Political Science

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%).

This course examines the political evolution of human politics from ancient times to the present; basic concepts, theories and methods for analyzing the relationship between politics and society; the reality of Chinese society.

This course covers the history of international environmental politics and examines various approaches, actors, and aspects of environmental politics. While in-class discussions focus on climate change, students work in groups to apply the concepts and approaches discussed in class to specific environmental problems, such as biodiversity loss, marine plastic pollution, or deforestation and desertification. This course is a partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus. All students have access to material from Sciences Po and UWI. Additionally, some students complete their coursework with peers from UWI.

This course offers an in-depth study of the international politics of East Asia. Topics include: the role of China, Japan, and the US in shaping the East Asian region we know today; the impact of China's rise on the region; regionalism; intra-regional security-- North Korea's nuclear diplomacy and the South China Sea.