Undergraduate Study
Summer 2020 Courses
Maymester
(May 11th-22nd)
PSC
300 m501 Free Speech Theory and Law Class
Instructor:
Nathan Carrington
Class #:
71752
Offered: Online
Prerequisites:
None
Course
Description
Can you falsely shout "FIRE!" in a crowded theater
or kneel during the national anthem to protest police brutality? Is "hate
speech” protected by the First Amendment? Is Twitter allowed to ban it? Can a
city government stop a "Straight Pride Parade” from taking place? This
course will address these questions and more while drawing attention to the
legal complexity of free expression disputes. In doing so, students will be
exposed to common justifications for free and robust speech in a society and
how the courts have addressed the topic both in the present day and
historically. As such, students will walk away from the class with a firm
understanding of the legal doctrine and theory necessary to analyze the range
of free speech disputes that emerge on a near-daily basis in today’s society.
PSC
344 m500 / MES 344 m501 Politics of the Middle East
Instructor:
Sefa Secen
Class #:
72192
Offered: Online
Prerequisites:
None
Course
Description
This course provides an overview of the politics of the
contemporary Middle East. It is divided into four modules. In the first, we
examine the political history of the region, specifically the Ottoman,
Colonial, and Cold War periods. We then explore the nation-building processes
of Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Israel, and Saudi Arabia by focusing on the competing
forces such as nationalism, secularism, and religion. In the third module, we
look at the ongoing political conflicts in the region including but not limited
to the Israel-Palestinian Conflict, the Syrian Civil War, and the Yemeni Civil
War. Finally, we discuss how a variety of factors including foreign
interventions, authoritarianism, and natural resources have shaped politics in
the Middle East. We also address the consequences of the 2011 Arab Spring, the
issues of gender, and the influence of superpowers over the region.
Session I
(May 18th-June 25th)
PSC
202 m001 Intro to Political Analysis
Instructor: Hanna Noh
Class #:
70353
Offered: Online
Prerequisites:
None
Course
Description
Not everyone likes vegetables. But vegetables are essential
to a healthy diet. This method course is a vegetable of political science: This
course introduces the basic skills for political science and international
relations majors to read and comprehend political science research and ultimately
learn how to conduct and present one’s own research. Political science research
will sound foreign without learning the concepts and tools employed in the
field. Reflecting the growing demand for statistical rigorousness of political
science research, the course will introduce the basic tools and concepts
including quantitative concept measurement, hypothesis testing, interpretation
of statistical evidence, and presentation of findings. The course will put
these components together to better understand the topics of political science
such as democracy, war, election, or representation, etc.
The primary goal of this course is to equip the political
science majors and minors with the ability to read and understand original
research in political science. The first half of the course will focus on
research design and the basic components of research; research question,
concepts, variables, and literature review. The second half of the course will
focus on quantitative analysis; hypothesis, data collection, statistical
analysis of data, and tools for evaluating a theory.
PSC
352 m001 International Law
Instructor: Claire Sigsworth
Class #:
72195
Offered:
Online MTWTh, 10:00 am - 11:45 am
Prerequisites:
None
Course
Description
PSC 352 introduces the principles, practices, and politics of
public international law. We consider the origins, evolution, and future of
international law as a means of conflict resolution in the global system, and
we examine the role of international organizations in making and enforcing the
“law of nations.” We also investigate critiques of current legal philosophy and
practice. Topics include the legality of the use of force, maritime law,
environmental law, and human rights.
Session II
(July 1st – August 9th)
PSC 121 m001
American National Government & Politics
Instructor:
Aaron Lattanzi
Class #:
70004
Offered:
MTWTh, 12:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Prerequisites:
None
Course
Description
How does the American political system operate? This course
provides an introduction to American political institutions, behaviors, and
processes. Topics include (among other things) public opinion, elections,
Congress, the presidency, the mass media, civic participation, the
Constitution, federalism, and public policy. Although we will cover the “nuts
and bolts” of American government, our focus is on political science rather
than civics, which means our task is to analyze and interpret political
phenomena. Credit is given for PSC 121 or PSC 129, but not both.
PSC
124 m001 International Relations
Instructor: Daniel Jackson
Class #:
72194
Offered:
MTWTh, 10:00 am - 11:45 am
Prerequisites:
None
Course
Description
This course introduces students to the main issues and
actors in contemporary international relations, organized around three major
topical perspectives: world structure and theoretical views of that structure;
international political economy; and international conflict, cooperation and
security. It will focus on current debates around global topics such as human
rights, economic interdependence, nationalism, the global environment, and
economic disparities. During section meetings, students are encouraged to
explore and discuss how states, international institutions, and non-state
actors shape current international affairs and future forms of global
governance. Credit is given for PSC 124 or PSC 139, but not both.
Online Asynchronous (May 18th-June 26th)
PSC 355 u800
International Political Economy
Instructor:
Daniel McDowell
Class #:
70370
Offered:
***ONLINE***
Prerequisites:
None
Course
Description
From
the rise of Donald Trump’s economic populism to Great Britain’s “Brexit” from
the European Union, it is impossible to deny the tenuous political underpinnings
of economic globalization today. To borrow from Prof. Jeffry Frieden,
globalization is a choice, not a fact. That is, the global economic integration
we observe today is the product of governments’ policy decisions over a period
of many decades. This course introduces the student to the field of
international political economy (IPE). IPE studies how politics impacts the
global economy and, in return, how the global economy impacts politics. There
are two central questions that we will wrestle with in this class. First, what
explains the international economic policy choices governments make? Second,
what are the effects of those policy choices both within and across countries?
Over the course of the session, we will engage with a number of key topics in
IPE including: international trade, economic development, multinational
corporations, international capital flows, exchange rates, sovereign debt, and
financial crises. We will rely on two primary analytic tools: basic economic
principles to explain how economic policies influence the distribution of
income and political economy theories that explain how politicians set
policies. Together, we will use these tools to help understand historical and
contemporary phenomena.
* New Listing *PSC 363.u700/PHI 363.u700 Ethics and International Relations
Instructor: Glyn Morgan
Class #: 72522
Offered: * New Dates *Eight Week Summer Session II Online ASYNCH/SYNCH: 6/29/2020 – 8/20/2020
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
This course examines the fundamental questions of ethics and international relations. Among the topics addressed: raison d'etat; the just war tradition; humanitarian intervention; terrorism; torture; fair trade; foreign aid; immigration; human rights; nationalism; and climate change.