This course explores many visions of the corruption of the American republic, exploring concerns grounded in the liberal and civic republican and constitutional traditions, commitments to and deviations from the core commitments of the American 'creed,' religious values, pluralism, the partisan and ideological 'spirit of faction,' and the abandonment of the hope that, to borrow from Richard Rorty (through James Baldwin), we can 'achieve' a country.

Immigration politics and policy define the nation, its borders, its community, and its identity. Through an exploration of the political history of immigration, students gain insight into the reconstruction of American identity. The class looks at the rhetoric, the movements, the institutions, and the actors central to the politics of immigration to understand the current system and future political possibilities. Specific policy issues such as refugee and asylum policy, border enforcement, immigration detention, and birthright citizenship are considered.

This class focuses on environmental policy making and policy in the United States, emphasizing developments since the emergence of the modern environmental movement in the late 1960s. It offers an overview of environmental policymaking institutions and the key policies of the national and state governments, and explores the challenges that have come with the emergence of new issues and interests in the environmental policy field. The class gives special attention to the strengths and weaknesses of current policies and the prospects for significant reform of the "green state."

This course focuses on government and community actions designed to address this global pandemic in the United States. In this discussion-based class, students will apply lessons from political science and history to try and understand these unfolding events. We will consider the responses from multiple and overlapping jurisdictions including school districts, localities, states, and federal institutions, asking questions about the causes and consequences of different choices. Students will consider the impact on our lives and the nation.

In this course, students disseminate political information to a larger audience. The form and the content can change. Possibilities include the production of a blog, a podcast, video explainers, a journal, or other medium. The focus could be about political science research, state politics, or issue specific information. Students will learn about the challenges and possibilities of producing politically relevant and engaging material for a variety of audiences. In doing so, students will also consider how the production and dissemination of such information can alter politics.

In this course students learn about the functioning of the United Nations and participate in a Model UN conference. Students research contemporary issues facing the UN and debate these issues from the perspective of a selected country. Fees may be required to cover conference costs. Course may be repeated.

Students work collaboratively to produce and grow an undergraduate journal on politics. Students recruit and edit submissions to the journal. Students also consider additional opportunities to bring research to new audiences, such as developing spin off opinion pieces, interviews with the authors, or other events on campus. In doing so, students engage in discussions about the purpose and value of academic research and the possibilities and problems with disseminating information. Students gain skills in editing, research, social media, and project management.

This course is an introduction to the construction of knowledge in the social sciences, and in political science particularly. In the first half of the course, students study the tools and methods used in political science. Students explore the connections between normative and empirical claims, uses of evidence, and theory building and testing. They ask how theoretical ideas are generated and how they inform the world around them (both explicitly and implicitly).

This course introduces students to the institutions and processes of U. S. politics. It covers all of the fundamental principles and important decisionmakers, giving to students the necessary breadth and understanding to take more advanced and more specialized courses. In addition, it prepares students to evaluate the guiding values of the polity, both in theory and in practice.

A broad survey of politics in a region often characterized by poverty, political instability, authoritarianism, populism, corruption, and violence. The course explores some of the major approaches to Latin American politics by focusing on political institutions, political culture, non-state actors, and civil society. The course is organized around key themes that are illustrated using a number of cases, which may include among others, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, and Brazil.