Political Science

Democratic responsiveness is central to the functioning of modern democracies. In this course students learn about the central theories and debates in scholarship on democratic responsiveness. The course begins with an introduction of basic concepts and theories. The course then discusses the emergence and functioning of democratic institutions, as well as the role of contextual factors and intermediaries, such as parties. Subsequently, the course delves into questions about political inequality and why certain interests and groups are better represented than others. Finally, the course discusses the politics of responsiveness, its strategic use by political actors, and its import for the survival of democracy.

This is a course in policy analysis, and it helps students understand how policy is made and what impact it has. The course introduces the concept of the policy process – studying policy-making in terms of decision, implementation, and evaluation. Students seek to understand how governments function, why policy is often not implemented effectively; and how we can judge and measure policy success and failure. 

Game theory may be defined as the use of formal models in the study of strategic interaction. This course offers an introduction to game theory and its potential applications to the study of war. Game theory suggests at least three main sources of war. First, war may result from asymmetric information. Because countries may have incentives to misrepresent their military strength, they may be unable to settle a dispute peacefully. Second, commitment problems might result in war. If two countries want to settle a dispute peacefully but suspects that the other side is unlikely to abide with the terms of that settlement, they may resort to warfare. Finally, war could result when the main source of the dispute involves an indivisible good, so that a compromise is difficult or even impossible. The course places particular emphasis on explaining puzzles related to war in general and World War I in particular. Specifically, the course provides a primer in core issues concerning war, including (but not limited to): information problems; commitment problems; indivisibilities; arms races; coalition building; war termination; and differences between international and civil wars. The course recommends students have completed a course in international politics as a prerequisite.

This course analyzes the international behaviors of China and their economic, diplomatic, military and cultural stances. The course reviews the implications of the rise of China, the contrasting evaluations of the international community on it and the Chinese responses to them. The course examines China's involvement in international settings, including Sino-American relations, Sino-Korean relations and China's relations with Asia. This is a discussion oriented seminar course. Active participation in required. Assessment: midterm exam (20%), final exam (50%), presentations, attendance and participation (30%).