Department of Political Science

Particulars:
Grading is based on the following factors
80% Writing assignments and oral presentations
20% Attendance

POLS 308: Political Science Methods [with lab]
Reinhardt, MW(F) 2:00-3:15, MAX: 90

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 satisfies the post-freshman GER writing requirement by focusing on scientific writing. Students are introduced to quantitative methods as they are employed in the social sciences. The course is designed to be particularly useful to thesis writers, undergraduates who may wish to pursue graduate study in political science, pre-law students who desire the capability to understand statistical matters relevant to court cases, students going into public health careers or other graduate schools, and undergraduates in general who seek a working knowledge of common statistical approaches to data analysis. Here we examine descriptive statistics, frequency tables, regression, and logistic regression, all using real data sets. There is a final paper, and students will submit various drafts of this paper during the semester so that that the instructor can offer feedback to the writing process. You can check out the syllabus at www.courtneybrown.com (to be updated before the beginning of the term).

Particulars:
The grades are determined as follows:
20% Attendance (Two absences are permitted without penalty.)
20% Weekly writing assignments
20% Final Paper
20% Midterm Exam
20% Final Exam

Content: This course will consider the roots of global conflict and the various means that actors try to resolve their disputes. A large component of the course will be focused on understanding the theories behind war initiation and termination, paying special attention to how states interact with each other strategically. We will also rely on in-depth case studies of historical conflicts and group simulations of present conflicts.

Particulars:
2 Midterms (20% each)
Simulation paper (20%)
Final (30%)
Participation (10%)

Content: The purpose of this course is to provide students with historical background and theoretical tools that will allow them to understand and analyze U.S. foreign policy decision making. It will directly address the following questions: (1) What are the major goals of American foreign policy? (2) What are the primary means used to achieve US foreign policy goals? (3) What domestic and international actors influence U.S. foreign policy? (4) How can the U.S. best achieve its foreign policy goals in the future? The first part of the course will provide an overview of the history of U.S. foreign policy with notable emphasis on the Cold War period. The second part of the course will examine contemporary foreign policy issues. Student debates will play an integral role in explaining the history and opposing viewpoints of each side of these issues.

Particulars:
2 Midterm Exams (20% each)
Final Exam (30%)
Debate (25%)
Participation (5%)

Content: This is an introductory course on the politics and governments of Eastern Europe. It assumes no prior knowledge of the region, but students are expected to have some background in political science (for example, POLS 110 or 120). The course is structured chronologically, with emphasis on the democratization processes initiated in 1989. Both domestic politics (institution-building, parties and ideologies, economic transformation) and trans-national issues (European integration, migration, security) will be discussed. The geographic focus will be mainly on East-Central Europe (Poland,
Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary) and the Balkans (Bulgaria, Romania, Albania and former Yugoslavia).

Texts: TBA

Particulars:
Examinations: midterm and final
Papers: one 15 page research paper
Grading: midterm 20%, research paper 30%, final exam 30%, participation 20%
Suggested Prerequisites: POLS 110 (Intro to International Relations) or POLS 120 (Intro to Comparative Politics)

POLS 331: Latin American Politics
del Aguila, MWF 10:40-11:30, MAX: 35

Content: This course offers a broad interpretation of Latin American politics and government from developmental and cultural perspectives. Significant issues shaping contemporary politics will also be discussed, namely democratization, neoliberal economic models, human rights and the tension between militarism and democratic legitimacy.

Texts:
Charles Blake, Politics in Latin America (2005)
Thomas Skidmore and Peter Smith, Modern Latin America, 6th edition (2005)

Particulars:
Examinations - midterm and final
Papers - one 15-17 page research paper
Grading - midterm 30%, final 40%, paper 30%
Prerequisites-Some background in comparative politics or Latin American Studies is useful.

Content: This course offers a broad introduction to the relationship between Islam and politics in 20th century

Iran

, the Middle East and North Africa. Major themes include: the historical development of Shari'a (Islamic law) and Islamic political thought; "establishment" Islam and state power; regime policies toward Islamic opposition movements and parties; Islamist discourses on patriarchy and gender; the ideology and organization of militant Islamic groups; and the rise of a "liberal" Islamism which privileges ideas of democracy and human rights. Competing explanations for the revival of Islam in the 1970's and 1980's will be evaluated and recent developments in five countries--Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan and Morocco--will be examined in depth.

