Politics (POLT) Spring 2011
Spring 2011 Course schedule (pdf)
The curriculum is designed to give students an understanding of political organization and political forces in modern society, to provide knowledge and a basis for insight and judgment on the problems involved in the relationship of the individual to government and of governments to one another. Students are prepared for the intelligent performance of the functions of citizenship, for careers in public service, foreign relations, teaching at the secondary level, the study of law and for study at the graduate level.
Course Descriptions:
POLT 10100-01, 02 U.S. POLITICS LA SS, h
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Juan Arroyo, Muller 308, Ext. 4-3969
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section
PREREQUISITES: None
STUDENTS: Open to all students.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Institutions, processes, and cultural/ideological roots of U.S. politics. We begin by studying a framework of ideologies that will help us to understand the political-economic institutions that have evolved to reflect the conditions of U.S. society: Congress, the presidency, bureaucracy, judiciary, parties, interest groups, media, and the electoral process. Throughout, we will constantly ask: how democratic is this place? What are your criteria for measuring democracy? The class will consider the many ways in which money affects the ability of citizens to influence the political process. The 2010 health care reform will be analyzed in greater detail from a variety of perspectives, along with other prominent issues in social, economic and foreign policy.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Discussion/lecture
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Readings, active participation in class discussions, class presentation, 2 short papers (5 pages), paper (7-10 pages)
POLT 10100-03 U.S. POLITICS LA SS, h
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Alex Moon, Muller 308, Ext. 4-1258
ENROLLMENT: 90
PREREQUISITES: None
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course has three main purposes. In ascending order of importance, it seeks to familiarize students with the role of voters, interest groups, the media, and parties in the American political system. We will examine the dynamics of American political institutions and (some of) the origins of (some of) the current political cleavages in the U.S.; it will examine the gap between the ideals and practices of American politics.
COURSE FORMAT/ STYLE: Lecture/discussion
POLT 10100-04, 05 U.S. POLITICS LA SS, h
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Jenny Stepp Breen, Muller 323, Ext. 4-7340
ENROLLMENT: 27 per section
PREREQUISITES: None
STUDENTS: Open to all students.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This semester we’ll be studying the major institutions of the U.S. politics, covering the nuts-and-bolts of American government and policymaking. But we’ll also be continually returning to the questions raised by the claim that the U.S. is a democratic nation. How should power be distributed in a democracy? In what respects is the U.S. democratic? In what respects is it not? We’ll also be paying particular attention to the political economy of the United States. Specifically, we’ll be examining many aspects of U.S. politics in relationship to the recent financial crisis. By the end of this course, you should have a firm grasp on the structure of the basic institutions of American governance as well as how they relate to one another (and to the people). You should also be able to explain the political aspects of the financial crisis. Most importantly, you should have a better grasp on how institutions are used to manage power, either by creating it, distributing it, or consolidating it.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Discussion/lecture
POLT 12200-01 POLITICS AND SOCIETY LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Patricia Rodriguez, Muller 312, Ext. 4-5714
ENROLLMENT: 26
PREREQUISITES: None
STUDENTS: Open to all
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This politics introductory course explores the impact of social forces and societal dynamics on politics of diverse countries, as well as the influence of politics and the state on society. Students will be learning and analyzing current world political events that are not so well covered in the mainstream media, such as why/when do democracies emerge but also breakdown, why is state power wielded in repressive manners in different types of political systems, what impact does citizen activism have in global and national political and economic issues, and what role do international actors play in reconstructing governments. In the process of examining these issues we will also learn about the history and political processes and events in a variety of countries, such as Chile, North Korea, Russia, Venezuela, Sudan, Rwanda, China, and others. Students will compare the political conflicts in these different countries from a political-sociological approach.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, group discussion, films.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: short opinion papers, exams, group discussion, presentations
POLT 12300-01, 02 POLITICAL JUSTICE LA SS 1b, g
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Beth Harris, Muller 310, Ext. 4-3517
ENROLLMENT: 29 per section
PREREQUISITES: None
COURSE DESCRIPTION: We examine the relationships between law, politics, power, witnessing, and justice in a comparative context. The readings and films draw on a number of disciplinary and professional approaches, including law, the social sciences, the humanities, and journalism. We use case studies to analyze conflicts between nation building/national security strategies and those social and politics groups whose civil liberties are threatened by official legal and political strategies. The case studies may explore: 1) the legal dimensions of conflicts between Native Americans, American settlers, and the United States government; 2) the legal consolidation of the Third Reich in Germany and its impact on Jewish people under its rule; 3) the legal construction of Israel’s military rule over the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the impact of military occupation on the Palestinian population; 4) the transformation of law and consequences of “official” justice within the United States in response to threats to national security. If possible for two of the units students will participate in international collaborative video conferences with their peers living under occupation.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Discussion of readings and videos, student presentations of group research projects. Student participation is critical to the course.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Required class preparation includes assignments of readings and videos, writing case briefs and independent research. Grades are based on preparation for class, an open-note exam, written essays, and presentations of group projects in class.
