Schedules

This course introduces the constitutional framework, political culture, branches of government, political behavior, and nongovernmental institutions (e.g. political parties, media, or interest groups) that dynamically shape American politics.  Approaches vary by instructor, potentially including some mix of simulations, class debates, offsite observations, and comparative and critical examinations, but share a common set of objectives: 1) cultivating a broad and conversational understanding of key ideas, issues, and problems particular to American politics through classic and contemporary readings; 2) stimulating further inquiry into how American politics works and why it matters and 3) developing students' own reasoning, critical thinking, writing, and public speaking skills. This course is principally designed for beginning political science majors and non-majors who have not taken an AP course in US Government and Politics.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The course introduces students to the study of argumentation or systematic reasoning about questions of public policy. How should we govern ourselves? Who gets to be a citizen? What limits should a society place on its citizens' behaviors? What freedoms should a society allow? Because these are questions over which reasonable people may disagree, coming up with mutually agreeable answers requires extensive public discussion and debate. The citizen who can discover reliable evidence, make sound arguments, and reason well in the face of strong counter-arguments also embodies the very notion of a liberally educated person. Students will develop their argumentation skills by focusing on congressional debates that have powerfully shaped the United States, including slavery, Indian removal, woman's rights, war powers, and impeachment.  The course is well suited for students who wish to develop their analytic, oral, and written communication skills.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course has three broad goals. The first is to develop the foundational knowledge and conceptual literacy necessary to engage with International Relations' multidimensional concerns. These include issues such as world order, power, hierarchy, political violence, international law, development, religion, human rights, gender, humanitarianism and international organizations (such as the United Nations). The second is to introduce students to the different perspectives or intellectual frameworks for making sense of international relations (also known as global or world politics), including realist, liberal, constructivist, historical materialist, postcolonial and feminist approaches. The third is to encourage students to reflect on some of the ethical issues inherent in both the study and practice of international politics. Emphasis will also be placed on developing a range of critical, analytical, research and writing skills required for the further study of international politics. The course is thus intended to prepare students for advanced work in the field, although it is also appropriate for those merely seeking to satisfy an interest in the study of global politics.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

In Comparative Politics we use comparison to analyze political outcomes within and across countries, Why do Mexican presidents exercise strong centralized authority while Brazilian presidents must contend with powerful governors? Why do Muslims and Hindus fight in some Indian states but not in others? Why does Rwanda have such a high proportion of female legislators whereas the U.S. has such a low proportion? When confronted with large-scale protests in their cities, do state security forces in China, Russia, and the United States respond with similar methods or do they differ? Through comparative analysis, students will learn to describe diverse political institutions, to propose explanations for divergent outcomes, and to evaluate scholarly and popular arguments about politics.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

An examination of the evolution of influential political concepts and theories from ancient cultures to the present day, by those writing in/from/to the West. Introduction through textual analysis to historical and contemporary understandings of key terms such as authority, legitimacy, liberty, republicanism, democracy, revolution and "the good." Additionally, the course provides an introduction to political theory methods of analysis and critique, through the development of skills in reading, critical thinking, and writing.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Analysis of institutions and procedures such as parties and elections, and also informal activities such as social movements, interest groups, and community action.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Quantitative Thinking Q1
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The readings and assignments in this course are designed to help students understand how social policies and programs contribute to Americans' lived experiences.  We will examine various theoretical justifications for the policies that constitute the American welfare state, then confront and dissect major strands of the American social safety net to better understand how political institutions and policy mechanisms contribute to both diversity and inequality in individuals' social, economic and political outcomes (based in race, class, gender, dis/ability, region, political jurisdiction, etc.).

