Political Science

The course reviews the major competing theories of international organizations over time and examines the history and current operations of a wide range of international institutions and organizations. Special attention is focused on developing a generalized understanding of the forces contributing to or inhibiting the effectiveness of international institutions and organizations and of the forces shaping the preferences and behavior of states in the world politics. 

This course is to help the students to

Understand concepts and theories of political parties in the United States.

Understand the various functions of political parties in the United States.

Understand and explain how partisan polarization has contributed to the crisis of democracy and the crisis of governance in the United States.

Analyze how partisan polarization in the United States would affect Sino-US relations.

The United States is one of the most important countries in the western world. Its domestic partisan politics have global implications, affecting the Sino-US relationship. This course is intended to give an overview of the scholarly works and popular debates about political parties in the United States. Topics include the theories and the development of party system in the United States, party organization, the role of parties in mobilizing voters, party and governance, partisan polarization, parties and foreign policies, and party politics and Sino-US relations.

This course examines institutional change in non-democratic and emergent and established democratic states. Students develop an understanding of democratic transition and consolidation (or a lack of them), and the breadth of institutional types in global politics.

This law course provides a study of the origins, evolution, and legal organization of the European Union. It examines the law of the European Union, law adopted by the institutions, and the integration of the European laws with the Spanish legal system. It looks at reciprocal state laws of EU nation-states, EU laws of application and control, and the objectives of the EU integration process.

This course explores China's domestic political and economic reform after Deng Xiaoping (1978 to present).  The course outlines China's political system and its evolution, discussing the social consequences of China's economic liberalization. 

This course introduces the academic study of South African politics. It explores the country’s recent political history, the political legacies of segregation and apartheid, and the relationships between politics and broader social life. It goes on to explore the character and significance of the country’s ‘democratic transition’. The course also investigates the country’s constitution, electoral systems, political parties, party system, and associational politics. Students learn key academic approaches to the study of domestic politics and apply these to the study of South Africa.

This course offers a study of the history and politics of the United States. The course is divided into two parts. Part one discusses US history from the Revolutionary War to the beginning of the 21st century. Part two discusses contemporary US politics including: electoral behavior and party politics; US foreign policy since the Cold War; the evolution of the modern presidency; the influence of interest groups in contemporary US politics; race, ethnicity, and immigration; economic and social inequality; judicial politics and the Supreme Court.