POLT 12800-01 INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SS LA 1b, g
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Chip Gagnon, Muller 324, Ext. 4-1103
ENROLLMENT: 27
PREREQUISITES: None
STUDENTS: Open to all.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: We examine and discuss issues of security ranging from security of the state to security of individuals. Issues include the future of war, terrorism, the global economy, nationalism, ethnic and religious conflict, and the role of the media in how we think about the international. We also study how different perspectives lead us to see different worlds, looking specifically at realism, liberalism, global humanism, and theories of identity.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lectures, discussions, films.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Attendance and participation in class discussions; readings for each class; three take-home exam essays.
POLT 12800-02, 03 INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS LA SS 1b, g
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Naeem Inayatullah, Muller 325, Ext. 4-3028
ENROLLMENT: 28 per section
PREREQUISITES: None
STUDENTS: Open to all
COURSE DESCRIPTION: We ask the following types of questions about the world: How do we begin to think about the world? Why is the world divided territorially? How do religious beliefs affect world politics? How do we find out what’s going on in the world? How do nation-states work? Do colonialism and slavery belong to the past? How is the world organized economically? Why are some people better off than others? How can we end poverty? Why does world politics turn to violence? What makes the world dangerous? What can we do to stop people harming others? Can we move beyond conflict? What can we do to change the world?
We also pose the following types of questions about how we learn: How can we think, rigorously, creatively, purposefully and precisely about the relations between nations, states, cultures, and individuals? How can each of us better understand our role in participating in the central global problems of our times? How can we respond to ways of thinking that strike us as politically or ethically repulsive, that are alien to our thinking, or that threaten to undermine our way of life?
Within the context of these themes we have three goals: (1) To better understand why we hold our specific values, (2) to start recognizing the themes that characterize our way of thinking; and (3) to assess the ethics of our actions in the world. Thinking and understanding are fulfilling but they can also be dangerous. Learning can bring a change in our life style, our worldview, and our relations with others. In combination, these goals amount to the idea that along with "covering" things altogether new, we also hope to "uncover" things we already know.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Three papers; standard grading
POLT 12900-01, 02 INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL STUDIES LA SS, g
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Peyi Soyinka-Airewele, 314 Muller, ext. 4-3508
ENROLLMENT: 30 per section
PREREQUISITES: None
STUDENTS: Open to those who are interested in the subject matter. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: POLT 12900, ANTH 12900, HPS 12900.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course will expose participants to critical global challenges such as the protection of human security in a competitive marketplace; questions of sovereignty and state violence; and globalization and its socio-political and economic consequences. It will foster critical thinking and writing skills and provide fundamental analytical frames through which students can address on-going debates on representation, identity, Eurocentrism and global histories. We will seek to facilitate dialogue that engenders global citizenship and contributes to the growth of all participants.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Regular attendance, full participation, presentations, tests, essays and project.
POLT 14100-01 POWER: RACE, SEX AND CLASS LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Zillah Eisenstein, Muller 316, Ext. 4-3554
ENROLLMENT: 43
PREREQUISITES: None
STUDENTS: Majors and non-majors alike.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: We will deal with the distribution of power in the U.S. according to economic class, sex, and race hierarchies. We discuss what power is, where it comes from, where it is located. This involves the analysis of power in terms of issues of capitalism, globalism, patriarchy, and racism, as well as the specific issues they raise for policy making, persons, the family, and corporate power. The analysis will hopefully help us understand the relations of power defining black working class women, white male workers, white middle class women, etc. The premise of the course is that in order to understand capitalist society one must understand the racialized aspects of sexuality as a form of power, as well as the sexualized aspects of race. Some specific topics discussed are: the present global and national economic crisis; changing aspects of the nation-state; Bush/Cheney’s wars of/on terror; the Gulf Wars 1991-2010; the Chilean 1973 Coup; Obama’s politics of hope; the changing realities of the middle/working class; the global racialized sexual division of labor; the rise of China in the global market; the continued aftermath of the O.J. Simpson trial, and so on.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Students will read a variety of books and see several films. They write two 7-page analytical papers based on the course readings and films. Grading is based on the two writing projects and class participation. Both essays must be completed for course credit.
POLT 14200-01, 02 IDEAS AND IDEOLOGIES SS LA 1a, 1b
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Kelly Dietz, Muller 323, Ext. 4-3581
ENROLLMENT: 30 per section
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course explores the ideological roots of political life and political inquiry. Through readings, film, art, music and your own observations, the course focuses on key political ideas and the ideological debates over their meaning and practice. We will examine a range of views on concepts such as liberty, equality, democracy, rationality, security, order, authority, community and nation. We will consider how these and other political ideas developed historically, why certain ideas endure, and why they remain important to understanding politics today. In doing so we will also pay close attention to how political ideas intertwine with constructions of race, class, gender and sexuality. Ideological perspectives the course explores include liberalism and conservatism (and their “neo” variants), socialism, anarchism, and fascism. The course encourages critical reflection on aspects of political life that we take for granted, and on where our views about the world come from. Encounters with political theories different from our own subjective views help bring to light our unconscious assumptions and also what is distinctive about our political views.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: lecture and discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: active participation, weekly blog contributions and a semester-long final project.
POLT 29900-01 FIELD STUDY
(SEE POLT 40500 INTERNSHIPS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION)
1 TO 6 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Don Beachler, Muller 333, Ext. 4-1249
ENROLLMENT: 5
PREREQUISITES: 310-10100, one other course in the social sciences, and permission of instructor.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Opportunity for students to explore and experience facets of political life through work experience and/or field research. Academic credit contingent upon completion of study design with departmental faculty member. (Course may not be used to satisfy 100-level distribution requirements.)
POLT 30600-01 US FOREIGN POLICY LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Don Beachler, Muller 333, ext. 4-1249
ENROLLMENT: 30
PREREQUISITE: Three courses in the social sciences or equivalent.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course will include an historical overview of U.S. Foreign Policy, but is focused on contemporary issues such as the war with Al Qaeda, the occupation of Iraq, and U.S. Middle East policy. Attention will be paid to the politics of intervention in cases of genocide. We will also consider the normative issues surrounding the cost and consequences of being a super-power/empire.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture and Discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Read 5-6 book and assigned articles. There will be a Two exams (mid-term and a final exam) and a research paper.
POLT 31000-01 SUPREME COURT IN U.S. POLITICS SS LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Beth Harris, Muller 310, Ext. 4-3517
ENROLLMENT: 30
PREREQUISITES: Three courses in social sciences, including U.S. politics or equivalent.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Course goals: 1. To explore the distinctive character of judicial lawmaking. 2. To imagine influencing the judicial law-making process. 3. To examine the role of constitutional law in the construction, transformation, and legitimatization of American political and social relations and institutions. 4. To analyze Supreme Court decisions and their implications in three important areas of constitutional policymaking: (a) the division and scope of institutional authority within the national government and between national and government (for example: who has the authority to decide whether the votes for presidential candidates are valid?); (b) the role of government in structuring economic relationships (for example: how has the Supreme Court shaped the development of a national economy, property rights, and workers’ rights?); (c) the legal protections against race, gender, and economic discrimination.
COURSE FORMAT/ STYLE: Mostly discussion based on reading assignments, including Supreme Court opinions and analytical articles, and student presentations, including debates.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Readings (including Supreme Court opinions), open-note quizzes, analytical essays, collective research projects, and oral presentations.
POLT 33300-01 UNDERSTANDING ISLAM LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Asma Barlas, CHS 101 (CSCRE Office), ext 4-1056
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: Three courses in the social sciences or permission of the instructor.
