DEPARTMENT OF POLITICS
All Politics Department courses are open to all students who meet the prerequisites. For information on requirements for any Politics major or minor, please see the Chair of the Politics Department, Muller Faculty Center.
POLT 10100-01, 02 U.S. POLITICS GE:1 Self & Society, GE h: Historical Perspective, (ICC) - Humanities, Liberal Arts, (ICC) - Social Sciences, Social Sciences, Themes: Power and Justice, World of Systems, Identities, and Inquiry, Imagination and Innovation.
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Carlos Figueroa, Muller 319, Ext. 4-7381
ENROLLMENT: 25 & 25
PREREQUISITES: None
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This introductory course explores the development of the U.S. political system, the values it is based on, how it works, how politics and policy intersect within it, and its impact upon individuals and groups alike. We engage politics through the notion of power while taking a two prong approach: an American political development (APD) perspective that pays close attention to how institutions and policies emerge historically & evolve over time and within particular contexts, and a Media perspective that takes new communication technologies seriously in how U.S. citizens engage with, and are informed by the evolving political & economic systems and broader global environment.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture/discussion; group work; SKYPE sessions; guest speakers; films/documentaries
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: midterm exam; in-class exercises; final policy paper
POLT 12200-01 Politics and Society LA SS TPJ TQSF
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Patricia Rodriguez
ENROLLMENT: 30
PREREQUISITES: none
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Discussions, Lecture
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: papers, participation
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This politics introductory course explores the impact of social forces and societal dynamics on the politics of diverse countries, as well as the influence of politics and the state on society. We will examine how and to what extent political institutions, individual and collective political action, and historical circumstances are capable of shaping political and social developments in different countries and regions of the world. The key questions to be examined in the course are these: Are there different versions of democracy, why? Why/when do democracies emerge but also breakdown? Who has power, and why is state power often wielded in repressive manners in different types of political systems? What role do international actors play in reconstructing governments, and with what consequences internally and globally? Are there resistances to this role of international actors, and why; what impact does citizen activism have in global and national political and economic issues, particularly conflict resolution, democratic rule, migration issues and climate change issues?
POLT 12800-01, 02 INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SS LA 1b, g;
ICC DESIGNATION: Social Sciences; Theme: World of Systems; Theme: Power & Justice
3 Credits
INSTRUCTOR: Chip Gagnon, Muller 324, Ext. 4-1103
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section
PREREQUISITES: None
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. This course counts as a Comparative and International Studies course for the purposes of the Politics major, the Concentration in International Studies, and the International Politics minor.
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 12900-01, EXPLORATIONS IN GLOBAL & COMPARATIVE STUDIES SS LA 1b, g; ICC Social Sciences; Theme: Identities; Theme: Power & Justice
3 Credits
INSTRUCTOR: Peyi Soyinka-Airewele, 314 Muller, ext. 4-3508
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITES: None
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course examines critical global issues, including the nature and impact of globalization; the role of international institutions such as the United Nations and World Trade Organization; dynamics of representation, culture and identity formation; human rights and the protection of human security in a competitive marketplace; and the dilemmas of sovereignty, militarism and the struggle for a just peace. Students may assess some national and international policies and explore policy alternatives, individual responses and responsibilities. The course utilizes country case studies, international simulations, literature and film and emphasizes global awareness and critical thinking. It will provide fundamental analytical frames through which students can address current debates on the global future.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lectures, discussions, and collaborative work.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Regular attendance, active participation, presentations, tests, essays and projects.
