Major Figures (MF)
Metaphysics and Epistemology (M&E)
Value Theory (VT)
PHIL 330 - Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art (VT)
Discussion of the classical writings of philosophers on art and central ideas of aesthetics: form and content, expression, taste, and standards of criticism are included in this course. Readings include Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Nietzsche, etc., as well as contemporary essays.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Involves a critical examination of selected fundamental issues and theories in environmental philosophy. Precise issues and themes vary from year to year, but may include sustainability and moral obligations to future generations; the nature of the good life for humans; the status of environmental values; recent work in environmental ethics theories including deep ecology, social ecology, and ecofeminism; the moral and metaphysical status of human modifications to the world, including environmental restoration and genetic engineering; and aesthetics of the natural world. An emphasis is placed on exploring the connections between philosophical theory and environmental policy and practice.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Examines central questions about knowledge and justification, including whether and how knowledge is possible, whether we must always be able to access the foundations of our justified beliefs, and how a knower can be virtuous or vicious. In answering these questions, students explore various sources of knowledge and justification, including perception, testimony, memory, and introspection. Students may also explore challenges to the dominant epistemological paradigms of the last century from naturalistic, experimental, feminist, and Bayesian perspectives.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: One course in philosophy Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
A systematic study of central issues involved in theorizing about reality at the most general level. Is the world a world of substances or a world of events? What is the nature of causation? Do concepts and statements refer to the world as it is in itself, or is such a notion idle or incoherent? How are such things as possibility and necessity and laws of nature to be understood? The topics are handled in a way that stresses the historical persistence of the debates over these issues but focuses on recent and contemporary discussions of the topics.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: Two courses in philosophy Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Examines the historical and contemporary debates about the nature of the mind. These questions are considered: What is the relation of the mind to the physical world? How do mental states manage to be about things? Are all minds conscious? How serious is the difference between first-person and third-person perspectives on mental activity? What beyond consciousness is required for self-hood? What grounds our concept of mental health? What kind of mind makes individuals responsible for their behavior?
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Examines major topics and insights in the philosophy of language from its modern inception in the late 19th century to the present. Core questions include: How does linguistic meaning relate to how people use language to communicate? What is meaning’s relationship to concepts like reference, truth, verification and use? Is there a systematic theory that can generate the meaning of every sentence in a language? In answering the above questions, students master the logical and conceptual tools for analyzing particular parts of language, which may include names, definite descriptions, demonstratives, metaphors, slurs, and other interesting linguistic expressions. Among the thinkers discussed are Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Austin, Grice, Quine, Searle, Davidson, and Kripke.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Recommended: A prior course in logic is recommended. Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Moral theory concerns what makes acts right or wrong, what makes people good or bad. In addressing these issues, the course also considers the following questions: Do moral standards apply universally, or are they relative to one’s culture, religion, or other moral framework? Can we reconcile the impartiality of morality with the partiality we feel toward certain people, such as parents, spouses, or children? Are there ethical principles that apply in all circumstances, or is morality fundamentally a case-by-case affair? This course centers primarily on contemporary approaches to these questions, with the aim of enabling students to address these questions critically and rigorously.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Focuses on questions concerning what makes a life a good one, and if death is bad for a person, what makes it bad. These questions include: What is it for a life to go well for the person living it? Can death harm the one who dies? In what sense, if any, can a life be meaningful? Is immortality relevant to the possibility of well-being or meaningfulness?