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course will focus on some central topics in contemporary Anglo-American (or "analytic") social and political philosophy. Likely topics would include an examination of John Rawls's theory of justice and the work of critics of that theory, the value of equality, and issues about global justice. Prerequisite(s): A 100- or 200- level Philosophy course.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Spinoza (1632-1677) has been called the “savage anomaly” of the Enlightenment because his philosophy enables an alternative or ‘hidden’ modernity based on the interdependence of beings rather than their hierarchy. Ever more political theorists, environmentalists, and ecologists are turning to Spinoza’s vision of a nonhierarchical union of nature and society that rejects anthropocentrism as the promise for a more equitable and sustainable life. In this course we shall focus on the foundation of Spinoza’s unconventional thesis: his intertwined conceptions of the human being as part of nature—as opposed to the prevailing notion of the human as an autonomous “imperium” in, yet above, nature—and of society as a continuation of nature—as opposed to the dominant theories of the “social contract” that ground society on its break with, or repression of, nature (Grotius, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant). We shall examine Spinoza’s entailed radical revision in understanding both the “political” and the “environment.” Beyond Spinoza’s Ethics and his Theologico-Political and Political treatises, we shall read major commentators both on Spinoza’s ethical and political theory and on his role in environmental ethics and Deep Ecology. Counts as a core course for the Critical Theory concentration.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course is designed to introduce students to the study of international relations theory as an academic discipline. It is intended to prepare students for graduate work in the field, but should be appropriate for those merely seeking to satisfy an interest in international relations theory. The course is intended primarily for advanced political science majors and non-majors in cognate fields who have significant experience in the discipline. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore-standing or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Energy justice builds on the concepts of environmental and climate justice, with a focus on the visible and invisible infrastructures that produce, deliver, maintain and transform our economies and societies.  Topics will include pipelines (Standing Rock), waste disposal (Yucca Mountain nuclear storage), and issues around the fracking (Bakken). The course will also focus on citizen science as a tool for revealing injustice and promoting justice, such as the work of the Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science, a non-profit that develops open source, Do It Yourself tools for community based environmental analysis. Students will develop an independent major research project over the semester. This course can substitute for POLI 335. Prerequisite(s): POLI 215

