For course schedules, rooms and registration information, please consult the Registrar's Directory of Classes.
Where available, syllabi may be accessed by clicking on the NUMBER of
the course. If the course number is not linked, please contact the
instructor directly for a copy of the syllabus or check for the
syllabus on Courseworks.
By the Numbers
The Department of Political Science offers courses in the fields of
American Politics, Comparative Politics, Political Theory, and
International Relations. We also offer courses in Methodology.
- "X"-denominated courses (ie: G6601x) are courses being offered in
the fall semester. "Y"-denominated courses (ie: G6403y) are courses
being offered in the spring semester.
- Undergraduate courses in Political Science are numbered 3999 and below. These courses are not open to graduate students.
- Undergraduate seminars: You may not pre-register for these courses. You may enroll in
them only with permission of the instructor on the first day of class. Please see here for detailed seminar registration guidelines.
- all sections of 3911 and 3912 are seminars in Political Theory
- all sections of 3921 and 3922 are seminars in American Politics
- all sections of 3951 and 3952 are seminars in Comparative Politics
- all sections of 3961 and 3962 are seminars in International Relations
- Graduate courses in Political Science are numbered 4000 and above.
However, 4000-level courses are mixed-level lectures, open to both undergraduates and graduate students.
- Except where indicated graduate courses are numbered as follows:
- x2xx courses are in the subfield of American Politics
- x4xx courses are in the subfield of Comparative Politics
- x6xx courses are in the subfield of Political Theory
- x8xx courses are in the subfield of International Relations
- Methodology courses do not follow this numbering system.
-
With one or two exceptions, courses at the 6000-level are graduate
"field surveys." These courses are intended for PhD students in
Political Science. Other students should obtain the permission of the
instructor before registering
- 8000- and 9000-level courses are graduate colloquia and seminars; enrollment in these courses requires instructor permission.
- If the course number begins with "8" (eg: 84145Y) rather than
with a letter (eg: V1601, C3930, W4210, G4415, U8715, L9823, etc.), the
course is cross-listed in another department. The second number will
indicate the course level. Thus 84145Y is a 4000-level course
cross-listed in the Philosophy Department, not a graduate colloquium
(8000-level).
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American Politics
W1201x
Introduction to American Government and Politics
Justin Phillips
Lecture and discussion.Dynamics of political institutions and processes, chiefly of the
national government.Emphasis on the
actual exercise of political power by interest groups, elites, political
parties, and public opinion. Discussion
section required.
W1201y
Introduction to American Government and Politics
Judith Russell
Lecture and discussion.Dynamics of political institutions and processes, chiefly of the
national government.Emphasis on the
actual exercise of political power by interest groups, elites, political
parties, and public opinion. Discussion
section required.
W3208y
State Politics
Justin Phillips
This course is intended to
provide students with a detailed understanding of politics in the American
states. The topics covered are divided into four broad sections. The first
explores the role of the states in America's federal system of
government. Attention is given to the basic features of intergovernmental
relations as well as the historic evolution of American federalism. The second
part of the course focuses on state-level political institutions. The
organization and processes associated with the legislative, executive, and
judicial branches are discussed in depth. The third part examines state
elections, political parties, and interest groups. Finally, the fourth section
looks closely at various policy areas. Budgeting, welfare, education, gay
marriage, and environmental policy are each considered.
W3210y
Judicial Politics
Jeffrey Lax
W3215x
Workshop in Media and Politics
Kathleen Knight
2-credit workshop. Permission of the instructor is required
before signing-up for this course. Interested students should contact Professor
Knight at kk552@columbia.edu.
Prerequisite: POLS 3218 “Mass Media and American Democracy,” or equivalent. The
Workshop in Media and Politics is the academic component of a media internship,
and is available to both Barnard and Columbia
students. Through it the student receives two units of academic credit while
working in a media-related job. The internships themselves must be pre-arranged
independently or through the Office of Career Services. Any kind of
media-related internship (radio, television, magazines, the music industry,
public relations firms, government agencies, political campaigns, and so on) is
potentially acceptable, but only if the student can relate the internship to
larger issues of the role/impact of the mass media in contemporary politics. It is advised that students download the application
form, fill it out, and bring it with them to the first meeting with the
professor. An appointment for the first meeting should be arranged with the
professor via e-mail, or during office hours.
W3215y
Workshop in Media and Politics
Kathleen Knight
2-credit workshop. Permission of the instructor is required
before signing-up for this course. Interested students should contact Professor
Knight at kk552@columbia.edu.
Prerequisite: POLS 3218 “Mass Media and American Democracy,” or equivalent. The
Workshop in Media and Politics is the academic component of a media internship,
and is available to both Barnard and Columbia
students. Through it the student receives two units of academic credit while
working in a media-related job. The internships themselves must be pre-arranged
independently or through the Office of Career Services. Any kind of
media-related internship (radio, television, magazines, the music industry,
public relations firms, government agencies, political campaigns, and so on) is
potentially acceptable, but only if the student can relate the internship to
larger issues of the role/impact of the mass media in contemporary politics. It is advised that students download the application
form, fill it out, and bring it with them to the first meeting with the
professor. An appointment for the first meeting should be arranged with the
professor via e-mail, or during office hours.
W3218y
Mass Media and American Democracy
Kathleen Knight
The course considers the development and current practices of the mass
media in the United States in terms of the expectations of democratic
government.
