Course Abstract

This course introduces students to the central topics in, and major approaches to, the field of international security. The course focuses on physical insecurity and, specifically, violent conflicts between states, as opposed to other forms of insecurity, such as economic, health, or environmental insecurity. Other types of violent conflicts, including civil wars and terrorism,will also be discussed but they will not be the primary focus of the course. The course is divided into three parts: Part I explores the potential causes of interstate violence, including international and domestic processes, such as the security dilemma and democracy. Part II examines different ways in which conflicts are conducted, including attacks on civilian populations and in particular women, while Part III evaluates the utility of different tools for ending conflicts and preventing new ones from arising, such as diplomacy, cease fires, and peacekeeping operations.

The objective of the course is to teach students to critically examine theories related to international security and to use these theories to understand contemporary conflicts. The course is not a historical survey of international conflicts, and while the theories discussed in the course have obvious policy implications, the course does not analyze policymaking processes.

Course Abstract

This course examines the causes and consequences of civil war as well as potential solutions to it, drawing on examples from countries throughout the world, including Bosnia-Herzegovina, India, Iraq, Russia, Rwanda, Syria, etc. The possible causes of intra-state violence, we examine in the course include ethnic and religious identities economic and security concerns, elite manipulation, and international diffusion.

Using our knowledge of the causes of conflict to analyze, we then in the course examine the utility of different tools for managing intra-state conflict, including, but not limited to, minority representation, consociationalism, decentralization and partition.

Course Abstract

This course introduces students to the central topics in, and major approaches to, the field of international security. It focuses on physical insecurity and, specifically, violent conflicts between states, as opposed to other forms of insecurity, such as economic, health, or environmental insecurity. Part I explores the potential causes of interstate violence, including international and domestic processes. Part II examines different means by which conflicts are conducted, including nuclear weapons, terrorism, gender-based violence, and kidnapping, while Part III evaluates the utility of different strategies for ending conflicts and preventing new ones from arising, such as diplomacy, peace treaties, courts, and peacekeeping operations.

The course's primary focus is on violent conflicts between states, but many topics are highly relevant to violent conflicts within states. The objective of the course is to teach students to critically examine theories related to security and to use these theories to understand contemporary conflicts.

The course is not a historical survey of international conflicts. The theories are derived primarily from political science, but also include other fields, such as economics and psychology. No prerequisites are required.

Course Abstract

This course examines the strategies used to end wars, both international and civil, and those used to maintain peace once wars have concluded. In terms of the former, the course examines the effectiveness of foreign military intervention, foreign aid and third-party mediation, as well as ceasefires and peace treaties.

In terms of the latter, the course studies the utility of peacekeeping forces, disarmament, economic development and various political institutional arrangements (e.g., courts, elections, democracy, decentralization, power-sharing, and partition). The course will examine various wars across the globe since the end of the Cold War to understand these different issues.

Course Abstract

Digital Peacebuilding examines the policy challenges encountered in fostering peace within and among states in the Twenty-First Century. The course considers the utility of various peacebuilding interventions (e.g., foreign intervention, foreign aid, diplomacy, ceasefires and peace treaties, peacekeeping, courts, and elections), and the integration of digital technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, virtual reality, cryptocurrencies, drones, satellites, crowdsourcing, and social media platforms) in these interventions.

The website is: www.digital-peacebuiding.com. The Twitter/X account is @digpeacebldg.

Course Abstract

This course will examine the major international and domestic causes and consequences of democracy worldwide. The course will cover 4 major themes: (1) the social determinants of democracy (i.e., culture, religion, and protests), (2) the economic causes and consequences of democracy, (3) various international political influences on democracy (i.e., foreign aid, international organizations, electoral monitors), and (4) international and domestic wars.

Course Abstract

Technological advancements have greatly transformed the political landscape in recent decades. This course examines the relationship between information and communication technologies (ICT) and the expansion, maintenance, and retrenchment of democracy. The topics covered in the course include: censorship, disinformation, electoral interference, misinformation, propaganda, protests, repression, surveillance, and voting. While the emphasis in the course will be on explaining how ICTs uniquely, if at all,affect these phenomena, the course will also address the relationship between democracy and the development and governance of these technologies.

Each year, a client from the private, non-governmental, or governmental sector will present problems to the class. The class in groups of 5-6 students will conduct research to provide potential solutions to these problems and present their findings to the client. Google is this year's client.

Course Abstract

This course examines why autocratic states democratize. It analyzes domestic factors (e.g., values, norms, religion, culture, economic development and inequality, natural resources, protests,insurgencies, and coups d’etat), as well as international factors (e.g., trade, foreign aid, international organizations, and international war). The course also examines the reasons for and the effectiveness of different ways that governments resist democratization (e.g., accommodation, censorship, and repression), and to a lesser extent, why democracy breaks down in already democratic states.

Course Abstract

This course provides an introduction to research design as well as qualitative and quantitative research methods in the social sciences. The goals of the course are two-fold: to instruct students in how to critically analyze scholarly articles in terms of research design and to guide students in how to design an original research project. The methods presented in the course include: interviews, participant observation, surveys, observational studies, and experiments, among others.

There are no prerequisites for the course. The course is strongly recommended as preparation for writing a year-long or single-term senior essay. However, seniors may not write their senior essays within the course. One-term senior essays must be written in a seminar course or PS480 while year-long senior essays must be written in PLSC 490/1/3.

Course Abstract

This course provides an introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methods in political science. Topics address issues related to theory building (e.g., case studies and formal models) as well as theory testing (e.g., observational studies and experiments). Technical issues related to these methods are not the focus of this course. Theoretical issues regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches are instead.

Ultimately, the goal of this course is twofold: (1) to instruct students to critically analyze scholarly articles with particular attention to research design, and (2) to guide students in how to design an original research project, such as a senior thesis. Both the reading assignments, including methodological and applied readings, and the written assignments are directed toward these goals.

Course Abstract

This course provides an introduction to research design and quantitative research methods in the social sciences. The goals of the course are: (1) to instruct students in how to critically analyze scholarly articles with particular attention to research design, and (2) to guide students in how to design an original research project.

Technical issues related to the implementation of the methods are not the focus of this course, as are theoretical issues regarding the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches.