Political Science

This course provides an introduction to game theory and its application to political science. Game theory is a mathematical tool used to study strategic interactions. Because much of politics is about the allocation of scarce goods, such as power and wealth, and the competition for these goods, politics would seem to be a natural fit for the language of game theory. Other topics include Nash equilibrium, time-consistency, signaling, and reputation formation. Throughout the course, these insights and tools are applied to phenomena both inside and outside the realm of politics.

This course presents a broad overview of international political economy (IPE). It introduces the main theoretical approaches, concepts and substantive issues in the IPE field. Students examine the relationship between power and wealth and the interplay of economics and politics in the world arena. After a critical evaluation of major theoretical perspectives on IPE, this course examines the politics in some core issue areas, such as economic interdependence, international division of labor, international trade, multinational corporations, regional cooperation, and North-South relations.

Political parties and elections are key elements of political representation that profoundly shape whose voices get heard and ultimately translated into public policy. This course explores democratic representation through political parties around the world and the effects of electoral systems on party system development. It critically examines the role of political parties in the representation of societal interests, party system evolution, the consequences of electoral law, and challenges facing modern political parties today. Students develop both contextual knowledge of political party and electoral systems around the world as well as theoretical knowledge on the evolution, functioning, and purpose of party representation. 

This course explores contemporary issues in gender-based violence (GBV) through discussion of the causes and effects of such violence. It analyzes the policy responses addressing GBV from states, civil society, and international actors and assesses the extent to which they are effective. This course focuses on the intersectionality of gender, race, class, and sexuality.

Academics and practitioners have paid increasing attention to the role that politics plays in development. The course provides students with an introduction to this exciting turn in development theory and practice. Students learn about global development, as well as the fundamentals of politics and political economy. 

This course provides an overview of the diverse forms of private actors and their contributions to local policy making. It invites a critical discussion of the dynamics that public-private partnerships generate and the outcomes they produce. The course combines theory and empirical evidence from several countries to investigate the influence and intervention of private actors on institutional and economical policies and processes.