W3220x
Logic of Collective Choice
Jeffrey Lax
W3245x
Race and Ethnicity in American Politics
Raymond Smith
Historical and contemporary roles of various racial and
ethnic groups; initiation, demands, leadership and organizational styles,
orientation, benefits, and impact on the structures and outputs of governance
in the United States.Major Cultures Requirement: African
Civilization List Cor Latin American
Civilization List C.
W3260y
Latino Political Experience
Carlos Vargas-Ramos
Focuses on political incorporation of Latinos in the American polity.
Topics include patterns of historical exclusion; the impact of the
Voting Rights Act; organizational and electoral behavior; and the
effects of immigration on the Latino national political agenda.
W3285x
Freedom of Speech and Press
Lee Bollinger
Examines the constitutional right of freedom of speech and
press in the US.Examines, in depth, various areas of law,
including extremist or seditious speech, obscenity, libel, fighting course
model, with readings focused on actual judicial decisions.
W3290x
Voting and American Politics
Robert Erikson
Elections and public opinion; history of U.S. electoral
politics; the problem of voter participation; partisanship and voting;
accounting for voting decisions; explaining and forecasting election outcomes;
elections and divided government; money and elections; electoral politics and
representative democracy.
W3322x
The American Congress
Gregory Wawro
Inquiry into the dynamics, organization, and policy-making
processes of the American Congress. Particular emphasis on the relationship of
legislators to constituents, lobbyists, bureaucrats, the president, and with
one another.
W3921x Section 001
Seminar in American Politics: Bill of Rights
Martha Zebrowski
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or the equivalent, and
instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. Interested students should email mkz1@columbia.edu to be put on the waiting list. This seminar is
an investigation of the nature and importance of the federal Bill of Rights in
the American federal and state constitutional systems.Common readings, class discussions, and
student seminar papers consider the social, political, and legal significance
of the Bill of Rights in historical and contemporary American discourse and
analysis, along with constitutional case law regarding specific rights.The first part of the course is devoted to a
discussion of common, required readings that consider the Bill of Rights in
historical and contemporary perspective.The second part of the course is devoted to students' presentations, in
class, of their own research on individual topics relating to a particular
rights grounded in the American federal and state bills of rights.
W3921x Section 002
Seminar in American Politics: Issues that Divide America
Irwin Gertzog
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or the equivalent, and
instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. Seminar focuses
on four political issues so contentious that they have produced enduring
cultural, socio-economic, and political divisions throughout the United States.The four issues are slavery and efforts to
end it; the use of alcoholic beverages and the struggle to curtail it; abortion
and attempts to prohibit it; and lesbian and gay rights and the battle to
impede them.
W3921x Section 003
Seminar in American Politics: Policy Making
Judith Russell
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or the equivalent, and
instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. This seminar
directs readings and research on public policymaking in the American federal
government..It is designed to help
students think analytically about the ways in which the structures, processes
and actors at the heart of public policymaking interact.It examines how political institutions--the
executive and legislative branches--are organized and motivated to produce
policy, the politics of government organization, bureaucratic operation and
survival, how the budget process drives policymaking processes, policy
structures and relationships that have emerged out of custom and practice,
theories and models of decision making, concepts of rationality and choice,
agenda-setting, political innovation, interest groups' role in policy formation
as well as that of the judiciary.Specific policy areas we will engage as case studies are: economic and
employment policy, energy and environmental policy, and policy responses to
terrorism and disaster.Some policy
investigations we will engage are evolving as we study them during the
semester.
W3921x Section 004
Seminar in American Politics: Equality and the Law
Robert Amdur
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or the equivalent, and instructor’s
permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines.
W3921x Section 005
Seminar in American Politics: Bureaucratic Politics
Michael Ting
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or the equivalent, and
instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. This course is
a comprehensive, high-level introduction to American bureaucracies and their
study.It is appropriate for any student
with an interest in American political institutions and a background in
political science and economics.Topics
include the working environment of bureaucrats, the external institutional
environment, and the roles played by various agencies in the American political
system.
W3921x Section 006
Seminar in American Politics: African American Politics
Fredrick Harris
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or the equivalent, and
instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. The course
considers the struggle of African Americans for inclusion in the American
political system.Primary topics will
include the historical development of black activism, the role of black
leadership, the transformation from protest to mainstream politics since the
civil rights movement, and the consequences of blacks' incorporation into the
channels of mainstream political institutions.
W3921x Section 007
Seminar in American Politics: Terrorism and Counterterrorism
Brigitte Nacos
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or the equivalent, W3335, W4220 or
the equivalent, and instructor's permission. Interested students should contact instructor at bn1@columbia.edu to be put on the waiting list. See here for seminar registration guidelines. Interested students should email bn1@columbia.edu to be put on the waiting list. The seminar is designed to illuminate students' understanding of the
most important aspects of domestic and international terrorism with an emphasis
on the United States
as target of and responder to this sort of political violence.
W3921x Section 008
Seminar in American Politics: Media and American Politics
Kathleen Knight
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or the equivalent, and instructor’s
permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines.
W3921x Section 009
Seminar in American Politics: Quantitative Analysis of
American Politics
Shigeo Hirano
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or the equivalent, and instructor’s
permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines.
W3922y Section 001
Seminar in American Politics: Executive Leadership in the US: Public, Private & Non-Profit
Martha Zebrowski
Note: Interested students should email the instructor ASAP at mkz1@columbia.edu to be put on the waiting list for the course.
