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PLS
220: Introduction to International Relations
The field of International
relations is the study of how countries interact with each other to
settle political issues. In the international system (the arena
countries operate in) there is no established government, and rules for
behavior are established by agreement (formal and informal) absent any
central enforcement agency. Hence states operate in a condition of
anarchy. Our goal in this course is to understand and explain how
states act and behave in this condition of anarchy. Why does war occur
and how can states (individually or collectively) prevent war? How does
the rise of groups like the Anarchists (19th-20th
Century) or al-Qaeda (20th-21st Century) matter
to the international system of states? What is the structure and
function of the international political economy? Why have some states
developed? What hinders the development of other states? How does
Globalization impact our classical understanding of international
relations? During this semester we will explore all of these issues and
more.
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PLS 561: Comparative Public Administration
Comparative public
administration emerged as a field of study centered on the development
and distribution of foreign aid. Overtime, the field has evolved in
many directions ranging from the study of administrative
inefficiencies, policy implementation, budgeting, systems analysis and
fragmentation, culture and public administration, and distributions of
governmental power. In this class we will explore a variety of
subjects about the general administration of countries in a comparative
perspective. The topics include (but are not limited to): Political
Culture and Administration, Recruitment, Bureaucratic Structures, the
Interface of Political Institutions and the Public Bureaucracy, and
Public Management. In this course you will learn about a variety of
theories, and then explore the application of these theories in a
comparative context based on case studies that you will familiarize
yourself with. In each class you must come prepared to discuss the
content of the lecture as it applies to your case.
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CMR 536: Terrorism and Counterterrorism
The terrorism and
counterterrorism course is part of the international track for the
graduate program in Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR). In this
course you are introduced to the conflict condition referred to as
“terrorism”, and the different dilemmas that countries face as they attempt
to contend with terrorist problems (counterterrorism). The course is
divided into two sections. The first part of this course is about
problem definition, or in this case understanding terrorism. In the
first part we will explore the way in which terrorism is defined for
legal, policy, and research purposes. In this section we will explore
the various locations of terrorism in the world, and some
characteristics of countries that seem to make terrorism more or less
likely. Finally we will delve into issues of terrorism strategy to
uncover the variety of strategic goals terrorist pursue within their
attacks and their campaigns. We will also review the lingering debate
on the relative success of the terrorist strategy. The second part of
the course is devoted to counterterrorism. In this section of the
course we will discuss a variety of policies that different countries
have used at different times to deal with terrorist problems. The
policies include: decapitation, negotiation, success/failure, repression
and reorientation. We will evlauate the
policy logic and goals, and the history fo
the method. We do not discuss success so much as utility of different
methods of coutnerting terrorism.
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PLS 428: Global Terrorism
As of the terrorist
attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11), the world suddenly came to
realize the importance of one of the world’s oldest forms of political
behavior. Since Sicarii began its dedicated
campaign of terrorism against the Roman occupation of Palestine,
governments have been struggling with how best to manage the problem of
terrorism and, if possible, to defeat terrorist threats before they can
damage the credibility of a government to rule its own people. Managing
terrorist threats requires students gain some knowledge into the
reality of terrorism in the world. In this course, you will be exposed
to the following issues in order to understand terrorism. First,
understanding terrorist action, including: what is terrorism, what does
the world of terrorism look like and what are the origins of dominant
terrorist threats in today’s world, and the terrorist strategy. Second,
understanding terrorist mobilization including: the individual
terrorist, collective action, and the operational environment. Finally,
we will explore counterterrorist responses, including: media and
terrorism, domestic counterterrorism, international counterterrorism,
and intelligence. Throughout this course you will learn about a variety
of terrorist groups throughout history in order to gain understanding
of the current threats we face today.
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PLS 334: Revolutionary Movements
Revolutionary movements
are intriguing political events. The euphemisms used to describe the
place of revolution as a political process range from “disruptive
upheaval” to the “sex of politics.” In other words, revolutions are
seen as a major change in a negative or creative form. It is because of
the spectacular, and often unanticipated, transformation of the
political system wrought by the revolution that we, as students, are
attracted to the subject. Out of revolutions we observe the rise of
national heroes, inspiring ideologies, and transformation of the social
order. Old states die, and new states are born through revolution. This
course, Revolutionary Movements,
is a survey introduction to the topic of revolution. We will learn
about the nature of revolution vis-à-vis other forms of social
movements and political reform processes, and the different types of
revolutions observed over time. In this course we will explore
foundational causes of revolution, the role of revolutionary ideas from
Liberalism to Marxism. This course will also explore the anatomy of a
revolution to understand the source and role of leadership,
mobilization, and outcomes. Throughout this course you will have the
opportunity to analyze the revolutionary process in a selected case
study. Your case may be one of recent revolution, ongoing revolution,
or a place where revolution has failed, or not happened. This case
study assignment is you opportunity to put the theories of this class
into practice. While it is always difficult to predict revolution
before it happens, through careful analysis we may be able to learn why
a country like Egypt, that was seen as reliably stable, suddenly
careened off the rails in a drawn out and dramatic revolution that
toppled Hosni Mubarak, and has placed the long politically exiled
Muslim Brotherhood within range of dominating the reformed political
system.
