Political Science

This course addresses the transformation of world order which underlines a return to great power competition. It examines how the inertia of international structures is met with a deregulation of competition, inside and outside of the boundaries of international law. The course investigates the global struggle between peer and near-peer competitors expressed at the world level and its impacts on regional and local stability. It addresses the growing phenomenon of assertive emerging powers encountering self-questioning Europe and the United States and the return of political rivalry and military frictions. The course analyzes its historicity, comprehends its current trends, and projects its prospects through an inter-disciplinary approach.

This course traces the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union, from the beginnings of their tense wartime alliance until the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe in 1989. The early part of the course concentrates predominantly on the Soviet-US confrontation in Europe following the establishment and consolidation of Communist regimes in Eastern and Central Europe from 1944-48. Particular attention is paid to the events of February 1948 in Czechoslovakia and to the Berlin Airlift crisis of 1949. The period of the relaxation of East-West tensions which followed Stalin's death in 1953 is examined through a focus on negotiations over the fate of Austria and Germany, and the upheavals in Poland and Hungary in 1956. From its European beginnings, the course branches out to consider the Cold War in its global context, especially in its relationship to Third World nationalism, non-alignment, and anti-imperialism. The final weeks examine the crushing of the Prague Spring, the period of Détente, and the sudden and largely unanticipated end to the conflict in the 1980s, with a particular emphasis on the revolutions in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989.

This course provides an introduction to the field of game theory and how it is used to study strategic interaction in politics. Game theory uses mathematical models to describe and understand political and social phenomena. The emphasis is on the basics of modeling, model building skills, and problem solving

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.