POLT 14200-01, 02 IDEAS AND IDEOLOGIES SS LA 1a, 1b
(ICC) Humanities, Social Sciences, Power and Justice, World of Systems
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Kelly Dietz, Muller 323, Ext. 4-3581
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: none
COURSE DESCRIPTION: What is your idea of the “good life” or a “perfect world”? How do you think we might achieve it, and why? Where do your ideas about the world and your own life come from? How do your individual beliefs relate to broader systems of thought we call ideologies? This course requires self-reflection on these questions as we explore ideological perspectives on political, social and economic life. 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 examine concepts such as freedom, equality, democracy, human nature, security, order, authority, community and nation. We 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 also pay close attention to how political ideas reflect, reinforce, and challenge relations of power, especially in terms of class, race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality. The course encourages critical reflection on where your views about the world come from, and which ideas you take for granted. Encounters with views and theories different from our own help bring to light our unconscious assumptions and also what is distinctive about our political views. Ideological perspectives the course explores include liberalism and conservatism (and their “neo” variants), socialism, anarchism, and fascism.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: mostly discussion, occasional lecture
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: thorough class preparation, active participation, weekly informal writing about course materials, midterm and final essays
POLT 14400-01, 02 Global Political Thought LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Evgenia Ilieva, 311 Muller, ext. 4-7092
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: none
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course brings together a wide array of thinkers who, in different ways, have all engaged in careful and thoughtful analyses of a range of themes and issues that are integral to the study of political thought: identity and difference, freedom, democracy, community, modernity, authority, domination, liberation, political violence, power and knowledge, etc. Our goal is: (1) to analyze how these ideas have been theorized and how they have traveled, been translated, and challenged across various national and geographical boundaries; (2) to use these texts as tools to help us ask a wide range of questions about ourselves and the world we share with others; (3) to unsettle the assumption that we can only interpret and understand texts and experiences reducible to our own culture, nationality, and way of life. More broadly, our aim is to begin to appreciate political thought as a human activity that arises universally rather than as something over which only the “west” has exclusive purview. Therefore, instead of comparing “western” and “non-western” systems of thought as discrete traditions of theorizing, we will examine the transmission and translation of ideas in relation to global systems of race and empire.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Participation, reading, short papers.
POLT 19501-01, 02 FOOD AND WATER: CHALLENGES TO SUSTAINABILITY
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Juan M. Arroyo, Muller 308, Ext. 4-3969
ENROLLMENT: 27 per section
PREREQUISITES: None
COURSE DESCRIPTION: At some level, we may think we know what it means to eat and drink sustainably. This course will challenge conceptions by examining different, and often conflicting, definitions of sustainability. Even if we do decide to eat and drink differently, we face challenges in changing individual behavior and social patterns in more sustainable directions. This course will look at the many actors and obstacles involved in shaping our choices regarding food and water. Political systems privilege certain ideas and also specific interests. Economic structures and patterns limit our choices. Anthropological, cultural, and sociological backgrounds structure our options. Biological and psychological predispositions affect our ability to eat and drink sustainably. Students will consider the “simple” acts of eating and drinking from all of these perspectives. Students will be challenged to understand the potential for changing patterns of consumption, examining their own choices, their communities, and the socio-political system in which we are embedded.
PREREQUISITES: Open to all students.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Discussion/lecture; expert presentations
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Readings, active participation in class discussions, readings reactions, research and reaction papers; A-F.
POLT 30600-01 US FOREIGN POLICY LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Don Beachler, Muller 333, ext. 4-1249
ENROLLMENT: 28
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 32000-01 Selected Topics in US Politics: Elections in the U.S.
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Donald Beachler
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or permission of instructor
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will examine political parties and the conduct of elections in the United States. The first portion of the course will consider various methods of conducting politics and elections. The primary purpose of this part of the class will be to question whether the procedures and practices of American politics facilitate the achievement of our political aspirations. The second section of the course is an intensive study of American party politics over the last fifty years. We will consider the development of American elections and political parties in the context of changes in race relations, the Vietnam War, feminism, gay rights, economic transformations, religion in politics, and the changing position of the United States in the world.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture/discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: 3 papers
POLT 33100-01 Latin American Politics LA SS LSCI
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Patricia Rodriguez
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: sophomore standing
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: lecture, discussions
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: papers, participation, research project
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course introduces students to issues in contemporary Latin American Politics. It examines the historical experiences, internal political and socio-economic structures and power relations, and behaviors of national and international actors influencing Latin American countries’ politics and societies. The course will pay particular attention to discerning similar and different patterns, opportunities and constraints (ie, clientelism, coup d'etats, political violence, racism, class conflict, revolutions) on political and economic development in the region, through in-depth focus and comparisons of specific countries and also regionally.
