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Politics Courses (all)
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.


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Phone: 909-607-2448  Email: Evelyn Khalili
 
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