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Political Science Major
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Spring 2010
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Please Note: The information
given in the Course Atlas is subject to change.
For final schedule information, please refer to OPUS.
The goal of this course is
to provide students with an understanding of the contemporary American
political system. In addition, the course will introduce students to some
of the approaches that political scientists use to study political institutions,
processes and behavior. The course will examine the major institutions
of American national government including Congress, the Presidency, and
the Supreme Court, and the relationships among these institutions. In
addition, the course will investigate the role of non-governmental groups
and actors that influence political decision-making such as voters, political
parties, and interest groups.
Papers- Weekly discussion papers
Examinations - three exams (essay and objective)
Grading - exams 70%, discussion group 30%
Politics is necessarily concerned with questions of good and bad, just and unjust, prudent and imprudent; and political theory is simply the study of these comprehensive questions as they arise out of political life itself. Specific topics in this introductory class will vary--the problem of justice, the nature of political ambition and great leadership throughout the ages, the character of the best form of government--but all will be explored by means of a careful examination of a handful of classic writings, ancient as well as modern.
Attendance and participation; weekly quizzes; three essays
This course is intended to introduce
students to the study of international relations (defined as relations
between states). This course has three major objectives: to expose students
to the major theories and controversies in the study of IR, to deepen
their understanding of current and past world events, and to develop their
abilities to think systematically about world politics. This introductory
course is designed to provide a survey of a wide range of topics in international
relations that will provide students with the background to take advanced
courses in the field. The course will primarily follow the lecture format,
with a number of opportunities for in-class discussion.
TBA
Attendance and Participation 10%
Map Quiz 10%
First Test 25%
Second Test 25%
Final Exam 30%
A basic introduction to comparative politics, starting with a theoretical review and followed by in-depth discussion of four widely different political systems. Cases studied are the United Kingdom, Russia, Mexico and Cuba.
Thomas Magstadt, Nations and Governments, Fifth Edition (2005)
Examinations - midterm and final
Papers - one 10 page paper
Grading - mid-term 25%; paper 30%; final 45%
This course provides an introduction to the study of comparative politics by introducing students to the basic concepts, issues, and questions that arise in the comparative field. It will assist students in developing the skills and methods for understanding comparative research. This class will examine different states, political systems and ideologies, and economic institutions. By the end of the semester, students will be able to make comparisons between political systems, ideologies, and institutions across states.
The focus of the course is on domestic institutions, ideologies and cleavages and the outcomes of their interaction. Outcomes studied include economic development, ethnic conflict and the democratization process. These concepts will be studied in the context of relevant examples from less and more developed countries, democracies and dictatorships. Each student will be assigned two countries in the first week and will be tested on applying concepts learned in the class to these cases throughout the semester.
Attendance: 10%, Mid-term 30%, Final 30%, Paper 30%
This freshman seminar examines the role of science fiction as a powerful vehicle for social and political commentary, especially as it relates to the evolutionary tendencies of human societies. Check out the detailed syllabus at www.courtneybrown.com (to be updated at beginning of term)[Click on "Student Area (Emory)" in the navigation menu.]
TBA
Grading is based on the following factors:
10% Attendance
60% Writing assignments
10% Class participation
20% Final paper
Every one of us lives our life with the final aim of happiness, yet few of us
seriously raise and explore the question: What is happiness? So begins Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics, which introduces his political philosophy, since politics is ultimately the art of facilitating human happiness. Aristotle explores the possible components of a happy life, including friendship and the moral virtues, with a view to examining the two most serious claimants to a happy life: the life devoted to the good of the political community and the life of philosophy. Our reading of the Ethics will be supplemented with Shakespeare and Plato.
Two papers, final exam, weekly quizzes, and active class participation
This course will introduce students to the style of analytical
thinking involved in the conduct of political science research, to experimental
and observational research designs, and to basic statistical techniques
for describing and analyzing quantitative data.
