williams college political science course catalog

[more], The black radical tradition is a modern tradition of thought and action begun after transatlantic slavery's advent. [more], Conservatives in the United States are traditionally hostile to state power in general and the welfare state in particular. The class is divided into four sections. But do the people actually govern, and should they? Ultimately, our goal is to determine how worried we should be---and what, precisely, we should be worried about---as a new era of American leadership begins. This suggests that the better we can understand the nature of cause and effect, the better we can understand power. Yet, in spite of the state's efforts, opposition and dissent continue to bubble to the surface. The course will give a global perspective on Islamophobia and how it is structuring and used by political actors in various territories. move calling on those both within and outside of Europe to challenge the coloniality of the age and to forge a new vision of politics in the postcolonial period. Should they be? [more], Conservative thinkers claim to be leading an intellectual transformation away from the tired nostrums of liberalism. In this course we will respond to these and related questions through an investigation of "religion" as a concept in political theory. From there, we analyze the causes, achievements and limitations of the recent wave of political liberalization across Africa. Some feminists claim that power itself is the root of all evil and that a feminist world is one without power. We begin with examinations of these central notions and debates, and then move to investigations of the political thought of four key late modern Afro-Caribbean and African-American thinkers within the tradition: Walter Rodney, Sylvia Wynter, Cedric Robinson, and Angela Davis. And if it is, will we find it by engaging or turning away from politics? confront. How can a government of separated institutions operate and come to collective decisions given this discord? A common assumption is that those who do it well--whether in the presidency, the parties, social movements, organizations, or local communities--are just and legitimate agents of democratic change, and those most celebrated are those who have helped the country make progress toward its ideals. What sorts of transformations have been possible, and who or what has made them possible? Readings include: We Charge Genocide; Williams J. Maxwell, F. B. After considering explanations of the rise of the left and assessments of its performance in power, we end our common readings by asking what it might mean today to be on the left in Latin America--or anywhere--both in policy and political terms. In repeatedly examining the allegory over the centuries, later thinkers have elaborated their approaches not only to Plato but also to the nature of politics and the tasks of thinking. PSCI 493 - 01 (F) SEM Sen Thesis: Political Science Division II. Then, we will look at some important factors that shape how followers approach would-be leaders: inequality and economic precarity; identity and group consciousness; notions of membership, community, and hierarchy; and declining local institutions. [more], The pursuit of wealth is an important feature of American political identity, captured by the ideas of the American dream and the Protestant work ethic. argue) to virtually everything in American politics, including fundamental concepts that have no manifest racial content, like partisanship and the size and scope of government. What might we expect to come next? For instance, do the claims of individual freedom conflict with those of community? Students will be asked to analyze and evaluate the strategic choices we examine, as well as the process by which they were reached. High school diploma or GED They contend that it legitimates a view of the status quo, in which such terrible things are bound to happen without real cause. Is it merely a practical way to meet our needs? Finally, we will assess whether US foreign policy decisions are coherent - that is, whether the US can be said to follow a "grand strategy." What produces political change? Yet consider that while mineral abundance promises to give countries a platform for prosperity, equity, and political stability, it often produces poor economic performance, poor populations, weak authoritarian states, and widespread conflict. How do resource gaps tied to inequality in society (such as race and class) influence who votes and for whom? The insights we gain in this course from analyzing the nature of power should empower us to more effectively transform society. For instance, musical sound is often read as a metaphor for political structures: eighteenth-century commenters pointed out that string quartets mirrored reasoned, democratic discourse, and twentieth-century critics made similar arguments about free jazz. Is democratic leadership in service of "dangerous" goals acceptable, and what are these goals? Safety measures are in place, and campus community members and guests are additionally advised to take personal precautions. In addition to engaging this debate about what the public thinks about politics, we will also explore how people behave in the political realm. What does it mean to be an American? We then move on to the empirical section of the course in which we cover case studies of state failure in parts of Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Will a strong China inevitably claim its traditional place under the sun? How have they tried to make cities more decent, just, and sustainable? In an organization comprised of equals, how and why do some senators and representatives acquire more power and authority than others? Indeed, a central concern of the founders was that democracy would invite demagogues who would bring the nation to ruin. This course explores the relationship between politics and economics by surveying influential works of political economy. The first part focuses on different theoretical approaches to making sense of the relation between religion, politics, and society, discussing especially the concept of the 'secular' in Western thought and decolonial critique thereof. expressed, political divisions, clashing loyalties, and persistent and sometimes consuming violence. [more], This introductory seminar investigates the relationship between three major schools of thought in contemporary Africana social and political philosophy: the African, Afro-North American, and Afro-Caribbean intellectual traditions. Her words and her example should impel us to reject shortcuts to authentic understanding, the "unending activity by whichwe come to terms with and reconcile ourselves to reality." The course then will turn to Israeli settlement policies on the West Bank, the controversies surrounding the Oslo Agreement, and the contemporary situations in the West Bank and Gaza. It looks at how difference works and has worked, how identities and power relationships have been grounded in lived experience, and how one might both critically and productively approach questions of difference, power, and equity. We will examine the history of immigration to the U.S. and the policies that have shaped it; recent developments in electoral and protest politics; the policy initiatives of recent presidential administrations, Congress, and state and local governments; and the incorporation of immigrants into U.S. society and politics, past and present. How has America's democratic experiment compared with (and interacted with) democracy elsewhere in the world? Some states have developed robust institutions that provide for citizens' basic needs and check the power of business; others leave the poor threatened by starvation and workers exposed to exploitation. that used to be the prerogative of human actors. Power may be used wisely or foolishly, rightly or cruelly, but it is always there; it cannot be wished away. Along the way, we will consider a number of longstanding questions in the study of politics, such as: is the public rational? vary. Yet assessments of what is at the heart of the country's problems vary. How do visions of politics without humans and humans without politics impact our thinking about longstanding questions of freedom, power, and right? The bulk of the course deals with the major events in the history of great power politics, such as the causes and conduct of World War I and World War II; the origins and course of the Cold War; the nuclear revolution; and the post-Cold War period. But what is Asia? One central concern will be to consider the different ways of understanding "Asia", both in terms of how the term and the region have been historically constituted; another will be to facilitate an understanding some of the salient factors (geography, belief systems, economy and polity)--past and present--that make for Asia's coherence and divergences; a third concern will be to unpack the troubled notions of "East" and "West" and re-center Asia within the newly emerging narratives of global interconnectedness. And what is justice? Problems and Progress in American Democracy. [more], This class is interested in thinking critically and empirically about one of the most polarizing and relevant issues of our time: how countries regulate cross-border mobility. What political problems most demand or resist theorization---and is "theory" even the right genre for critical intellectual work on politics now? We consider how this history confirms or undermines influential views about U.S. foreign relations and about international relations generally. After examining general models of change and of leadership, we will consider specific case studies, such as civil rights for African-Americans, gender equality, labor advances, social conservatism, and populism. theoretical problems that have occupied political thinkers from Plato and Confucius to Machiavelli and the American framers: What makes a leader successful? By the end of the course, students will develop their ability to think about foreign policy issues, improving their ability to participate in public life as engaged citizens. At the same time that it was facing a more difficult military challenge than anticipated, the United States got bogged down in the process of nation-building, as well as efforts at social reform. [more], This course explores racially-fashioned policing and incarceration from the Reconstruction era convict prison lease system to contemporary mass incarceration and "stop and frisk" policies of urban areas in the United States. In investigating this theme, our cornerstone will be Max Weber's famous argument from. How is the domination or conquest of nature connected with domination and conquest within human societies? Any diagnosis of contemporary maladies is premised on a vision of what a healthy functioning republic looks like. Its critics point to what they believe this position ignores or what it wrongly assumes, and hence, how it would make bad policy. We also attend to the. In repeatedly examining the allegory over the centuries, later thinkers have elaborated their approaches not only to Plato but also to the nature of politics and the tasks of thinking. This seminar focuses on how Congress organizes itself to act as a collective body. She would be the first to refuse to use inherited concepts as if they were keys to unlock the present. Richard Nixon hoped to conclude a peace with honor when he assumed the presidency, but the war lasted for another four years with many additional casualties. The seminar will examine: original source materials; academic/popular interpretations and representations of the BPP; hagiography; iconography; political rebellion, political theory. Finally, what are the costs of change (and of continuity)--and who pays them? The second half of the course will look at leaders in action, charting the efforts of politicians, intellectuals, and grassroots activists to shape the worlds in which they live. *Please note the atypical class hours, T. 4:45-8:30 pm* [more], Contemporary struggles to reverse environmental destruction and establish sustainable communities have prompted some political theorists to rethink longstanding assumptions about politics and its relationship to nature. Second, the course will consider the prelude and official responses to the 2008-11 financial crisis. How and why has capitalism evolved in different forms in different countries? It looks at how difference works and has worked, how identities and power relationships have been grounded in lived experience, and how one might both critically and productively approach questions of difference, power, and equity. itself, with its inclinations, its character, its prejudices, and its passions, in order to learn what we have to fear or hope from its progress." [more], What can a critical analysis of gender and sexuality bring to the study of law, constitutions, legal interpretation, and the task of judging? What is the relationship between parties and presidents? Should they be? The final section takes a comparative approach to some of the most pressing issues in Africa today: health crises, migration and mobility, technological revolution, climate