STUDENTS: Open to all who meet the prerequisites or have instructor’s permission.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this course we will study Islam as both a system of beliefs about the divine (religion and theology) and as an actually lived reality (history and politics). Topics range from scriptural conceptions of God, human creation, and sex/ gender relationships, to war, violence and mysticism on the one hand, and from the historical interface between “Islam and the West” to current debates about Muslims and terrorism, on the other.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: discussions, presentations
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Class attendance/participation, journals, concept papers.
POLT 34050-01 ST COMP/INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: POLITICS IN EAST ASIA SS LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Kelly Dietz, Muller 323, ext. 4-3581
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: Two courses in the social sciences.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will examine contemporary political relations in East Asia. Through non-fiction, literature and film, the course will pay special attention to ‘everyday’ experiences of life and popular movements as lenses on broader politics and historical relations. The course will also examine the United States’ historical and contemporary involvement in the region. We will interrogate dominant representations of the region that Americans are exposed to (e.g. the “Far East,” the “China Threat,” and North Korea’s inclusion in the “Axis of Evil”) in order to understand how these shape perceptions and political relations. Some of the questions and issues the course will focus on include: How useful is it (and what might it obscure) to include all the countries and peoples in this geographical region under terms like “East Asia” or “Asian”? How should we interpret claims that China poses a “threat” to the US—and why is the US increasingly characterized as a “threat” to China? Why are China and Japan (and Korea and Japan, and Russia and Japan) fighting over tiny, often uninhabited islands? How do popular and official memories of colonialism and World War II shape relations in the region today? How likely is the reunification of North and South Korea, or China and Taiwan? How did a recent dispute over a US military base in Japan bring down the government of Japan’s last prime minister? How might environmental problems in the region, many of which transcend borders, be addressed given interstate rivalries and the emphasis on economic growth?
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: lecture and discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: active participation, weekly blog contributions, two papers and a final exam
POLT 34051-01 ST COMP/INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: EUROPEAN UNION LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Juan Arroyo, Muller 308, Ext. 4-3969
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: Three courses in social sciences or equivalent.
STUDENTS: Open to all students.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course will be organized into a number of themes. We begin by asking how the EU began; how specific group of politicians framed and responded to social and political questions after WWII, by creating this entity. Students will be introduced to different theoretical frameworks that explain the emergence and evolution of the EU. Second, how does it work? Institutions and organization of the EU. Third: The policies produced by the EU, and the resulting tensions with member states and with other international actors. Fourth: Expansion. Where does Europe end? What kind of union is this? What is the basis for European identity? The case of Turkey as possible future member of the EU will be considered. Fifth: In-class simulation of a meeting of the Council of the European Union to decide EU policy on a pressing policy issue. Sixth: Foreign policy. The EU foreign policy structures, and specific expressions of EU relations with other countries/regions of the world. Finally, we will take a step back and evaluate the EU. Why is it democratic or not? Why does it work, or not?
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture and discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: 1 map quiz, three papers (8-10 pages each), one in-class presentation, active class participation.
POLT 34052-01 ST: COMP/INTRNTL STDS: POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN LATIN AMERICA LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Patricia Rodriguez, Muller 312, Ext. 4-5714
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: Two courses in social sciences or equivalent.
STUDENTS: Open to all students.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course examines the origins, evolution, and outcomes of political violence and conflict in Latin America and in other parts of the world (i.e. course has a comparative component). Students can expect to develop their critical analytical skills to examine key readings and contemporary analyses on violence and socio-political struggles in different regions. We will explore questions such as: what is political violence and is it inevitable? What are the politics behind the pattern of armed insurrection, repression in Latin America? Should social justice be promoted through violent means. Has justice been addressed at the national, regional, and international levels? How can we improve these methods? We will be examining these issues through several case studies of periods of intense conflict and human rights problems in Colombia, Chile, Venezuela, Guatemala, and other countries. Contemporary issues of human rights in the region will be analyzed through readings, films, and speakers.