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or
the equivalent, and instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. This seminar is an examination of the nature and practice of executive
leadership in public, private (i.e., for profit, business), and non-profit
institutions in the United
States. The course does not begin with a
theory of executive leadership. Rather, the goal of the course is to develop
such a theory, a theory that takes into account the similarities and
differences among the very different institutional sectors in American life,
and a theory that distinguishes authentic leadership from three related
matters, the effective exercise of power, effective management, and celebrity.
The first half of the term is devoted to a discussion of common, required
readings that consider the nature and practice of executive leadership in
public, private, and non-profit institutions, and to a discussion of problems
associated with research and with organizing and analyzing data on leadership.
During the first half of the term, each student prepares a research prospectus
(approximately 12 pages) for a major research paper (approximately 35 pages) on
a particular public, private, or non-profit executive leader or problem in
executive leadership. The second half of the term is devoted to students' oral
presentations, in class, of their own research and to class discussions of
their research (each presentation approximately 50 minutes). The seminar
research paper is due at the beginning of exam week; there is also a final quiz
during exam week.
W3922y Section 002
Seminar in American Politics: First Amendment
Robert Amdur
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or the equivalent, and instructor’s
permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines.
W3922y Section 003
Seminar in American Politics: Issues that Divide America
Irwin Gertzog
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or
the equivalent, and instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. Seminar focuses on four political
issues so contentious that they have produced enduring cultural, socio-economic,
and political divisions throughout the United States. The four issues are
slavery and efforts to end it; the use of alcoholic beverages and the struggle
to curtail it; abortion and attempts to prohibit it; and lesbian and gay rights
and the battle to impede them.
W3922y Section 004
Seminar in American Politics: Majority Rule and Minority Rights
Raymond Smith
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or
the equivalent, and instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. This course will examine one of
the central challenges to both the theory and the practice of democracy: the
reconciliation of majority rule with minority rights in a way that neither
sacrifices popular sovereignty nor oppresses small or disfavored groups. This
course will draw upon both "classics" of political science regarding
the role of minority groups in American politics as well as upon contemporary
scholarship focused largely on ethnoracial and other minority groups.
W3922y Section 005
Seminar in American Politics: Direct Democracy
Justin Phillips
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or the equivalent, and instructor’s
permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines.
W3922y Section 006
Seminar in American Politics: The Aftermath of the 2008 Election
Robert Erikson
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or the equivalent, and instructor’s
permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines.
W3922y Section 007
Seminar in American Politics: The South in American Politics
Ira Katznelson
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or the equivalent, and instructor’s
permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines.
W3922y Section 008
Seminar in American Politics: Political Psychology
Kathleen Knight
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or the equivalent, and instructor’s
permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. The seminar is designed to examine some major psychological
concept useful in politics. These include: rationality & emotion,
socialization, ideology, persuasion, tolerance, authoritarianism,
racism and terrorism.
W3922y Section 009
Seminar in American Politics: 20th Century African American Political Theory
Fredrick Harris
Prerequisites: POLS W1201 or the equivalent, and instructor’s
permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines.
C3930x
Constitutional Law Workshop
Jay Topkis
Two-credit workshop; cannot be used to replace a 3-credit
lecture course towards POLS major.Preference given to seniors.Juniors will be permitted to register after the first class session if
space permits.Using Supreme Court
cases, this workshop studies the development of several areas of constitutional
law, how our judicial system works, and how judges and lawyers think, argue and
write.
W4226x
American Politics and Social Welfare Policy
Robert Lieberman
The politics and development of the American welfare
state.Study and analysis of the origins
and growth of domestic social programs that provide income support (welfare and
Social Security), employment opportunities, health care, and protection against
poverty.
G6210x
Theories and Debates in American Politics (Field Survey)
Robert Erikson & Jeffrey Lax
Instructor permission required. A survey of a broad range of important contemporary debates
in the field of American politics.
G8219y
Elections
Robert Erikson
Instructor permission required.
G8223x
Legislative Behavior & Institutionalism
Sharyn O'Halloran
Instructor permission required. Examination of the interactions between
individual incentives and political institutions in shaping policy. The course presents an approach to the study
of politics that emphasizes individual incentives in an electoral system, examines
how reelection-minded legislators organize to solve collection dilemmas, and
focuses on the effects of these political institutions on policy choice.
G8234x
Urban Politics
Justin Phillips
Instructor permission required. This seminar is designed as an overview of the major debates
in Urban Politics.The primary goals of
the course are to familiarize students with the principal questions being asked
by scholars in this subfield, the methodological approaches employed, and the
avenues available for future research.Methodological diversity will be emphasized.
G8236x - G8237y
Themes in American Political Development
Ira Katznelson
Instructor permission required. The colloquium audits work
achieved under the rubric of 'American Political Development' and looks ahead
to possibilities for future research. APD's concepts, premises, substantive
themes, and silences will be considered, including the subfield's engagement
with history and temporality, its attempts to place the United States in
comparative and international perspective, and its approaches to ideas,
institutions, regimes, interests, and preferences.
G8247y
Mass Mediated American and Global Politics
Brigitte Nacos
Instructor permission required. Readings and class discussions explore
the domestic and global news media at the beginning of the 21st century
as they relate to and impact on mass-mediated domestic and
international politics. The focus is on post-World War II and post-9/11
conditions and changes in terms of ownership, audience, technology,
organizational and individual values and imperatives, and, especially,
on the media's role during conflicts--in particular the ongoing "war on
terrorism."
