not depend on any particular view about the best way to live. In the final part of the course, we focus our attention on some questions in democratic theory using Beitz's Political Equality as a backdrop to the discussion. Our aim here will be to examine the connections between the value of equality and the idea of democracy with some attention being given to the notion of deliberative democracy. Back to Government Course List
364Politics of "Nations Within"4.0 creditsMW 2:55-4:10 Hendrix, B. This political theory course will consider the political status of Native Americans in the United States, as well as the status of indigenous peoples in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. We will begin with brief overviews of native peoples in the countries considered, with special attention to the history of their interactions with the states that now rule them, and their contemporary legal status. The course will consider the ideologies used to justify conquests and displacements by European colonists, particularly as illustrated in historical works of political theory and key court cases. The latter half of the course will consider the possible futures of these “nations within” by considering normative arguments about assimilation, cultural rights, treaty federalism, and full sovereign statehood. Back to Government Course List
366American Political Thought from Madison to Malcolm X4 creditsTR 2:55-4:10 Kramnick, I. A survey of American political thought from the Eighteenth Century to the present. Particular attention will be devoted to the persistence of liberal individualism in the American tradition. Politicians, pamphleteers and poets will provide the reading. The professor offers insightful historical and social context. Back to Government Course List
393Introduction to Peace Studies4 creditsMW 2:55-4:10 Evangelista, M. This course serves as an introduction to the study of war, peace, and peacemaking. We will study different theories of peace and war from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. The course will cover definitions of peace and war, causes of conflict, and modes of conflict prevention and resolution. The concepts will be applied to a range of historical and current conflicts. Students will prepare analyses of specific conflicts or instances of peacemaking for class presentation. Back to Government Course List
400.01"Live or Let Die"4 creditsR 2:30-4:25 Rubenstein, D Carl Schmidt has written, "Sovereign is he who decides on the state of exception" and much of recent political theory has recast its considerations of post 9/11 sovereignty in Schmidt's terms. We will be reading Hannah Arendt, Michel Foucault (including his seminar on the abnormal), Giorgio Agamben, and Jacques Derrida, among others, to rethink issues of sovereignty and exception as they apply to issues of life, death, risk and threshold in both theory and more pragmatically (in relation to the death penalty, prison, stem cell research, medical ethics, and (clandestine) immigration. To apply during the pre-enrollment period, download an application form from http://falcon.arts.cornell.edu/Govt/seminars%20application.pdf. If classes have already started, use an add-drop slip; professor's signature is required. Back to Government Course List
400.02Politics of Inter'l Trade4 creditsT 2:30-4:25 Zimmermann, H. This seminar will deal with contentious issues in international trade and how they are resolved through international negotiations. After dealing with conceptual and theoretical instruments to analyze international trade negotiations, we will look at the decision-making processes of the big trading blocs (especially the EU and the US) and deal with some of the most significant and interesting cases of cooperation and conflict in international trade. Issues will include free trade negotiations, such as NAFTA and the U.S.-Canadian Free Trade Agreement, multilateral talks, such as the Uruguay and Doha rounds, clashes between the EU and the U.S. on agricultural issues (GMO-Food, Bananas, Subsidies) and high-tech industries (Airbus/Boeing), and problems of trading with developing countries. We will then analyze in depth the process of China’s integration to the WTO which presents a fascinating case study regarding the impact of geopolitics, global economic competition, human rights policies and domestic economic conditions on international trade negotiations. To apply during the pre-enrollment period, download an application form from http://falcon.arts.cornell.edu/Govt/seminars%20application.pdf. If classes have already started, use an add-drop slip; professor's signature is required. Back to Government Course List
400.03From Greening to Gene Wars4 creditsM 2:30-4:25 Herring, R. A research seminar in which each student, or perhaps some in clusters, will write research papers on the politics of science. How do societies deal with collective uncertainty and risk? What are the arguments about trade-offs and precaution? Science claims for itself only a method of judging truth claims through transparent and replicable testing of theory-driven hypotheses: how do theological ("creation science" or "Vedic science") and civilizational ("Western science") embeddings become politically activated? To what extent is real science politically crippled by its own commitment to incremental evidence-based knowledge in the face of junk science? We will look at scientific controversies and their political representation in the large general field of the environment, with some consideration of medicine and food systems. To apply during the pre-enrollment period, download an application form from http://falcon.arts.cornell.edu/Govt/seminars%20application.pdf. If classes have already started, use an add-drop slip; professor's signature is required. Back to Government Course List