Particulars:
Examinations: mid-term and final
Papers: 8-10 page analytic essay
Grading-mid-term 25%, paper 25%, Final Exam 35%, Class Participation 15%

[same as AAS 346]

Content: Students will study the origins and evolution of the study of African American politics, comparing and contrasting it with the study of American politics generally, and discerning the unique contribution that studies of African American politics have made to our understanding of the American political system. Topics to be covered include (but are not limited to) comparisons between African American and white ethnic politics, African Americans and federalism, electoral politics, political participation, representation inter-group competition, group consciousness, and secondary marginalization.

Texts:

Particulars:

POLS 347: The South in National Politics
Black, MW 2:00-3:15, MAX: 45

Content: This course analyzes Republican and Democratic efforts in the South to gain control of the White House and Congress during the last half-century. It also compares partisan politics in the South with partisan trends in other regions of the nation.

Texts:
Earl Black and Merle Black, Divided America
Earl Black and Merle Black, The Rise of Southern Republicans
Earl Black and Merle Black, Politics and Society in the South
Richard Fenno, Politics at the Grassroots

POLS 352: Constitutional Law
Walker, TT 8:30-9:45, MAX: 45

Content: A study of the non-civil liberties sections of the United States Constitution as interpreted by the U. S. Supreme Court. Topics include: the separation of powers; federalism; the government's authority to regulate commerce, to tax and to spend; substantive due process, the impairment of contract obligations; and the taking of private property for a public purpose.

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

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

Open to all students with written permission of instructor.
Prerequisite for admission to the Community Building and Social Change Fellows Program.

Content: This course overviews the history, development, and activities of the community building movement in the United States. Specifically, it examines the contemporary use of cross-sector collaboration to address complex public problems that sap the vitality, deplete the resources, or stymie the improvement of urban communities at all levels (e.g., neighborhoods, cities, suburbs, metropolitan regions). All across the country, this kind of collaboration among organizations in the business, government, nonprofit, civic, and faith-based sectors is transforming neighborhoods, cities, and entire metro regions. Collaborative, cross-sector, community-based problem solving is being used to increase the availability of affordable housing, promote school reform, expand access to health care, encourage sustainable development, promote economic self-sufficiency for all, decrease the devastation of poverty and more.

The course explores the challenges and opportunities for cross-sector collaboration as a tool for attaining important public purposes. It also considers the processes through which “community builders” attempt to foster social change. The course and its assignments have five primary goals: (1) introduce students to the principles that support community building as an approach to addressing important public problems in metropolitan communities; (2) provide students with a set of analytic perspectives for examining important public problems and fostering social change; (3) assist students in identifying the interconnections among demography, culture, economy, and polity, and the global, national, state, regional, and neighborhood forces affecting metropolitan communities; (4) lay a foundation for students to engage in critique, introspection, and reflection about the need and means of community building and social change; and (5) prepare prospective Community Building and Social Change Fellows to recognize, understand, and contribute to the eventual resolution of real world issues in metropolitan communities.

Texts:
Medoff and Sklar, Streets of Hope: The Fall and Rise of an Urban Neighborhood
Kingsley, McNeely, and Gibson, Community Building Coming of Age
Fosler, Working Better Together: How Government, Business, and Nonprofit Organizations can Achieve Public Purposes through Cross-Sector Collaboration
Selected book chapters, articles, and reports

Particulars:
Two examinations, a team-based reflection paper, and a final synthetic essay

Texts:
Kenneth Lieberthal, Governing China: From Revolution Through Reform, 2nd edition
Peter Hays Gries, China’s New Nationalism: Pride, Politics and Diplomacy
Elizabeth J. Perry and Mark Selden, eds., Chinese Society: Change, Conflict, and Resistance, 2nd edition
Additional readings will be on electronic reserve
One or more documentary videos will also be assigned

Particulars:
This course will include lectures and active class discussion. In addition to a mid-term and final exam there will be several short writing assignments and responsibility for a class-led discussion.

POLS 385: Special Topics: Political Science

Topic Title: Politics of Health and Education
Doner, TT 2:30-3:45, MAX: 45

Content: This course examines the politics of selected educational and health issues in comparative and international perspectives. By "politics" we mean the ways in which ideas, institutions and interests influence the formulation and implementation of policy. The first section of the course is devoted to developing a general framework applicable to these issues. It addresses core questions about the role of markets, problems of collective action, and the international community.