G8281x
Political Participation
Fredrick Harris
Instructor permission required.
G82**y
Modeling American Political Institutions
Michael Ting
Instructor permission required.
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Comparative Politics
V1501x
Introduction to Comparative Politics
Mona El-Ghobashy
Lecture and discussion. Introduction to some of the major
approaches and issues in the contemporary study of politics within nations,
including the causes of revolution, the roots of democracy, and the nature of
nationalism, through systematic study of politics in selected countries.
V1501y
Introduction to Comparative Politics
John Huber
Lecture and discussion. Introduction to some of the major
approaches and issues in the contemporary study of politics within nations,
including the causes of revolution, the roots of democracy, and the nature of
nationalism, through systematic study of politics in selected countries.
V3401y
Democracy & Dictatorship in Europe
Sheri Berman
This
course will examine the development of democracies and dictatorships in Europe from the French Revolution to the present
day. It will analyze the nature and dynamics of European political
history and use the European experience as a foundation upon which to build a
broader understanding of how different types of political regimes emerge,
function and are sustained over time.
Prior
knowledge of European history and comparative politics is welcome, but not
presumed.
W3514y
European Union: Politics and Institutions
Lucy Goodhart
Examines the kinds of polity is emerging
at the European level. The path of European integration and whether it is
the end of the nation state, or the result of national interests and
negotiations. The role of member states, EU institutions, NGO's, interest
groups and citizens in the future development of the EU.
W35**y
Political Economy of China in the Comparative Perspective
Kay Shimizu
W3951x Section 001
Seminar in Comparative Politics: Latin American Political
Economy
M. Victoria Murillo
Prerequisites: POLS V1501 or the equivalent, and instructor's
permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. This class focuses on the transformation of Latin American
Political Economy since the 1980s as a result of the processes of
democratization and economic liberalization. The class reviews the debates on
the relationship between both processes, focusing on the impact of political
dynamics on economic policymaking in the first part of the course and on the
political consequences of these economic reforms in the second part of the
course. The seminar assumes a basic background on Latin American politics and
history. Class discussion will combine theoretical concepts and their
application to Latin American politics since the 1980s. Additionally, the
seminar provides a forum to develop your writing skills in presenting cogent
arguments within the framework of social science.
W3951x Section 002
Seminar in Comparative Politics: Varieties of Capitalism
Isabela Mares
Prerequisites: POLS V1501 or the equivalent, and instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines.
W3952y Section 001
Seminar in Comparative Politics: Religion & Secularism in the Comparative Perspective
Dmitri Glinski
Prerequisites: POLS V1501 or the equivalent, and instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines.
W3952y Section 002
Seminar in Comparative Politics: TBA
Instructor TBA
Prerequisites: POLS V1501 or the equivalent, and instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines.
W4445y
Politics of the Middle East and North Africa
Mona El-Ghobashy
Comparative analysis of regime
types, political development and political decay, nation-state building, and
the role of political groups in the Middle East and North Africa. Major
Cultures Requirement: Middle Eastern Civilization List B.
G4461x
Latin American Politics
Scott Martin
Comparative theoretical and empirical analysis of political development and
regime change in the region through close study of the interrelated nature of
polity, society, and economy in selected cases.
W4471x
Chinese Politics
Kay Shimizu
Selected aspects of contemporary Chinese politics, including
the causes and character of the Chinese revolution, the transformation worked
in Chinese society by the revolutionary government, political conflict, and the
goals of government policies and the policies of carrying them out.
G4472x
Japanese Politics
Gerald Curtis
Analysis of contemporary Japanese politics and government
policy making.Topics include patterns
of political leadership and popular political participation, political party
organization and behavior, public policy decision-making processes, and the
domestic politics of foreign and defense policies.
W4476y
Korean Politics
Shin-Wa Lee
Analysis of the post-World War II development of Korean politics in
historical, comparative, and theoretical perspective with special attention
to the domestic-societal, inter-Korean, and international factors at work.
Main topics include the Korean state, society, culture, ideology,
institutions, and leaders, as they shape the nation-building and
democratizing processes.
G6403x
Issues in Comparative Politics (Field Survey)
Isabela Mares & M. Victoria Murillo
Instructor permission required.This seminar surveys major questions that
motivate contemporary research in comparative politics.The course is specifically designed to
introduce PhD students to the modern subfield, and to help prepare them for
success on the comparative comprehensive exam.The course should also help students to develop skills that are necessary
to become successful teachers and scholars in the comparative subfield.
G8414x
Comparative Political Economy
Lucy Goodhart
Instructor permission required. Examines the interaction between
capitalism and democracy. Focus on the major theories of the interaction
between politics and markets and the ways in which the economy affects
politics, and politics shapes economic outcomes. Looks at both developed and
developing countries. The relative significance of domestic and international
economic pressures and political institutions is also a main theme.
G8427y
Comparative Ethnic Politics
David Epstein and Macartan Humphreys
Instructor permission required.
G8432y
Issues in Comparative Secularism and Democracy
Alfred Stepan
Instructor permission required. Empirical predictions and normative prescriptions about
secularism once dominated many of the foundational works in social science,
particularly in modernization theory. However, recently scholars as diverse as
Jürgen Habermas and Charles Taylor in political theory, Peter Katzenstein in
international relations,and Stathis
Kalyvas , Ronald Inglehart, and José Casanova in their comparative work have
been engaged in a fundamental rethinking of religion, secularism, and desecularization.