POLT 33000-01 EUROPEAN POLITICS LA SS
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Juan Arroyo, Muller 308, Ext. 4-3969
ENROLLMENT: 24
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: We start with the question of European identity: do we only mean the EU or something more general? Who is included or excluded, and how is this decided? This will lead to a discussion of “European” values. We will address tensions affecting the creation of a new geo-political entity called Europe out of many separate European countries. We briefly consider the structures and selected policies of the European Union. The course will introduce further tools for understanding European politics by looking at some of the key European ideological/political groups that are less familiar in the U.S. (Social Democracy, Christian Democracy, the Greens, post-Communism and the far right). Similarly, the course will look at the ideas and practices behind welfare state policies, such as education, welfare, immigration, employment policy, and the environment. Students will examine the political systems of selected European countries, with their distinct sets of actors and policy priorities. The emphasis will be on institutional and policy variations in how each country responds to the same needs or issues, such as economics, civil rights, regional identity, and nationalism.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING: Readings, active participation in class, 2 medium papers, 1 final paper.
POLT 33300-01 Understanding Islam
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Asma Barlas
ENROLLMENT: 22
PREREQUISITES: None
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course aims to unsettle the idea that non-Muslim Westerners can understand Islam without knowing anything about Western attitudes and policies towards Islam and Muslims. Of necessity, then, it is as much about the West/U.S. as it is about Islam “itself.” It is also a hybrid course in that it offers a mix of theological, historical, and political perspectives on a range of issues including Western and Muslim political violence, a history of Islam and Muslims, Qur’anic (scriptural) conceptions of God, human beings, sex/ gender, and patriarchy, traditions of jihad and tolerance in Islam, and Muslim mysticism.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Attendance policy, concept papers, journals. Books: Asma Barlas, Believing Women in Islam (University of Texas, 2019); Khalid Abou el Fadl,. The Place of Tolerance in Islam (Beacon, 2002); Mahmood Mamdani, Good Muslim, Bad Muslim (Three Leaves, 2005); Jalal al-din Rumi, The Love Poems of Rumi (Harper, 2005); Ziauddin Sardar, Introducing Islam (Totem, 2005); others TBA.
POLT 34003-01 ST: MILITARIZATION OF EVERYDAY LIFE
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Kelly Dietz, Muller 323, Ext. 4-3581
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITE: Sophomore standing
COURSE DESCRIPTION: From fashion trends, movies and video games to drones, the DREAM Act, privatized militaries and overseas bases, this course examines the ways in which things, people and social relations become objects of militarization. We pay special attention to how and why this is embraced by some and resisted by others. The course takes a broad view of militarization as an everyday process in order to better understand our relationships to state power as individuals, citizens, and as members of local and global communities. Doing so also allows us to gain a richer understanding of the range of actors, relations and processes that constitute “international relations.” The course begins by looking at some of the central ways American culture and institutions are militarized. We then broaden our scope to explore how these typically taken-for-granted processes intersect with the militarization of relations globally. Throughout the course, we explore how and why militarization plays out differently for different people, particularly in terms of gender, class, race, sexuality and citizenship. We critically examine the processes that give rise to and sustain militarization—and the ways in which we are all involved in the militarization of everyday life.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: thorough class preparation, active participation, weekly informal writing about course materials, midterm and final essays
POLT 34014-01 ST: Comparative and International Studies: TERRORISM & INSURGENCIES
3 Credits
INSTRUCTOR: Chip Gagnon
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore Standing
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Terrorism has been making headlines. What is it? Why do people become terrorists? How is terrorism related to insurgencies? We will be looking at these and other related questions to try to understand why people use violence and how they respond to violence.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: discussion, lecture, presentations
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: participate in discussions; biweekly reading reactions; presentations; two take home exams
POLT 34200-01 Liberalism and Marxism LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Evgenia Ilieva, 311 Muller, ext. 4-7092
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITES:
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Karl Marx is one of the greatest philosophers of the 19th century and of the modern world more generally. He is widely regarded as the world’s best critic of capitalism in part because he so carefully studied its achievements. A prolific writer, Marx tried to understand the human world with unrivaled passion, rigor, and deep persistence. He dedicated many pages of his voluminous work to telling the dramatic story of a conflict never previously described: the conflict, as one scholar writes, between “Prometheus and the Vampires,” or put more simply, the conflict between the creative force of human intelligence on the one hand and the parasitic force of exploitation on the other. In this course, we will explore some of the most important critical concepts that Marx deployed in telling the story of capitalism and the world we share in common: estranged labor (alienation), exploitation, and ideology. We will use these concepts as critical entry points in order to examine Marx’s broader project and to understand the philosophical underpinnings of his thought. While the main emphasis will be on seeing what Marx’s theory was and how he arrived at it, the course will also explore how contemporary scholars have borrowed and adapted key Marxian concepts in order to better comprehend the workings of our 21st century world. Since Marxism is typically portrayed as offering a vision of political, social, and economic life that stands at odds with Liberalism, the first part of the course will be dedicated to examining some of the main tenets of the liberal tradition and its entanglement with capitalism and colonialism. Such a juxtaposition will not only help us see the central differences between these two “isms,” but will also illuminate what they share in common and the key points at which they converge.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Participation, plenty of reading, 3-4 take home papers.
