The primary goal of the first-year seminar program is to provide every first-year student with the opportunity for a direct personal encounter with a faculty member in a small class setting devoted to a significant intellectual endeavor. First-year seminars also fulfill College General Education Requirements.

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.

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

This seminar provides an overview of the structure and functions of welfare states in the
rich, industrialized democracies, and covers key arguments and debates about the
emergence and contemporary fate of these welfare states. The approach is broadly
comparative, but throughout the course discussions will often emphasize drawing ideas
from the experiences of other countries to inform policy solutions to problems we confront in the US. The course covers the varieties and tasks of modern welfare states; classic theories about the relationship between markets, classes, and social protection; competing explanations for why modern welfare states emerge and why they differ from one another; how welfare states are shaped by social forces such as organized labor and the self-employed, political institutions, and societal views of appropriate gender relationships; challenges to the welfare state that emerge from changing labor market, demographic, and social conditions in the highly industrialized nations; and the political dynamics of reforms to the welfare state. Students will participate actively in seminar discussions and complete a major research paper. Graduate students will complete additional readings as noted and will write an article-length paper.

This class explores whether or not America, and its politics, are divided. Is the American public polarized? What about political elites? Is there any connection between mass and elite polarization? What do we even mean when we say some group is “polarized”? This class will explore these questions in some detail. We will begin at the elite level and ask whether or the political class is now more polarized than it was a half century ago. The answer will be a fairly unambiguous “yes.” We’ll then explore several different explanations for why elites have become more divided since mid-century. After that, we’ll turn our attention to the mass public. The situation there will be considerably more complicated, with evidence both for and against polarization. We’ll explore this evidence in some detail and try to document the ways in which the American public has—and has not—become more polarization over time, paying attention to differences based on issues as well as affect/sentiment toward the other party. Finally, we’ll conclude by exploring the effects of polarization on the legislative process and the mass electorate, and ask what (if anything) can or should be done about polarization.

Consult department for detailed descriptions. More than one course may be taken in a given semester. Recent titles have included: Race Development and American International Relations, Hegel and Marx, and Logic of the West.

Consult department for detailed descriptions. More than one course may be taken in a given semester. Recent titles have included: Race Development and American International Relations, Hegel and Marx, and Logic of the West.

In this on campus course, students will explore both the roots and the evolution of conservative thought by engaging with readings and directly with the prominent leaders on the right. Co-faculty Miles Taylor, co-creator of the Forward Party and author of A Warning and Blowback will join us via Zoom, along with a range of some of the most important thought leaders on conservatism in America. Course is open to all students and is offered on campus.

Consult department for detailed descriptions. More than one section may be given in a semester. Recent titles have included: Interpreting the Canon; State, Self, & Society; U.S. Policy in Europe; and Dissertation Writing.