Some of the issues we will explore in the seminar are the following. In a
lecture series organized by Jack Snyder and myself in Lindsay Rodgers that
immediately follows this seminar, five scholars over the course of the
semester, will argue that some of the fundamental categories used in IR theory
and in comparative politics make religion almost impossible to study. Are they
right? If so, what new approaches might be called for?How can social science survey analysis help
us explore issues of religion and politics? Most religions have been at times
restrictive of full women’s rights. What can we learn from successful patterns
of contestation in this area? Can we identify, from the perspective of
democratic theory, what the minimal degree of freedom democracy needs from
religion to function, and the minimal degree of freedom that religion must be
allowed if the polity is to be a democracy.If so, what do these “twin tolerations” say about secularism?Finally, just as we now understand that there
are “multiple modernities” does it make more analytic sense to speak of the
“multiple secularisms of modern democracies”?We will explore this last question by exploring at least four different
patterns of state-society relations that actually exist in contemporary
democracies;“freedom of the state from
religion separatism ” (France and Turkey), “freedom of religion from the state
separatism” (USA), “ a state with an established religion” ( most of the
Scandinavian countries, UK, and Greece), and the under-theorizedpattern that Rajeev Bhargava (who will
participate in the seminar) calls the“ respect –all, support-all, principled
distance” model for India. Are two of the more successful new democracies in
Islamic majority states, Indonesia
and Senegal,
close to this model?For any given polity
can we say anything about what conditions are most, and least, supportive for
each model if the goal is democracy and relative peace in a specific polity? Do
Holland, Germany,
and Switzerland
have more in common with the Indian model than they do with “separatist” or one
“established religion”: model?
G8434y
Latin American Politics in the Comparative Perspective
Robert Kaufman
Instructor permission required.
Political structures, conflict and change in the region including discussion
of selected countries, patterns of regime change and the involvement of the
U.S.
G8454x
Formal Comparative Politics and Constitutional Design
Massimo Morelli
This course covers recent models of democratic policy
making, with particular emphasis on the comparison of institutional systems
used across liberal democracies.
G8492y
Comparing Institutions
Timothy Frye
Instructor permission required. Survey of the theoretical literature
on the origin and structure of political and economic institutions. Special
emphasis on the new institutional economics and other rational actor
theories, with particular attention to the strengths and weaknesses of these
approaches as tools for comparative analysis.
G84**y
Political Economy of Japan in the Comparative Perspective
Kay Shimizu
Instructor permission required.
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International Relations
V1601x
Introduction to International Politics
Kimberly Marten
Lecture and discussion.The basic setting and dynamics of global politics, with emphasis on
contemporary problems and processes.
V1601y
Introduction to International Politics
Robert Jervis
Lecture and discussion. The basic setting and dynamics of global politics, with emphasis on contemporary problems and processes.
HRTS V3001x
Introduction to Human Rights
Andrew Nathan
Assesses the meaning and impact of human rights in principle
and practice by tracing the evolution of its theory and content; the ideology
and impact of human rights movements; national and international laws and
institutions, with attention to universality and relevance of human rights for U.S. policy.
V3604x
Civil Wars & International Intervention in Africa
Severine Autesserre
Why does violent conflict persist in post-independence Africa? Why do nearly half of the countries that emerge
from war lapse back into violence after five years? Why do most international
interventions fail to bring peace to affected populations? This class focuses
on recent conflict and post-conflict situations in Africa
as background against which to understand the distinct dynamics of violence and
international interventions in civil wars.
V3615x
Globalization
Alexander Cooley
W3619y
Nationalism and Contemporary World Politics
Jack Snyder
Nationalism as a cause of conflict in contemporary world politics. Strategies for mitigating nationalist and ethnic conflict.
W3631y
American Foreign Policy
Nicolas Guilhot
Introduction to American foreign policy since 1945 with an emphasis on
post-cold war topics. Will cover major schools of American thought, the
policy making process, and key policies and issues.
W3961x Section 001
Seminar in International Relations: Contemporary Issues in International Security
Richard Betts
Prerequisites: POLS V1601 or the equivalent, and instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. The course explores the substance and process of U.S.
national security policy, focusing on questions about values, the role of
military power, overt and covert intervention, terrorism, weapons of mass
destruction, legislative-executive relations, organizational behavior and
bureaucratic politics, leadership and psychological influences on decision and
implementation, and intelligence. STUDENTS MUST APPLY DIRECTLY TO PROF.
BETTS BETWEEN AUGUST 1 AND SEPTEMBER 1. There is a reading assignment
for the first class meeting. Please click here for the application materials.
W3961x Section 002
Seminar in International Relations: Contemporary Issues in International Security
Jack Snyder
Prerequisites: POLS V1601 or the equivalent, and instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. This course examines central issues in contemporary international
security policy (American hegemony, multilateralism, terrorism, nuclear
proliferation, civil war, genocide, ethnic conflict, the promotion of
democratization and human rights, the problem of Iraq, etc.) and key
concepts in the academic study of international relations (e.g.,
realist and liberal approaches; deterrence theory).