Janet Johnson and Richard Joslyn, Political Science
Research Methods, paperback, CQ Press, 4th edition
Philip Pollock III, An SPSS Companion to Political
Analysis, paperback, CQ Press
The course grade will be determined on the following basis:
Class participation and homework 20%
Midterm examination 20%
Data analysis paper 30%
Final examination 30%
Data Analysis Paper:
Each student will complete a 10-12 page (typed, double-spaced) paper analyzing
data from the American National Election Studies' surveys.
This course offers an introduction to the use of survey research in political science. It presents the basic tools and techniques of survey analysis and provides an opportunity to apply these techniques through a series of hands-on exercises. Topics covered include questionnaire design, sample selection, data collection methods, elementary data analysis and the use of data archives. In addition, the course will introduce students to the broader theoretical framework of social research and present some alternatives to the survey method.
In this course we will examine post-Soviet Russian politics, covering government institutions and processes, policies and their effects, and the dynamics of political development. We will begin with an overview of recent history--the legacy of Soviet communism, the period of reform under Mikhail Gorbachev, and the breakdown of the Soviet Union. Then we will investigate the creation of the present-day Russian regime, including the creation of new democratic institutions under Boris Yeltsin and the attempts at economic reform, the problems of poor governance, deep inequality, corruption, and oligarchic power that were pervasive under Yeltsin, the change in leadership from Yeltsin to Vladimir Putin, and the impact that Putin’s presidency has had on Russian foreign and domestic policy. We will study Russian public opinion and electoral behavior and their effects on government. We will also assess the outcomes of the choices Russia has made over its policies and institutions, and try to understand the reasons for the series of political and economic crises that Russia has undergone since the end of the communist regime. We ask whether Russia is returning to authoritarian rule and what forces are influencing the development of the political system. There will be one mid-term and one final exam, both of them combining short identification questions with essays, and a research paper. The mid-term exam and the paper will be weighted 30% each in determining the final grade; the final exam will be weighted 40%.
Stephen White, Zvi Gitelman and Richard Sakwa, eds., Developments in Russian Politics, 6 th ed. (Palgrave 2005).
Dale R. Herspring, ed., Putin’s Russia, 3rd ed (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006)
Thomas F. Remington, Politics in Russia, 4rd ed. (Longman, 2006)
Timothy J. Colton and Stephen Holmes, eds., The State after Communism: Governance in the New Russia (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006)
Other items will be also assigned and will be available on reserve at the library, or in the course LearnLink folder
This course offers students a thematic introduction to politics in the Arab Middle East. It begins with an overview of the region’s history, beginning with the advent of Islam and continuing through the eras of colonialism and national independence. It examines the formation of the modern Arab state system; the creation of Israel and the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and the rise of Arab nationalism. The second part of the course explores major issues in contemporary Arab politics: the organization of the Arab state and the causes of state violence; the political economy of development; Islamic social movements and political protest; and the dynamics of regime-led economic and political reform. The third part of the course assesses future prospects for conflict-resolution and democratization in the region. It examines progress and setbacks in recent efforts to resolve the conflict over Palestine; prosecute the "war on terrorism"; and build democratic
institutions in Iraq. Finally, it examines the prospects for democratic reform in other Arab states, and assesses how U.S. policies might strengthen (or undermine) local reform initiatives. Throughout the course, analysis of general trends will be integrated with case-studies of individual Middle Eastern states, including Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.
Examinations: mid-term and final
Papers -- 8-10 page analytic essay
An overview of the historical origins and contemporary
politics of the U.S. Congress. Particular emphasis on the politics of
representation, congressional leadership, and legislative-executive relations.
Examinations- midterm and final
Papers- 10 page research paper
Prerequisites-POLS 100 strongly recommended, but not required.
This course introduces students to basic concepts of the American legal system. This includes (but is not limited to) the legal profession, state and federal court systems, judicial behavior, judicial process, and state and federal judicial selection. Course readings will provide both an overview of these topics and illustrative case studies.