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The goal of the Senior Research Seminar (Capstone) is to launch students on a culminating academic experience organized around the supervised independent study of a political science topic of particular interest and relevance. The Seminar is premised on the assumption that students will have a working familiarity with the foundational knowledge in the sub-field(s) relevant to their reserach project, a mastery of the practical skills introduced in foundation courses and further developed in intermediate courses, and a willingness to engage actively in a rigorous, sustained inquiry into an important topic. In each section of the seminar, a faculty member will coach students through the process of defining a significant and important political science research question, developing a thesis, designing an appropriate research program and writing a 25-35 page original capstone.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The goal of the Senior Research Seminar (Capstone) is to launch students on a culminating academic experience organized around the supervised independent study of a political science topic of particular interest and relevance. The Seminar is premised on the assumption that students will have a working familiarity with the foundational knowledge in the sub-field(s) relevant to their reserach project, a mastery of the practical skills introduced in foundation courses and further developed in intermediate courses, and a willingness to engage actively in a rigorous, sustained inquiry into an important topic. In each section of the seminar, a faculty member will coach students through the process of defining a significant and important political science research question, developing a thesis, designing an appropriate research program and writing a 25-35 page original capstone.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The course examines the American public policy process through a case study apparoach. Attention wil be paid to issues of policy formation and implementation with a forcus on the role and interaction of national and state institutions. The United Sates government is a large, complex system of multiple institutions that share power and authority and govern across multiple issue dimensions. To understand the policy process in this context we will 1) Discuss foundational theories of the policy process; 2) Examine several case studies designed to engage these theories and debate their practical application, and 3) Become "experts" in a particular policy area as each student prepares a presentation on that topic and presents politically viable solutions.   This course will focus on writing for a variety of audiences and leave students well-prepared to apply for policy-oriented scholarships, fellowships and jobs.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course explores the significance, possibilities and limits of litigation as a way of shaping public policy and society. Focusing mainly in the American context, the course connects two areas of interest: the use of litigation as a strategy for rights movements (from the NAACP to contemporary movements such as gay rights) and the use of class action lawsuits and tort law to compensate people for injuries, especially in matters affecting public health (e.g. asbestos, tobacco). The course gives special emphasis to the work of lawyers and the role of the legal profession.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course is designed to introduce students to global governance. It begins with a discussion of the concept of global governance. It then turns to some of the central features of contemporary global governance, including the changing status of the state and of international/world organizations and the role of global civil society. The emphasis here is on how patterns of global governance have changed and are changing and on the implications of these changes for democracy, social justice, etc. The remainder of the course focuses on the areas of international peace and security, human rights and international humanitarian law, and economic governance. By addressing such topics as the International Criminal Court and the role of the IMF and the World Bank in economic development, these parts of the course highlight the contested nature of global governance in each of the three issue areas. Prerequisite(s): POLI 120 recommended.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Comparative study of Latinx political struggles in U.S. cities.  How did Chicana feminists transform student social movements on college campuses?  In San Antonio, Denver, and Los Angeles, how did multiracial coalitions elect pioneering Latino mayors?  And in Chicago, who fought for immigrant rights and who stood in their way? We will explore the themes of subordination and empowerment through study of anti-immigrant ballot initiatives in California, Cuban dominance in Miami politics, multiracial violence in Los Angeles, and battles over labor conditions, affirmative action, bilingual education, and racial profiling.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Wealth has held an allure for many modern thinkers; the creation of a wealthy society often associated with "civilization" itself. The relationships among work, wealth and well-being are a perennial concern and have been central to the study of political economy, since its inception in the mid- to late-18th century. How does work produce wealth for the individual and for society? How, or when, does individual and social wealth translate into individual and/or social well-being? And, how does the character of work affect individual well-being or happiness? This course will examine the answers given to these questions (and myriad corollary questions) by writers within the political economy tradition.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course deals with the political thought of Latin Christendom (Western Europe) during the later Middle Ages (c. 1050 - c. 1550). This body of thought is worthy of sustained study for two reasons. First, it is one of the glories of human civilization. In seeking to answer the timeless question "how we should live our lives as individuals" and "how we should live together in peace and justice" late medieval political thinkers produced a body of political thought second to none in the history of human philosophical speculation. Second, late medieval political thought is worthy of study because it gave rise to many of the concepts that continue to shape our collective lives today (including state sovereignty, separation of church and state, constitutionalism, just war, property rights, "the people," nationalism, democracy, rule-of-law, and human rights). Indeed, it is impossible to really understand contemporary political life without delving deeply into the way in which late medieval thinkers engaged with the big political issues of their day. The main goal of this course is to provide a solid introduction to the political thought of this crucially important era in human history. In it, we will critically examine the relevant works of thinkers such as St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, John of Paris, Marsilius of Padua, Bartolus of Sasseferato, and Baldus de Ubaldi. To the extent that they shed light on late medieval thought, we will also touch on classical political theorists such as Aristotle and Cicero as well as Muslim and Jewish thinkers such as ibn Sina, Moshe ben Maimon, and ibn Rusd.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course will equip you with the skills and intuition to think about politics in a more critical and organized way.  You will practice the scientific method - identifying a problem worthy of study, developing testable hypotheses, designing a research strategy, gathering data, analyzing data, and interpreting your results - and contemplate the philosophical conundrums that underlie our efforts to describe, explain, and interpret complex phenomena.  Every Semester. (4 credits) Empirical Methods: The department requires its majors to take one course in empirical research methodology, preferably before their junior year. There are a number of courses that fulfill this requirement, including: POLI 272, SOCI 269, SOCI 270, SOCI 275. In some cases, research methods courses taken in other social science disciplines may be used to fulfill this requirement following approval by the political science department chair.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course will equip you with the skills and intuition to think about politics in a more critical and organized way.  You will practice the scientific method - identifying a problem worthy of study, developing testable hypotheses, designing a research strategy, gathering data, analyzing data, and interpreting your results - and contemplate the philosophical conundrums that underlie our efforts to describe, explain, and interpret complex phenomena.  Every Semester. (4 credits) Empirical Methods: The department requires its majors to take one course in empirical research methodology, preferably before their junior year. There are a number of courses that fulfill this requirement, including: POLI 272, SOCI 269, SOCI 270, SOCI 275. In some cases, research methods courses taken in other social science disciplines may be used to fulfill this requirement following approval by the political science department chair.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The course examines the range of persuasive language strategies and symbol use in Presidential or congressional elections. Students design a comprehensive communication plan for a real candidate running for office. Students produce campaign rhetoric such as prospectus for institutional donors, press releases, direct mail appeals, bumper stickers, scripts for radio/television ads, scripts for fundraising phone banks, and a candidate stump speech.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This is a course about the politics of pandemics – the political “causes” of pandemics; the way in which politics invest pandemics with meaning; the short-term politics of pandemic responses; and the longue durée political consequences of all manner of plagues, pandemics, and pestilences. Though focused on politics (in the broadest sense of the word), the course is by nature interdisciplinary. The themes and readings are drawn from the academic works of virologists, immunologists, statistical modelers, historians, economists, social psychologists, political scientists, and even scholars of Zombie Studies (yes, there is such a thing – and, yes, it is relevant).The course begins by providing an analytical overview of the basic scientific, social scientific, and historiographical approaches to the several consequential historical pandemics. It then introduces students to the major historical pandemics for which we have records and other accounts – pandemics like Justinian’s Plague, the Great Mortality/Black Death, and the smallpox pandemic that decimated that native population in the Americas following the Columbian contact. Third, it then examines some more contemporary pandemics such as HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and SARS. Finally, the course culminates in a study of the current SARS-CoV-2/covid-19 pandemic. This final section includes participation in the online Simuland: Beat the Epidemic simulation – an active learning-by-doing application that requires students to take on the roles of public health and other political decision-makers in order to address the challenge of a fictional (but all-too-realistic) contemporary pandemic.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The goal of the Senior Research Seminar (Capstone) is to launch students on a culminating academic experience organized around the supervised independent study of a political science topic of particular interest and relevance. The Seminar is premised on the assumption that students will have a working familiarity with the foundational knowledge in the sub-field(s) relevant to their reserach project, a mastery of the practical skills introduced in foundation courses and further developed in intermediate courses, and a willingness to engage actively in a rigorous, sustained inquiry into an important topic. In each section of the seminar, a faculty member will coach students through the process of defining a significant and important political science research question, developing a thesis, designing an appropriate research program and writing a 25-35 page original capstone.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The goal of the Senior Research Seminar (Capstone) is to launch students on a culminating academic experience organized around the supervised independent study of a political science topic of particular interest and relevance. The Seminar is premised on the assumption that students will have a working familiarity with the foundational knowledge in the sub-field(s) relevant to their reserach project, a mastery of the practical skills introduced in foundation courses and further developed in intermediate courses, and a willingness to engage actively in a rigorous, sustained inquiry into an important topic. In each section of the seminar, a faculty member will coach students through the process of defining a significant and important political science research question, developing a thesis, designing an appropriate research program and writing a 25-35 page original capstone.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