change, and the emerging power of women and youth. This seminar engages some of the major attempts at rethinking produced in the 20th and 21st centuries, particularly at those that, characterizing liberalism as masking structures of subordination and elements of conflict in political life, undervaluing the importance of citizen action and public space, or being ill-suited to altered technological and ecological conditions, seek to rework or move beyond it. The course then will turn to Israeli settlement policies on the West Bank, the controversies surrounding the Oslo Agreement, and the contemporary situations in the West Bank and Gaza. The course will not only show how Muslims were constructed as subjects in history, politics and society from the very beginning of the making of Europe and the Americas to the end of the Cold War to the post-9/11 era. In this course, we will look at how leaders have marshaled ideas, social movements, and technological changes to expand the scope of American democracy--and the reasons they have sometimes failed. We will study past campaigns and then research and discuss contemporary reform efforts. First, through a variety of readings and discussions (including, perhaps, with the assigned scholars themselves), it aims to introduce students to the challenges of original scholarly research and expose them to the range of ways political scientists approach those challenges. This course focuses on the adoption and development of policies to address poverty and inequality in the U.S. [more], Coastal communities are home to nearly 40% of the U.S. population, but occupy only a small percentage of our country's total land area. Many who today are recognized as great leaders were, in their historical moment, branded dangerous. Yet at the same time, others worry that the U.S. has abandoned the Anglo-Protestant traditions that made it strong and has entered a period of moral decay and decline. However, since the Vietnam War, Chomsky has also established himself as perhaps the most influential critic of American foreign policy and the Washington national security establishment. The questions have sparked controversy since the origins of political thinking; the answers remain controversial now. The accumulation of wealth has been lauded as both a worthy individual activity and a vital component of the nation's public interest. The Impact of Black Panther Party Intellectuals on Political Theory. Finally, we examine whether the emergence of a neoliberal economic order has affected the organization of political society? Much of this work was inspired by his own experiences as a police officer in Burma, several years working and traveling with destitute workers in England and France, as well as his experiences fighting against fascism during the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s. Approaching the firm as both arena and actor in a number of capitalist democracies, we will compare the politics of business across different sectors, but will focus especially on tech and finance. A right-wing populism marked by Brexit, Trump, Le Pen, and a host of 'far-right' political movements in the very heartland of democratic globalizing capitalism has shaken liberal certainties. Was his caution warranted? Or could they go anywhere? The pandemic, related economic distress, social protests and insurrection have only sharpened the precarious state of U.S. democracy. Us" became a rallying cry of Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign in late 2019. Rather, it will focus on certain moments that highlight changing grand strategic thought. What are the forces that shape whether citizens pay attention to politics, vote, work on campaigns, protest, or engage in other types of political action? This course is an advanced seminar devoted to a comprehensive examination of Fanon's political thought. For instance, musical sound is often read as a metaphor for political structures: eighteenth-century commenters pointed out that string quartets mirrored reasoned, democratic discourse, and twentieth-century critics made similar arguments about free jazz. We will address basic questions such as 'What is populism?' [more], The People's Republic of China has experienced rapid and extensive economic, social and cultural transformation over the past forty years. Where did Democratic and Republican foreign policy elites agree and disagree and what happened to proposals that were outside the elite consensus? Is "religion" good or necessary for democratic societies? Amidst bourgeoning national self-consciousness throughout the continent, despite the liberatory promises of the Enlightenment, Jews remained a vulnerable, segregated, and stigmatized minority population. The emergence of an international system of sovereign states--the core foundation of international relations--presumes the process of dismantling systems of domination, extraction, and exclusion ended long ago. This tutorial will intensively examine Wilson's efforts to recast the nature of the international system, the American rejection of his vision after the First World War, and the reshaping of Wilsonianism after the Second World War. Lyndon Johnson also feared the consequences of a massive American commitment, but he eventually sent over half a million men to Vietnam. But the irony is that their oppressors were the leaders of the French Revolution across the Atlantic. The course first briefly reviews Venezuelan post-Independence history, with an emphasis on the post-1958 democratic settlement. [more], Since the mid-1980s, humanitarianism has been one dominant attitude that powerful and privileged countries, organizations and people have adopted with regard to poverty or disaster elsewhere. How is political power generated and exercised? and dominant media companies (Google, FaceBook, CNN, FOX, etc.). To whom? This course begins with the observation that power is often described as a causal relation--an individual's power is supposed to equal their capacity to produce a change in someone else's behavior. examine the various explanations that scholars have offered for why the conflict has persisted for so long, how it has evolved over time, the role that outside powers have played in shaping it, and how its perpetuation (or settlement) is likely to impact Middle East politics in the future. [more], Globally, refugees seem to create, and be caught up in, chronic crisis. We investigate three types of cases: UN Security Council threats and condemnations, international criminal prosecutions, and international election monitoring.

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