Department of Political Science

Please Note: The information given in the Course Atlas is subject to change.
For final schedule information, please refer to OPUS.

POLS 100: National Politics in the US [plus lab]
Abramowitz, TT 2:30-3:20, MAX: 120

Content: Introduction to American national government. Course will cover the constitutional framework of American government, the social and cultural context of American politics, as well as public opinion, parties, elections, interest groups, Congress, the presidency and the courts.

Texts: textbook, reader, and other selected readings on current political developments

Particulars:
Examinations: midterm and final
Papers: 8-10 page paper analyzing 2008 presidential election
Grading: midterm 25%, paper 25%, participation and attendance 10%, final 40%

POLS 110: Introduction to International Politics [with lab]
Taulbee, MW 8:30-9:20, MAX: 120

Content: The primary purpose of this course is to help the student understand the world politics of today and tomorrow. It will explain and develop the fundamental concepts and materials essential to an intelligent analysis of international political behavior. The course will focus first on what the condition of anarchy, defined as the absence of political rule, means for state behavior at the international level. The course will then address the strategies states use in coping with the consequences of anarchy in dealing with contemporary transnational problems.

Texts:
Rourke & Boyer, International Politics on the World Stage (Brief),2006.
Other readings on Electronic Reserve, Learnlink

Particulars:
Examinations: three - two one hour exams and a comprehensive final
Writing Assignments: 10 short (2 page) papers based upon the lecture topic for the week.
Grading:
First hour examination 15%
Second hour examination 20%
Final examination 35%
Discussion Sections/Writing 30%

Content: This course is an introduction to important concepts, themes, and approaches in the comparative study of politics. Students will gain an understanding of how politics is organized in different societies, how political institutions are the product of choices made by individuals in specific contexts, and how institutions interact with social and economic factors to produce policies and outcomes. The course is organized around questions that highlight interesting phenomena or puzzles that call for some kind of explanation. By examining some proposed answers to these questions, we will cover areas in which comparative research has been the most active. By the end of the semester, students will have obtained a broad perspective of the field and the opportunity to relate some of their own interests to existing concerns of other scholars.

Texts: TBA

Particulars:
Two in-class midterms (25% each), final exam (40%), and participation (10%).

POLS 190: Freshman Seminar
Topic Title: Conflict and Cooperation
Doner, TT 8:30-9:45, MAX: 15

[freshmen only]

Content: This course is about why and how individual people, firms, groups and/or countries sometimes manage to cooperate - to act in the collective's best interest - even when doing so is contrary to their short-term self-interest. We explore the problem of cooperation in numerous settings, e.g., "altruistic" behavior in various animal species. loyalty and betrayal among Mafioso, cooperation among political elites in response to popular upheavals, the willingness of (many) soldiers to risk their lives in battle, rebellion in concentration camps, participation in 1950s and 60s civil rights action in the face of grave danger, conflicts among different ethnic groups, corporate alliances and networks, intra-ethnic financial supports, and more.

Texts:
Peter Maas, Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia
Doug McAdam, Freedom Summer
Raghavendra Gadagkar, Survival Strategies: Cooperation and Conflict in American Societies
Primo Levi, The Drowned and the Saved
Christopher R. Browning, Ordinary men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland
James M. McPherson, For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War
Robert Axelrod, The Evolution of Cooperation

Particulars:
Grading: group project 55%, mid-term exam 15%, class participation 30%

POLS 190: Freshman Seminar
Topic Title: Postcommunism and Everyday Life
Tworzecki, Th 4-6, MAX: 15

[freshmen only]

Content: Communism may seem like something that happened long ago and far away, the stuff of grainy newsreels and chapters in history texts: images of parades, steel mills and prison camps that may be twenty, but might as well be fifty or a hundred years old. This era is so far removed from our everyday experience that it may be difficult to believe that it happened at all. At the same time, our television screens are filled with daily accounts of economic hardships, rampant crime, ethnic violence and political demagoguery that appear to prevail in the post-communist world. This course will seek to bridge the gap between the almost fictional quality of pre-1989 communism and its real, present-day consequences for the lives of ordinary people. It will explore the nature of communist and post-communist politics by combining seminar discussions with weekly screenings of full-length, non-documentary films. In doing so, it will bring into sharp focus the types of choices, dilemmas and commitments that were part of everyday life in communist systems and which continue to shape the mind sets of many individuals to this day.