W3961x Section 003
Seminar in International Relations: Foreign Policy and
Decision Making
Barbara Farnham
Prerequisites: POLS V1601 or the equivalent, and
instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. How can we
account for the foreign policies of states in the international system?Why do they behave the way they do?This seminar focuses on a critical
examination of the major explanations for foreign policy outcomes.Our main emphasis is on decision-making.However, we will begin with explanations
operating at other levels of analysis, such as the international system and
domestic politics.We then explore
decision-making explanations, including those derived from cognitive and social
psychology, theories of motivation and personality, the impact of the political
context, and the role of group dynamics.Throughout, we will be looking at these different approaches in the
light of actual episodes taken largely, but not exclusively, from American
foreign policy.
W3961x Section 004
Seminar in International Relations: International Law and the Use of Force
Bruce Cronin
Prerequisites: POLS V1601 or the equivalent, and instructor's
permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. Interested students should contact the instructor at bc14@columbia.edu to be put on the waiting list. This seminar examines the development and implementation of
human rights norms in the international system. It explores the debates
surrounding the concept of human rights in world politics and
investigates legal, political and military efforts to implement these
at the national, regional and international levels. Throughout the
course we consider the tension between international human rights and
the principle of state sovereignty and whether there is a right and/or
obligation for states and international institutions to intervene when
human rights are violated. Finally, we examine the degree to which
human rights concerns are incorporated into foreign policies and in
particular how they fit within traditional conceptions of "national
interest." In this context, we discuss the question of human rights in
the current "war on terrorism."
W3961x Section 005
Seminar in International Relations: Political Economy of Trade and Investment
Pablo Pinto
Prerequisites: POLS V1601 or
the equivalent, and instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. This seminar examines the politics
of several major issues in international trade and direct investment. It
analyzes the distributional impact of globalization, and explores why and how
governments regulate the flow of goods and capital across national borders. The
course is divided into four blocs that look at the patterns and distributive
consequences of trade, the political economy of trade politics, the political
economy of trade reform, and the political economy of investment, respectively.
Students are required to actively participate in weekly discussions, to write
two review papers during the course of the semester, and submit a final
research paper on one of the topics of the seminar.
W3962y Section 001
Seminar in International Relations: Comparative National Security of Middle Eastern Countries
Charles Freilich
Prerequisites:
POLS V1601 or the equivalent, and instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines.
W3962y Section 002
Seminar in International Relations: Democratization from an Asian Perspective
Roland Rich
Prerequisites: POLS V1601 or
the equivalent, and instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. While the third wave of democratization has been a global
phenomenon, understanding the democratization process in any one country
requires local appreciations. Between the global and the local, it is also
possible to seek explanations in the regional context. This course will examine
democratization from an Asian perspective focusing on the major democratizing
countries of Asia (Indonesia,
the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan,
and Thailand), their
democratic role models (Japan
and India) as well as the
recalcitrant states (China
and Vietnam).
It will approach the question from a thematic perspective examining issues such
as institutional mechanisms, electoral systems, rule of law, political parties,
media freedom and political culture. The course will also examine the
intersection of domestic political trajectories and international democracy
promotion strategies.
W3962y Section 003
Seminar in International Relations: Foreign Policy and
Decision Making
Barbara Farnham
Prerequisites: POLS V1601 or the equivalent, and
instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. How can we
account for the foreign policies of states in the international system?Why do they behave the way they do?This seminar focuses on a critical
examination of the major explanations for foreign policy outcomes.Our main emphasis is on decision-making.However, we will begin with explanations
operating at other levels of analysis, such as the international system and
domestic politics.We then explore
decision-making explanations, including those derived from cognitive and social
psychology, theories of motivation and personality, the impact of the political
context, and the role of group dynamics.Throughout, we will be looking at these different approaches in the
light of actual episodes taken largely, but not exclusively, from American
foreign policy.
W3962y Section 004
Seminar in International Relations: TBA
Michael Doyle
Prerequisites: POLS V1601 or the equivalent, and
instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines.
W4808y
Weapons, Strategy and War
Warner Schilling
An examination of how the
interrelationships among military technology, strategy, foreign policy, and the
cultural ethos have shaped warfare from the introduction of gunpowder to the
present; special attention to selected cases from World Wars I and II and the
development of U.S. strategy for nuclear weapons.
W4871y
Chinese Foreign Policy
Andrew Nathan
The international politics of China - its foreign relations, its intentions, capabilities and strategies in world affairs; and the major instruments of its foreign policy - with primary emphasis on the People's Republic.
W4895x
War, Peace and Strategy
Richard Betts
Survey of the causes of war and peace, functions of military
strategy, interaction of political ends and military means.Emphasis on 20th-century conflicts; nuclear
deterrence; economic, technological and moral aspects of strategy; crisis
management; and institutional norms and mechanisms for promoting stability.
G6801x (Field Survey)
Theories of International Relations
Robert Jervis
Issues and problems in theory in international politics;
systems theories and the current international system; the domestic sources of
foreign policy and theories of decision-making; transnational forces, the
balance of power, and alliances.
G6820y
Theories of International Political Economy
Arvid Lukauskas
Political aspects of international economic phenomena, including
international monetary system, trade and investment, North-South
relations, and East-West economic relations.
