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Politics (POLI) courses satisfy Area 2 of the Breadth of
Study Requirements, except POLI 90, which satisfies Area 5.
1A. Classical Political Theory.
Ms. McWilliams. 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 2007.
1B. Modern Political Theory.
Mr. Seery. Second half of sequence, but does not require or
presuppose 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 2008.
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. Fall 2007.
3. Introduction to American
Politics. Mr. Crowe, Mr. Flynn, Mr. Foster, Mr. Menefee-Libey.
An overview of the institutions, processes and content of
politics in the United States. Focus on selective policy
issues and contemporary institutional conflicts. May include
a lab component in which students analyze political texts
and data. Each semester.
5. Comparative Politics.
Ms. Crighton. Introduces major analytical approaches in the
field of comparative politics and explores contemporary
issues in countries (states) around the world. Particular
focus on: state building and state capacity, democratic and
authoritarian regimes, political economy of development,
global and local challenges to state sovereignty. Each
Semester
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 the shock of
9/11. This course will look into the domestic and
international factors that have led to a sweeping shift in
foreign policy since 9/11 and at the potential impact on the
new doctrine of preempting threats to American security
before they materialize, as well as the implications of this
and other aspects of the War on Terrorism for America and
the world. Each semester.
8. Introduction to International
Relations. Mr. Arase, Mr. Clement. 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. Each semester.
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 screenings of films
such as Being There and Berkeley in the Sixties. Fall 2007.
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 2008.
33A. American Constitutionalism I: Structures of
Power. Mr. Crowe. The historical development of american
constitutional law and politics related to structures of
power. Topics include the establishment of judicial
review, the limits on congressional lawmaking, the growth of
presidential authority, and the relationship between federal
and state governments from the Founding to the present.
Fall 2007.33B. American Constitutionalism II:
Rights and Liberties. Mr. Crowe. The
historical development of American constitutional law and
politics related to rights and liberties. Topics
include property, freedom of speech and religion, equality,
autonomy and privacy, and criminal process from the Founding
to the present. Spring 2008.
36. Urban Politics and Public
Policy. Mr. Foster. The political problems of
cities and demographic movements in the United States. Fall
2007.
42. Gender and Politics.
Ms. Crighton. American politics from the perspective of
women, highlighting contributions of race, gender, class and
other social constructions to the diversity of women’s
political experience. Significant focus on masculinities,
also inflected by race and class. Historical changes in
women’s activism. Comparison with lives of women in other
countries. Implications for traditional conceptions of
politics, power and democracy. Prerequisite: 3. Spring 2008.
43. 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. Spring 2008.
44. Race, Class and Power.
Mr. Foster. Analysis of the 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. Fall 2007.
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. Fall 2006; Spring 2008.
72B. Contemporary International
Relations of Asia. Mr. Elliott. Examines the great
transformations that have taken place in the post-Cold War
system of international relations in Asia through a close
study of the watershed events of the post-Cold War period
and participation in these events by the major states
involved. Fall 2007.
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 2008.
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.
Spring 2008.
Fulfills Area 5 of the Breadth of Study Requirements.
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 2008.
115. The Politics of Literature.
Ms. McWilliams. An exploration of the relationship between
politics and literature, and of the contributions of
literature to the study of politics and the formation of
citizenship. Readings include scripture, tragedy, short
stories, novels and film. Spring 2008.
131. American Political
Development. Mr. Crowe. An examination of the
continuities, discontinuities and recurrent patterns in the
growth and evolution of the American political system over
time. Topics include political culture and civic
participation, the institutions of government, linkage
mechanisms such as political parties and interests groups,
the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion, and select public
policy domains. Fall 2007
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. Spring
2008.
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: 3 or 30. Fall 2007.
136. Politics of Environmental
Justice. Mr. Worthington. Examines political action
aimed at environmental justice and sustainability, with
emphasis on power dynamics around race, ethnicity, class,
gender and technological change. Includes analysis of
movements in the Los Angeles area, such as those catalyzed
by the Bus Riders Union, Center for Community Action and
Environmental Justice, and others. Prerequisite: 3 or STS 1
or EA 50. Spring 2008.
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: 3.
Same course as SOC 133. Spring 2008.
139. 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 2007.
147. Education Politics and
Policy. Mr. Menefee-Libey. Elementary and secondary
schooling in the contemporary United States. The
politics of school reform and conflicts among competent
purposes, including schools as preparation for democratic
citizenship, for economic productivity, and for academic
learning. Prerequisite: 3. Spring 2008; offered
alternate years.
160. Comparative Politics of
Europe. Ms. Crighton. Analysis of Europe’s
transformation since the fall of the Soviet Union: regime
change and the move to markets in the former Soviet Bloc,
pooled sovereignty in the European Union, challenges to
governance at the national level, new developments in
immigration, welfare states and environmental policy.
Prerequisite: 5 or 6. Fall 2007.
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 2007.
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 2007.
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 participations.
Spring 2008.
165. Politics of Modern Latin
America. Mr. Barndt. Analysis 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
2007.
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: ECON 51. Fall 2007.
171. Remaking the World: Attempts
to Achieve Global Hegemony from Britain to Bush.
Mr. Elliott. An examination of attempts by great powers to
restructure and dominate the international system from the
19th century to present. Particular emphasis will be placed
on historical lessons that may shed light on the post 9/11
efforts to reshape the Middle East and establish a new world
order. Fall 2007.
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: 5. Fall 2007.
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 2008.
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-conservatism. Open to
non-Politics majors. Fall 2007.
191. Senior Thesis.
Arase. 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.
195. Senior Oral Examination.
Arase. Covers four topics chosen by the student in the fall
semester. No credit. Both Semesters.
99/199. Reading and Research.
Staff. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. 99,
lower-level; 199, advanced work. Course or half-course. May
be repeated. Each semester. (Summer Reading and Research
taken as 98/198.)
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. |