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PLS 424: International Security
The tools states have to
use in the conduct of foreign policy are rather limited. One
traditional tool is military force. In a classical sense we think of
military force as a tool used for the conduct of war. In the post-Cold
War international system, states seem to think of military force as
applicable in more and varied formats. Gone are the days when military
force was simply gathered by states to present images of power, or used
to enforce the will of the state on others. Today states use military
force for limited strategic purposes and over a wide range of political
issues including counterinsurgency (counterterrorism),
non-proliferation, humanitarian missions, and more. This course is a
survey of the evolution of military force as a foreign policy tool. We
will analyze the classical perspectives on military force dating back
to Napoleon and the birth of modern warfare. We analyze strategic
theory, analyzing the ideas of Carl von Clausewitz and Sun Tzu. We will
also evaluate concepts like strategic culture, geography, technology,
and international laws to govern the use of force. The second part of
the course evaluates the evolution of military force in the post-modern
era (since World War II). In this section of the class we analyze the
applications of military force to areas like terrorism,
non-proliferation, and peacekeeping. We will discuss, at length, the
rapid military development among the top tier states and its impact on
the calculus of the development of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
among weaker states seeking to equalize power disparities. We will also
discuss the evolving concept of “homeland security” and how this fits
into or deviates from classical national security doctrine.
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PLS 335: European Political Systems
Europe as a region expresses
many similarities in government and politics. Parliamentary systems
with strong cabinets dominate the region. Strong party systems, with
very fragmented multiparty systems, are common. Such political
traditions deviate significantly from the American two-party dominant
system, based on a presidential form of government. At the same time
Europe also expresses a wide variety of diversity in its government and
politics. Some states have semi-presidential systems, some have
ceremonial monarchies, and some have elected ceremonial presidents.
Some states have very stable majority party or party coalitions, other
states have highly fractured multiparty systems with minority
governments as the rule of the day. In short, Europe may express
commonalities in how it differs from the U.S., but it expresses a wide
variety within the region. In this course you will explore the regional
politics of Europe. Our analysis of the region is driven largely by
exploring the ways in which European states achieve representative
government, given the variety of governing systems there are. To help
drive the analysis home, you will see common examples used including:
the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland,
Latvia, and Italy. Moreover, to help you gain a deeper understanding of
the region you will complete a series of assignments on a single
European country (on an approved country list).
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PLS 336: Russian and Post-Soviet Politics
In 1991, when the Soviet system collapsed there
was a moment of hope in the West that there would be democratic
transformation of the former Soviet state. However, the twin
experiences of democratic transition and economic collapse has led to
subtle reversals in the Russian political landscape. Today Russia is
classified as a consolidated anocracy, or a
political system that is institutionally inconsistent. The political
system reflects democratic traits and lingering autocratic traits.
There are regular elections that take place, but political competition
tends to be suppressed. Political actors are multiple, but face an
array of confusing regulations that limit their ability to effectively
participate in the political system. The different political
institutions function, but there is a question as to their autonomy
from the executive branch. The executive branch is considered
moderately constrained in the political system. Constraints are
emerging and institutionalized, but not to the point where would
consider the President to be limited by constitutional authorities and
checked by other institutions.
Additionally, the 1990s seemed a time when Russia
was interested and intent to join with the West to create a new global
security order. This vision, in part defined George HW Bush’s declaration
of a new world order. Russia truly seemed interested in integration
into the Western economic and security order. By 1996 Russia began a
slow backtrack to declare a position of autonomy from the world. Today
Russia stands at a balance between engagement and integration into the
global political and economic system, yet in doing so as an equal
player with the US, the West, and China. Russia expresses clear
interest to manage its local neighborhood, but not to recreate the
empires of old.
In this course we will explore the development of
the Russian political system through the post-Soviet collapse through
Putin’s first terms in office to the tandemocracy
of Medvedev-Putin, to the new Putin Administration. As we explore the
Russian political system we will learn about Russian political history,
culture, context, the ever evolving Russian political philosophy of
government and society, and institutional arrangements and power
distributions. The final part of the course explores Russian foreign
policy. Here we look into Russia’s vision of itself in the world, the
different players elite players in foreign policy, and try to gain
insights into some of Russia’s moves vis-à-vis the US and the
World.
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Syllabus
PLS 338: Political Systems of the Middle East
The Middle East is a
geo-political region of the world that has been front and center of
global politics for millennia. It is the region credited as the “cradle
of civilization”, the birth place to politics and law. As the region
with the earliest empires, the Middle East certainly contributes much
to the notion of government administration. The region is also the
birthplace to three of the world’s major religions making it a cultural
shatter zone. The area has also been at the center of economic life as
a major trade route between Europe and Asia. Today, the deposits of oil
and natural gas make the region vitally important to the function of
the global industrial economy. The Middle East was once host to the
world’s most advanced empires (Persian, Umayyad, Abbasid, and Ottoman),
and has collapsed into a region dominated by colonial empires, and the
great political games of Europe and the U.S.-Soviet Cold War. The
political systems that have evolved in this region during the 20th
century reflect the most recent regional trends: post-colonial
development, adapting to the European-base
state system (in contrast to the regional state of the past), economic
development in the face of global pressure for access to markets and
resources. The region displays certain commonalities in the lack of
stable democratic political systems and the prevalence of authoritarian
governments. However, as we explore the various countries of the region
you will learn that each country is struggling with efforts to preserve
those elements of their tradition that brought pride and strength
against the demands of modern states. The majority of the countries in
the Middle East and North Africa have been developing as modern states
only since World War I. The region is defined by transition mediated by
the tensions of tradition. In this class you will learn about these
dueling tensions and how they manifest themselves in the domestic
political organization of states and more importantly in the foreign
policy of states in the region.
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PLS 494: Comparative Politics Study Abroad
Spring 2013: Paris and London (Description): Forthcoming
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