Politics Department

Politics Department

Professor John Seery, Department Chair

Professors Crighton, Elliott, Flynn, Foster, Gibney, Quinley, Seery, Worthington

Associate Professors Arase, Menefee-Libey

Assistant Professors Englebert, Williams

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Politics is the art and rough-and-tumble of diverse persons attempting to live together in civil society. In a world characterized by uncertainty, scarcity, conflict, and power relationships, politics enables us to make collective choices by debate and negotiation rather than brute force. Aristotle wrote that politics aims at the highest human good, the best of ends, and that the study of politics constitutes the most comprehensive and ennobling of disciplines. The contestable nature of politics is both challenging and provocative.

As one of the ancient disciplines, politics is about how people grapple with fundamental questions of freedom, order, and equality, about the nature of justice, and about legitimacy, community, individualism. Politics asks such questions as: How are we to act as citizens? How do our public institutions, and those in other countries, function? What is the nature and practice of citizenship? What values inform, or should inform, public policies? How does political change occur? Since the study of politics is characterized by disciplinary fragmentation, political scientists employ a variety of perspectives and methods in their work. Much of this disciplinary variety is available at Pomona College, where politics may be addressed through the study of values, institutions, processes, or behavior, and where literary and historical methods coexist with quantitative approaches.

The Politics Department encourages students to explore several sub-fields and approaches, as well as to venture beyond the boundaries of politics to study economics, history, psychology, and the other social sciences. The department’s offerings are organized around the sub-fields of political theory, American politics, comparative politics, and international relations.

The department also affords students opportunities to experience politics at the practical level through participation in the Washington Semester Program or through the Public Policy Analysis Program. Students are strongly encouraged to declare their major in politics by the spring of their sophomore year.

Politics courses are numbered as follows: single-digit courses are introductory; double-digit courses are specialized courses and do not have prerequisites; and courses with three digits are advanced and have prerequisites. Courses are clustered by sub-field: political theory (1, 2, 10s, 20s, 110s, and 120s); American politics (3, 4, 30s and 40s, 130s and 140s); comparative politics (5, 6, 50s and 60s, 150s and 160s); international relations (7, 8, 70s and 80s, 170s and 180s); and special courses (90s and 190s).

Requirements for the Major in Politics

1. Eight courses, one of which must be a specialized or advanced course in comparative politics; and at least one course in two of the remaining three subfields (political theory, American politics, and international relations). Only three introductory courses can count toward the eight total.

2. A senior seminar in politics (counting as a ninth required course), whose objective is to encourage active individual participation in a collective learning experience. Although no previous exposure to the substantive issue taken up in the seminar is assumed, senior majors have the opportunity to apply their academic skills in a variety of dimensions as they develop in-depth expertise in the seminar topic. In special cases, a student may petition the Departmental Committee on Senior Exercises to substitute a thesis for this requirement. At least two seminars are offered each academic year. Seminar topics are announced well in advance to allow junior majors to plan their senior year. Performance in the seminar is weighted in the award of departmental honors in the Senior Exercise.

3. An oral examination in the senior year, based on a list of books supplied by the student and covering four topics chosen by the student. An orientation meeting is held early in the fall semester to inform majors about procedures, and to encourage them to begin thinking about the exercise well in advance of their final semester. The oral examination provides an opportunity for students to integrate their education both in and outside the classroom. Performance on the oral examination is weighted in the award of departmental honors in the Senior Exercise.

Requirements for a Minor in Politics

To complete a minor, students must pass three introductory courses (numbered 1-10), distributed across three of the four sub-fields of Politics, and three electives (numbered 11 or above). One elective must be an advanced course (numbered 100 or above).

Courses

1A. Classical Political Theory. Mr. Seery. Introduction to major works in ancient Greek, Hebraic, Roman, Christian, and Chinese traditions that have contributed to our understanding of political philosophy and practice. Emergence of the concept of politics; the political role of tragic theatre and poetry; the Socratic challenge to Athens; the Western tradition of epic heroism; the politics of class, race, and gender; and the early Christian challenge to Rome. Fall 2002. [PAC 10]

1B. Modern Political Theory. Mr. Seery. Second half of sequence, but does not require or presuppose Politics 1A (Classical Political Theory). Themes and concepts associated with modernity: social-contract theory; equality and rights; the origins of democracy, liberalism, and individualism; the origins of protest, revolution, and radicalism; and economics and the bureaucratic state. Development of Western political thought with readings in Islamic texts for contrast and discussion. Spring 2003. [PAC 10]