Two examinations
Research paper
Active class participation
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.
Lee Epstein and Thomas G. Walker, Constitutional Law for a Changing America: Rights, Liberties and Justice 6th edition (Washington: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2007).
Lecture and discussion format. 2-3 examinations. Class participation required.
An examination of the criminal justice process in the
United States and the constitutional rights extended to the criminally
accused.
Lloyd Weinreb, Leading Constitutional Cases on Criminal
Justice
Vincent Bugliosi, Helter Skelter
Examinations - 2-3 exams
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.
Earl Black and Merle Black, Politics and Society
In The South
Earl Black and Merle Black, The Rise of Southern
Republicans
Charles Bullock and Mark Rozelle, The New Politics
of the Old South, 2nd ed.
Examinations - an hour exam and a final exam
This course will introduce you to the history, theories, and practical implications of urban politics. It will explore through lectures, class discussions, readings, and documentaries the definition, possession, and use of political power by groups within cities in the United States of America, especially its major cities. A fundamental question we will seek to answer is which group(s) or interest(s) have the power to consistently influence, if not bias, public policies to their benefit in large American cities. Our central question will be who rules consistently and routinely? Primarily, we will be concerned with the exercise of power to address individual and community needs and values, and how the “powerful” wield it. We will search for answers among a set of works from the urban political power scholarship published over the last half of the twentieth century, entertaining various theories and considering their empirical relevance. We will pay a good deal of attention to politics in the City of Atlanta, using both historic and contemporary accounts of power-wielding in the
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3 exams and class participation
In this course, we will introduce ourselves to the study of urban public policy. That is, we will consider governmental (and nongovernmental) action to address the problems of urban areas (i.e., cities and inner-ring suburbs), especially inner-city neighborhoods. The fundamental questions we will explore together are why, how, and to what end government and nongovernmental organizations act to reform problems in urban areas related to poverty and neighborhood decline. While we will pay some attention to Atlanta, we will rely chiefly on research pertaining to other cities. We will use a range of contemporary sources for understanding urban public policy. Our methods of acquiring knowledge will include lectures, discussions, readings, documentaries, and independent research. Lectures and class discussions will form the skeleton of learning, with the readings and documentaries providing the flesh of it. All of these items will be valuable to our understanding the problems of urban America and the range of responses to them.
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.
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
Grading will be based on several short research papers, class presentations and participation, a group-developed project proposal/work plan, and a final examination.
The course focuses on the distinction between democracy and dictatorship, reviewing controversies in the defining of these regimes, in determining the factors that give rise to these regimes, and in evaluating the impact of these regimes on diverse outcomes ranging from economic development to interstate conflict. Towards the end of the course, we go beyond the dichotomous distinction, distinguishing among types of democracies and dictatorships and their impact on political outcomes.
TBA
Two in-class midterms (25% each), final exam (35%), and participation (15%)
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, e.g. textiles, autos, 2) agricultural development; 3) the position of labor and related issues such as education/training, unionization, job loss; 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.
In the post-Cold War world, nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) are playing more active and consequential roles in public policy
than ever before. This course will examine how and why NGOs have become
more influential within the context of increasing globalization. It will
focus on selected issues in conflict resolution, democratization, human
rights, economic development, the environment, and global health, and
examine how NGOs are involved in these areas. Some sessions will be devoted
to the work of specific NGOs. In addition to the course coordinators,
the course will feature guest lecturers, including former U.S. President
Jimmy Carter; officials from The Carter Center, CARE, and other NGOs;
and other Emory professors.
TBA
Particulars:
Examinations: midterm and final; quizzes
Papers: team written term paper
POLS 385: Special Topics:
Political Science
Topic Title: Political Economy of African Development
Streeb, TT 11:30-12:45, MAX: 35
[same as AFS 389]
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, “chafed 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 US 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.