Texts: TBA

Particulars:
Papers: one 10-12 page paper
Grading: in-class presentations 50%, paper 30%, participation 20%

POLS 301: Classical Political Thought
Bartlett, TT 2:30-3:45, MAX: 45

Content: This course will serve as an introduction to the most famous political philosopher of antiquity, Socrates of Athens. We will begin with his controversial attempt to educate, the ward of the great statesman Pericles and, in quick succession, Athenian general, master strategist--and notorious traitor. We will then turn to consider the education concerning justice that Alcibiades evidently never received, and we will attempt to learn for ourselves, from Socrates, that elusive teaching at the heart of Socratic political philosophy.

Texts: Plato, Alcibiades I; Alcibiades II; Protagoras; Symposium (selection); Republic.

Particulars:
3 essays, weekly quizzes, attendance and participation, final examination

POLS 302: Modern Political Thought
Shapiro, TT 1:00-2:15, MAX: 45

Content: A study of primary sources of the great thinkers of modern political thought, from Machiavelli to Nietzsche.

Particulars:
Quizzes on each author and a final examination will be the basis of the grade.

Content: This course introduces students to the style of analytical thinking involved in the conduct of political science research. It covers experimental and observational research designs, case selection and simple sampling techniques, and measurement of theoretical concepts. It also covers basic statistical procedures for describing and analyzing quantitative data. The course applies these techniques to analyze numerous political examples. Students will learn some basic statistical computing skills, which the instructor will demonstrate in class and which students will use for some homework and a paper assignment. (The instructor will hold an optional Friday lab session, at the regular course time, at various points during the semester; students are advised to keep this part of their schedule free to allow them to attend such sessions if needed.)

Texts:

Particulars:
Midterm exam
Final exam
Homework assignments
Research paper analyzing political data provided by instructor

Content: This course offers a survey of international law: the body of formal rules generally considered by states to constitute legal rights and duties in their relations with each other. The study of these rules will be preceded by consideration of the nature and purpose of international law, its sources, strengths and weaknesses and the manner of its growth through judicial interpretation and legislative formulation.

Texts:
Gerhard Von Glahn and James Larry Taulbee, Law Among Nations (8th edition)

Particulars:
Examinations: Two one hour examinations and a comprehensive final. The first hour examination will be essay in format. The second examination and the final, will consist of hypothetical problems.

Writing Assignments:Two assignments based upon extended hypothetical problems.

Grading:
2 hour examinations (15% each) 30%
2 writing assignments (20% each) 40%
Comprehensive Final 30%

Content: This course introduces students to global human rights. The topics that will be covered in the first half of the course include; the normative and philosophical foundations of human rights, their codification in international law and institutions, the roles of a variety of actors in furthering human rights, U.S. foreign policy and human rights, and international accountability for human rights violations. The second half of the course will examine specific human rights issue areas such as genocide, women’s rights and the environment

Texts: TBA

Particulars:
Quizzes (20%), Group Policy Memo (20%), Analytical Essay (30%), Final (30%)

Content: This course examines the politics of globalization of the world economy, focusing on political problems in international trade, investment, and finance. Topics include commercial rivalry among great powers, the integration of developing countries into the global economy, the rise and role of multinational corporations, the trend toward economic regionalism, management of the world financial system, coping with regional economic crises, the role of international economic institutions like the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund, and more.

Texts:
Thomas Oatley, International Political Economy: Interests and Institutions in the Global Economy (New York: Pearson Longman, 2004).