400.04Gender, Nationalism, and War4 creditsW 10:10-12:05 Evangelista, M. This course will consider how gender is imbricated in the theory and experiences of colonialism, nationalism, and conflict more generally. We will consider such fundamental questions as: How gender is related to the propensity for peaceful or conflictual behavior? Are men more prone to violence? Are women better mediators? We will also direct ourselves to specific topics such as (1) the role gender plays in ethnic conflict - the use of gender identities and violent strategies in "ethnic cleansing." (2) the ways colonial experiences and nationalist movements produce different ideas of gender and gender practices; (3) how changing ideas of gender and sexuality have shaped and been shaped by the institution of the military. Back to Government Course List
400.09Sci&Tech Pol: Contemp Issues4 creditsTBA Chubin, D Science and Technology (S&T) have been at the core of American life for at least a half-century. Today, U.S. S&T policy has become a means of confronting challenges to our well-being and quality of life. Through Federal funding, scientific progress ("knowledge") is translated into programs intended to produce solutions ("innovations") that benefit society, its social institutions, and its citizenry. As our economy, security, environment, health, education, etc., become more global, public policy becomes blurred by an interplay of conflicts through the political process. This course examines that process through the lens of issues collected weekly as they emerge in the scientific and mass media (especially e-journals, newsletters, and weblogs). The course analyzes this growing array much like a policy staff would, focusing on three “p’s”: people/ stakeholders, policy/law/legislative process, and practices/programs in scientific, educational, and other S&T-infused institutions. Back to Government Course List
406Politics of Slow-Moving Crises4 creditsT 12:20-2:15 Jones-Correa, M An interdisciplinary seminar focusing on three interrelated 'slow-moving policy crises' - population growth/change (aging, immigration), water availability and global warming-to introduce the concepts sketched out above. Each of these areas involved a policy area where the need for policy coordination is clear but the pressures for coordination are often somewhat removed, since the consequences of policy action or inaction may be felt only years down the road. There may also be a segment of the course on planning for, and the response to, low probability, high-risk events like Hurricane Katrina (and/or terrorism). (AM) Back to Government Course List
4231960's: Conc. Future from Past4 creditsW 2:30-4:25 Kirshner & Lowi The decade of the 1960s was a genuine sea change in American history. 1968 was its culmination and remains its symbol. Politically it was the end of the great Roosevelt Revolution and Democratic party hegemony, the end of consensus on rights, the end of liberalism, and the end of world bipolarity. It was also the end of American economic sovereignty. And it was the end of the arts as pure entertainment. Was it the end of everything? What was the response to "1968"? Cultural as well as political and economic phenomena must be explored. The seminar divides neatly and naturally between ends and beginnings. (AM) Back to Government Course List
424Contemporary American Politics4.0 creditsT 2:30-4:25 Shefter, M. This seminar analyzes some major changes in U.S. electoral and group politics in recent decades. Topics to be considered include: partisan realignment, the new conservatism, racial cleavages, "Identity politics," and democratic decline. Back to Government Course List
428Government and Public Policy4 creditsTR 1:25-2:40 Lowi, T.J. Government 428/728 concentrates on history and criticism of US policies and the politics associated with them. Particular attention given to the origins and character of the regulatory state and the welfare state. Back to Government Course List
431Model European Union I2.0 creditsTBA Staff This two-credit course is designed to prepare students to participate in the annual Model European Union Simulation held, on an alternating basis, at SUNY Brockport and in Brussels. The simulation provides an opportunity for participants, representing politicians from the member states of the European Union, to discuss issues and resolutions of current concern to the EU. The preparatory course introduces students to the EU, the country that the Cornell team will represent, and the issues to be discussed at the simulation. A substantial part of travel costs for the Cornell team will be paid by the Institute for European Studies, and course enrollment will be restricted by budgetary considerations. Students enrolled in this course are required to write a research paper. Back to Government Course List
471CRITICAL REASON, The Basics: K4 creditsW 7:30-9:25 Buck-Morss, S. This course deals with basic concepts and methods of Critical Theory from Kant to Adorno. Lectures will consider philosophy from the perspective of the political, demonstrating how autonomy, freedom, democracy, and law are approached by the following: critical reason, dialectics, materialist epistemology, and the socio-logics of non-identity. Students will tackle difficult primary texts in this tradition, with the goal of enhancing their own critical capacities to analyze political, social and economic life. We will read texts by Kant, Hegel, Marcuse, and Adorno. Note: Basic does not mean introductory. This is an advanced and rigorous course. Not recommended for students without former background in theory or philosophy. (PT) Back to Government Course List