Readings will be drawn from books and articles on African political and economic development including The World Bank study: “Can Africa Claim the 21 st Century?” and the Bank’s “Africa Action Plan.” 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.
Two quizzes (20% each), Final Exam (30%), 10-page term paper (20%) and attendance and classroom participation (10%)
POLS 385: Special Topics:
Political Science
Topic Title: Politics and Culture of Dictatorships in Latin America
Del Aguila/Gutierrez, Tu 2:00-5:00, MAX: 15
[same as LAS 385]
The course is an in-depth study of authoritarian forms of government in Latin America from a political and cultural perspective. The student will be exposed to readings and discussions that will raise issues related to the roots of caudillismo, the historical evolution and changing legitimacy of dictatorship, the political alternatives that this form of power can generate (ranging from revolution to re-democratization), and the role of writers and intellectuals as critics and analysts of dictatorial politics. Special attention will be given in the second half of the course to the post-dictatorial period in Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. The readings include political articles as well as novels, cultural journalism, chronicles, testimonies, and cultural essays. Some videos will also be shown.
POLS 385: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Ethics and International Relations
Holzgrefe, MWF 12:50-1:40, MAX: 35
The course will critically examine some of the key ethical issues in contemporary international relations. To this end students learn basic ethical traditions and theories and apply them to current international problems. Where discrepancies between existing practice and just conduct are identified, students are encouraged to reflect on policies that may narrow or eliminate them. The course also invites students to reflect critically on their personal moral and political commitments.
The course’s subject matter falls under three main headings: human rights, distributive justice and armed conflict. The course begins by analyzing the nature of individual (civil and political) rights and group (cultural and autonomy) rights, philosophical and political challenges to their alleged universality, putative conflicts between these rights, and actual and potential ways of securing their enforcement. It then examines questions of distributive justice in international society (free trade, the free movement of people across borders -- immigration and refugees, foreign aid, and the environment). Finally, it explores the morality of the use of armed force in international society; in particular the norms governing jus ad bellum (aggression, self-defense, preventive war, reprisals, humanitarian intervention), and jus in bello (noncombatant immunity, economic sanctions, guerrilla war, terrorism, counter-terrorism and torture interrogation).
Mark R. Amstutz, International Ethics, 2nd ed.
Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, 4th ed.
TBA
Mid-term Paper: 30%
Final Paper: 50%
Participation: 20%
POLS 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Gender, Islam and Politics
Wickham, W 1-4, MAX: 12
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.
TBA
Class participation: 30%
Weekly commentaries (1-2 pages): 30%
15-20 page research paper: 40%
No examinations
POLS 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Globalization and Human Rights
Davis, Th 1-4, MAX: 12
This course is an advanced seminar that will focus on the affects of globalization on the realization of human rights. The course begins by exploring many facets of globalization, such as the free flow of capital and goods and the movement of people and ideas across borders, and their influence on human rights. Specific facets of human rights that will be discussed include, development, international labor and safety standards, environmental sustainability, the preservation of cultural identity, social welfare and democratization. We will examine the influence of a variety of actors on the intersection of globalization and human rights, including, the IMF/World bank, the WTO, Transnational Corporations, NGOs, and states. The course contains an applied element in which students devise strategies for furthering human rights in an era of globalization and design an advocacy campaign to implement their prescriptions. This course assumes the student is familiar with the origins, evolution and functions of the global human rights system, including the processes of standards setting, adjudication, implementation and enforcement.
collection of articles on electronic reserve
Series of three analytical essays (60%)
Policy memo (30%)
Class Participation (20%)
POLS 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Political Communication: Comparative and International Contexts
Semetko, W 2-5, MAX: 12
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.