Particulars:
Exams: midterm exam, final exam
Paper: research paper

POLS 326: Western European Politics
Palazzolo, MWF 8:30-9:20, MAX: 30

Content: This course on West European politics is meant to provide a more thematic and theoretical approach to the study and analysis of West European politics, rather than an in-depth exploration of specific countries. Country examples and cases will be incorporated throughout the course as means of more substantive illustrations of political concepts. Topics under consideration will include electoral and party systems, executive power, territorial representation, and state-society relations. We will also focus on recent social and political developments in Western Europe, including immigration, globalization, regionalism, and the development of the European Union. Although this class focuses on West European politics, we will devote a class session or two to the post-communist countries of Eastern and Central Europe with a specific focus on the institutional dynamics and developments that have characterized their democratic transformation.

Content: Survey of major theories of revolution and in-depth analysis of Mexican, Nicaraguan and Cuban cases.

Texts:
R. Ruiz, The Great Rebellion
J. Goldstone, ed., Revolutions
E. Selbin, Modern Latin American Revolutions

Particulars:
Examinations: midterm and final
Papers: one 15-17 page research paper
Grading: midterm 30%, final 40%, paper 30%

POLS 348: American Elections and Voting
Abramowitz, TT 10:00-11:15, MAX: 40

Content: An examination of the contemporary electoral process in the US with comparisons to other industrial democracies. Topics covered include the US party and electoral systems, primaries and nominations, voter turnout, partisanship and ideology in the electorate, political campaigns, issue voting and electoral reform.

Texts:
Abramowitz, Voice of the People
Dalton, Citizen Politics
Other readings TBA.

Particulars:
Examinations: midterm, final
Papers: 15 page paper analyzing parties and elections in the student's home state
Grading: midterm 25%, paper 40%, final 25%, participation 10%

POLS 351: The Supreme Court
Blackstone, MWF 2:00-2:50, MAX: 45

Content: This course focuses on the institutional history, processes and behaviors associated with the United States Supreme Court. It is NOT a constitutional law course and cases will only be treated to illustrate points. Attention will be given to the causes and consequences of shifts in the jurisdiction of the court over-time, changes in the structure (e.g. size) of the court and the selection of justices. We will pay particular attention to the structures for the processing of cases (including certiorari decisions and oral argument), the relationships between the Supreme Court and other actors/groups (including the Solicitor General, legal lobbyists, and the Supreme Court Bar), and theories concerning the factors influencing the decision-making of judges.

Texts:
William H. Rehnquist, The Supreme Court: A New Edition of the Chief Justice's Classic History
Lee Epstein and Jack Knight, The Choices Justices Make

Particulars: TBA

POLS 353: Civil Liberties
Walker, TT 8:30-9:45, MAX: 45

Content: A study of the portions of the United States Constitution protecting civil liberties and civil rights as interpreted by the United States Supreme Court. Topics include: freedom of religion, freedom of speech and press, obscenity and libel, privacy rights, the right to keep and bear arms, and unconstitutional forms of discrimination. Readings include opinions from Supreme Court decisions and constitutional commentary.

Text:
Lee Epstein and Thomas G. Walker, Constitutional Law for a Changing America: Rights, Liberties and Justice 6th edition (Washington: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2007).

Particulars:
Lecture and discussion format. 2-3 examinations. Class participation required.

POLS 354: Criminal Justice
Walker, TT 1:00-2:15, MAX: 45

Content: An examination of the criminal justice process in the United States and the constitutional rights extended to the criminally accused.

Texts:
Lloyd Weinreb, Leading Constitutional Cases on Criminal Justice
Vincent Bugliosi, Helter Skelter

Particulars:
Examinations - 2-3 exams

POLS 366: Southern Politics
Black, MW 2:00-3:15, MAX: 45

Content: The politics of the modern South, with special emphasis on the growth of middle class society, the impact of the civil rights movement, the transformation of the southern electorate, and two-party competition between Democrats and Republicans.