2. American Political Thought. Mr. Foster. Historical and topical review of American political philosophy from the Puritans to the present. Emphasis on such recurrent themes as equality, democracy, and racism. Offered in 2003-04. [PAC 10]

3. Introduction to American Politics. Mr. Foster, Fall 2002; Mr. Menefee-Libey and Mr. Flynn, Spring 2003. An overview of the institutions, processes, and content of politics in the United States. Focus on selective policy issues and contemporary institutional conflicts. Includes a lab component in which students analyze political texts and data. Each semester. [PAC 7]

5. Comparative Politics. Ms. Crighton. Introduces major analytical approaches in the field of comparative politics and investigates some of the challenging empirical case studies of the day. Focuses on cross-national similarities and differences in politics, economies, and societies. Examines the methodological tools and pitfalls of comparative analysis, including the role of the state in political and economic development. Fall 2002. [PAC 9]

6. Comparative Politics: Mexico Focus. Ms. Williams. Introduces theories of state development, regime change, political culture, and industrialization through examination of Mexican politics and foreign policy. Special focus on democratization, human rights, indigenous politics, trade integration, impact of emigration and diaspora on economy and politics. Politics majors may substitute this course for Politics 5. Spring 2003. [PAC 9]

7. U.S. Foreign Policy. Mr. Elliott. Examines the changes brought about in U.S. foreign policy by the end of the Cold War and explores the problems of defining a new role for the United States in an increasingly complex world. Looks at the relevance of past “lessons” in charting this new course, as well as the domestic and institutional forces which shape foreign policy. Each semester. [PAC 7]

8. Introduction to International Relations. Ms. Williams, Fall 2002; Mr. Arase, Spring 2003. International conflict and cooperation, and the increasing importance of economic and transnational relations in contemporary international politics. A variety of analytic concepts concerning types of international systems and political behavior. Lecture and discussion. Each semester. [PAC 7]

10. Political Freedom. Mr. Seery. A theoretical study of the pursuit of freedom through politics. Topics include freedom and authority; equality and liberty; rights, revolution; community versus individuality; the constraints of culture, class, gender, race, and technology. Readings from Mill, Locke, Jefferson, Madison, Plato, Dostoevski, Rousseau, Marx, Shelley, Sartre, Freud, Wright, Douglass, Swift, Thoreau, Emerson, Arendt, Cervantes, Ignatieff, Weil, Havel; and a screening of Being There. Offered in 2003-04. [PAC 10]

30. The United States Congress. Mr. Menefee-Libey. An investigation of Congress from four perspectives: as an institution, as a collection of politicians, as a legislature, and as the focus of national government and policy. Spring 2003.

35. City of Quartz, City of Angels. Mr. Foster. Issues include: immigration, government reorganization, race relations and urban economics. What impact will increased immigration have on L.A.’s municipal services? Will the role of the federal government increase over time? Is L.A. becoming balkanized along racial lines? What are the prospects for sustained economic growth? As L.A. becomes an international city, what impact will international events have on Los Angeles? Can it continue to grow and maintain an environmental balance? Spring 2003.

36. Urban Politics and Public Policy. Mr. Foster. The political problems of cities and demographic movements in the United States. Spring 2003.

37. Criminal Justice. Mr. Flynn. The roles of judges, attorneys, and law enforcement personnel in the administration of criminal laws; the relationship among various criminal-justice agencies; and issues of policy such as police-community conflicts, plea-bargaining practices, sentencing patterns, and various forms of post-conviction correction/rehabilitation. Each student observes proceedings in nearby court for several hours. Lecture, discussion, papers. Spring 2004.

38. Democracy, Freedom, and the First Amendment. Mr. Flynn. In the near future, our First Amendment tradition will need to accommodate a world saturated with interactive media. Explore the changing organizational context of mass media from the solitary printer to modern multimedia-multinational communications conglomerates. Focus on issues of free speech, equal access, and the protection of privacy in the fast-developing and rapidly changing world of modern mass communications. Spring 2003.

