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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
F. Chernoff This course examines the nature of theories of international relations, with particular attention to whether they are capable of predicting future events. The most dramatic international development of the last half century - the end of the Cold War - was not predicted by international relations theories. The course seeks the reasons for this failure: is it that the scientific theories of international relations have not been sufficiently refined after just 30 years, or is the field inherently incapable of generating predictive theories Those who prefer the latter answer - and criticize the natural science model - argue that international relations theories, like those of other social sciences, must account for human agency and free will, and thus are inherently different from those of natural sciences and incapable of prediction. The course attempts to answer these questions by considering the proper use of concepts such as "law," "cause," "explanation," and "understanding" in international relations. Pr erequisite:
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3.00 Credits
(IR) A. Pitcher More than 30 years after formal independence, what is the contemporary condition of many African countries What has been the impact of economic and political reforms such as democratization and structural adjustment This seminar discusses these and other relevant questions in African politics through comparative study of the states and regions south of the Sahara. The course explores the causes and consequences of political unrest or stability, social stagnation or change, and economic development or the lack thereof. It looks at the global spread of ideas and institutions as well as local response to globalization and regionalism in the cities as well as in the countryside. It examines not only how institutions, culture, and policies have shaped the lives of Africans but also how the people of Africa, collectively and individually, have shaped their own experiences.
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3.00 Credits
D. Macdonald This seminar considers the interrelationships between two great land-based nations, the U.S. and Russia, which expanded territorially, developed economically, and emerged to strategic dominance at much the same time. It examines the competition between those two states, looks at the prospects for their cooperation, and how the end of the Cold War has created new opportunities and problems for each of them.
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3.00 Credits
F. Chernoff, E. Fogarty, D. Macdonald The course focuses on theorists, thinkers, and critics of American foreign policy. Emphasis is on the values, strategies, and doctrines that have been the basis for our foreign relations, and on the perennial themes of isolationism, interventionism, realism, and idealism. Prerequisite: POSC 366.
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3.00 Credits
(IR) F. Chernoff Theories of warfare and explanations of the outbreak of war are the focus of this course. Explanations of warfare as a general characteristic of the international system and case studies are examined, as is the evidence on the economic, political, and social consequences of war. The course deals both with general patterns and with particular 20th-century wars. Prerequisite: POSC 232.
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3.00 Credits
A. Pitcher Why are some countries politically stable while others are afflicted by frequent changes of government Why do some countries experience growth and others remain impoverished Do political choices shape economic outcomes or do economic factors constrain political decisions These questions are central to the study of politics and development. This seminar compares the developmental experiences of industrialized countries such as the United States and Great Britain with newly industrializing countries such as South Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, and Brazil, as well as less-developed countries such as Tanzania and Kenya. Students explore development theories from modernization to underdevelopment to rational choice and theories of weak and strong, stable and unstable states. Particular factors such as state intervention, political corruption, class formation, privatization, and foreign investment are looked at closely, to help explain the practice of politics and development in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
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3.00 Credits
(TH) R. Kraynak Many of Plato's greatest dialogues have as their theme the perfect political community - a city governed by wise and virtuous rulers who care for the souls of citizens through moral education. Does Plato's vision of politics have relevance for us today Does it make him an enemy of democracy or a friendly critic who would like to improve and perfect democracy What responsibility does the philosopher have for political and civic life These questions will be examined by a careful study of selected Platonic dialogues on politics, such as t he Republic, Laws, Statesma n, or Gorgias
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3.00 Credits
R. Kraynak What is freedom and how much freedom is good for society What kind of justification do modern political philosophers offer in defense of freedom or in favor of restricting freedom These questions are examined by studying selected works of authors such as Kant, Burke, Nietzsche, and Solzhenitsyn.
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3.00 Credits
B. Shain In this seminar, various descriptive accounts of American villages, towns, and ethnic neighborhoods are explored. This familiarity with American non-urban social history is then used to inform our consideration of the theories of some prominent contemporary communitarian political theorists.
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3.00 Credits
B. Shain In this seminar, the development of American constitutionalism up to 1789 is explored. The examination has three foci: the constitutional and theoretical arguments made in defense of the colonial position advanced during the British-American crisis of 1765-1776; the debates in the Philadelphia Convention that shaped the framing of the Federal Constitution of 1789; and once proposed, the debates in the press and ratifying conventions from defenders and opponents regarding the wisdom of adopting the Constitution. The seminar's approach to this development focuses less on the putative influence of European political theorists or radical transformations, and more on the long established constitutional and political practices and thought of 18th-century British and American political actors and authors.
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