POLT 40103-01 Seminar: The Holocaust
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Donald Beachler
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or permission of instructor
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This class is an introductory survey of major themes requisite to an understanding of the Holocaust. Among the topics covered are the origins and evolution of Anti-Semitism in Western civilization; the rise of Nazism; the repressive measures taken against Jews in the 1930s and Jewish responses to them; the policies of other nations to the refugee crisis of the 1930s; the debate over whether significant numbers of Jews could have been rescued; the ghettoization of the East European Jews and the discussions about Jewish responses to German dictates; the planning and implementation of the Final Solution; and the manner in which the Holocaust was consistent with the racist world view of the Nazis. We will conclude with a detailed study of labor and survival in Poland.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture/discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: 3 exams
POLT 40112-01 Seminar: Global Indigenous Struggles LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Patricia Rodriguez
ENROLLMENT: 10
PREREQUISITES: Junior/senior standing; one POLT course
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: discussion, lecture
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: papers, research project, participation
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course gives an overview of the historical foundation and current resistance struggles around issues of indigenous sovereignty, the meaning and indigenous interpretations of land, territory, and identity; indigenous peoples’ varied approach to natural resources and the environment, the concept of decolonization, and ideas about self-determination and human rights. We will examine the history and political theory and praxis of Indigenous Peoples in a global context through the interdisciplinary lenses of Indigenous decolonization, critical Indigenous studies, and transnationalism. Students will explore themes such as the contexts and types of political resistance across regions, the politics of knowledge production and interculturality, debates on nationalism, citizenship and the state, and the content and impact of transnational approaches and global solidarities.
POLT 40200-01 SEM: Black American Politics AP/PT Social Sciences/Liberal Arts
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Carlos Figueroa, Muller 319, Ext. 4-7381
ENROLLMENT: 10
PREREQUISITES: Three courses in social sciences/humanities; junior/senior standing; Course can also satisfy a 300 level requirement
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Our seminar will explore the intellectual roots (ideas) and substance of politics (policy positions) among black Americans in relation to broader issues in American politics.
To what extent can the past help us make sense of the present and future in black American politics and broader U.S. politics? What can we learn from the historical & institutional legacies of black American political regimes? To what extent can lessons from past black political strategies and successful institutional arrangements help us understand and approach more effectively 21st century struggles for political freedom/equality, & social, racial, and economic justice?
We will engage these questions specifically by: Exploring the strategic political discourses of black Americans in the late 19th century and through the early 21st century by closely examining central debates among black American intellectuals, activists and politicians.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Discussion; author/activist SKYPE sessions; guest speakers; films/documentaries
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: close readings; active participation/student-led discussions; mid-term book review essay; final seminar paper, and (if possible) present final paper research as part of a student conference on Black American Politics in April/Ma
LGST 49800-01 Internship: Legal Studies
INSTRUCTOR: Tom Shevory
ENROLLMENT: 5
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Off-campus experience involving varied, non-routine work projects designed to allow students to synthesize academic theory with "real-world" operations of an organization. Primary responsibility is on the student to develop a project proposal and then carry out its requirements in conjunction with a faculty sponsor. Prerequisites: Junior standing; completion of appropriate principles courses; a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.70 at Ithaca College; prior approval of the Legal Studies Coordinator, and student needs to complete Humanities and Sciences internship application. Must be approved by beginning of semester in which the internship takes place.