Political Science

This course examines the social and historical contexts of violence and peace. Topics include: violence in politics; state and violence; peace and diplomacy; war and technological development; cultures of war and cultures of peace; etc.

This course examines recent developments in the contentious electoral politics of three Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, with some comparative references to Burma/Myanmar. Following a brief review of the case countries, the course adopts a thematic approach, first reviewing the character of the state, including national mythologies and the historical role of the military. It then explores aspects of transition, including the changing political economy, the rise of electoral politics, the role of religion and media, and the phenomenon of rally politics. Challenges to national elites from the regions is also closely scrutinized. These themes and issues have a broader relevance to wider debates in comparative politics which students explore in their written assessment.

This course focuses on the study of justice systems from a comparative perspective. It introduces students to different justice systems, with a special focus on common law and civil law jurisdictions. The course explores concepts of substantive and procedural criminal law, from the elements of crime and forms of participation to different systems of trial. Globalization and its role and influence on justice systems around the world is explored. The role of supranational and international judicial institutions (European Court of Justice, International Criminal Court) in bringing different legal traditions together is also examined. The course discusses topics including sources of law in different legal systems, aspects of various criminal justice systems, concepts of substantive and procedural criminal law in a comparative perspective, and international criminal justice.

The course examines economical and social rights, the legal obligations that governments have to realize these rights, why governments vary in their efforts to realize these rights, and other international and domestic factors that affect the realization of these rights.

The Brexit referendum of 2016 was a clash between two types of political representation in Britain: the "people’s will" versus the sovereignty of parliamentary sovereignty. Is this such a new phenomenon? This course explores this tension between the popular control of Parliament and the doctrine of indirect representation by Members of Parliament over the last 200 years British history.

The course provides an overview of working in the United Kingdom and examines the changing organizational structures of work in Britain. It examines the social and economic changes that affect the workplace in the UK. Topics covered include the sociology of work; trade unions; oppression at work; generational changes at work.