A workshop for students pursuing honors projects in the political science department. S/N grading.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The course introduces students to the study of argumentation or systematic reasoning about questions of public policy. How should we govern ourselves? Who gets to be a citizen? What limits should a society place on its citizens' behaviors? What freedoms should a society allow? Because these are questions over which reasonable people may disagree, coming up with mutually agreeable answers requires extensive public discussion and debate. The citizen who can discover reliable evidence, make sound arguments, and reason well in the face of strong counter-arguments also embodies the very notion of a liberally educated person. Students will develop their argumentation skills by focusing on congressional debates that have powerfully shaped the United States, including slavery, Indian removal, woman's rights, war powers, and impeachment.  The course is well suited for students who wish to develop their analytic, oral, and written communication skills.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

In Comparative Politics we use comparison to analyze political outcomes within and across countries, Why do Mexican presidents exercise strong centralized authority while Brazilian presidents must contend with powerful governors? Why do Muslims and Hindus fight in some Indian states but not in others? Why does Rwanda have such a high proportion of female legislators whereas the U.S. has such a low proportion? When confronted with large-scale protests in their cities, do state security forces in China, Russia, and the United States respond with similar methods or do they differ? Through comparative analysis, students will learn to describe diverse political institutions, to propose explanations for divergent outcomes, and to evaluate scholarly and popular arguments about politics.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

An examination of the evolution of influential political concepts and theories from ancient cultures to the present day, by those writing in/from/to the West. Introduction through textual analysis to historical and contemporary understandings of key terms such as authority, legitimacy, liberty, republicanism, democracy, revolution and "the good." Additionally, the course provides an introduction to political theory methods of analysis and critique, through the development of skills in reading, critical thinking, and writing.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The readings and assignments in this course are designed to help students understand how social policies and programs contribute to Americans' lived experiences.  We will examine various theoretical justifications for the policies that constitute the American welfare state, then confront and dissect major strands of the American social safety net to better understand how political institutions and policy mechanisms contribute to both diversity and inequality in individuals' social, economic and political outcomes (based in race, class, gender, dis/ability, region, political jurisdiction, etc.).

