Political Science

Few things are more dramatic than the collapse of a political system, whether through violent conflict or peaceful negotiations. Explaining why regimes break down and why new ones emerge are among the most important questions in political science. This course looks at the conditions under which regimes unravel, focusing on the breakdown of democratic institutions, the rise of populism, and conversely, transitions away from various types of authoritarian regime, using case studies from Southeast Asia. 

This course offers a study of Spanish politics. It examines the nature and functioning of the Spanish democratic system from late 1970s to today. Other topics include: the Second Republic, Civil War, Franco dictatorship, and Spanish transition to democracy.

This course examines normative and conceptual theories of politics from a global, transhistorical perspective. Students go beyond current theories of “decolonization” to consider how conversations about political life can be and have been transformed on the basis of distinctive concerns that emerge from specific times and places, marked by different levels of affluence, historical connections (or the lack thereof), textual or oral heritages, as well as the experience of imperialism. The course brings these diverse sources into a meaningful discussion about the political questions that they pose, both on their own and in comparison with others. 
 

This class presents the main principles of international political economy, also known as global political economy, which studies globalization and the reciprocal interaction between international relations, economics, and politics. Gathering knowledge from history, international relations, politics, economics, and sociology in an innovative way, the course provides a broad overview of the frameworks of analysis, actors, institutions, issues, and processes responsible for international relations, the causes of war, inter-state economic competition, and the structural configuration of power in the global context. It analyzes global affairs from a three-dimensional perspective: statist logic, market logic, and institutional logic. The course relies on readings, class debates, and the study of factual cases to develop academic skills and apply these skills for professional outcomes. 

The UN is a paradox of international relations. It is made up of independent states, but it is supposed to limit their excesses. It is based on the principle of equality, but it is controlled by the most powerful capitals. It is engaged in military operations, but it does not have an army. It was born from the ashes of the Holocaust, but it treats dictators with deference. It preaches human rights, but it cannot meddle in the affairs of its members. It preaches democracy, but it does not practice it.

This course is meant to serve as a critical introduction to the world's only universal Organization. After outlining the basic structures and functions of the UN, it focuses on the debates and controversies that have accompanied since its birth. The course considers - with frankness, without fear and in an intentionally 'undiplomatic way' - the Organization's successes as well as its failures. As current events show - from COVID to Ukraine - the United Nations is profoundly inadequate. The question is: Why? And who benefits from a weak UN?

This course provides an overview of the various theories of voting behavior in the context of the United States, as well a critical assessment of the role of U.S. public opinion in modern democratic politics. This course addresses three major questions in the context of United States politics: what is public opinion and how do people form their political beliefs, what is the impact of public opinion on the broader U.S. political system, and is the public to blame for the rise of inequalities and right-wing populism?

This course explores the connections between political economy and social policy. Political economy is about the distribution of power and money in society, whilst social policy is about welfare and meeting people’s needs. The course thus sets out to understand how the distribution of power and money affects the ability of states and other actors to meet people’s needs. It addresses this question through an everyday approach that seeks to link everyday experiences to global phenomena, institutions, and processes. The first few weeks of the course discuss various ways in which scholars have theorized political economy and social policy. Students then move on to study broad areas of international political economy and social policy, such as debt, housing, work, climate change, and race.

This course examines how British Prime Ministers have governed in the period 1979-2015, and the role of the Prime Minister in the British system. The first half of the course focuses on key themes relating to the office of Prime Minister and the machinery of government, with the second half providing specific historical case studies, onto which the frameworks and theories discussed in the first half of the course can be applied and used for analysis and evaluation. Special attention is given to the memoirs and diaries of the prime ministers, cabinet ministers, and senior officials involved in managing the central machinery of government. The use of historical sources, and debate around the historiography of the subjects being discussed are interwoven into each week’s teaching. 

This course is targeted at students particularly interested in exploring the history and development of European integration. The European Union provides an interesting topic of study for anyone interested in gaining more understanding of the ways in which European states interact politically, economically, and culturally. Within that context, this course introduces students to the history and politics of the integration process, the main EU institutions and institutional processes, the nature and effect of the law of the European Union, and some of the most prominent policies of the European Union today. More specifically, the course addresses a number of different topics starting with the history of European integration, followed by an examination of the composition, role, and powers of the institutions in the European Union. Secondly, the course takes a closer look at the law of the European Union, addressing issues such as the main areas of competence of the European Union, the decision-making process, and the unique status of EU law within the legal systems of the Member States. In addition, some of the main policy areas of the European Union are also examined. Finally, the course addresses the attitudes of the different Member States to the European integration process, the enlargement process, and the possible future of the EU integration process. The course includes a field trip.

This course examines some of the major debates in comparative political economy by focusing on the creation, evolution and reform of market institutions. The course begins with the discussion about some of the important writings in political economy. It also examines the literatures on the political economy of the developed countries, the developing countries, and the post-Communist economies.