Political Science

This course analyzes the role of mass media and other channels of communication in local and international political processes. It examines the way in which governments communicate through the media, and the role the media play as either independent watchdogs or as tools of the political system. 

This course reacts to the latest developments in the Central European space in the dynamic process of the European integration. The migration situation since 2015, the threats of terrorism, and the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union within the end of 2019, are largely influencing the political atmosphere in Central European countries. This class examines the interdependence of both the developments of five Central European countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Austria, and Hungary) after the historical changes in 1989, as well as those developments inside the EU caused by the enlargement of the EU into Central Europe. Special attention is paid to the results of the elections to the European Parliament in May 2019 and to the subsequent decisions of the British government.

This course focuses on governance in Hong Kong, political change since being returned to China, political party system and operation, electoral system and operation, legislative council system and operation, government governance and public policy, honest and upright government system, district council system and operation. It also covers the political development process, political party system, and electoral system in Taiwan. It compares Hong Kong and Taiwan, with special attention to the political structure and government administration, the political party and electoral system, the political development process, and the mission of “One Country, Two Systems” in the reunification of the motherland.

Affective polarization has grown dramatically. Partisans increasingly avoid, distrust, and hate one another to the point where they even condone violence against the other side. Affective polarization is widely seen as a destabilizing force that erodes democracy, but what explains this phenomenon? This course grapples with different definitions of polarization, alternative approaches to explaining its causes, political and non-political consequences of affective polarization, how to compare different countries in regard to their polarization, and mitigating factors. In group work sessions students apply this knowledge by analyzing real world data.

This course studies key aspects of contemporary French culture and civilization. The course covers topics that are pertinent to the functions of French society such as state organization, the educational system, the press and media, and demographics.

This course studies the relationship between economic crises and the cluster of policy solutions known as austerity. It explores why austerity is often seen as the most efficacious solution to economic downturn, and considers whether resorting to austerity in the present repeats errors of the past in light of the history of crises of capitalism. The course reviews the intellectual roots of austerity and examines the institutional and ideational factors that explain its widespread use by policy-makers in the present period. It considers whether austerity as a policy package is either compatible with or sustainable under democratic politics. The course examines the social impact of austerity budgeting in areas such as public health and discusses the emergent politics of anti-austerity on both sides of the political spectrum. It draws mostly on literature from the political science subfields of comparative and international economy, as well as the fields of macroeconomics, economic history, sociology and public health.

This course examines both the evolution of United States foreign policy in the post-Trump era and the strategic challenges confronting the United States and its allies in a changing world environment. It does so through cross views from the transatlantic community of scholars combining academics, think tank fellows, former policy makers, and administration officials from both sides of the Atlantic. Given the evolutions in the strategic environment, the emphasis is on the future of transatlantic relations and United States relations with NATO in the context of power competition; the questioning of military cooperation and the American Way of War in the Middle East and Africa; the pursuit of the United States strategy in the Indo-Pacific region and the future of the United States-China rivalry and interdependency; the challenges of new forms of power competition with the two identified revisionist powers: China and Russia; the future of American power on new battlefields: in cyber and information warfare that are part of the game of power politics of today; and redefining American alliances.