Political Science

This course studies European democratic developments in the twentieth century by considering the fluctuating nature of democracy as a fundamentally historical phenomenon, whose reputation has been judged in changing ways over time. It develops a historically grounded and argued understanding of the question of changes in democracy.

This course follows the approach that citizens are ‘predictably irrational’ (Ariely 2008). This model of human behavior has consequences for how governments can and should steer society. A behavioral approach to government steering such as ‘nudging’ is explored in this course. Students explore what it means to take a behavioral approach to public administration, how it differs from traditional policy, and to what extent has a behavioral approach been taken up by governments already, and learn about opportunities and pitfalls of a behavioral approach. Questions about whether a behavioral approach is effective, appropriate, and ethical are discussed. Finally, the course explicitly studies the policy process that leads to ‘behavioral’ policies including the other actors, such as interest groups, and contextual factors, such as institutions, rules, and norms that influence this process.  Theoretical knowledge, practical examples, guest lectures, field trips, discussions, debates, and presentations are used.

This course is designed to introduce students to the basic drivers of international relations in the modern age from the Antiquities, namely, the causes of war and peace through theoretical and historical examination of major conflicts up to the 21st century.

Located at the intersection between economics and political science, political economy as a field explores a great variety of issues arising from interactions between economic and political arenas. This course is designed to introduce to students the conceptual tools developed by political economists for assessing the role politics plays in economic activities and vice versa. Specifically, the course investigates the following topics:

• Social Networks 
• Historical Political Economy 
• Institutional Complementarity 
• Cognitive Political Economy 
• Public Debt 
• Regime Transitions 
• Institutional Choices 
• Natural Resource Curse 
• Political Polarization 

While the list is by no means exhaustive, the topics included are nonetheless well established in the literature and are very useful for students to learn the necessary analytic skills from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. The ultimate goal of the course is to enable students to think independently and formulate their own views as a political economist.

This course provides an introduction to the politics of the Middle East. This includes an analysis of the growth and nature of the state in the Middle East; the prevalence of authoritarianism, neo-patrimonialism and processes towards democratization: the salience of Arab nationalism and Islamism: dynamics of conflict and revolution in the region; and the rise of Islamism.

This course provides an overview of foreign policy cases on China, Japan, Canada, and ASEAN from comparative perspectives. It introduces the internal and external factors that shape foreign policies and discusses the contemporary debates on these foreign policies.  
 

This course examines theoretical debates, as well as case studies, which allow one to explore global governance from empirical and policy-oriented perspectives. It seeks to address various topics concerning global governance, ranging from its underlying logic to its structural possibility and from its potential benefits to its unintended consequences.

Reflecting on the causes and consequences of war involves some of the most fundamental questions facing any student of conflict, and this course is an introduction to thinking about them. Students explore the theoretical and methodological questions that arise when studying the causes of war. They consider the definition of war, and examine the role of theory in explaining and understanding its causes. Students utilize historical case studies, explore contemporary international politics and explore political change over time. In the second half of the year, the course also investigates some of the consequences of war – on the international system, on society, and on individuals. The course also addresses ways in which war and conflict can be prevented and mitigated.

This course introduces Japan’s global political and security role, starting with pre-1945 and Cold War era legacies and then the Post-Cold-War era. It examines Japan’s shift from security isolationism during the Cold War to security engagement; its championing of regional multilateralism in East Asia; its emergence as a global power in development aid, and its contributions to UN peacekeeping and non-traditional security in areas such as humanitarian and disaster relief (HaDR), counter-piracy, maritime security, and counter-pandemic measures. This course focuses on Japan’s relationships with the US, China, Korea, ASEAN, and Europe, and considers how Japan’s foreign policy institutions, including those making security and development aid policy, have changed during the Abe administration. The course concludes with a summary looking at Japan’s trajectory as a middle power.

This course offers students the methodological foundations to undertake research related to the study of political elites or any other relevant group using secondary data. The course also allows the student to get acquainted with the production of primary data. The approach is multimethodological, and it focuses on the study of political elites. All the sessions include a lecture, but they can also include practical sessions using computers. The first part of the course is devoted to qualitative methodologies, while the remaining part deals with more quantitative approaches to research in political science. The sessions are designed for students who have no prior knowledge and/or background in data analysis or research methods.