G8821y
Topics in IR and Rational Choice: Conflict, Bargaining and International Organizations
Massimo Morelli
Instructor permission required. The first part of the course will be on the rationalist explanations of
bargaining breakdown and bilateral conflict, including the analysis of
leaders’ selection, strategic militarization, and other variables at
the boundary between domestic and international choices. The second
part of the course will focus on alliance formation and multilateral
conflict. Then we will bring the insights from bilateral and
multilateral conflict together and will study the open problems in
conflict resolution mechanism design. The final part will be on
cooperation, as opposed to conflict. We will present models and useful
frameworks to study the functioning of international organizations and
their development in an anarchic system.
G8826x
Political Economy of Trade and Investment
Pablo Pinto
Instructor permission required. This course examines the politics of
several major issues in international trade and investment. It explores
why and how governments regulate the flow of goods and capital across
national borders. The course is divided into four blocs that look at
the distributive consequences of trade, the political economy of trade
politics, the political economy of trade reform, and the political
economy of foreign direct investment and multinational corporations,
respectively. The course presumes some familiarity with international
economics. Economic theory will help us identify the welfare and
distributional implications of alternative policies. We will also make
extensive use of the insights from the positive political economy
tradition to analyze how political actors (voters, interest groups,
political parties, and politicians) interact within political
institutions to shape policy outcomes. Students are required to
actively participate in weekly discussions, write two review papers
during the semester, and submit an original research paper on one of
the topics of the seminar at the end of the semester.
G8833x
Law of War
Tanisha Fazal
G8844x
Nationalism
Jack Snyder
Instructor permission required. Theory and history of
nationalism and international conflict. Nationalism as a cause of conflict in
contemporary world politics, especially in Eastern Europe and the former USSR. Role of
the international community in promoting or containing nationalism.
G8864x
Cooperation and Security
Page Fortna
Instructor permission required.
G8865y
United States Foreign Policy
Richard Betts
Application Required. Please contact instructor for further details. This course is a topical review, emphasizing historical continuity and change, and current concerns, organized in terms of several principal functions and regions. Emphasis is on the national security component of foreign policy. Enrollment is limited and the instructor accepts only students who promise to honor all requirements.
G8870x
US Relations with East Asia
Gerald Curtis
Instructor permission required. Examination of key developments in East Asian
international relations and their implications for United States foreign policy.Students should have knowledge about at least
one East Asian country (China,
Japan, Korea and the
countries in ASEAN).
G88**y
Civil Wars
Tanisha Fazal
Instructor permission required.
G9801x
Seminar in International Politics
Robert Jervis
Instructor permission required.
G9802y
Seminar in International Politics II
Kenneth Waltz
Application Required. Please contact instructor for further details.
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Political Theory
V1013x
Political Theory I
Ayten Gundogdu (Barnard)
*Please note that this course may not fulfill the introductory political theory requirement for political science majors and concentrators*
What is the relationship between law and justice? Are capacities of political
judgment shared by the many or reserved for the few? What does human equality
consist of and what are its implications? Can individual freedom be
reconciled with the demands of political community? What are the origins and
effects of persistent gender inequalities? These are some of the crucial
questions that we will address in this introductory course in political
theory. The course is divided into five thematic sections, each addressing an
enduring political problem or issue and centered on a key text in the history
of political thought:
1. Laws, Obligations, and the Question of Disobedience - Sophocles,
Antigone
2. Democratic Citizenship and the Capacities of Political Judgment - Plato,
Republic
3. Origins and Effects of (In)equality - John Locke, Second Treatise of
Civil Government
4. Paradoxes of Freedom - Jean Jacques Rousseau, On the Social
Contract
5. The "Woman Question" - John Stuart Mill, The Subjection of
WomenDiscussion Section Required.
V3020x
Democracy and Its Critics
Instructor: Nadia Urbinati
W3120y
Democratic Theory
Melissa Schwartzberg
W3140x
Animal Rights: Theory and Practice
Instructor: Julian Franklin
The course will be divided into two parts.The first part of the course will deal with
the moral theory of animal rights with special emphasis on Kant.The second part will take up animal issues in
environmentalism, bio-medical research and practice, and jurisprudence.
W3911x Section 001
Seminar in Political Theory: Marx
Jon Elster
Prerequisites: POLS W1002, W4133, W4134 or Contemporary Civilization, and instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines. The seminar will discuss the following works by Karl Marx:
Economic-Philosophical Manuscripts;
Theses on Feuerbach;
Selections from The German Ideology;
Preface to A Critique of Political Economy;
Critique of the Gotha Program;
The Class Struggles in France;
The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte;
The Civil War in France;
Capital (vol.I).
The focus will be on a close reading of the texts and their relevance for social and political theory.
W3912y Section 001
Seminar in Political Theory
Instructor TBA
Prerequisites: POLS W1002, W4133, W4134 or Contemporary Civilization, and instructor's permission. See here for seminar registration guidelines.
G4133x
Political Thought: Classical & Medieval
Melissa Schwartzberg
Selected writers and doctrines in the tradition of Western political and
social thought from Plato and Aristotle through Middle Age.
W4134y
Modern Political Thought
Nadia Urbinati
Interpretations of civil society and the foundations of political order
according to the two main traditions of political thought--contraction
and Aristotelian. Readings include works by Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke,
Montesquieu, Hume, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Saint-Simon, Tocqueville,
Marx, and Mill.
W4610y
Recent Continental Political Thought
Jean Cohen
This course
will compare and contrast the theories of the political, the state,freedom, democracy, sovereignty and law, in
the works of the following key 20th and 21st century continental theorists:
Arendt, Castoriadis, Foucault, Habermas,
Kelsen, Lefort, Schmitt, and Weber.It
will be taught in seminar format.