Readings will include:
-Lessie Jo Frazier. 2007. Salt in the Sand: Memory, Violence, and the Nation-State in Chile. (Duke Univ. Press)
- Winifred Tate. 2007. Counting the Dead: The Culture and Politics of Human Rights Activism in Colombia. 2007 (U. California Press)
POLT 35000-01 ST IN POLITICAL THEORY: THEORY AND PRACTICE OF PUNISHMENT LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Alex Moon, Muller 308, Ext. 4-1258
ENROLLMENT:
PREREQUISITES: None
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course covers the theory and practice of punishment. We begin with philosophical justifications and critiques of the idea of punishment. In order to evaluate these theories and contemporary practice, we examine historical and current prison conditions. The last section of the course will deal with the politics of prison construction and its intersection with the politics of race in the United States.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture/discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: two five-page papers, final, class participation
POLT 36600-01, 02 ENVIRONMENTAL POLTICS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Tom Shevory, 315 Muller Faculty Center, 4-1347
ENROLLMENT: 30 per section
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Course considers an array of environmental topics from multiple political perspectives: feminist environmentalism, environmental justice, climate change, food and agriculture, water scarcity, radical action, species depletion. Course topics will be connected to screenings and events connected to the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival. Possible texts include:Eric Klinenberg, Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster, Kimberly Smith, African-American Environmental Thought, Michael Pollan, Omnivore’s Dilemma, Craig Rosebraugh, Burning Rage of a Dying Planet: Speaking for the Earth Liberation Front, Tom Shevory, Toxic Burn, Kenneth Murchison, The Snail Darter Case.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Class will consist of reading, lecture, and class discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Four papers on class readings will be required.
POLT 39800-01 COMP/INTNTL STUDIES PRACTICUM IN EUROPEAN UNION POLICY-MAKING LA SS
1 credit [Bloc II course]
INSTRUCTOR: Juan Arroyo, Muller 308, Ext. 4-3969
ENROLLMENT: TBD
PREREQUISITES: Permission of instructor; prior or concurrent enrollment in “The European Union: Process and Politics.”
STUDENTS: Open to all students.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Practical experience in international negotiations at the intercollegiate level. The venue will be the Model European Union conference hosted by SUNY New Paltz, April 14-17, 2011. Students will be assigned a specific role to play, representing a particular EU member state on one of four EU bodies: EU Heads of Government, EU Foreign Ministers, National representatives on COREPER (Committee of Permanent Representatives), and the European Commission. A small number of positions will also be available in the press corps. The workshops will introduce students to the procedures used in EU meetings. Students will have to do independent research to prepare the topics. They will research the positions of other participants. Students will plan their positions and statements for the meetings. Student may be required to pay a supplemental fee for travel and conference costs.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Students will be required to attend 3-5 preparatory workshops; attendance at the weekend conference.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Active participation in the workshops and at the conference. One paper describing your role, the issue that was debated, the group’s conclusions, and your reflection on the process.
POLT 40100-01 SEMINAR: POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE HOLOCAUST SS LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Don Beachler, Muller 333, Ext. 4-1249
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the instructor and three courses in social sciences or the equivalent
STUDENTS: Juniors and Seniors
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The seminar will explore portions of the voluminous literature on the Holocaust to extract implications for politics. Among the topics to be considered are the conditions that permit people to participate in genocide and the human capacity for self-deception that enables people to rationalize their actions. This section of the seminar will consider the controversy raised by Daniel Goldhagen’s book Hitler’s Willing Executioners. We will also explore the academic politics of Holocaust studies by reading works that both proclaim the uniqueness of the Holocaust and by considering authors who argue that too much attention has been paid the Holocaust to the neglect of other historical instances of genocide. The ethical lessons that can be gleaned from global indifference to the destruction of the European Jews will form another segment of the seminar. The global response to atrocities in Rwanda and Bosnia will be included for comparative purposes.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: The seminar will employ a discussion format
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Five to six short papers; read 8- 10 books; regular class attendance and participation
POLT 40104-01 SEMINAR: AGENTS, STRUCTURES & ACTION LA SS 1b, g
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Naeem Inayatullah, Muller 325, Ext. 4-3028
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: Three courses in the social sciences or equivalent [or permission of the instructor]
STUDENTS: Open to all meeting the prerequisites
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
I would like to explore non-trivial answers to the question of what it means to be free. If our actions spring from our motivations and desires but the origins of those motivations and desires are not transparent to us, then what does it mean to be free, to act, or to be an agent? If the source of our motivations and desires are not necessarily in our control but emerge from internal and external structures, then what does this mean about our freedom, our actions, our agency? What is a structure? Aren’t structures formed by the actions of human agents? If structures are not things we can “see” how do we know that they are there? How do we become conscious of structures? How do we study them? What happens to structures when we become conscious of them? Do they change? Do we change? I am interested in all types and scales of structures – from those internal to our psyche to those that constitute the global political economy.