Texts:
Earl Black and Merle Black, Politics and Society In The South
Earl Black and Merle Black, The Rise of Southern Republicans
Earl Black and Merle Black, Divided America: The Ferocious Power Struggle in American Politics

POLS 370BWR: Planning Community Initiatives
Instructor TBA, TT 2:30-3:45 with (occasional) lab Th 4:00-5:15
MAX: 12

Content: This course provides Community Building and Social Change Fellows with the basic skills needed to undertake collaborative community building projects and work successfully with communities. Activities, exercises, and readings help students develop the people skills and the technical competencies necessary for becoming an effective community builder. The people skills we will cover include teamwork, interpersonal communications, conflict management, meeting facilitation, effective presentation styles, and writing for multiple audiences. On the technical side, we will cover strategic planning, project management, needs assessment, community asset mapping, program evaluation, and best practices research. We will also explore strategies for gathering and analyzing community data and conducting urban field research, considering census and administrative data, surveys, focus groups, and informational interviews. A variety of computing applications also will be introduced, including spreadsheets, databases, geographic information systems (GIS or computer mapping), and presentation graphics. The goal for the course is to ensure that students enter the summer practicum with a basic understanding of (and sensitivity to) the dynamics of urban communities, an appreciation for the complexity of fostering social change, and some practical skills for working effectively in the real world.

Texts:
Eugene Bardach, A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis
Michael Mintrom, People Skills for Policy Analysts
Randy Stoecker, Research Methods for Community Change
Jarol B. Manheim, Richard C. Rich, and Lars Willnat, Empirical Political Analysis

Particulars:
Grading will be based on several short research papers, class presentations and participation, a group-developed project proposal/work plan, and a final examination.

Content: This course examines war as a political phenomenon, the result of conscious decisions by political leaders aimed at particular goals. In other words, war is politics, not a failure of politics. To that end, we focus on explaining war scientifically, examining its nature, causes, and consequences in order to build a useful, practical base of knowledge for understanding both ongoing and future international conflicts. Thus, this is not a class about American foreign policy, although students will walk away from this course with a broad set of tools for thinking intelligently about foreign policy in the future.

After establishing a definition of war for the purposes of the course, we go on to ask and answer a variety of questions, such as "What are the causes of war?'", "How and why do wars end?", "How can international organizations like the UN affect the occurrence of war?'", and "How effective is diplomacy in avoiding war?" More broadly, we examine the political conditions and decisions that can lead both to the occurrence and the avoidance of war. Each session will take up a specific question that follows this general outline, and we will examine potential answers in light of both historical and contemporary evidence.

Text:
Blainey, Geoffrey. 1988. The Causes of War, 3rd Edition.
Howard, Michael. 2002. Clausewitz: A Very Short Introduction.

Content: Welcome to the world of political musicology. From Beethoven to the Beatles, and Mozart to Madonna, politics and music have intermixed. Now with the rise of the Internet, new musical styles, and an increasingly global culture, music has become a crucial means of transmitting political messages. This course examines the role of music as a new and powerful mediating influence on the conveyance of political information, and students will examine the potential of music to be used as a tool of political transformation and socialization for large groups in contemporary society. This course will cover a wide range of political content - including nationalistic/patriotic music, various styles of political and social protest music, as well as social identity music. Artists/composers will be drawn from the classical period to current hits, with modern genres spanning the range from Gangsta Rap (unedited versions!) to contemporary Pop. Class presentations will include numerous relevant video and musical selections. This is politics with a groove. Be there or be square! Check out the syllabus and other course materials at www.courtneybrown.com. (Click on "Student Area (Emory)" in the navigation menu.)

