Consult department for detailed descriptions. More than one course may be taken in a given semester. Recent titles have included: Leadership & Democracy; Conservative Regimes.

Consult department for detailed descriptions. More than one course may be taken in a given semester. Recent titles have included: Leadership & Democracy; Conservative Regimes.

Consult department for detailed descriptions. More than one course may be taken in a given semester. Recent titles have included: Leadership & Democracy; Conservative Regimes.

Consult department for detailed descriptions. More than one course may be taken in a given semester. Recent titles have included: Leadership & Democracy; Conservative Regimes.

Consult department for detailed descriptions. More than one course may be taken in a given semester. Recent titles have included: Leadership & Democracy; Conservative Regimes.

International Organizations play a powerful role in mitigating conflict at the global level. What role do they play in solving problems related to global politics, economic development, corruption, inequality and civil society in Latin America? How much power, influence and control do they possess in the region? This course examines the role and impact international organizations have had on Latin America since the mid-20th century. After a review of theoretical and methodological persectives on the significance of IOs in international relations, students will examine the workings, issues and often controversies surrounding IOs in Latin America, including the IMF, World Bank, UN, OAS and ICC as wellas regional organizations such as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and area trade blocs and agreements of Mercosur, NAFTA and others. Students will also explore the regional impact of transnational civil society organizations, such as human rights organizations and the International Olympic Committee. Students will be invited to participate in the Washington Model OAS from April 10-17.

Consult department for detailed descriptions. More than one course may be taken in a given semester. Recent titles have included: Leadership & Democracy; Conservative Regimes.

Slow-moving policy crises like climate change, population growth/change (aging, immigration, pensions), and water availability involve policy areas with a seemingly high probability of negative consequences, where the need for policy coordination seems clear but the pressures for coordination are often somewhat removed, since the consequences of policy action or inaction may be felt only years down the road. The questions underlying these cases are: how does a democratic political system, which operates on the short time horizon of elections, complicate policy decisions regarding social and natural processes with much longer time horizons (say decades rather than years), and for which the policy consequences may be quite serious, not to say catastrophic, but far removed from the political timeframe. How do politicians and policy makers evaluate the appropriate response to the problems posed by these processes? If the usual policy making framework is inadequate to responding to these kinds of processes and the problems they pose, then how can the institutions and processes of policy-making be amended to allow for improvement? What lessons can be drawn from other fields (psychology, economics, political science, sociology, etc.) and other decision-making arenas? On one level the goal of this course is to introduce students to key concepts of rational choice, externalities, risk assessment, time horizons, event probabilities, path dependency and unintended consequences through readings in political science, economics and sociology; and on another level to give students the tools to evaluate failures (and successes) of policy responses in areas in which policy consequences are often far removed, temporally and otherwise, from those making decisions.

This course is designed to introduce students to comparative political analysis. How can the political behavior, circumstances, institutions, and dynamic patterns of change that people experience in very different societies be analyzed using the same set of concepts and theories? Key themes include nationalism, political culture, democratization, authoritarianism, and the nature of protracted conflict.