PS 499

Spring 2008 Part of Term 1

Part of Term 1
Jan 14-Apr 30

Special Topics

Credit: 3 hours.

Selected reading and research in political science. See Schedule for current topics.

3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. No more than 6 hours of credit may be earned by registration in this course and in PS 495. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing; 6 hours of political science; consent of instructor

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PS 499 class schedule data for spring 2008
CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
47090	Lecture-Discussion	BW	3:00PM -4:20PM	TR	David Kinley Hall	Weir, B	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/14/08-04/30/08 Section Info: Political Violence This course surveys various forms of political violence and examines competing theories about why these types of violence occur and their implications. It is organized to analyze different "categories" of violence, all of which constitute pressing topics in international relations and comparative politics. These categories include protests, revolt, and revolution; riots; repression; coups; rebel movements; civil war and ethnic conflict; genocide and massacres; anti-occupation insurgency, secessionism and partition; terrorism; and a session exploring paths to political non-violence or reconciliation. Theoretical readings will often be supplemented by case studies. The course is a discussion-based seminar that meets twice weekly. Restriction(s): Restricted to students with Sophomore, Junior, or Senior class standing.
49330	Lecture-Discussion	CLP	ARRANGED	n.a.	Location Pending	Greco, D	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/14/08-04/30/08 Special Approval: Instructor Approval Required Section Info: Restricted to Civic Leadership Program.
40054	Lecture-Discussion	D	10:00AM -11:20AM	TR	Armory	Dai, X	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/14/08-04/30/08 Section Info: Domestic Politics & International Relations The international relations scholarship has been increasingly interested in opening up the black box of domestic politics. In this advanced undergraduate seminar, we will study how domestic politics affect foreign policy choices and international outcomes. We will also study how international actors and events shape domestic politics. While we cover a broad range of substantive issues, our primary goal is to understand the conceptual linkages between domestic and international elements. Restriction(s): Restricted to students with Sophomore, Junior, or Senior class standing.
39209	Lecture-Discussion	FM3	2:30PM -4:50PM	T	Gregory Hall	Malekafzali, F	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/14/08-04/30/08 Section Info: Arab-Israeli Conflict What is called the �Arab-Israeli conflict� is made up of three related layers: 1) The Israeli -Palestinian struggle for the same land. 2) The inter-state conflict involving Israel and its neighboring Arab states that has grown out of the struggle for the control of Palestine. 3) The consequences of the Arab-Israeli conflict for the Middle East and the larger world. In this course, understanding of the politics of Arab-Israeli conflict and it�s far reaching consequences is achieved in two ways: 1) I, using the lectures and the class discussions to help you think critically and to make judgments solely on the bases of evidence and analysis. 2) Students, setting aside any generalizations, indifference, or self defeating cynicism they may harbor and re-examining the conventional wisdom by using evidence, analysis, and compassion. I strongly believe that similar to any other part of the world and at any other period in history, peace in the Middle East will not be achieved through conquest. A just resolution of the Arab � Israeli conflict based on complete equality of Arabs and Jews and guided by the pertinent UN resolutions is the only way out of the present quagmire. Restriction(s): Restricted to students with Sophomore, Junior, or Senior class standing.
38207	Lecture-Discussion	GS1	8:30AM -9:50AM	MW	Lincoln Hall	Sin, G	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/14/08-04/30/08 Section Title: Bureaucratic Politics Section Info: Bureaucratic Politics Politicians are elected to represent �the people�. However, because of the complicated nature of policy making, politicians must inevitably delegate substantial discretion to (unelected) bureaucrats, who have greater time and expertise to focus on specific issues and implement policy. The central reason for granting policy-making autonomy to bureaucrats �their technical expertise- also creates the biggest problem. Bureaucrats can use their knowledge against politicians. This issue becomes very important when we consider that bureaucracies carry out much of the day-to-day work we associate with government: cleaning streets, mailing pension checks, and regulating workplaces. Therefore, a central issue for elected representatives who seek to delegate is how to maintain a fair amount of control over the bureaucrats and their work. This course begins by examining the origin of public agencies, the nature of public management and the behavior of individual bureaucrats. It also lays a theoretical foundation for why politicians delegate authority to bureaucracies and why bureaucratic actions may diverge from politicians� expectations. Some of the questions we will address are: (1) why do bureaucracies do what they do? (2) Why do politicians delegate authority and (often substantial) discretion over public policy to bureaucrats? (3) How much control over policy do politicians lose when they delegate to bureaucrats? What instruments (if any) can and do politicians employ to limit these losses? Can appointed bureaucrats be better representatives than elected officials? Restriction(s): Restricted to students with Sophomore, Junior, or Senior class standing.