I am also keen to explore the overlaps between Western and Eastern thinking on issues of agents, structures, and action. Specifically, I would like to compare the Western psychoanalytic traditions with mystical traditions of the East. While all this may seem very abstract on paper, the course is guided by and grounded in practical problems of everyday life. I ask you to join me in these explorations.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Seminar
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: All grades will be based on written work.
POLT 40400-01 TUTORIAL: URGENT ARTICULATIONS: NEWEST SEXES, GENDERS, AND RACES SS LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Zillah Eisenstein, Muller 316, Ext. 4-3554
ENROLLMENT: 7
PREREQUISITES: Junior or Senior status
COURSE DESCRIPTION: THE COURSE ASKS YOU TO THINK DEEPLY ABOUT WHAT YOU SEE AND THE WAY YOU SEE IT. I ASK YOU TO THEORIZE about A NOTION OF PRESENCE AND ABSENCE IN TERMS OF QUERIES ABOUT COLOR AND RACE, SEX AND GENDER, COLONIALISM AND THE WEST, AND SO ON. The end goal is to think more fluidly and inclusively about our power-filled lives when we start with the interrogation of the body/bodies. I will ask you to denaturalize and denormalize the usual renderings of the body and to find the newest-new way of seeing sex, class, race, and gender in this present historical moment. The course is exploratory and evolving.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Daily class discussion and participation expected.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: There will be two 8 page analytical papers based on dialogue with the course reading material.
POLT 40400-02 TUTORIAL: DEV & SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Peyi Soyinka-Airewele, 314 Muller, ext. 4-3508
ENROLLMENT: 7
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the instructor and three courses in social sciences or equivalent.
STUDENTS: Open to those who fulfill prerequisites and are highly interested in the subject matter. Participants must enjoy and have a strong capacity for independent and collaborative research and writing.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Through case studies, engaged research, local and trans-border projects, students will problematize ‘development’ discourse, humanize the issues related to poverty and social injustice and discuss some successful initiatives for political and socio-economic change. The course will help participants to rethink their point of entry into the subject matter, to define their areas of passion and to explore the question of complicities, responsibilities and capacities. Participants should be interested in honing their ability to work as informed scholar-practitioners; design context-aware initiatives; write proposals; collaboratively execute and evaluate projects; and participate in a classroom “beyond borders” forum.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Tutorial. (Research, Discussion, Practicum).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Regular attendance, active participation, research & field work, projects, formal presentations & essays. Grading based on fulfillment of requirements.
POLT 40500-01 INTERNSHIPS
NLA
Variable Credit
INSTRUCTOR: Don Beachler, Muller 333, Ext. 4-1249
ENROLLMENT: 5
PREREQUISITES: Permission of instructor and three courses in social sciences or equivalent.
STUDENTS: Interested students should see Tom Shevory, Muller 315, to register for an internship.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The Politics Department offers a wide variety of internship opportunities for students in different fields. Faculty will work with students to find internships that meet their needs. Internships are available in Ithaca and the surrounding areas. Internship/Field Study can be used to meet both 300 and 400 level requirements. Possible internship sites include: Tompkins County Environmental Management Council; Citizen's Environmental Coalition; Offender Aid and Restoration (working with jail inmates); Planned Parenthood; Assemblyman Marty Luster; Congressman Maurice Hinchey; Community Dispute Resolution Agency; Dispositional Alternatives (Youth Bureau); Red Cross; Human Services Coalition; Mayor's Office; City Attorney's Office; Prisoner's Legal Services; Loaves and Fishes; Alternatives Credit Union; Women's Community Center; Cornell Environmental Law Society; Eco-Justice Task Force; City of Ithaca, Dept. of Planning and Development; Tompkins County Planning Department; Tompkins County Solid Waste Management Division; Rune Hill Earth Awareness School; New York Public Interest Research Group; Science Center; Battered Women Task Force; GIAC; Downtown Business Council; Day Care Council; Human Rights Commission.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Students receive one hour credit for every 60 hours of internship-related work. Students are required to keep a journal and undertake internship-oriented research and writing.