Political Science

This course discusses and develops critical social-scientific perspectives on citizenship, belonging, and difference in contemporary, late-capitalist societies. In a world characterized by flux and the transgression of geographic and symbolic boundaries, a great deal of effort is invested in fixing and freezing identities and controlling and regulating borders. This dialectic of flow and closure is examined from a critical perspective that places contemporary social and cultural dynamics in the historical context of the rise of modern capitalism and nationalism while taking into account 19th and 20th-century experiences of colonialism, authoritarianism, and fascism. The first part of the course focuses on theories of modernity, citizenship, and differences in the political and social sciences, political philosophy, and the humanities. In the second part, several contemporary issues, including (the rise of) new forms of nationalism and the far right; debates about religious diversity and secularism; gender and sexuality; race and racism; and the transformation & politics of identity in neoliberal societies are the focus. The course brings together perspectives from various fields, while especially focusing on perspectives from the global south and from (relatively) marginalized academic fields, like queer studies, critical race perspectives, and postcolonial studies. Students develop and undertake a small research project on identity, based on which they write a final paper.

This course studies diplomacy as an instrument, as public policy, and as a form of international social life. The scope and trajectory of the course are determined by the following questions: what is diplomacy and what are its functions? What is a diplomatic actor? How is diplomacy shaped and conducted? What are its limits?

In this course, students evaluate the importance of sex and gender as relevant categories in politics, whether and how they give rise to inequalities and disadvantages, and what should be done about it. In so doing, they also ask how certain areas of life, which are traditionally considered to be entirely private and thus lying beyond the realm of political concern (such as family life) might also have important political ramifications. Students address these questions mainly from a normative perspective. They ask what, if anything, is wrong about gender representations and relations in our society and what, if anything at all, should be done about it.

This course is specialized for international students. It presents French history and its political institutions and provides a general knowledge of the French political and legal system. The course covers the history of French construction until 1789; constitutional history of France since 1789; the system of the Fifth Republic; executive power (President, Government) territorial organization; legislative power (the National Assembly, the Senate); judicial power (courts of private and public law, constitutional council); the territorial system (decentralization, local authorities); the distinction between private law, public law, mixed rights; and the hierarchy of norms.

Topics in this introductory political science course include: politics; the state; democracy; elections; collective action; institutions and public policy.

This course provides an introduction to political and economic geography. The course advances two key arguments, namely that politics and the economy are (1) tightly intertwined and (2) innately geographical phenomenon. It explores how politics, the economy, and the environment are constituted through different sets of actors and their interrelationships. It mobilizes core geographical concepts, notably place, space, scale and territory, along with notions of power and resistance, to offer a distinctive perspective on processes of uneven development in the contemporary world.

Topics in this international relations course include: problems arising from environmental degradation; regulatory agreements; the roles of various actors; effectiveness of environmental regimes; the challenges of reaching international agreements for regulation; decision-making processes in the environmental field at the international level; the influence of non-government actors, companies, and advocacy groups on environmental legislation; the relationship between the environment, economy, and sustainable development.

This course discusses the concept of emerging countries and the transition of developing countries to emerging countries and on to developed countries. It provides an overview of economics, state and political institutions, and challenges of emerging countries.

This course introduces student government and politics of America, including its major elected offices (president, senators, congress persons and state governors), nomination process (caucuses and primaries), political parties and candidates, campaign issues and financing, and the general election. The course also analyzes the cleavages that divide American societies, seeking to understand how race, ethnicity, gender, religion, region, and sexual orientation affect people’s support for political parties and voting behavior.  In addition, there will be discussion on American foreign policy.  

This course provides an introduction to the theory and practices of economic policy-making. To understand economic policy-making, students take an economic as well as a political perspective. Students focus on the rationale behind economic policies, and seek to understand major changes in economic policy, and variation in policies across countries. Students also look at individual preferences for these policies, and their implications for the policy-making process. In the process, the course covers areas such as economic liberalization, financial regulation, labor market policies, and policies of poverty reduction and social insurance. The course takes an empirical and comparative approach, and its focus is generic, though most of the literature is concerned with policy-making in EU and OECD countries.