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 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: European Political Parties
Tworzecki, Th 4-7, MAX: 12
Modern representative democracy is impossible to imagine without political parties. They perform the essential tasks of articulating demands and integrating diverse interests into concise packages, which are then voted on by the general public. Furthermore, parties control the recruitment of candidates for public office, run election campaigns and, once elected, play a key role in the formation of governments and the structuring of parliamentary activity. Europe in particular offers an excellent setting in which to explore the evolution and present-day role of political parties, given its wide variety of cultural and institutional contexts, as well as its mixture of mature democracies, newly consolidated democracies, and borderline democratic/authoritarian regimes. It is also a continent simultaneously undergoing momentous political, economic and social transformations. In many ways, therefore, Europe is the ideal place to study the past, the present and the likely future of political parties and, indeed, of representative democracy itself.
POLS 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Governing the Use of Force
Taulbee, Tu 1-4, MAX: 12
Historically proposals to control the use of force have addressed two very different concerns: 1) restraining the resort to war; and 2)limiting the effects of war. The principal focus of the course
will be on legal and institutional attempts to control the resort to war. Topics will include an examination of some classic peace proposals, the promise and failure of the League of Nations, an examination of
the Nuremberg, Tokyo and Yamashita trials. The last half of the course will focus on the evolution of the legal and policy debate over the practice of the United Nations. Topics will include Indonesia (and other early anti-colonial struggles), India-Pakistan, Palestine, "national liberation" movements, terrorism, mercenaries, Kosovo, Iraq and humanitarian intervention.
K. J. Holsti, War, the State and the State of War
Gordon Craig, et al., Force and Diplomacy
Michael Byers, The Use of Force
POLS 490: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Dictatorship and Development
Gandhi, TT 10:00-11:15, MAX: 12
This seminar offers a thematic review of the connection between political regimes and economic development. After gaining a conceptual understanding of dictatorship and development, we will compare dictatorships and democracies in how well each generate economic growth, the necessary inputs for growth (e.g., investment in human and physical capital), and the material welfare of their citizens. The rest of the course will be devoted to examining how dictatorships differ in their
political organization and the effects of these differences on economic development.
TBA
Grading will be based on class participation, a mid-term exam, and a final research paper.
POLS 490WR: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: New Black Political Leadership
Gillespie, W 2:00-5:00, MAX: 8
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.
TBA
POLS 490WR: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Globalization and Its Discontents
Reinhardt, Tu 1:00-4:00, MAX: 12
This course examines debates about the globalization of
international trade, investment, and finance, directly taking up issues
raised by the anti-globalization protest movement. How does globalization
affect important values such as labor standards, the environment, public
health, and human rights? Does globalization foster or impede democratization
in the developing world? Does it increase or decrease the possibility
of internal or international conflict? Have global bureaucracies like
the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund run roughshod
over the sovereignty of democratically-elected governments? How are the
prospects for sustainable development in poor countries affected by their
place in the global trade and financial regime? What policy choices can
and should governments make in these circumstances? We draw on social
scientific theory and method to gain a more informed understanding of
these questions.
TBA
TBA
.POLS 490WR: Special Topics: Political Science
Topic Title: Modeling Social Phenomena
Brown, TT 1:00-2:15, MAX: 8
This advanced seminar is designed for juniors and seniors who want to have an exciting and fun introduction to nonlinear and dynamic modeling of social and political phenomena. The course content covers a range of very practical and easy-to-use tools that are used to construct and evaluate 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. The course is taught with an extremely user-friendly approach, and students should have little or no trouble mastering the course content. 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. Other students may simply want to know how to develop and investigate their own theories for other reasons or purposes, perhaps to prepare for graduate school in political science, or perhaps just out of curiosity. Thus, this course may be both interesting and useful to a wide range of students. Check out the syllabus and other course materials at . [Click on "Student Area (Emory)" in the navigation menu.]
TBA
10% Attendance (Three absences are permitted without penalty.)
60% Writing assignments (Undergraduates need complete only eight assignments)
30% Class participation (students will make presentations to the class)
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