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Explores questions like: How have gendered assumptions influenced philosophical views about what knowledge is and how knowledge is best pursued? What roles, if any, should considerations of gender play in our theories of knowledge? How have gendered assumptions influenced political discourse? What conceptual advances might be won if we take the woman to be the paradigm of personhood rather than the man? Students may address issues in feminist philosophy of science, specifically issues concerning the scientific study of sexual differences in behavior and brain structure; or issues in feminist political philosophy, including the role of justice in the family and the effects of power inequality on autonomous decision-making.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
PHIL 371 - Scottish Philosophy and the Fact-Value Distinction (Study Group)
The distinctions between fact and value, reason and emotion, and objectivity and subjectivity, have long and varied histories. Students examine the role those distinctions played in two thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment: David Hume and Adam Smith. The motivations for and benefits of these distinctions are explored, with special attention paid to Hume’s concerns about religious “enthusiasm.” Rigid versions of these distinctions have, however, been criticized for their serious costs in both epistemology and ethics. Students engage with recent major criticisms, and then consider whether Hume or Smith might have had a more nuanced understanding of the distinctions they worked with than their many followers did.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
PHIL 380 - Issues in Epistemology and Metaphysics (M&E)
This is an umbrella course designed to allow students to delve into specific topics in epistemology or metaphysics. The study will situate each problem in its appropriate historical context thus allowing student access to the approaches to a given issue offered in Ancient, Medieval, Modern, and recent works. The course will bring students inside some problems and methods that lie at the heart of philosophy by inquiring into issues such as the structure of knowledge, our basis for making claims about other minds, possible worlds, skepticism, and the justification of belief.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: A course in philosophy, preferably PHIL 335 or PHIL 340 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
PHIL 381 - Issues in Epistemology and Metaphysics (M&E)
This is an umbrella course designed to allow students to delve into specific topics in epistemology or metaphysics. The study will situate each problem in its appropriate historical context thus allowing student access to the approaches to a given issue offered in Ancient, Medieval, Modern, and recent works. The course will bring students inside some problems and methods that lie at the heart of philosophy by inquiring into issues such as the structure of knowledge, our basis for making claims about other minds, possible worlds, skepticism, and the justification of belief.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
PHIL 411 - Wittgenstein and the Philosophy of Language
This seminar is a detailed study of the thought of Ludwig Wittgenstein, one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. This course first examines his early work in relation to problems about the nature of logic and language raised by Gottlob Frege and Bertrand Russell, and then it uses Wittgenstein’s later work to explore the nature of meaning and the concept of mind. Throughout, this course attempts to articulate the character and purpose of philosophical inquiry.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: Three courses in philosophy Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Philosophy & Religion, Philosophy Majors Class Restriction: None Recommended: A prior course in logic is recommended. Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
The choice of a central philosophical problem to study varies from year to year. The seminar is primarily for majors and minors in philosophy.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Philosophy & Religion, Philosophy Majors and Minors Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Focuses on questions about the status of moral value (whether it is objective or subjective, and in what sense) and questions about the respective roles of reason and sensibility in moral judgment and moral motivation. The central concern is how best to understand and explain the metaphysics, epistemology, and semantics of moral value. Is there moral knowledge? Are values grounded in feeling or desire? Are there moral facts? Students explore the basic character of moral judgment and moral language, with special attention to developments during recent decades. The seminar is primarily for majors in philosophy.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: Three courses in philosophy, including a course in ethics Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Philosophy & Religion, Philosophy Majors and Minors Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Students pursuing honors in philosophy enroll in this course.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Philosophy Majors Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Covers fundamental principles of Newtonian mechanics and their applications into science, engineering, and in particular, architecture. Selected topics including waves, fluids, optics, electricity and magnetism, and thermal physics are aimed toward applications in the geosciences. Not suitable for students majoring in programs or concentrations requiring two or more semesters of physics.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Fall semester only, but not necessarily every year
Corequisite:PHYS 105L Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Credits: 0.25 When Offered: Fall semester only, but not necessarily every year
Corequisite:PHYS 105 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
This introductory course emphasizes concepts and principles of mechanics, heat, waves, and sound. The focus is on building concepts, grasping principles, and learning how consequences of principles and concepts can be quantitatively calculated and measured. Students may not take this course after having completed PHYS 431.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Fall semester only
Corequisite:PHYS 111L Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Corequisite:PHYS 111 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Develops concepts and principles of electricity, magnetism, light, and modern physics.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Spring semester only
Corequisite:PHYS 112L Prerequisites:PHYS 111 with a grade of C- or higher. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Diverse exercises and tasks, starting with fundamental laws of electromagnetism, extending to optics, and finishing with the laboratories that underpin modern physics. Required corequisite to PHYS 112.