Text: TBA

Particulars:
Examinations–Three
Papers – one optional paper

POLS 385: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Political Economy of Development
Doner, TT 2:30-3:45, MAX: 25

[same as ASIA 370]

Content: The challenge for developing counties is no longer whether to participate in the global economy but how to do so in a way that provides for sustainable and equitable growth. This class focuses on the political factors influencing economic development with an eye to the following two questions: How do countries reconcile national autonomy, sustainability and equity on the one hand, with engagement with foreign firms and markets on the other? How do we explain why some countries and regions have done better than others in taking advantage of the opportunities provided by the global economy? The course begins with a discussion of different concepts of development and of globalization, especially with regard to specific economic sectors. After examining contending explanations for what one economist has termed the surprising “divergence, big time” in economic growth rates among countries, the course proposes an explicitly political approach. The rest of the course (around two thirds) uses this approach as a lens through which to examine specific development issues. These will include, for example, 1) industrial development, 2) agricultural development; 3) education/training, 4) health issues, such as HIV/AIDS. The course should be of interest not only to political science students, but also majors in econ, anthropology, sociology, and business. More than half of the course’s empirical material will be drawn from Asian cases.

Content: This course analyzes the political and economic developments in South Asia, particularly in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, over the past 50 years from a historical, political institutional, and policy perspective. Possessing 20 percent of the world's population, this region will play an increasingly important role in international affairs in the future.

Texts:

Particulars:

POLS 385: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Political Economy of African Development
Streeb, TT 11:30-12:45, MAX: 35

Content: A discussion of development in Sub-Saharan Africa frequently begins with the question: “Why has Africa fallen behind?” Too often the critics of African development fail to address equally valid questions such as: “Which other regions in the world suffered the ravages of the slave trade?” or, “chaffed under colonial rule well into the 20 th Century?” or, “witnessed their natural resources extracted by the developed powers?” This course will seek to address these and other questions regarding development in Sub-Saharan Africa by examining the ways in which African economies have evolved from their colonial legacy -- only to be buffeted again by the Cold War. While Africa’s current situation cannot be properly understood outside the historical perspective, most of the semester will be devoted to contemporary issues in Africa (HIV/AIDS, growth of cities, education reforms, drought, democratic governance). The basic question: “Why are some countries succeeding and others failing?” will be addressed through the study of the experience of selected countries with differing colonial legacies and representative of the several geographic/political regions of Africa. The instructor will provide practical examples from his thirty years of experience in the Foreign Service, which included tours in Mexico, India, and the United Nations and as ambassador to Zambia. In addition he served ten years at The Carter Center as the first director of the Global Development Initiative and then as director of peace programs whose extensive portfolio of programs throughout Sub-Saharan Africa covered health, participatory development, elections, conflict resolution and human rights.

Texts:
Nnadozie, African Economic Development
Moss, African Development: Making Sense of the Issues and Actors
Additional readings on particular topics will also be assigned; contemporary issues will be introduced throughout the semester through access to African media (e.g., the web site allAfrica.com) and recent documentaries on Africa.

Particulars:
Grading: Two exams (20% each), Final Exam (30%), 10-page term paper (20%) and attendance and classroom participation (10%)

POLS 385: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: US-China Relations
Bullock, TT 10:00-11:15, MAX: 35

Content: This course will examine US-China relations from the American Revolution to the lead-up to the 2008 Olympics. While the course will focus on the period since President Nixon's opening to China, it will include attention to earlier political, economic and social antecedents, especially the complex World War II, Civil War and Korean War period. Cultural relationships as well as traditional diplomatic and economic trends will be explored. The different roles of Congress, the Executive branch and corporate America in making China policy will be examined. The course will conclude by examining the major strategic, economic, technological and political challenges being encountered by China's rise to great power status.

Texts:
Michael Hunt, The Making of a Special Relationship: The United States and China to 1914 (paper, 1983)
Warren I. Cohen, America's Response to China: A History of Sino-American Relations ( Fourth edition, Paper, 2000)
James Mann, About Face: A History of America's Curious Relationship with China, from Nixon to Clinton (paper, 2000)
Multiple articles and chapters of books will also be assigned

Particulars:
This course will include a mid-term and a final, several short written and oral assignments and a 10-12 page research paper. Students will have the opportunity to use Jimmy Carter's Presidential Archives for their research paper.