The second and third sections are composed of issue modules. The second section focuses on selected health issues, tentatively including: multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, global road safety, political influences on science policy, and the nursing shortage. The last section focuses on selected educational issues, tentatively including: technical/vocational training and the challenge of agricultural extension. The course will involve presentations by scholars and practitioners from agencies such as CARE, CDC, and the Task Force for Child Survival. Students will be responsible for developing an individual project drawing on resources in Emory and the greater Atlanta community, and presenting their findings to their peers throughout the semester.

Texts:
TBA

Particulars:
TBA

POLS 385: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Dictatorship and Development
Gandhi, TT 10:00-11:15, MAX: 35

Content:This course offers a thematic introduction to the politics of economic development in dictatorships. The first weeks are occupied with the conceptual building blocks necessary for the rest of the course: identifying what is economic development, how markets require states, and why state intervention in the economy is tricky. In the second part of the course, we examine why dictatorships on average are poorer than democracies. Our task will be to evaluate the arguments and evidence about the lack of accountability, of stability, and of deliberation in dictatorships that contribute to their poverty. In the third part of the course, we attempt to understand the variation in economic performance among dictatorships by analyzing how these regimes use ideology, coercion, and institutions in achieving their goals. The course finishes with regime dynamics and development. We examine whether development has effects on the durability of authoritarian regimes, whether growth is possible during regime transitions,and whether some dictatorships are trapped in underdevelopment.

Texts: TBA

Particulars:
Class participation, quizzes, midterm, final

POLS 385: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Comparative Public Opinion
Linzer, MWF 11:45-12:35, MAX: 45

THIS COURSE HAS BEEN CANCELLED

POLS 385: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: History of Israeli Politics: Institutions and Society
Shultziner, MWF 10:40-11:30, MAX: 20

Content: This course explores the Israeli political system, its institutional characteristics and components, and its main political dilemmas. The course aims to provide knowledge about Israeli political history and society. Topics included will be the origins and the development of the political system, electoral histories, and government formation . Attention is given to the dynamics between institutional arrangements and social cleavages in Israel and their interrelated effects. The course also discusses some of the main sociopolitical issues and tensions resulting from the dual definition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, religion and politics, and the effects of armed conflicts on politics and society. The course requires no previous knowledge about Israel.

Texts:
Dowty, Alan, The Jewish State: A Century Later. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001.
Garfinkle, Adam, Politics and Society in Modern Israel, second edition. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2000.
Mahler, Gregory S., Politics and Government in Israel The Maturation of a Modern State, Rowman and Littlefield, 2004.
Peretz, Don and Gideon Doron, The Government and Politics of Israel, third edition. Boulder, CO: Westview, 1997.

Particulars:
Examination and Grading: Students will write a mid-term paper and give a brief presentation (30%) and write a final examination (60%). Class participation will count for 10% of the grade.

POLS 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Democracy in Latin America
del Aguila, Th 1-4, MAX: 8

[Same as LAS 490]

[Junior and senior majors and graduate students only]

Content: Analysis and critical evaluation of democracy in Latin America, focusing on institutional development, political culture, elections and political leadership. Course examines the extent to which recent transformations may endure, or become vulnerable to authoritarian reversals.

Texts:
Howard Wiarda, Dilemmas of Democracy in Latin America (2005)
Peter Smith, Democracy in Latin America (2005)

Particulars:
Examinations: take-home final exam
Papers: one 20-25 page research paper
Grading: final exam 40%, research paper 40%; class presentations 20%
Other: Students expected to make several presentations to the class based on literature to be read. Individual presentations will be followed by analysis and discussion among class members and the instructor. Course will be run like a graduate seminar, and thus require substantial reading on a weekly basis. Extensive participation is expected because this is not a standard upper division lecture course, but rather one where an extensive review of the literature will provide much of the substance. Prerequisites: Some prior work in Comparative Politics or Latin American and Caribbean Studies would be helpful.

POLS 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Government and Opposition in Elections
Gandhi, Th 1:00-4:00, MAX: 12

[Junior and senior majors and graduate students only]

Content: The course is a senior seminar which examines the role that elections play in mediating the relationship between incumbents and challengers in both democratic and non-democratic regimes. The first part of the course is devoted to the study of democratic elections. A review of the key concepts of representation, accountability, and alternation is followed by an empirical assessment of whether democratic elections truly produce these desirable ends. The remainder of the course examines elections in authoritarian regimes: how dictators frequently use elections to maintain their rule and how opposition parties sometimes can transform these electoral moments into opportunities for political change.

Texts: TBA

Particulars: TBA

POLS 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: How to do Experiments in Political Science
Gillespie, TT 2:30-3:45, MAX: 12

[Junior and senior majors and graduate students only]

Content: Have you ever wondered if you could do experiments in political science? Well, you can! In this course, students will gain an understanding of the historical and methodological significance of experiments in political science. Using the work of Harold Gosnell, Samuel Eldersveld, Paul Sniderman,
Shanto Iyengar, Donald Kinder, Donald Green, Alan Gerber and others, students will learn the utility of field-, survey-, and laboratory- based experimental methods to answering critical political science questions. They will then put this knowledge to practice as they conduct their own experiments for a final project. Past projects have included voter mobilization experiments, and this semester, we will consider the role social networking sites (such as Facebook and MySpace) play in influencing political behavior.

Texts:
TBA

Particulars:
TBA

POLS 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Toqueville and American Democracy
Strahan, W 1:00-4:00, MAX: 12

[Junior and senior majors and graduate students only]

Content: Surprising as it may seem, the best book ever written on American politics is by a Frenchman. Equally remarkable is that this book, although written in the 1830s, is as relevant to understanding American politics today as when it was written. This seminar will be devoted to an in-depth exploration of Alexis de Tocqueville's classic two volume work, Democracy in America. Tocqueville's book praises many features of American democracy, but it is far from an uncritical treatment. Americans, he tells us, have a healthy outlook on government, but are obsessed with making more money and will be struggling for a very long time with the problem of racism. American art and culture are also judged to be of a low standard (he is French, after all), although our unrefined tastes are said to be partly an inevitable consequence of democracy. The analysis goes well beyond American democracy to consider the consequences of the spread of democracy throughout much of the world. Tocqueville is often quoted by politicians and intellectuals of both the left and right. One goal of this seminar will be to try to understand why this book has had such broad and long lasting influence.

In addition to Democracy in America, the seminar readings will include a novel by Henry James that addresses Tocquevillian themes and readings by political scientists who have undertaken research on questions Tocqueville raised and written on the relevance of his work for contemporary political science

Texts:
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (trans. Mansfield and Winthop)
Henry James, The American
Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone: The Decline and Revival of Community in America (selections)
James W. Ceaser, Liberal Democracy and Political Science (selections)
Additional reading TBA

Particulars:
Weekly commentaries on the assigned reading, midterm exam, 15-20 pp. research paper, take home final exam

POLS 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Islamist Parties in Comparative Perspective
Wickham, W 1:00-4:00, MAX: 12

[Junior and senior majors and graduate students only]

Content: The largest, best organized and most popular opposition parties in the Middle East are those which seek the Islamic reform of society and state. In recent years, Islamists have begun to participate in competitive elections for parliament and municipal councils on a regular basis, and compared with secular opposition groups, have performed well. How, if at all, have the goals and strategies of Islamist political organizations changed as a consequence of their participation in the formal political systems of Middle Eastern states? Does the political inclusion of Islamist “anti-system” groups encourage their moderation? If so, what are the scope and limits of Islamist moderation, what are its underlying causes and dynamics, and what are the conditions which trigger it and sustain it over time? This seminar examines the evolution of political parties and groups affiliated with the Islamist movement in Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, and Turkey. Our objectives are: to compare Islamist trajectories of participation in different country-cases; and to identify and explain variation (and change over time) in their official political programs and leaders’ rhetoric and behavior. Our discussion of the evolution of specific Islamist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), the Turkish and Moroccan Justice and Development Parties, Hizbollah and HAMAS, will be linked to broader theoretical debates about the compatibility of Islamism and democracy, and the prospects for the successful integration of Islamist parties within the formal political systems of Muslim Middle Eastern states.

Texts:
Selected books and articles TBA

Particulars:
Class Participation (including one formal student presentation): 30%
Two 8-page analytic essays: 40% (20% each)
Final Exam: 30%

Note: Prior coursework on Islam and/or Middle East politics and society is strongly recommended.

POLS 490WR: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Political Regions of the United States
Black, Tu 1:00-4:00, MAX: 8

[Junior and senior majors and graduate students only]

Content: The United States is a federal system in which national power is built up from local, state, and regional bases of support. Each party has developed important regional strongholds. To better understand national politics, this writing seminar examines the party battles in the nation's principal geographical areas: the Northeast, Pacific Coast, Midwest, Mountains/Plains, and South.

Texts:
Earl Black and Merle Black, Divided America
Earl Black and Merle Black, The Rise of Southern Republicans
Fred Siegel, The Prince of the City

Particulars: This is a writing intensive course. Requirements include two short papers and one 15-20 page research paper that compares recent elections in two different regions of the nation.