43728	Lecture-Discussion	GS2	10:30AM -11:50AM	MW	Lincoln Hall	Sin, G	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/14/08-04/30/08 Section Title: Politics of Organizations Section Info: Registration priority to Civic Leadership students. Equivalent to PS 514. Check with CLP director Don Greco if additional credit hour is needed. Political Organizations This course is an introduction to the study of public organizations, with a focus on formal political organizations including parties, legislatures, and bureaucracies. It offers an in depth analysis of two of the main problems confronted by organizations: collective action problems and delegation problems. Students will acquire an understanding of these problems as well as different ways in which they can be addressed. A strong emphasis is also placed on developing the analytical skills necessary for informed analysis of political interactions involving formal organizations. The most prominent characteristic that organizations have in common is the delegation of authority from the individuals to whom power to take action was originally endowed, the principal, to one or more agents. In effect, delegation is key to overcome the problems of collective action. Throughout the development of the course, we will answer questions like (1) Can we assume that subordinates do what�s in the superior�s best interests? Why? Why not? (2) Is the structure of an organization important? (3) What does the structure of an organization reflect Restriction(s): Restricted to students with Sophomore, Junior, or Senior class standing.
39239	Lecture-Discussion	MS1	ARRANGED	MW	Location Pending	Svolik, M	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/14/08-04/30/08 Section Title: Authoritarian Regimes Section Info: Authoritarian Regimes This course will examine the various aspects of the politics in authoritarian regimes: their emergence and breakdown, the policy choices and institutions typically adopted, leadership change, and the theories that explain them. Historical case studies and statistical data will be used to examine real-world cases. Old rubric, PS 499 MS1, 39239, Authoritarian Regimes with Prof Svolik. New rubric, PS 397, MS1, 49439, Authoritarian Regimes with Prof Svolik Restriction(s): Restricted to students with Sophomore, Junior, or Senior class standing.
47313	Lecture-Discussion	MS2	1:00PM -2:20PM	MW	David Kinley Hall	Svolik, M	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/14/08-04/30/08 Section Title: Analytical Politics Section Info: Analyzing Politics This course provides an undergraduate level introduction to formal (mathematical) models of politics. We will use insights from social choice theory and game theory to examine how various political institutions or their absence affect the interaction between voters, parties, leaders, and countries. Some of the topics we will cover are: social choice, electoral/party politics, collective action, political accountability, bargaining and conflict, and credible commitment. No mathematical background required.
39996	Lecture-Discussion	SA	3:30PM -4:50PM	TR	Foreign Languages Building	Althaus, S	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/14/08-04/30/08 Section Title: Campaign Messages & Strategies Section Info: Campaign Messages & Strategies This will be a hands-on, "how it's done" course that emphasizes the methods and tactics of modern political campaigns. While this course focuses on electoral campaigns, the same strategies and approaches are used in non-electoral campaigns. In this way, the course can be thought of as a class on applied marketing in the context of political campaigns. This course will use a case study approach to illustrate the theories and concepts of persuasion in the campaign and movement. The objectives of this course are to familiarize students with (1) theories of persuasion that are especially relevant to political campaigns, and (2) the strategies, methods, and mass communication technologies that are used in contemporary political campaigns to win elections and persuade mass audiences. This course is designed to equip students with basic skills useful for managing and evaluating persuasive campaigns. In this way the course will be relevant both to the student with vocational interests in marketing or political consulting and the student who wants to be an informed consumer and observer of persuasive campaigns. Restriction(s): Restricted to students with Sophomore, Junior, or Senior class standing.
38204	Lecture-Discussion	TS	10:30AM -11:50AM	TR	Bevier Hall	Sulkin, T	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/14/08-04/30/08 Section Title: Campaigns & Elections Section Info: Campaigns & Elections This course will focus on the dynamics of presidential and congressional campaigns and elections in the United States. Topics include the primary and general election process, candidate strategy (e.g., How do candidates select their campaign issues? Which candidates are most likely to "go negative" in their advertising?), the role of interest groups and the media, the effects of campaigns on the choices of voters and the behavior of elected officials, and proposals for campaign reform. Restriction(s): Restricted to students with Sophomore, Junior, or Senior class standing.
48999	Lecture-Discussion	ZE	2:00PM -3:20PM	MW	Lincoln Hall	Elkins, Z	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/14/08-04/30/08 Section Title: Comp Pol Constitutions Section Info: Comparative Constitutional Design This course examines the design and implementation of national constitutions and addresses the following questions. What are the basic elements of constitutions? How do these elements differ across time, across region, and across regime type? What is the process by which states draft and implement constitutions? What are the critical debates that arise during constitutional deliberations? What models, theories, and writings have influenced the framers of constitutions? Readings include historical sources regarding important cases of constitutional design as well as more thematic and cross-national sources on the characteristics, causes, and consequences of constitutions. Restriction(s): Restricted to students with Sophomore, Junior, or Senior class standing.