494Honors Thesis Writing4 creditsMWF 2:30-4:25 Bensel, R. This seminar creates a structured environment in which the student will study research approaches and methods for each of the four fields within the political science discipline, fully conceptualize his or her honors thesis, and complete the first phase of the thesis research. Each member of the class will develop a thesis proposal, give an oral presentation in class about his or her research project, and write the first chapter of the thesis. Students are also strongly encouraged to study past honors theses, both within and outside his or her subfield. The seminar will also serve as a "capstone" course by exposing each student to specialized research from each of the fields within the political science discipline. This course satisfies the seminar requirement. Back to Government Course List
606Field Seminar in International Relations4 creditsM 7:00-9:00 Carlson, A. A general survey of the literature and propositions of the international relations field. Criteria are developed for judging theoretical propositions and are applied to the major findings. Participants will be expected to do extensive reading in the literature as well as research. Back to Government Course List
607Field Sem in Pol Thought4 creditsW 4:30-6:25 Kramnick, I A survey of the early modern political theory canon, emphasizing texts and writers from the Seventeeth and Eighteenth centuries. (PT) Back to Government Course List
616Politics Of Slow-Moving Crises4 creditsT 12:20-2:15 Jones-Correa, M An interdisciplinary seminar focusing on three interrelated 'slow-moving policy crises' - population growth/change (aging, immigration), water availability and global warming-to introduce the concepts sketched out above. Each of these areas involved a policy area where the need for policy coordination is clear but the pressures for coordination are often somewhat removed, since the consequences of policy action or inaction may be felt only years down the road. There may also be a segment of the course on planning for, and the response to, low probability, high-risk events like Hurricane Katrina (and/or terrorism). Back to Government Course List
629Contemporary American Politics4.0 creditsT 2:30-4:25 Shefter, M. This seminar analyzes some major changes in U.S. electoral and group politics in recent decades. Topics to be considered include: partisan realignment, the new conservatism, racial cleavages, "Identity politics," and democratic decline. Back to Government Course List
634New Life Sciences: Em'ing Tech4 creditsT 2:30-4:25 Hilgartner, S Today genetic engineering is a standard technology used in many laboratories throughout the world. However, since its development, genetic engineering has been a passionately debated technology, creating high hopes for some and deep anxieties for others. This course will trace the conflicts and power struggles over genetic engineering from its origins to the present. We will use genetic engineering as a case to discuss some crucial issues in the relationship between science, technology, and politics: the political shaping of modern biology; the relationship between eugenics and molecular biology; the regulation of risks; the state and modern biotechnology; university-industry relationships; agriculture and biotechnology; the rise of bioethics; social movements, Green parties and technology; the socioeconomic impacts of genetic engineering; the Third World and biotechnology. We will discuss how modern society deals with high risk/high impact technologies and explore the question of the adequacy of the political-legal framework of contemporary "risk-society." Back to Government Course List
635Field Seminar in Comparative Politics4 creditsM 10:10-1:10 Anderson, C This course provides an introduction to comparative politics, introducing students to classic works as well as major recent contributions to the field. Topics to be covered include the comparative method, democratic institutions, political culture, modernization theory, ethnicity, economic development and contentious politics. The course will require extensive reading and assignments will include several review papers. (CO) Back to Government Course List
639Political Participation4 creditsW 7:00-9:30 Martin, S This course is concerned with understanding how and under what conditions citizens seek to influence political elites through use, expansion, circumvention or subversion of existing channels of political participation. Cases from a variety of institutional contexts over time will be used to examine how mediating institutions diminish and/or exacerbate social inequalities in the exercise of political voice. We will consider how observations from other cultural contexts challenge dominant paradigms within American political science that shape how we think about political participation. Back to Government Course List
641Revitalizing the Labor Movement4 creditsM 7:00-10:00 Turner, L. Examines contemporary efforts in advanced industrial democracies to reform industrial relations. The first half of the course will examine contemporary industrial relations; reform efforts in the United States, including innovative organizing strategies; new calls for union militance; business strategies for a "union-free" environment; efforts at labor-management cooperation; and the report of the Dunlop Commission. The second half wil cover Britain--the Thatcher reforms of the 1980s and the current labor-backed works council movement; France---the Auroux Laws of the 1980s and their effects; and German7--the transformation of industrial relations in eastern Germany since 1989. Back to Government Course List