G4626x
Global Justice and Democracy
Jean Cohen
Traditionally theories of justice and democracy have assumed the sovereign
state as the relevant context and referent. Today many issues and claims of
injustice transcend the sovereign state as do the regulatory responses to
them. What is the appropriate context of justice today and how can claims to
sovereignty, political autonomy, and self determination mesh with human
rights claims and demands for global justice? Is it meaningful to speak of
global democracy? How does the globalisation of law and politics affect
domestic democracy? This course will consider the relevant literature on
these questions.
G6601x (Field Survey)
Issues in Political Theory
David Johnston
A survey of selected issues and debates in political
theory.Areas of the field discussed
include normative political philosophy, history of political thought, and the
design of political and social institutions.
G8606y
Liberalism
David Johnston
Instructor permission required. Examines the way in which writers in the
liberal tradition of political thought have grappled with major institutional
questions from the 17th through 19th centuries. Works by Hobbes, Locke,
Smith and Mill. Writings considered as reflections on and responses to three
major historical events: the development of the modern state, the emergence
of market systems, and the growth of national identities.
G8608x
Sovereignty in the Historical & Comparative Perspectives
Jean Cohen
Instructor permission required.
G8608y
Theories of the State
Jean Cohen
Instructor permission required.
G8652x
Empirical Studies of Justice
Jon Elster
Instructor permission required. Twofold focus involves discussion of possible explanations of why people hold
or profess specific ideas of justice and the role of justice and fairness
motivations in explaining behavior. Examination of experimental studies of
these issues as well as real-life case studies, most importantly the study of
local justice and transitional justice.
G86**y
Republicanism
Nadia Urbinati
Instructor permission required.
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Research and Methods
C3998x - C3999y
Senior Honors Seminar
Tanisha Fazal
By application only; please see here for more information.
W4209y
Game Theory and Political Theory
Macartan Humphreys
Application of noncooperative game theory to strategic situations in
politics. Solution concepts, asymmetric information, incomplete
information, signaling, repeated games, and folk theorems. Models drawn
from elections, legislative strategy, interest group politics,
regulation, nuclear deterrence, international relations, and tariff
policy.
G4210x
Research Topics in Game Theory
David Epstein
Prerequisite: W4209 or instructor permission.Advanced topics in game theory will cover the
study of repeated games, games of incomplete information and principal-agent
models with applications in the fields of voting, bargaining, lobbying and
violent conflict.Results from the study
of social choice theory, mechanism design and auction theory will also be
treated.The course will concentrate on
mathematical techniques for constructing and solving games.Students will be required to develop a topic
relating political science and game theory and to write a formal research
paper.
W4291x
Advanced Topics in Quantitative Research
Gregory Wawro
Instruction in methods for models that have dependent
variables that are not continuous, including dichotomous and polychotomous
response models, models for censored and truncated data, sample selection
models and duration models.
W4292y
Advanced Topics in Quantitative Research: Models for Panel & Time Series Cross Section Data
Gregory Wawro
This course covers methods for models for repeated observations data. These
kinds of data represent tremendous opportunities as well as formidable
challenges for making inferences. The course will focus on how to estimate
models for panel and time-series cross-section data. Topics covered include
fixed effects, random effects, dynamic panel models, random coefficient
models, and models for qualitative dependent variables.
W4360x
Math Methods for Political Science
John Huber
Provides students of political science with a basic set of
tools needed to read, evaluate, and contribute in research areas that
increasingly utilize sophisticated mathematical techniques.
W4910x
Principles of Quantitative Political Research
Robert Shapiro
Introduction to the use of quantitative techniques in
political science and public policy.Topics include descriptive statistics and principles of statistical
inference and probability through analysis of variance and ordinary
least-squares regression.Computer
applications are emphasized.
W4911y
Analysis of Political Data
Robert Shapiro
Prerequisite: W4910 or the equivalent. Multivariate and time-series
analysis of political data. Topics include time-series regression,
structural equation models, factor analysis, and other special topics.
Computer applications are emphasized.
W4912y
Multivariate Political Economy
Shigeo Hirano
Prerequisite: basic data analysis through multiple regression (e.g.,
W4910) and knowledge of basic calculus and matrix algebra (e.g.,
W4360). More mathematical treatment of topics covered in W4911.
Examines problems encountered in multivariate analysis of
cross-sectional and time-series data.
STAT G6101x
Statistical Modeling and Data Analysis
Andrew Gelman
PSST G8990x – G8991y
Workshop in Quantitative Political Science
Andrew Gelman
Instructor permission required.
G9901x - G9902y
Dissertation Seminar
Instructor TBA
This seminar is for students in all fields working on any
and all topics in political science.Students will have the opportunity to present draft dissertation
proposals and draft dissertation chapters.Enrollment is limited to advanced students in the Political Science PhD
program except by permission of the instructor.
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Related Courses
INAF U6295y
Democracy and the World's Religions
Alfred Stepan
The course will be devoted to a set of questions and problems that are
now central to modern political debates about the role of religion in
modern politics, especially to questions of democracy, and intolerance
and tolerance within, and between, the major religions of the world.
INAF U6570y
Challenging Sovereignty
Alexander Cooley
INAF U8561y
War Termination and the Stability of Peace
Page Fortna
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