Credits: 0.25 When Offered: Spring semester only
Corequisite:PHYS 112 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
An introduction to the process through which physics knowledge developed in the modern era. How did scientists determine whether the things they studied consisted of waves or particles; that is, what are the defining characteristics of each, and how can they be measured? To answer these questions, we introduce ideas from mechanics, electricity, and special relativity. Students are then confronted with one of physics’s great mysteries: how can the same object act as either a particle or a wave? While we may not completely resolve this mystery, we learn a little quantum mechanics that helps us predict the behavior of these systems. Some physics background is helpful, but none is assumed. Students must be very comfortable with algebra and trigonometry, but they will not need calculus until the next physics course. Two lectures, two problem-solving recitations, and one laboratory meeting per week.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Fall semester only
Corequisite:PHYS 131L, PHYS 131RE Prerequisites: Students who plan to continue into PHYS 232 should co-register for MATH 161 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Recommended: This course is required for students planning to major in physics, physics-astronomy, or physical science, and for students interested in pre-engineering. Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Experiments inquire about the existence of atoms, photons, and their properties. Required corequisite to PHYS 131.
Credits: 0.25 When Offered: Fall semester only
Corequisite:PHYS 131 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
This half-semester course is an introduction to computational physics, providing the mathematical foundation required for sophomore- through senior-level physics courses.
Credits: 0.25 Corequisite:PHYS 201L, PHYS 232 Prerequisites: Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts CORE: None
Credits: 0.00 Corequisite:PHYS 201 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts CORE: None
A one-semester introduction to the mathematical methods of physics, with an emphasis on applications and how these methods are used to approach various problems. The course will cover topics such as ordinary differential equations, complex numbers and Euler’s equation, linear systems, Fourier series, Fourier transforms, computational techniques, series expansions, cylindrical and spherical coordinate systems, vector differentiation, divergence and curl, integration methods and multi-dimensional integrals. These topics will be brought to bear on physical problems such as the damped and driven oscillator, coupled oscillators, electric dipoles, beat frequencies, electromagnetic waves and electrostatic boundary-value problems.
, all with a grade of C- or better Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None Formerly: PHYS 202, 203 & 204
A study of classical mechanics using astronomical themes. The principles of kinematics, dynamics, conservation laws, and gravitation are developed and used to understand the properties of astronomical objects such as planetary systems, binary stars, and galaxies. Treatment is more thorough than in PHYS 111. Differential and integral calculus and vector manipulation are used throughout. Two lectures, two recitation meetings, and one laboratory session per week.
) with a grade of C- or higher. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Restrictions: Students may not take this course after having completed PHYS 431. Recommended: Required for students planning to major in physics, astronomy-physics, or physical science, and for students interested in pre-engineering. It is also recommended for chemistry majors. Students who plan to take physics courses beyond PHYS 232 should co-register in MATH 163 and PHYS 201. Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
An investigation of mechanical physical laws, including discovery-based labs. Required corequisite to PHYS 232.
Credits: 0.25 When Offered: Spring semester only
Corequisite:PHYS 232 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
PHYS 233 - Introduction to Electricity and Magnetism
The classical theory of electricity and magnetism is assembled from observations of nature and physical inference, using differential and integral calculus. Emphasis is on the fundamental roles played by the electric and magnetic fields, their geometrical properties, and their dynamics. The course covers the integral form of Maxwell’s equations. Principles of elementary circuits and optics are also included.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Fall semester only
Corequisite:PHYS 233L Prerequisites:PHYS 232 and MATH 163 both with a grade of C- or higher. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Restrictions: Students are not eligible to take this course after completing PHYS 431. Recommended: This course is required for students planning to major in the physical sciences and pre-engineering. Students planning to take physics courses beyond PHYS 233 should co-register in PHYS 205. Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Corequisite:PHYS 233 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Examines fluid properties and movement. Using principles of conservation of momentum, dimensionless numbers, and energy conservation, students learn and analyze fluid motion, force, turbulence, and flow in conduits and pipes.
