Political Science

This course outlines different approaches to the study of identity, ethnicity and nationalism in global politics. It focuses on the role which nationalism and religion play in International Relations (IR): first, it introduces theories of nations and nationalism before examining whether the nation is "real" or "imagined". Second, the class critically interrogates the relationship between religion and nationalism with reference to empirical case studies.
 

This course investigates human (in)security by examining the state’s duty to its citizens, analyzing both the scope of services a government provides and its capacity to reach its people. It also examines the risks to individuals due to the lack of services and/or the limited coverage of existing services. Utilizing examples across healthcare, law enforcement, and education, this course investigates how distinct state governance models approach public issues and how these decisions shape citizens' lives.

This seminar prepares students for the field trip to Hiroshima and Nagasaki (KCSEM 209), which involves spending a week traveling together to Hiroshima and Nagasaki while earning credit. The latter involves experiencing the enduring impact and evolving memories of the atomic bombings of these two cities more than 80 years later. This seminar culminates in attending and studying the Memorial Services held in Hiroshima on August 6th and Nagasaki on August 9th. Both courses aim to reflect on how memories and commemoration of the atomic bombings have changed over time and their impact in the current international environment. 

The aim of this course it to be able to apply the theoretical and conceptual knowledge to understanding and resolving some key contemporary issues in the behavior of citizens in advanced democracies. At the end of the course, students are able to provide original answers to questions like: Why do people vote for this party, or that party, or at all? How do people make sense of politics? What is the link between citizens’ actions and beliefs and the democratic vitality of political systems? How is it possible to measure the quality of democracy? The course is divided into two parts. The first part [16 seminars] introduces students to the acquisition of basic conceptual and theoretical tools for the study of public opinion and political behavior in comparative perspective. It focuses in particular on the nature of mass beliefs, values, and ideological orientation; the determinants of electoral participation and vote choice; competing theories of political representation; and the role of citizens in the democratic process today. The second part (14 seminars) is in turn divided into two separate thematic tracks. It is organized in a seminar format and is more specifically aimed at applying and deepening the knowledge acquired during the first part of the course. The division of students between thematic tracks is coordinated during the first part of the course. The two thematic tracks deal in turn with: (1) elections as “beauty contests”, and (2) elections as “hate games”. More details about each of these thematic tracks are provided to students during the first part of the course.

The course tracks the 150-year period, between the founding of Italy to the present day, analyzing the history, context, and political and philosophical theories which have vied not only for the identity of Italy and Italians, but collective humanity itself. Students study the context of these political movements, and the ideological creations used to justify and push their dominance, as well as those birthed to challenge this hegemony. 

The course provides students with a historical narrative that spans the birth of Italy to the modern day. Students engage with the political, economic, and philosophical contexts of four distinct periods. These consist of Risorgimento Italy and the dominance of Nationalism in the newborn state, Fascist Italy in the wake of the First World War, the resurgence of Communist politics post Second World War, and finally the Populism that emerged toward the end of the millennium.

Maps hold power. They represent a reality that is shaped by those creating the map and have been used as instruments of empire, governance and surveillance. This seminar looks at both the embedded power dynamics of maps as well as their contestation. The title of the seminar shall serve as a guidance in which “un-”,“mapping” and “power” are the main foci of the seminar. It starts by understanding how power is embedded in maps and explores how to analyze maps as political instruments. Students then look at various cases of mapping as critical and creative practices that challenge dominant cartographies from around the globe. In addition to building a solid understanding of power dynamics entrenched and contested through practices of (counter-)mapping, the course aims to offer students the opportunity to explore different methods of mapping and provide insight into how they could be used in the study of political science. Therefore, the course incorporates different exercises and group work through which students explores techniques of mapping, counter-maps, critical mapping, mental and narrative maps and get an overview of basic tools.

This course examines institutions and processes of the New Zealand political system. It covers the way things work (like the voting system), what the major institutions are and what they do (like Parliament), and New Zealand’s political history. It will also encourage students to think critically about public policy, political parties, politicians, elections, social and political inequality, media, and to discuss major policy issues such climate change, student fees and debt, and New Zealand’s foreign policy.

The course seeks to provide students with a concise yet profound analytical framework for understanding the fundamental issues, theories, and logics of human politics. Its goal is twofold: to equip students with essential political literacy necessary for civic understanding, and to offer a roadmap for those interested in further exploring the discipline of political science.

This course examines the intricate relationship between two of perhaps the most central concepts in the disciplines of political economy and economic sociology: Capitalism and Democracy. It will explore both the complementarities and conflicts that arise from the interaction of these concepts, tracing the ideational history of both, as well as the ideational history of the relationship between capitalism and democracy. Building on key classical perspectives from economic sociology and political economy, students develop a nuanced understanding of how capitalism and democracy have shaped, challenged, and coexisted throughout history, and explore their relationship to today's major political challenges.

This course offers a study of complex systems in the context of sustainability and their governance, particularly in the urban environment. It analyzes the problems and challenges of sustainability and governance, as well as the various implications of adapting sustainable strategies and governance of cities in different geographies and countries at different income levels and political regimes.