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course provides an introduction to the field of Environmental Politics and Policy. Using a comparative approach, the course engages the meaning and development of environmental governance. We will explore the tandem rise of the modern environmental movement and profound new environmental legislation in the U.S. and internationally. Topics investigated will include: deforestation, hazardous wastes, climate change, population growth, and loss of biodiversity.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course explores legislative politics through a combination of academic theory and focused field experiences. Each student must simultaneously enroll in a credit-bearing internship at the Minnesota State Legislature. The class examines the basic structures, players and forces that shape legislative decision-making, the motivation or individual legislators, and their interactions with other political actors and institutions. Prerequisite(s): POLI 100 recommended. Course not available to First Year students.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Taking a chronological tour of American political ideas, this course explores the continuities and conflicts in political discourse in the United States from a wide range of authors and perspectives. Canonical figures such as the Puritans, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Abraham Lincoln construct political authority in their respective periods, against a diverse backdrop of thinkers presenting competing visions and claims. Some of the authors include: Henry David Thoreau, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frederick Douglass, Edward Bellamy, W.E.B. DuBois, John Dewey, Martin Luther King Jr., and a range of contemporary authors representing evolving feminist, environmentalist, and conservative political thought. Assignments vary, but include efforts both to put thought in a historic context and develop the connections between traditions of thought and present-day concerns. Prerequisite(s): POLI 100 recommended

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course deals with the liberal and conservative currents(s) running through the Western tradition of political thought from the time of the French Revolution to today.  Its main goal of to provide a solid introduction to these two bodies of philosophical speculation.  Through a close reading of texts and commentaries, we will critically (though empathetically) examine the relevant works of thinkers such as John Locke, Thomas Paine, Edmund Burke, John Stuart Mill, John Henry Newman, Russell Kirk, William F. Buckley Jr., Leo Strauss, John Dewey, Friedrich von Hayek, Irving Kristol, Michael Oakshott, and Alasdair MacIntyre.  The focus of our inquiries will be upon topics such as "how should I lead my life?" (ethics), and "how should we lead our lives together?" (politics). Important secondary goals of the course include: familiarizing students with the various "languages" or "idioms" of conservative and liberal political thought; helping students understand the great political debates between conservative and liberals; applying both conservative and liberal political frames/concepts to a range of contemporary "hot-button" social and political issues. As an intermediate-level offering, this course is designed primarily for Political Science majors and non-majors in cognate fields (such as Philosophy) who have some experience in the discipline.  The course has no pre-requisites, however, and is therefore suitable for all students seeking to satisfy an interest in liberal and conservative political thought.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course will equip you with the skills and intuition to think about politics in a more critical and organized way.  You will practice the scientific method - identifying a problem worthy of study, developing testable hypotheses, designing a research strategy, gathering data, analyzing data, and interpreting your results - and contemplate the philosophical conundrums that underlie our efforts to describe, explain, and interpret complex phenomena.  Every Semester. (4 credits) Empirical Methods: The department requires its majors to take one course in empirical research methodology, preferably before their junior year. There are a number of courses that fulfill this requirement, including: POLI 272, SOCI 269, SOCI 270, SOCI 275. In some cases, research methods courses taken in other social science disciplines may be used to fulfill this requirement following approval by the political science department chair.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course explores ethnic nationalism's causes and consequences in Eastern Europe. Drawing on several disciplines, we begin by examining the core concepts and theories in the contemporary study of nationalism. We then explore both the historical roots of Eastern European nationalisms, and their implications for democracy, minority inclusion, regional stability, and European integration.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

