PS 300

Fall 2010 All Classes

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Credit: 3 hours.

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

Prerequisite: Six hours of political science, or consent of instructor.

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PS 300 class schedule data for fall 2010
CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
56249	Lecture-Discussion	A	5:00PM -7:30PM	MW	Foreign Languages Building	Sin, G	Part of Term: B Date Range: 10/18/10-12/08/10 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Politics of Organization Section Info: "Topic: Politics of Organizations, Second 8 weeks class. Registration opens August 23, 2010. Politics of 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): Not intended for students with Freshman class standing.
56251	Lecture-Discussion	BW	9:30AM -10:50AM	TR	Armory	Weir, B	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/23/10-12/08/10 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Terrorism Section Info: "Topic: Terrorism. Description: Terrorism, a violent tactic with a strikingly long history of use, has become a central security concern and political issue in the U.S. in recent years. This course relies on both theoretical and empirical literature to examine a host of questions about terrorism in an advanced, intensive, discussion-based seminar. In particular, we investigate the definition(s) of terrorism, its historical use and evolution, the motivations of various types of groups that employ or have employed this tactic, different forms of terrorism, variation in state responses to terrorism (or, where and when terrorism successfully results in concessions), and the effectiveness of a range of counterterrorism strategies and tactics. Open to students with sophomore or higher standing." Restriction(s): Not intended for students with Freshman class standing.
56253	Lecture-Discussion	CLA	3:30PM -5:00PM	T	English Building	Nardulli, P	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/23/10-12/08/10 Special Approval: Departmental Approval Required Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Cline Practicum A Civil Unrest Section Info: Civil Unrest across the Globe: Trends and Patterns in the Post WWII Era. This year-long course offers the opportunity for advanced undergraduates to participate in the Societal Infrastructures and Development Project (SID), the signature research initiative of the Cline Center for Democracy. This section will focus on one of the most fundamental challenges confronting organized social life: civil discontents that often generate armed violence. Termed the ?Hobbesian Problem? by many, civil unrest is a fundamental reason for the creation of government. While most developed societies have created a level of societal stability in the post WW II era that has provided for sustained advancements in social welfare, civil peace has evaded many developing societies. Indeed, civil conflict currently accounts for far more deaths than interstate conflict. Moreover, the discontents that fuel civil unrest in developing societies have increasingly spawned terrorist attacks in more advanced societies. Research done within this practicum will provide for an original empirical study of civil unrest in the post WWII era; it will focus on such things as protests, strikes, riots, suicide attacks, kidnappings, assassinations, etc. The research will be based on an analysis of a large set of global news reports assembled by the Center and it involves the use of an advanced set of Information Age tools. The practicum?s final report will be concerned with the different sources of civil unrest (anti-government sentiment, ethnic tension, class-based conflict, desire for enhanced political freedoms, etc.) and will assess the impact that democratic governments and established legal orders have on the level of civil violence. As was the case with last year?s practicum, the report will be prominently posted on the Cline Center?s website and will be submitted for inclusion in the campus? Undergraduate Research Symposium. If warranted, the reports will provide the basis for a UI news release, which routinely get published in news outlets throughout the world. Admission to course by approval only. Call the Cline Center at 265-7846 for more information and approval.
56259	Lecture-Discussion	FM	9:30AM -10:50AM	TR	Burrill Hall	Malekafzali, F	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/23/10-12/08/10 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Human Rights Section Info: Class meets in 138 Wohlers Hall. Not 124 Burrill. Human Rights: This course will be an exploration of the meaning, basis, historical roots, and practical significance of human rights, with special attention given to the questions of the universality of human rights. The course is divided into four parts: Part one sets up the context and the background within which the role of human rights in international relations must be understood. Part two examines and compares human rights in contemporary Global North and Global South with special focus on the relationship between poverty and democracy. Part three will deal with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The meaning of aggressive war and ethnic cleansing will be analyzed in depth and the importance of the International Criminal Court is examined. In part four the course will deal with rights of people under military occupation and the responsibilities of the occupying power under international law. Specific cases will be used to better understand the significance of these four areas of inquiry. These include South Africa, Yugoslavia, Rwanda, the Palestinian territories, Chile, Iran, EU, and the United States. Restriction(s): Not intended for students with Freshman class standing.
56260	Lecture-Discussion	GS1	3:30PM -4:50PM	TR	Wohlers Hall	Sin, G	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/23/10-12/08/10 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Bureacratic Politics Section Info: Topic: Bureaucratic Politics. This course examines the origin of public agencies, the nature of public management, the behavior of individual bureaucrats and the procedures used by the U.S. Federal bureaucracy. It also lays a theoretical foundation for why politicians delegate authority to bureaucracies and why bureaucratic actions may diverge from politicians? expectations. Restriction(s): Not intended for students with Freshman class standing.
56250	Lecture-Discussion	JB	2:30PM -3:50PM	MW	Gregory Hall	Bowers, J	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/23/10-12/08/10 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Future Politics Section Info: Future Politics: What can political science learn from science fiction? How can we use what we currently know about politics, society, and economics to more create plausible and compelling visions of the future? In this course we will read social science together with science fiction in an attempt to enhance the currently impoverished political, social and economic imagination of the social sciences. Restriction(s): Not intended for students with Freshman class standing.
56999	Lecture-Discussion	TB2	5:00PM -7:40PM	MW	Transportation Building	Dragu, T	Part of Term: B Date Range: 10/18/10-12/08/10 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Analytical Politics Section Info: Analytical Politics. This course introduces the basic concepts of game theory and their application to matters of political importance. The underlying theme of the course is that politics may be described and understood in terms of rational, goal-seeking behavior by individuals in various institutional contexts. The main emphasis is on analyzing political events and phenomena, not judging them. In this course we develop theoretical tools to analyze the following topics: reasons for the existence of government, the collective pursuit of common goals, policy-making in legislatures, reasons for political conflict and war, and reasons for human destruction of environmental resources. Not intended for students with Freshman class standing. Meets 18-Oct-10 - 08-Dec-10.
56255	Lecture-Discussion	TD1	2:30PM -3:50PM	MW	Armory	Dragu, T	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/23/10-12/08/10 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Rule of Law Section Info: Topic: Rule of Law The rule of law requires that people in positions of authority should exercise their power within a constraining framework of public laws rather than on the basis of their own preferences or their own ideology. However, one of the main paradoxes in the foundation of our political systems is that politicians ultimately define the limits of their own powers. This simple observation raises the following question: under what conditions can we expect the rule of law to be properly enforced? This seminar analyzes this question by exploring the history, politics, and theory surrounding the rule of law ideal. It focuses on the political conditions that promote the rule of law in both established and developing democracies. Restriction(s): Not intended for students with Freshman class standing.