POLS 385WR: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: New Black Political Leadership
Gillespie, TT 1:00-2:15, MAX: 35

[Same as AAS 385WR]

Content: Is there a crisis or dearth of political leadership in the African American community? Who are the up-and-coming leaders in African American politics, and how are they ascending to national prominence? What is the implication of the ascent of these "leaders" for the advancement of African American political interests? In this course, students will examine contemporary African American politics to determine whether and how the new generation of African American leaders, (i.e. Barack Obama and Harold Ford, etc.) promote an African American agenda in a post-civil rights, multi-cultural environment. Students will apply their knowledge to an in-depth research project which probes the relationship between the leadership styles of individual African American politicians or political groups and the substantive representation that these leaders provide on important policy issues.

Texts: TBA

Particulars:
Weekly papers and a final 20 page paper on a contemporary African American leader

POLS 385WR: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Nuclear Weapons
Reiter, TT 2:30-3:45, MAX: 25

Content: This course analyzes nuclear weapons from historical, political, scientific, and policy perspectives. The course covers topics such as the science behind nuclear weapons; conventional bombing in World War II; the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the Cold War, including the Cuban Missile Crisis; theoretical issues connecting nuclear weapons and the causes of war; nuclear terrorism; nuclear proliferation (the spread of nuclear weapons to other countries); non-proliferation policy; the Bush doctrine of preventive/preemptive war. This course fulfills the Emory College writing requirement.

Texts: In addition to assigned readings from a variety of sources we will read:
Scott Sagan and Kenneth Waltz, The Spread of Nuclear Weapons

Particulars:
Examinations- Midterm, final exam.
Grading - Papers, midterm, final exam, class participation.
Prerequisites - POLS 110 is recommended

POLS 385WR: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: International Environmental Policy
Yandle, TT 10:00-11:15, MAX: 10

[same as ENVS 377WR]

Content: An advanced course designed to introduce students to the complexity of policy problems surrounding international environmental issues. We begin with the difference between national and international policy issues, and why international environmental issues present unique challenges. The class will then address the fragility of international environmental institutions and the history of this topic. The second half of the course will focus on specific policy problems such as: free trade, sustainable development, population growth, climate change, and endangered species. Students will also develop an expertise in the positions and problems of one nation outside the US.

Text:
The Global Environment, Axelrod, Down & Vig, CQ Press.

Particulars:
Prerequisite: ENVS 131, 132, or POLS 110 or permission of instructor.

POLS 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Politics in Biographies and Novels
Black, Tu 1-4, MAX: 12

[Junior and senior majors and graduate students only]

Content: This seminar studies politics through the careful reading of biographies and novels. We shall examine the search for power and the exercise of power in a variety of contexts.

Texts:
Robert Caro, The Path to Power
David Hackett Fischer, Paul Revere’s Ride
Thomas Flanagan, The Year of the French
Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent
John Le Carre, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Richard Fenno, Jr., Politics at the Grassroots

Particulars:
Mid-term exam; 10 page paper; final exam

POLS 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Judicial Politics
Staton, TT 10:00-11:15, MAX: 12

[Junior and senior majors and graduate students only]

Content: The judiciary is often conceptualized as a key tool for simultaneously energizing and constraining the state. In this course, we will consider this general claim by examining the extent to which political incentives within the judiciary undermine or reinforce its ability to energize and control the state. General topics of inquiry include the construction of judicial independence and legitimacy, decision-making on a collegial court, and judicial policy making. We will also consider the consequences of developing an effective judiciary for civil and human rights and economic development.

Texts: TBA

Particulars: TBA

POLS 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Gender, Islam and Politics
Wickham, Th 1-4, MAX: 12

[Junior and senior majors and graduate students only]

Content: This seminar examines the rights and status of women in contemporary Muslim societies, as well as recent and past initiatives to advance them. The seminar will consider how Western social scientists -- including some with an explicit feminist agenda -- define the issues facing Muslim women today, but special attention will be paid to the diverse perspectives and strategies of action which have been adopted by Muslim women themselves. To what extent are the challenges facing Muslim women akin to those confronting women elsewhere in the developing world, and/or in the industrialized societies of the West, and to what extent are they inflected by local history and culture? How and why have post-colonial states advanced gender equality in some instances, and tolerated -- or actively reinforced -- gender discrimination in others? Are the beliefs and traditions of Islam a source of women's oppression, and/or a resource which can be enlisted for women's empowerment? How do the rights and status of Muslim women vary by ethnicity, social class, age and education, and what are the implications of such differences for campaigns to enhance women's rights in general? Finally, how -- if at all -- can and should international women's rights activists and NGOs intervene in efforts to advance women's rights in Muslim societies? Analysis of these issues will be woven with discussion of case study material from Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Palestine, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran.

Texts: TBA

Particulars: TBA

POLS 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Identities, Organizations and Political Action
Tworzecki, Tu 4:00-7:00, MAX: 12

[Junior and senior majors and graduate students only]

Content: This senior seminar inquires about the relationship among individual and collective identities, forms of political organization (such as parties, interest groups or social movements), and their impact on political action. What individual and collective identities do people have? What are the origins of these identities, and how consistent and stable are they? What is the relationship between individual and collective identities? To what extent do collective identities facilitate or obstruct the formation of political organizations such as parties and interest groups? How do identities affect the ability of political organizations to act cohesively, and how do these organizations, in turn, affect mass political action and the performance of governments? These questions will be examined by comparing the experience of the advanced industrial democracies of Western Europe and the emerging democracies of post-communist Eastern Europe.

Texts: TBA

Particulars:
Grading: Short Papers: 30%, Seminar Presentations and Participation in Discussions: 30%, Research Paper: 40%

POLS 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Political Communication: Comparative and International Contexts
Semetko, Tu 1-4, MAX: 12

[Junior and senior majors and graduate students only]

Content: This seminar examines major concepts in political communication researchagenda-setting, priming and framingin the contexts of developments in political and media systems around the world. Political communication in elections and referendum campaigns, in times of war and crisis, and in different national and supranational contexts is discussed. Korea, Europe and the U.S. provide contexts for cross-national comparison. Students will conduct original research using international news and information sources and present their findings in the seminar. This course may include a travel component. Students may be required to hold a passport that is valid for at least six months after March 2008, have the ability to travel over the spring break possibly departing the Friday before the break, and have the ability to cover one’s own meal expenses while abroad.

Texts:

Particulars:
Grading is based on class participation; one research paper and the presentation of that paper to the class; and two take-home exams, one at mid-term and one near the end of the term.

POLS 490WR: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Plato and the Challenge of Relativism
Bartlett, M 1-4, MAX: 10

[Junior and senior majors and graduate students only]

[same as PHIL 480WR]

Content: The philosophic doctrine known as "relativism" is at once very controversial and extremely powerful. The advocates or at least teachers of "relativism" include Nietzsche and Heidegger, among the most important thinkers of modern times, and "relativism" is presupposed by much of post-modernism. Yet the roots of "relativism" extend to classical antiquity, and in this course we will attempt to uncover those roots by examining line-by-line Plato's two-fold presentation of the teaching of Protagoras, the most famous sophist in antiquity. In the dialogue named after him, Protagoras cautiously presents the elements of what might be called his moral teaching; in the Theaetetus, Socrates himself conjures up the now-dead Protagoras so as to present the core of the sophist's complex theoretical position. Together the two dialogues permit us to grapple with a most serious version of "relativism," as radical as it is challenging.

Texts:
Plato, Protagoras; Theaetetus.
Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind

Particulars:
3 papers

POLS 490WR: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Gender, Race and Political Representation
Reingold, TT 10:00-11:15, MAX: 7

[Junior and senior majors and graduate students only]

[same as WS 475WR]

Content: Why are there so few women (of any race) or people of color (male or female) in public office? How have candidates’ race and gender affected their chances of obtaining public office? What difference does the election of more women and people of color really make? Would it mean that women and people of color are better represented? What does it mean to represent women and/or people of color? This course will address these questions from the perspective of legislative politics in the United States, at both the national and state levels. We will begin with a theoretical or philosophical examination of the meaning and value of political representation. Then we will explore the research on the politics of race, gender, and representation as it relates to: candidate recruitment, elections, legislative behavior, the policymaking process, and civic engagement.

Texts:
Possible texts include:
David Canon, Race, Redistricting, and Representation
Kathleen Dolan, Voting for Women
David Lublin, The Paradox of Representation
Beth Reingold, Representing Women: Sex, Gender, and Legislative Behavior in Arizona and California Katherine Tate, Black Faces in the Mirror: African Americans and Their Representatives in the U.S. Congress
Melissa Williams, Voice, Trust, and Memory: Marginalized Groups and the Failings of Liberal Representation
Numerous articles and essays.

Particulars:
This is a writing intensive, advanced seminar for juniors and seniors. Thus, all students are required to conduct a significant amount of independent research, write a good number of papers of varying length and style, and participate in class discussions on a regular basis and in an informed and constructive fashion. Reading the required course materials thoroughly and carefully is key to achieving all these goals.

POLS 490WR: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Modeling Social Phenomena
Brown, TT 1:00-2:15, MAX: 8

[Junior and senior majors and graduate students only]

Content: This advanced seminar satisfies the post-Freshman writing requirement of the GERs, and it is designed for juniors and seniors who seek an introduction to theory construction and dynamic modeling in the social sciences. The course content covers a range of theory-driven and easy-to-use tools that are used to construct mathematical models that are relevant to a wide range of important applications in fields such as political science, international studies and development, public health, public policy, economics, business, the environment, and even law. High school algebra is all that is required to begin. (Honest!) This course is also useful for honors students who desire to develop a theory about society for their final thesis paper. Check out the syllabus and other course materials at www.courtneybrown.com. Click on "Student Area (Emory)" in the navigation menu.]

Texts: TBA

Particulars:
10% Attendance (Three absences are permitted without penalty.)
60% Writing assignments (Regular shorter assignments, plus a writing requirement longer paper)
30% Class participation (students will make presentations to the class)

POLS 490WR: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Contemporary Issues in Israeli Politics
Shultziner, M 2-4, MAX: 4

[Junior and senior majors and graduate students only]

[same as HIST 489WR]

Content: This colloquium looks at developments in Israeli politics, society and constitutional arrangements from the 1990s until present day. The main topics that will be covered in the course are the changing agenda and nature of the Israeli politics, the role of the Israeli Supreme Court in shaping political realities, new dimensions of political extremism, gender politics, and interest groups. A relevant historic review about each topic will precede each topic and will provide understanding of Israeli politics, society and law along specific topics. No previous knowledge of Israel is required.

Selected Reading:
Gershon Shafir and Yoav Peled. 2002. Being Israeli. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Shultziner, Doron. 2006. “A Jewish Conception of Human Dignity: Philosophy and its Ethical Implications on Israeli Supreme Court Decisions” Journal of Religious Ethics 34(4): 663-683.
Inbari, Motti. 2007.Religious Zionism and the Temple Mount Dilemma - Key Trends.
Israel Studies 12(2): 29-47.
Zalmanovitch, Yair. 1998. Transitions in Israel's Policymaking Network. The Annals of the American Academy 555: 193-208.

Particulars:
Active participation, presentations, and a seminar paper.