In 2000, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). This resolution acknowledged the inordinate impact of armed conflict on women and girls, as well as the crucial role that women can and do already play in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts. It urged states and other actors to increase the participation of women – and to incorporate gender perspectives – in all peace and security efforts. Since 2000, there have been nine additional resolutions that together have created the Women, Peace and Security agenda, a global framework for advancing gender equity in all areas of international peace and security. This course will explore feminist scholarship on armed conflict, peace and security leading up to the adoption of UNSCR 1325, as well as the 20 years of research, policy and practice on Women, Peace and Security. We will focus on the contributions and limitations of the WPS agenda as well as on new themes and issues that have emerged over time.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course will explore whether or not the election of the nation’s first Black president changed the face of African- American leadership and activism since the height of the civil rights and Black power movements. We will study African Americans in the political system from a historical context. The running themes of the course are crafted to consider the following questions: What are the historical dynamics that have shaped and continue to shape the relationship between African Americans and the American political system? Under what conditions have Black people been able to exert influence in the political system? What exactly are Black political interests? Finally, we will analyze the strategies of electoral politics versus social activism, and analyze the way in which Barack Obama fits into the larger picture of Black politics in the United States.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This seminar-style course explores vital questions in America's political development, focusing particularly on the moments with questions of law and the identity of people have been contested around economic issues. Topics vary but may include the evolution in property rights for women, the law of slavery, the legal status of Native Americans, and the evolution of welfare rights. The course employs tutorials, in which students tackle key questions through essays, which are then discussed in small groups in the instructor's office. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore-standing or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course has three broad goals. The first is to develop the foundational knowledge and conceptual literacy necessary to engage with International Relations' multidimensional concerns. These include issues such as world order, power, hierarchy, political violence, international law, development, religion, human rights, gender, humanitarianism and international organizations (such as the United Nations). The second is to introduce students to the different perspectives or intellectual frameworks for making sense of international relations (also known as global or world politics), including realist, liberal, constructivist, historical materialist, postcolonial and feminist approaches. The third is to encourage students to reflect on some of the ethical issues inherent in both the study and practice of international politics. Emphasis will also be placed on developing a range of critical, analytical, research and writing skills required for the further study of international politics. The course is thus intended to prepare students for advanced work in the field, although it is also appropriate for those merely seeking to satisfy an interest in the study of global politics.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Students are introduced to the issues and challenges confronting American cities today, and the public policy options and remedies city governments employ to address urban problems.  Using a historical approach, we trace the origins of machine politics and campaigns against their rule, the evolution of the "urban crisis" of the twentieth century, and the rise of the fragmented urban metropolis.  Next, we explore how persistent economic and racial segregation, interurban rivalries, fiscal constraints, and identity politics shape power relationships and local governmental capacities to deliver services and revitalize neighborhoods.  Along the way, in simulated challenges, we ask students to present and defend their own policy proposals to urban problems (e.g. fair elections, downtown development, affordable housing, urban sprawl) and, in a longer research paper, investigate how one or two cities have struggled with or successfully addressed an urban challenge. Prerequisite(s): POLI 100 recommended.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course will help you answer questions about politics and economics in the developing world. For example: What explains global disparities in peace and prosperity? Is democracy good for the poor? Does foreign aid work? Our main objective is to use social science to describe and explain development outcomes. Although we will also address what can be done to solve problems such as poverty and civil war, this course will not provide any panaceas. If you finish the term unsatisfied and frustrated, you will have done something right! You will have begun to understand the complexity of development issues, which will equip you to contribute in a sophisticated way to ongoing scholarly and policy-oriented debates.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Comparative study of political institutions and conflicts in several Latin American countries. Through a mix of empirical and theoretical work, we analyze concepts and issues such as authoritarianism and democratization, neoliberalism, state terror and peace processes, guerrilla movements, party systems, populism, the Cuban Revolution, and U.S. military intervention. Themes are explored through diverse teaching methods including discussion, debates, simulations, partisan narratives, lecture, film, and poetry. This class employs an innovative system of qualitative assessment. Students take the course "S/SD/N with Written Evaluation." This provides a powerful opportunity for students to stretch their limits in a learning community with high expectations, but without a high-presure atmosphere. This ungraded course has been approved for inclusion on major/minor/concentration plans in Political Science, Latin American Studies, and Human Rights and Humanitarianism.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

A study of how presidents, politicians, and social movement activists worldwide use language and persuasive symbols to increase their influence and bring about social and political change. Students complete a semester-long project in which they analyze a significant political text utilizing descriptive-analytic, historical-contextual, critical, and interpretive research methods. This course is well-suited for students wanting to undertake a significant research project and develop their skills in academic writing. It fulfills the department's research methods requirement.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