42. Women and Politics. Ms. Crighton. American politics from the perspective of women, highlighting the contributions of race, gender, and other social constructions to the diversity of women’s political experiences. Historical changes in women’s activism. Comparison with lives of women in other countries. Implications for traditional conceptions of politics, power, and democracy. Prerequisite: Politics 3 or equivalent. Spring 2003. [PAC 7]

43CC. Blacks in the American Political Process. Mr. Foster. The role of Blacks in the American political process; strategies used by Blacks to gain political power and to influence political decision making; politics related to Blacks in southern and urban settings. Offered in 2003-04.

44CC. Race, Class, and Power. Mr. Foster. Analysis of relationship between social stratification and race, and of distribution of power and social status in American society. Historical and contemporary examination of various ethnic and racial groups and their incorporation into American society. Lecture and discussion. Fall 2002. [PAC 9]

45CC. Race and Public Opinion in the United States. Mr. Foster. Examines public beliefs and sentiments about racial politics in the U.S. and what constitutes “public opinion.” Explores the explicit and implicit linkages between “public opinion” and normative conceptions of democratic politics. Offered in 2003-04.

60. The Global Politics of Food and Agriculture. Ms. Williams. Addresses interplay among states and growers, how environmental problems affect farms around the world, and various ways that producers and governments attempt to address such problems, current issues in agricultural science and economics, and debates about genetic engineering, international patent law, and intellectual property. Offered in 2003-04. [PAC 9]

72A. Traditional and Early Modern International Relations of Asia. Mr. Elliott. Assesses prominent explanations of how Asia (in particular China and Japan) emerged from “isolation” into the modern world. Cultural and historical sources of national identity are examined in terms of how each nation views itself in the context of a larger world system, and in shaping interactions with other countries. Fall 2003; offered alternate years.

72B. Contemporary International Relations of Asia. Mr. Elliott. Examines the great transformations that have taken place in the post-WWII system of international relations in Asia through a close study of the watershed events of the post-1945 period and participation in these events by the major states involved. Fall 2002; offered alternate years.

82. The Vietnam War. Mr. Elliott. A study of the Vietnamese conflict from both the Vietnamese and American perspectives. Special attention given to the ways in which the internal and the international contexts of the conflict changed over time, and the impact these situational changes had on the outcome of the war. Spring 2003.

90. Statistics for Politics and International Relations. Mr. Englebert. Using data from politics and international relations, this course builds basic numeracy skills for social scientists. It develops knowledge of descriptive statistics and introduces students to inferential (parametric and non-parametric) statistical techniques, including rudiments of multiple regression analysis. Emphasis on computer applications. Each semester. [PAC 4]

100. Freedom, Markets, and Well-Being. Ms. Brown and Mr. Hurley. Our society embraces commitments both to safeguarding basic liberties and to facilitating the pursuit of happiness. In this course we take up a range of views concerning the appropriate role of the market in such a society. We then focus upon the challenges involved in bringing these arguments to bear on issues of public policy. Prerequisites: One course in each of philosophy, politics, and microeconomics. Same course as Economics 160, Philosophy 160, and PPE 160. This is an integrative course for PPE majors. Fall 2002. [PAC 10]

112. Hannah Arendt: Politics, Love, Violence, Gender. Mr. Seery. Arguably the greatest political theorist of the post-war period, Hannah Arendt and her works are today undergoing extensive review by students interested in feminism and gender studies, queer studies, identity politics, aesthetics, revolution and violence, civil disobedience and constitutionalism, liberalism, community, and the Holocaust. Major texts and some secondary sources. Offered in 2003-04; offered alternate years.

114. The Idea of America. Mr. Seery. Explores from several angles, periods, and points of view, the idea of America as: an experiment in republicanism on a scale never before attempted, the New World, a promised land, a frontier space, and a dream (albeit often dashed). Examines critically the shifting images, ideologies, and mythologies surrounding the idea of America as portrayed through fiction, film, music, sports, art, poetry, and political theory. Spring 2003. [PAC 10]

130. Campaigns and Elections. Mr. Menefee-Libey. A course on how electoral politics works (or doesn’t) in the contemporary United States. On one hand, the “nuts and bolts” of campaigns and election processes and organizations. On the other hand, the issues, interests and values at stake at the time the course is offered. Class discussions will focus on sustained individual case studies. Prerequisite: Politics 30 or 131. Fall 2002; offered alternate years.

131. The American Presidency. Ms. Quinley. The American presidency from 1787 to the present. Presidential leadership, power, and influence in relationships with Congress, courts, parties, bureaucracy, and the public in the formulation and administration of foreign and domestic policy. Nominations, campaigns, and elections. Offered in 2003-04.

133A. Constitutional Law I. Mr. Flynn. The nature and extent of constitutional power, the separation-of-powers doctrine, federal-state relations, and the power of Congress and the Presidency. Briefing and analysis of cases and statutes. Lecture, discussion, papers. Fall 2002. [PAC 10]

133B. Constitutional Law II. Mr. Flynn. Political and civil rights in the American Constitutional system and the limitations on governmental powers with emphasis on the rights of the accused and individual liberties. Briefing and analysis of cases and statutes. Lecture, papers, discussion. Spring 2003. [PAC 10]

134. American Politics in a Media Age. Mr. Flynn. Equips the student, already visually oriented from infancy, with ability to monitor and critically interpret political institutions and communications. Explores ways in which news media shape American politics and ways in which politicians seek to influence media. Focuses on effect of the media in specific events. Examines how new communications technologies structure political conflict and decision making. Each semester. [PAC 5]

135. Policy Implementation and Evaluation. Mr. Menefee-Libey. Public policy in the United States, the ways governments implement policy decisions, and alternative means of evaluating the impact of policy on society. Major field research-based term paper. Prerequisite: Politics 3 or 30. Fall 2002.

136. Politics of Environmental Action. Mr. Worthington. Examines political action aimed at enhancing ecological sustainability. Topics include new ecological challenges such as the rise of biotechnology; social movements and coalition-building; interactions with the political center (states and corporations); and outcomes of environmental action. Prerequisite: Politics 3 or STSI or ID 50. Spring 2003. [PAC 7]

137. Politics and Social Welfare Policy. Ms. Quinley. Seminar on public efforts to reduce poverty in America. First half considers the development of social-welfare policy during the New Deal, Great Society, and Reagan periods. Second half explores dependency, feminization of poverty, race and poverty, and Clinton-era efforts at welfare reform. Term paper. Prerequisite: Politics 30 or 131. Spring 2003.

138. Organizational Theory. Mr. Worthington. Theories of complex organization,

and their contributions to an understanding of organizational life and associated policy processes and outcomes. Focuses on the transition during the 20th century from scientifically managed to flexible organizations, including the social and political implications of this transition. Prerequisite: Politics 3. Identical to Sociology 133.

Spring 2003. [PAC 7]

147. Education Politics and Policy Mr. Menefee-Libey. Elementary and secondary schooling in the contemporary United States. Competing public expectations and political demands: schools as preparation for democratic citizenship and schools as preparation for economic productivity (among other goals). The politics of school reform. Prerequisite: Politics 3. Fall 2003; offered alternate years.

160. Comparative Politics of Europe. Ms. Crighton. Analysis of political controversies and institutional change in the decade since European unification. Emphasis on social, historical, and structural forces influencing change. Topics include challenges to European models of governance (staticism, corporatism, liberalism), social movements, welfare and social justice, changing patterns of mobility, integration and disintegration, democratic transitions in eastern and central Europe. Spring 2003.

161. Japanese Politics. Mr. Arase. The Japanese political system, the relationship between the Japanese economy and domestic politics, foreign policy, and the growth of Japan’s role as a world economic power. Fall 2003.

162. Comparative Politics of Africa. Mr. Englebert. Surveys the main political issues facing contemporary African states, including poverty, instability, ethnicity, class conflicts, integration in the world economy, corruption, authoritarianism, democratization and reversion to authoritarianism, state collapse, social disengagement, structural adjustment, and relations with former colonial powers. Emphasizes historical and structural determinants. Fall 2002. [PAC 9]

163. Comparative East Asian Politics. Mr. Arase. Analysis of the different political systems of Asia, the legacy of colonialism and international conflict on the domestic politics of China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, and changes in traditional political culture. The problems of ethnic conflict, human welfare, and rapidly expanding political participation. Fall 2002. [PAC 9]

165. Politics of Modern Latin America. Ms. Williams. Analyses of industrialization, global trade, immigration, and superpower conflict on political systems and societies. Examines domestic politics and foreign policy of the Southern Cone, Central America, the Andes, the Caribbean, and Mexico. Fall 2002. [PAC 9]

167. The Reconfiguration of Power in Africa. Mr. Englebert. The 1990s have witnessed numerous episodes of “state failure” in Africa, from Liberia and Sierra Leone to Somalia and Congo, to name but a few. As more and more African states sink into institutional oblivion, however, ruling elites scramble to find new arrangements to perpetuate their power. This class will study these contemporary trends, at the edge of African political developments, and investigate the extent to which they represent a new process of state formation. Offered in 2003-04.

168. Revolution, Restoration, and Reform: The Rise of Modern East Asia. Mr. Gibney. Examines main trends in Asian revolution and reform movements over the past 250 years, from peasant populism in China’s Taiping and Korea’s Tonghak revolts, to the disciplined cultural reformism of Japan’s Meiji leadership and modernizing ideas of Asian nationalists, from Rizal to Ho Chi Minh. Provides students better historical grounding for understanding modern Asian politics and economics by suggesting their social and political antecedents in East Asian reform movements. Fall 2002. [PAC 8]

169. Revolution and Reform in Latin America. Ms. Williams. Readings on insurgency, revolution, democratization, and social reform in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Latin America. The Cuban Revolution forward, guerrilla warfare, agrarian and/or environmental struggles, labor insurgency, solidarity and human rights movements, identity politics, and diasporic movements in the U.S. (e.g., United Farm Workers, Young Lords Party, Mixtec Indian organizations). Spring 2003.

170. Introduction to International Political Economy. Mr. Arase. International economic institutions, multinational corporations and transnationalism, dependency and imperialism. Issues in international trade and finance, including Third World debt and protectionism vs. free trade. Problems in managing the world economy. Prerequisite: Economics 51. Spring 2003.

171. Conflict and Change in the International System. Mr. Elliott. Sources and types of conflict that cause change in the international system, as well as patterns of international cooperation that structure and mediate these conflicts. Offered in 2003-04.

173. Worlds in Collision. Mr. Elliott. Examines great historical encounters between civilizations that have shaped our thinking about international relations (e.g., the Greeks and Persians, Islam and the West, Europe and the New World, Europe and Asia, and the Third World and the West). Considers the extent to which conventional international relations theory can account for the cultural, historical, and ideological causes and consequences of these encounters. Fall 2002.

178. Political Economy of Development. Mr. Englebert. Building on the concepts of comparative politics, this course surveys contending explanations of the inequality of economic and political development, including modernization theory, dependency, liberalism, institutionalism, and new approaches such as social capital theory. Focuses on the interaction of political and economic variables, domestic and international facts. Prerequisite: Politics 5. Offered in 2003-04.

183. America’s Pacific Century. Mr. Gibney. Surveys the political and economic relationships between the United States and the Asia/Pacific nations over the past 150 years. Covers the steady expansion of American interests and commitments to East Asia, from Commodore Perry and the “China Trade” through the Japan occupation and wars in Korea and Vietnam up to present-day trade and security concerns, APEC, the stresses of a Pacific community, the economic surges of Japan, Korea, and China as well as militant Islamic movements in Southeast Asia. Spring 2003. [PAC 9]

190A. Senior Seminar in American Politics. Mr. Foster. Selected approaches to problems in American politics. Papers and research projects. Spring 2003.

190B. Senior Seminar in Comparative and International Politics. Ms. Crighton. Topic: the politics of ethnicity and nationalism. Papers and research projects. Open to non-Politics majors. Spring 2003.

190C. Senior Seminar in Contemporary Politics and Theory. Mr. Seery. Survey of readings in contemporary political theory, both European and American, with occasional overtures toward greater cosmopolitanism. Topics will include the politics of interpretation, science and technology, mass culture, postmodernism and deconstruction, feminist theory and feminist politics, democratic theory and reconstructed liberalism, multiculturalism, and neo-conservativism. Open to non-Politics majors. Fall 2002.

190E. Senior Seminar in the Politics of Community Design. Mr. Worthington. The design of things like cars, software, buildings, and cities is normally thought to be the exclusive province of highly trained professionals, such as architects and engineers. This course examines design as a political activity, with special emphasis on community efforts to create safe, prosperous, and livable spaces. Fall 2002.

191. Senior Thesis. Staff. By special application only. Deadline for fall thesis application: April 15; and for spring thesis application: November 15. Applications available in the department office. Each semester.

199. Independent Study. Staff. Course or half-course. Each semester.

Related Program

Washington Semester Program. The Claremont McKenna College Washington Semester Program is open to students from all The Claremont Colleges. Offered every semester, it provides an opportunity for first-hand study of American national politics.