664Democratic Theory4 creditsT 2:30-4:25 Frank, J. In contemporary political contexts "democracy" is often invoked as the very ground of political legitimacy. There is very little agreement, however, on what democracy means or how it is best embodied in state institutions and law. This seminar will introduce students to select debates in contemporary democratic theory over the normative meaning of democracy and the limitations of contemporary democratic practice. Beginning with the work of Rousseau and ending with debates over "radical democracy," we will explore the following themes: How do democratic theorists and democratic actors negotiate the paradoxes of collective self-rule? What is the relationship between liberalism and democracy? Do rights suspend democracy or establish its preconditions? What are the best procedures for democratic decision-making? How does democracy deal with difference? Is democracy best understood as a form of government or a practice of resistance to domination? (PT) Back to Government Course List
669Modern Social Theory I4 creditsT 7:00-9:00 Buck-Morss, S. The topic for 2006 is "Political Vision." We will consider case studies in the politics of vision to break new ground, both in terms of the visual cultures we consider (not all modern, not all western), and the theoretical principles we develop. The seminar is imagined as an experimental workshop of political imagination. Back to Government Course List
689International Security4 creditsT 7:00-11:00p Katzenstein, P This course will examine a variety of international relations theories in studying a broad range of security issues, including the causes of war, alliance formation, balance-of-power politics, security regimes, nuclear and conventional deterrence, the democratic peace, military strategy, international terrorism, and domestic constraints on the use of force. We will use a variety of theoretical perspective to investigate these and other issues, paying particular attention to evaluating the theoretical arguments with both historical and systematic evidence. (IR) Back to Government Course List
699CPAS Weekly Colloquium1 creditsR 4:30-6:00 Lowi, T., et. al. Colloquium is the weekly seminar series hosted by the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA). It is also a required, one-credit course for al CIPA Fellows, and is graded S/U based on attendance. The colloquium series is a collaborative effort between the CIPA Colloquium Committee and the faculty and staff of CIPA. While each CIPA Fellow must exhibit competency in many different areas in order to graduate, it is impossible to gain full exposure to the variety of policy issues that students may be confronted with as a practicing policy professional. Thus, the weekly colloquium series is structured to provide students with an opportunity to augment their education in a breadth of policy areas. The administration and faculty of CIPA consider the CIPA Colloquium Series to be an essential aspect of professional development, and as such, attendance is expected of CIPA Fellows. Qualified undergraduates are encouraged to apply for seminars listed with 600 course numbers, but may only register with the permission of the instructor. Back to Government Course List
703Political Economy4 creditsT 10:10-12:05 Kirshner, J. "This course will undertake a general survey of the classical and modern theories of political economy. The works of Smith, Keynes, Shumpeter, and Hayek, among others, will be studied and placed within the context of the history and evolution of the thought, practice, and method of the field. Issues pertaining to the politics of macroeconomics and money will be of prominent (but not exclusive) interest in the course. (PT)" Back to Government Course List
728Government and Public Policy4 creditsTR 1:25-2:40 Lowi, T Government 428/728 concentrates on history and criticism of US policies and the politics associated with them. Particular attention given to the origins and character of the regulatory state and the welfare state. Back to Government Course List
731Political Ecology of Develop4 creditsT 4:30-6:30 Herring, R. This course introduces at a graduate level what we might call the political economy of nature, or "political ecology" in shorthand. It is explicitly comparative in scope. Political ecology is at the center of the continuing struggle -- at the level of meaning, politics and policy -- over "development." Much of the contest over forms and strategies of development concerns variable appropriation of benefits -- and distribution of costs -- of the conquest and transformation of nature. Central to these disputes is the contested role of markets, states and communities in driving outcomes. These matters will form the substantive core of the course. Theoretically we will be concerned with the causal connections between structures of social ecology and movements spawned within those structures -- that is, the problem of structure and agency -- and between political movements and state responses -- that is, policy. Back to Government Course List
760Theoretical Approaches to Ideology4 creditsT 10:10-12:05 Smith, A.M. Ideology is central to political theory and political science as a whole; indeed the term has been widely used to advance critical and self-reflexive discussions about the proper role of the social sciences in the lawmaking process. However, profound controversies revolve around the definition of "ideology," its location in the social, its relationship to the interests of dominant groups, the means by which it is circulated throughout diverse social sites, its ability to articulate/displace traditional modes of thought, and the processes by which it penetrates and re-constructs the worldviews of the dominated. We will lay the groundwork for the seminar by examining key texts on ideology by Marx. We will trace the multiple meanings of the term in his work and their various implications. Then we will explore various schools of ideological analysis, including post-colonial theory, feminist theories of bio-politics and imperialism, critical science studies’ paradigm theory, humanities-oriented discourse analysis, literary genre analysis, and psychoanalysis. Back to Government Course List
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