Political Science

This course addresses the state of relations between the three world superpowers which are the European Union, the United States of America, and the People's Republic of China. The course addresses the subject of these triangular, complicated relations by developing China-United States relations, European Union-China relations, and European Union-United States relations. Each of these parts begins with a historical reminder and then explores the reset of these relations today. A large part of the course is also devoted to cross-cutting issues within this G-3, such as climate change, trade policy, digital technology, soft power, human rights, defense strategy, et cetera. This course adopts new perspectives to the understanding of the G-3 dynamics. A decentered perspective from each superpower's points of view (Brussels, Washington, or Beijing) is adopted.

Reflecting on the causes and consequences of war involves some of the most fundamental questions facing any student of conflict, and this course is an introduction to thinking about them. Students explore the theoretical and methodological questions that arise when studying the causes of war. They consider the definition of war, and examine the role of theory in explaining and understanding its causes. Students utilize historical case studies, explore contemporary international politics and explore political change over time. This is the fall-only version for study abroad students.

This course helps students understand how business regulation operates in domestic and global contexts. Students examine the foundational reasons for why government intervenes in market economies, as well as how regulatory agencies are designed, created, and maintained.  Students look closely at the nature of regulatory standards and how they are shaped, and they examine how business organizations understand and comply with regulations.  Additionally, students examine environmental regulatory tools, such as carbon taxes and cap and trade programs to understand how they are designed and how effective they are in reducing the incidence of pollution.  Finally, on the domestic front, students learn about regulating innovation and technological challenges, such as artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and social media on tech platforms.