In his 40-year career at Macalester, Professor Chuck Green functioned as a one-man `leadership academy,- inspiring and guiding students to make the transition from detached observers to engaged citizens. Through his teaching, mentoring, and example, Professor Green instilled in students a sense of confidence and optimism about their ability to engage proactively in the world. The Chuck Green Civic Engagement Fellowship honors this legacy. Students with sophomore or junior standing may apply for this seven-month fellowship that includes a spring seminar and a full-time, fully-funded summer field experience. Chuck Green Fellows will study democratic engagement in social and organizational change, identify a client organization working for the public good with whom the student can analyze and address a problem, and then work with that client on a mutually agreed-upon solution. The Fellowship culminates in the early fall with an event in which Fellows, faculty, and clients have an opportunity to reflect on the fellowship experience. The Fellowship counts as an intermediate course and fulfills the practicum requirement of the political science major. Contact the political science department for a full description and application. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Urban food security has been on the rise, exacerbated by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and economic recession. Fortunately, in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, there are a number of organizations working to expand access to adequate food. But they have political and policy research questions to address first. For example, how can the problem best be framed to elicit public support? Who are the possible allies or adversaries to potential public policy changes? Which level of government would be most receptive to redressing the problem? What policies have been successful (or not) in addressing food insecurity in other cities? Would they work here? To answer these questions, they have solicited our class’s help. Through community-based projects, academic readings, and class discussion, we will explore the politics and policies that shape food insecurity in the US. Student groups will present their findings to participating organizations at the module’s end, with the hope of building these organizations’ capacity to reduce food insecurity in the Twin Cities. So, are you hungry for change? This is a class where you will make a difference, and made possible and done in partnership with Macalester’s Center for Civic Engagement.

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In this course we shall examine the relation of religion to both capital and the modern forms of political power (what Michel Foucault termed biopolitics or biopower), as well as the biopolitical formations of race and racism as means for sustaining power—while discovering the enduring pertinence of Marx’s work in theorizing the above issues. Biopower emerges gradually in secular capitalist modernity as a form of power that legitimizes itself not through its right to “take life” or punish or exclude (as in traditional forms of sovereignty) but through its obligation to protect and enhance life. Yet, albeit “secular,” biopower is a form of “pastoral power” (Foucault). We shall explore: the interconnectedness of modern biopower and religion; Marx’s critique of the dominant (Enlightenment) critique of religion and his thesis that the secular state presupposes religion; the colonial and racial constructions of religion; and the biopolitical constructions of race in its relation to social class and other forms of domination. All readings in English; no pre-knowledge required. Counts as a core course for the Critical Theory concentration.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

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Humanities

Course Materials

Traces the evolution of (global) political economy as a peculiarly modern way of understanding and organizing (global) social life. Particular attention will be paid to how the distinction between the political and the economic is drawn and implemented in interconnected ways within nation-states and in international society. Course includes a detailed study of one of the key components of the international political economy: international trade, international finance, technological processes, etc. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore-standing or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The past two decades appear to have been very successful ones for humanitarianism. Funding for humanitarianism has skyrocketed; humanitarian organizations have expanded their public support, as well as their activities; and, increasingly, humanitarian issues have found a place at the center of policy decisions. It is also generally agreed that humanitarianism is in crisis owing to the growing awareness of the sometimes harmful effects of aid; the expansion of the concept of humanitarianism to include human rights, development, and peace-building; and the increasing involvement of states in humanitarian operations. This advanced-level course explores the nature and dilemmas of contemporary humanitarianism. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore-standing or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

In a notable turn around, a significant number of African societies, in recent years, have experienced both economic growth and renewal of the spirit of women and men acting as citizens. These are commendable achievements. Yet, old quotidian urgencies such as precarious personal safety, hunger, poor health, and political disorder are still prevalent. This is the dialectic of development. This course explores these contradictions. Most of the attention will be given to the concepts of power, politics, and development in contemporary Africa. The course concludes with each student submitting a research paper on a specific problem (e.g. environment, economic, social, cultural, political) confronting one country of the student's choice. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course explores the rapidly evolving field of transitional justice, examining how and why regimes respond to wide-scale past human rights abuses. Drawing on examples worldwide, it asks why states choose particular strategies and examines a variety of goals (truth, justice, reconciliation, democracy-building), approaches (trials, truth commissions, file access, memorialization, reparation, rewriting histories), actors (state, civil society, religious institutions), experiences, results, and controversies. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.

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Course Materials

A workshop for students pursuing honors projects in the political science department. S/N grading.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials