Political Science

http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/political-science/

Chair, 2000-01: Dan Hofrenning, American politics, public policy

Faculty, 2000-01: Jo Beld, American politics, public policy; Susan Bloom, international relations, European politics; J. Patrick Dale, comparative politics, European politics and economics; Andrew Seligsohn, political thought; Kris Thalhammer, comparative politics, Latin American politics, political analysis; Charles Umbanhowar, Sr.,

American politics, political thought Political science is the systematic study of politics and, as such, joins other social science disciplines in an attempt to understand human social behavior. The Political Science Department seeks to acquaint students with their own political environment, to alert them to the global dimensions of politics and public policy, and to prepare them for informed and effective contribution to public life whether as citizens or public officials. It also assists students by participating in the General Education curriculum. It offers a number of courses in the areas of Human Behavior and Society (HBS), Historical Studies in Western culture (HWC), Multicultural Studies (MCS), and Ethical Issues and Normative Perspectives (EIN). It shares faculty and courses with Hispanic Studies, American Studies, Asian Studies, Russian Studies, Middle East Studies, and Environmental Studies. It also cooperates with the Education Department in its Social Studies Education major.

OVERVIEW OF THE MAJOR

War and peace, taxing and spending, choice and constraint, dictatorship and democracy - these and a hundred other realities of modern life are played out in the realm of domestic and international politics. In an increasingly complex and interdependent world, public decision making requires thoughtful discourse, broad-based participation, and intelligent responsive leadership. To that end, the Department of Political Science engages students in the systematic and critical analysis of government, politics, and public policy. It helps students learn to frame thoughtful questions, conduct imaginative research, marshal convincing evidence, write with clarity, precision and conviction, and engage in lively conversation.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR

The requirements for a major in Political Science are intended to provide broad exposure to the discipline as well as develop a wide range of research skills. Students majoring in Political Science must complete a minimum of nine courses in the discipline, including no more than three Level I courses, no fewer than two at Level III, and Political Science 220, "Analyzing Politics and Policy."

Majors must include at least one course from each of the four subfields: American Politics and Public Policy (111, 115, 215, 227, 235, 246, 255, 272, 274, 276, 372, 373); Comparative Politics (112, 117, 251, 252, 256, 263, 264, 282, 367, 385, 386, 399); International Relations (121, 230, 254, 257, 258, 281, 283, 381, 383, 388); and Political Theory (113, 210, 222, 232, 247, 249, 259, 260, 270, 349, 384). Beginning in 2002-03, Level III courses will be offered as seminars with two prerequisites: Political Science 220 and one other course in the subfield.

Students may also include a selected Statistics course (110, 212, 263, 266, or 312) OR one extra semester of language (French, German, or Spanish numbered above 232, or Chinese, Greek, Latin, Japanese, Norwegian, or Russian numbered above 231).

Majors in the classes of 2002-2004 can also choose to complete a "simplified old major," requiring eight courses within the four-subfield framework and eliminating the major requirement of a subfield concentration. Beginning in Fall 2002 at least two Level III courses with prerequisites are required, in addition to at least one course in each of the four subfields.

Students may also complete work in each area through independent study and/or research under faculty supervision (298, 398).

Majors in Political Science may also choose from a rich assortment of domestic and international off-campus study opportunities (see Index), only two of which can count towards the major. Further information on particular programs, especially internships, interim off-campus course offerings, and the Washington Semester, is available in the Department of Political Science or from the Office of International and Off-Campus Studies. A Social Studies Education major with an area of emphasis in political science is available (see Index).

COURSES

111 American Politics

The promise of American politics is the equal freedom of all. How does practice match principles? What roles do class and race play? Do interest groups and political parties foster democracy? This course is designed not only to help students understand American government and politics but also to motivate them to be active and informed participants. GE: MCS-D, HBS. Offered both semesters.

112 Comparative Politics

Why do some societies have democratic political systems and others authoritarian ones? What is democracy? Is it the norm or the exception? The course provides a foundation for the understanding of contemporary political regimes. It applies the major concepts of comparative analysis to the political systems of Western and non-Western societies. GE: MCS-G, HBS. Offered both semesters.

113 Introduction to Politics

Politics is about who gets what, how, and why. Is all such getting fair? This course introduces students to the role religion and ethics play in evaluating political behavior. GE: HWC. Offered in 2000-01 and periodically.

115 Religion and Politics

A survey of the interaction of politics and religion in the United States, the course explores the topic by using the analytical methods of political science including philosophical, historical, institutional, and quantitative approaches. Among the topics are: the Bible and politics, liberalism and politics, religion and the Presidency, the civil rights movement, religion and contemporary public policy. GE: HBS. Offered during Interim.

117 Politics and Human Rights

What makes a person capable of repression? Who obeys morally unjust orders to torture or kill innocent victims? What causes genocide? Who risks his or her life to defend others' rights? Using case studies from around the world, this course looks at various explanations for the range of ways individuals respond to immoral government actions, with special emphasis on theories of political psychology. GE: HBS. Offered during Interim.

118 Political Analysis

This course introduces major concepts, theories, and modes of inquiry in the discipline of Political Science. What is politics? What are the major questions people ask about politics? What are the basic tools scholars use in the "scientific" study of politics? GE: HBS. Offered occasionally.

121 International Relations

War and peace, justice and power - these are age-old topics of the politics among nations. This course examines them by emphasizing certain problem areas in the world and evaluating the principal theories for understanding international politics. Offered both semesters. GE: HBS.

215 Politics of Race, Class, and Gender

Access to the benefits of political power is distributed unequally in all societies. Students examine how and why the benefits and penalties of state power unequally affect the life-chances of members of different social groups. The social divisions of class, caste, ethnicity, and gender in both advanced and developing societies are considered. Offered 2000-01 and periodically.

220 Analyzing Politics and Policies

This course explores the diverse modes of inquiry in the discipline of political science. Broadly centered around the question, "How do you know?," students will focus on different methods of locating and collecting data, reviewing political texts and contested concepts, and constructing theoretical explanations of political phenomena. Prerequisite: one previous course in department.

222 Politics

An exploration of the key words and concepts of politics (nation, government, constitution, revolution, law, justice, rights, wealth, power, and status), this course is designed to assist students in developing their understanding of political life. Students also learn by playing the simulation game, "Monopolity." Offered during Interim.

227 Media and Politics

An examination of the relationship between mass media, public opinion, and political behavior, this course helps students analyze patterns in the content of media messages, suggests possible explanations for media content, and traces the effects of media on social values, public opinion, political participation, political institutions, and public policy. GE: ORC, HBS.

230 East Asia and World Politics

Students examine the role that East Asia has played in world politics, particularly in the realms of international economics, politics, and security, and try to understand what consequences this past and present role will have for the future. Having been the object of Western colonialism and the main battleground of the Cold War, will the rise of East Asia mean a "class of civilizations"? GE: MCS-G, HBS. Offered periodically.

232 American Political Thought

American politics is about ideas. The rule of the people is superior to the rule of the few. Free speech is good. Political power should be distributed, checked and balanced, and federalized. This course traces the origins of these and other important ruling ideas in the writings of America's most prominent thinkers. Offered periodically.

235 Jurisprudence and the Judicial Process

Law is often overlooked as an important arena of American politics. This course attempts to correct that oversight by identifying the important legal theories and locating them in the practice of American courts. Offered periodically.

246 Introduction to Public Policy

The product of the political process is public policy. This course surveys the major areas of domestic public policy in the United States: education, welfare, health, housing, the environment, and the economy with special attention to the impact of public policies on women and minorities.

251 Political Economy of Europe, Japan, and the U.S.

Industrial societies must continually adjust their national economic policies to changing global conditions. The means by which governments marshal domestic social and economic forces for global competition differ greatly between interventionist and non-interventionist states. Through examination of other countries' adjustment mechanisms we can acquire a new understanding of America's place in the changing global economy. Offered periodically.

252 Politics and Development

Some formerly developing countries have found the way to join the ranks of the industrialized nations, others have not. What explains the difference? By introducing students to theories of modernization, dependency, world systems, order, class, revolution, state and political economy, the course attempts to provide the framework for answering this question. GE: MCS-G, HBS. Offered in 2000-01 and alternate years.

254 Politics of the Middle East

This course provides an introduction to the Middle East using comparative, theoretical, and historical approaches to illuminate contemporary political issues in the region. Topics for discussion include religion and politics, the legacies of colonialism, state building, leadership, institutions, political economy, gender, family, human rights, the politics of oil, Israel, and Palestine, and the Middle East in world politics. Offered periodically.

255 Political Parties and Elections

Political parties have traditionally served to organize the American electoral process but not to govern. Is their role changing? This course examines party organization, candidate recruitment, campaign strategies, the role of the media, election financing, and citizen participation. Offered in 2000-01 and alternate years.

256 Central European Politics

Sandwiched between Germany and Russia, Central Europe exhibited distinctive political characteristics in its pre-communist, communist and now post-communist periods. The region could not sustain democracy in the 1930s. Does it have a better chance of doing so in the 1990s? In pursuit of an answer, students examine the varying cultural, ethnic, and economic contexts of the region's contemporary political problems. Offered in 2000-01 and alternate years.

257 U.S. - Latin American Relations

Often controversial, U.S.-Latin American relations occupy a special place in the foreign policy of the United States. Students compare differing views of political issues of importance to both regions and explore the emergence of U.S. power, interventionism, cooperation, revolution, collective security, the transition to democracy, and the influence of economic factors on the relationship between Latin America and the U.S. Offered in 2000-01 and alternate years.

258 World Politics

More and more, world politics, the politics among nations, controls domestic politics. With the fall of Communism an entirely new world regime is emerging. By examining the subjects of realism, globalism, power, levels of analysis, ideology, global inequality, non-state actors, political economy, transnational policy issues, war, peace, and international organization, students are challenged to come to grips with these changes. Offered periodically.

259 History of Classical Political Thought

Socrates founded political philosophy by asking the question "What is justice?" Ancient political philosophers followed his lead offering different answers. Students study the most famous works of classical political philosophy and their relation to larger themes in contemporary politics. The main texts assigned are Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Politics, and selections from St. Augustine's City of God, and St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa. GE: HWC. Offered 2000-01 and periodically.

260 History of Modern Political

Thought Machiavelli founded modern political philosophy by asking "How does the ruler acquire power?" This course explores how modern political thinkers answered this question by changing the grounds of authority from religious and philosophical foundations to rational ones. Texts include Machiavelli's Prince, and Hobbes's Leviathan, Locke's Second Treatise, Rousseau's Social Contract, Marx's Communist Manifesto, and Nietzsche's Use and Abuse of History. Offered 2000-01 and periodically.

263 Chinese Politics

What is "socialism with Chinese characteristics"? How did Deng Xiaoping reform the political system created by Mao Zedong? Will China become a democracy anytime soon? These are some of the questions to be answered as students examine changes in ideology, the communist regime, state-society relations, and political economy since the founding of the People's Republic in 1949. Prerequisite: Political Science 112 or permission of the instructor. GE: MCS-G. Offered periodically.

264 Latin American Politics

How do the peoples of Latin America participate politically? How do domestic politics interact with national and international economics? How do states treat challenges posed by migration and by desires for "modernization" and democracy in a context of authoritarian legacy and debt? Students examine how Latin American politics work, focusing on Mexico, parts of Central America, the Caribbean, the Andean Region and the Southern Cone. GE: MCS-G. Offered in 2000-01 and alternate years.

270 Family Values

Students examine ethical issues related to family life in the United States. Topics include the nature and purpose of the family; a history of family structures and values; the family as a school of justice; and the relationship between the family and the state. Students explore a variety of theological and philosophical traditions, on such issues as marriage and divorce, contraception and abortion, parenting practices, and public policy. GE: EIN. Offered 2000-01 and periodically.

274 Congress and the Presidency

Our Constitution establishes a tension between the Congress and the Presidency. This course presents an analysis of institutional politics and policy making in the legislative and executive branches of American government designed to overcome this constitutional strain. Students examine elections, public and press relations, organization and staffing, relations with other governmental institutions, and theories of power. Prerequisite: Political Science 111, or permission of instructor. Offered periodically.

276 Enviromental Politics

Analysis of environmental policy includes the politics of agenda setting, policy selection, and program implementation and the effects of policy outcomes. Offered annually.

282 Russian Politics

What are the factors shaping Soviet and Post-Soviet political development? Students consider the impact of the Russian Empire on Soviet political development, Stalinism and its causes, political change under Khrushchev and Brezhnev, and changes occurring during and after Perestroika. Students examine conceptual models of post-Soviet politics, current policies and institutions and political and economic changes in the former U.S.S.R. Offered in 2000-01 and alternate years.

294 Internship

Internships in the major are available in a wide variety of public and private institutions including the state legislature, lobbying agencies, law firms, media organizations, corporate public affairs, and executive agencies.

298 Independent Study

After completion of three courses in political science, students may approach a member of the department faculty and propose a course of study not currently offered to be conducted in tutorial fashion.

346 Political Ethics and Public Policy

Students survey the major traditions of ethical theory and their implications for public policy. Ethical theories are interspersed with case material throughout the course. The major focus is on the ethics of policy and the development of tools for the ethical assessment of policy alternatives. Applications range from health care, the environment, economic policy, welfare policy, education, affirmative action, and crime. GE: EIN. Offered periodically.

349 Distributive Justice

What distribution of wealth and the rewards from work and the possession of productive property is just? Are we entitled to economic support simply because we are members of society, or should we accept impoverishment as the just consequence of failure in the market? Students examine Christian and non-Christian ethical traditions from Europe and America which are devoted to answering these and related questions. GE: EIN. Offered periodically.

367 Seminar in Latin American Politics

This course focuses on key mechanisms used in attempts to transfer, institutionalize, and consolidate political power in Latin America, specifically: revolution and armed revolt, the creation of authoritarian and military regimes, transitions to democracy, and creation of new economic structures. Using theory, historical fictional and factual accounts, students look for the human ramifications of these dramatic changes as well as exploring their nature and origins. Prerequisites: Political Science 112 and a course on Latin America. Offered periodically.

371 Political Research Methods

This course introduces the principles and practices of empirical research design, data collection, and data analysis in political science, including opportunities for original research. No previous experience in statistics is required. Prerequisite: one course in political science. Offered annually.

372 American Constitutional Law: Power

The Constitution is the sacred text of America's civic religion. The opinions of the Supreme Court, which form the assigned reading, are equivalent to sacred commentary. This course is the first half of a year-long sequence on the meaning of the Constitution as developed in the opinions of the Supreme Court and includes the topics: judicial review, separation of powers, federalism, contract clause, and substantive due process. Prerequisite: Political Science 111, or permission of instructor. Offered annually.

373 American Constitutional Law: Limitations

This course is the second half of a year-long investigation into the meaning of the Constitution, the sacred text and its commentary of America's civil religion. This course examines the topics of civil rights, civil liberties, criminal due process, and privacy. Prerequisite: Political Science 111, or permission of instructor. Offered annually.

381 American Foreign Policy

American foreign policy continues to one of the chief activating forces of world politics. This course is designed to sharpen students' understanding of it by introducing them to theories of policy making, domestic and foreign sources of policy, and the impact of policy decisions upon the international environment. Prerequisite: Political Science 121, or permission of instructor. Offered 2000-01 and periodically.

383 Soviet and Russian Foreign Policy

This course is a survey of Soviet foreign policy since 1945 identifying the role of strategic, economic, and diplomatic instruments of foreign policy. Students examine post-Soviet Russian foreign policy in the context of a new international order in Eurasia. Prerequisites: Political Science 121, 253, 258, 382, or permission of the instructor. Offered periodically.

384 Studies in Political Thought

This is an advanced course in the area of political thought. The topic, either a detailed study of major works or themes in political philosophy, will vary with each offering. Prerequisite: one course in political thought, or permission of instructor. Offered occasionally.

385 Russian Political Economy

This seminar is intended to provide an understanding of the structure of the Soviet political economy, the factors which produced its collapse and the forces and interests determining the nature and extent of post-Soviet economic transformation. Each component of the course will be examined in its global context. Offered in 2000-01 and alternate years.

386 Topics in Political Development

Political development is a complicated subject which includes discussions of dependency, institutionalization, mobilization, and revolution in developing nations. Prerequisite: Political Science 112, 252, or permission of instructor. Offered 2000-01 and periodically.

388 Chinese Foreign Policy

What was China's international role during the cold War? Will it threaten the U.S. or its Asian neighbors in the post-Cold War era? The course considers these questions while examining the foreign policy of the People's Republic of China. Students discuss China's relations with the U.S., the U.S.S.R. (and its successors), Japan, and Southeast Asia, and China's involvement in international security and economic issues. Prerequisites: A course on international relations a course on contemporary China, Term in Asia or Term in China, or permission of the instructor. Offered periodically.

394 Internship

Students with ideas for internships are encouraged to approach instructors within the department in order to arrange supervision for credit. For Level III credit students must have successfully completed a Level II internship in the same area.

398 Independent Research

Students who have taken five political science courses, one of which is in the area of the proposed research, may propose an independent research project to a member of the departmental faculty.

399 Seminar

Seminars are special topics courses offered periodically by the department. The specific title of the seminar will be listed in the Class and Lab Schedule when it is offered.