This seminar will examine the theme of power as it engages questions of sex andgender. Subsidiary themes that will be developed over the course of the semester include: the modernism/ postmodernism debate as it particularly relates to feminism; the intersectionality of race, gender, sexuality and class and how feminists can and do talk about "women"; the relevance of feminist theory to policy issues, and which theoretical approaches are the most appropriate or have the most powerful potential. The readings will start with "foundational" texts in feminist theory-- texts that anyone who wants to work in or teach feminist theory needs to have in their repertoire, they set out the background and history of contemporary feminist theory, and they operate from a variety of disciplinary frameworks. We then will move onto some newer scholarship and some more specific political issues and topics, depending on what students in the course are interested in studying. This course is open to undergraduates who have had some prior course work in feminist theory, gender and sexuality studies, and/or political theory, in consultation with the professor.

There is little question that inequality along the lines of race and ethnicity remain a constant problem in American society. And over time, the federal government has implemented several policy initiatives to address these inequities. However, less well understood is the success of these federal policies or the process in which they emerge from government as a viable solution. This course will provide an overview of the link between federal government action and changes in minority inequality. We will analyze several issue spaces that cover health, crime and incarceration, social policy and equal rights, education, welfare, and economics. We will take a multi-method approach to exploring the success of federal policies by conducting historical assessments and statistical analysis. Advanced undergraduates are welcome to take the course with permission.

Course examines Russian politics, with an eye to how political, economic and social changes have been engineered, experienced, and perceived by Russians. For those with graduate standing or advanced background in Russian studies, graduate credit is available for additional readings and research to be discussed with the professor. For either version, the goal is to gain an in-depth understanding of contemporary Russia, its regime, its economy, its society, and its foreign policy (the latter being especially critical against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine).
This process begins with a consideration of the historical inheritance bequeathed by the Soviet era. Thus, the first part of the course examines the origins and evolution of the Soviet regime from Lenin to Gorbachev. The point is not to master historical details but to grasp the continuities and changes in political dynamics, social conditions, and planned economic development, since some of these would shape aspects of the post-Soviet transition. The second part delves into the evolution of Russia's politics, economics, society and foreign policy, first during the early years of transition under Boris Yeltsin (1992-99), and then primarily under Vladimir Putin (2000- ). In this section, we cover Russia’s state and political system, the fluctuations in economic growth, changing social conditions over time, as well as foreign policy. In the process, we will also consider the origins and role of oligarchs, patterns of political protest, social/demographic trends and the management of Russia’s energy resources. We will also seek to better understand the shifts in Russia’s foreign policy over time and the sources of the sharp decline in US-Russia relations, with a focus on the conditions leading up to the Ukraine war and the increasing alienation of Russia from the West. In all these domains, we will consider what the empirical evidence suggests about Russia relative to conventional images as presented in the West and also in comparison to the trajectories of other non-Western countries (e.g. China, Turkey, India). 

In the two centuries since the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, the world has seen numerous partitions, secessions, annexations, and unifications, and that includes attempts, completions and repeats, but have political scientists adequately treated these features of our collective experience?
This course focuses on how and why political territories are restructured, through secessions, partitions, annexations, and unifications, and with what consequences.
We begin by addressing conceptual, definitional, and coding questions related to partitions, secessions, annexations, unifications, and adjacent phenomena.
Then we shall review explanations of these phenomena through evaluating case studies and large-N studies (students may specialize in either, or both). We will discuss whether specific and distinctive explanations of these four phenomena are appropriate, or whether general explanations are available—and satisfying.
In the cases of Ireland, British India, mandate Palestine, and Cyprus we shall review explanations, implementations, and evaluations of the consequences of the respective partitions.
We shall then address cases of failed, i.e., defeated secessions, e.g., the Confederate States of America, Kurdistan, as well as successful, i.e. accomplished, secessions, e.g., Bangladesh and South Sudan. Then we shall look at explanations of the occurrence of secessionist bids, at both the macro- and micro-level. Efforts to link general theories of conflict to secessionist or non-secessionist outcomes are welcome. The final outcomes of secessionist conflicts will be considered, examining whether a stable settlement is produced, or whether conflict recurs.
Historic cases of unifications are then considered e.g., nineteenth-century German and Italian unifications, possibly paired with some failed “pan-national” movements, as well as more recent cases of unification, e.g., Germany, Vietnam, failed reunifications, e.g., Cyprus, and possible future reunifications (e.g., Ireland, Korea, China-Taiwan).
General literature on annexation in international law, international relations and comparative politics will be examined. Have there been any decisive trends in annexations, and are these being reversed? Creeping or incremental as well as wholesale annexations will be considered. Case studies will include American, Chinese, Israeli, Russian, and Turkish annexations. We will ask why governments choose not to annex territories they control.
Normative debates will be encouraged, subject to consideration of historic evidence. This course straddles the borders between comparative politics, international relations, and political theory. Normative literature addresses whether orderly practices should be followed amid state break-ups, e.g., dividing assets, protecting citizenship rights, and border delimitation and demarcation.

Consult the department for detailed descriptions or if you think the course could count toward a subfield other than Comparative Politics. More than one course may be taken in a given semester.

Consult the department for detailed descriptions or if you think the course could count toward a subfield other than International Relations. More than one course may be taken in a given semester.

Consult the department for detailed descriptions or if you think the course could count toward a subfield other than American Politics. More than one course may be taken in a given semester.

Consult the department for detailed descriptions or if you think the course could count toward a subfield other than American Politics. More than one course may be taken in a given semester.

Consult department for detailed descriptions. Recent topics include: Globalization; Race & Criminal Justice; Democracy & Markets in Postcommunist Europe.

Consult department for detailed descriptions. Recent topics include: Globalization; Race & Criminal Justice; Democracy & Markets in Postcommunist Europe.