Credits: 1 Prerequisites: PHYS 232 None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
A study of physical optics and properties of light, such as dispersion, polarization, interference, and diffraction. Advanced topics include optical instrumentation, Fourier optics, laser physics, and holography. The course prepares students for knowledgeable use of optical instruments in fields such as photonics, engineering, and astronomy. It teaches modern laser techniques for use in basic and applied research. Four lecture meetings and one laboratory meeting each week.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Fall semester only, in alternate years
Corequisite:PHYS 304L Prerequisites:PHYS 233 and PHYS 205 all with a grade of C- or higher. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
An experience in optical methods of manipulating laser beams and their use in imaging and physical measurements. Required corequisite to PHYS 304.
Credits: 0.25 When Offered: Fall semester only, in alternate years
Corequisite:PHYS 304 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
This is an optional junior-year research experience open to qualified students. Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, each student works on an experimental or theoretical project that ideally produces original results. A final thesis and a formal oral presentation are essential components of the course.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Fall semester only
Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: Only Junior Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
PHYS 334 - Introduction to Quantum Mechanics and Special Relativity
Provides the mathematical and conceptual foundation to understand two important developments in modern physics: special relativity and quantum theory, concentrating on wave mechanics.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Spring semester only
Corequisite: None Prerequisites:PHYS 233 and PHYS 205 both with a grade of C- or higher. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
A comprehensive treatment of basic electronics, both digital and analog. The digital section includes combinational and sequential logic, integrated circuits, and interfacing. The analog section includes DC and AC circuits, filters, diodes, transistors, and operational amplifiers.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Spring semester only
Corequisite:PHYS 336L Prerequisites:PHYS 233 with a grade of C- or higher. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
A hands-on experience in designing and wiring electronic circuits and their interfacing to electronic boards such as Arduino and Teensy. Includes mid-semester and final free-design group projects. Required corequisite to PHYS 336.
Credits: 0.25 When Offered: Spring semester only
Corequisite:PHYS 336 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
An introduction to biological physics including a survey of topics such as diffusion, Brownian motion, non-Newtonian fluids, self-assembly, cooperativity, bioenergetics, and nerve impulses, as well as experimental techniques and analytical approaches. Students first develop the interdisciplinary knowledge needed to address biophysical questions. The course then focuses on the reading, presentation, and critique of current biophysics research literature. Although challenging in its breadth, this course is intended to be accessible to juniors and seniors majoring in physics, chemistry, or biology.
) with a grade of C- or higher. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No First-year, Sophomore Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a faculty member, and following a course-like format. The content and syllabus must be approved in advance by the department chair.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for research-based individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty. This course does not count towards the upper-level course requirement for the physics or Astronomy-physics majors or for honors.
Credits: variable Prerequisites:PHYS 334 (waived for astrogeophysics majors) Major/Minor Restrictions: PHYS, ASTR, ASGE, NASC only Class Restriction: Only Junior Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
This is a required senior research experience. Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, each student works on an experimental or theoretical project that ideally produces original results. A final thesis and a formal oral presentation are essential components of the course.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Fall semester only
Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: Only Senior Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
A detailed study, using vector calculus, of important problems in the mechanics of particles and extended bodies including a derivation of Lagrange’s and Hamilton’s equations, and other advanced topics.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Fall semester only
Corequisite: None Prerequisites:PHYS 205 with a grade of C- or higher. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
A study of Maxwell’s equations and their applications to topics in electrostatics and electrodynamics, including electromagnetic waves.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Spring semester only
Corequisite: None Prerequisites:PHYS 205 and PHYS 233 with a grade of C- or higher. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
PHYS 433 - Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
An introduction to the physical concepts underlying the formalism of thermal physics. Emphasis is on the role and meaning of entropy in physical systems and processes. Topics include black body radiation, liquid helium, superconductivity, negative temperature, and the efficient use of energy.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Fall semester only
Corequisite: None Prerequisites:PHYS 334 with a grade of C- or higher. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
An introduction to the theory and formalism of quantum mechanics. This course addresses the philosophical and mathematical foundations of the theory. It develops the linear algebraic formulation using spins, photon and atoms; and cover topics that include time evolution, angular momentum, the harmonic oscillator, the Schrodinger equation, entanglement, and quantum information. A series of laboratories gives students vivid examples of quantum mechanical principles.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Spring semester only
Corequisite:PHYS 434L Prerequisites:PHYS 334 with a grade of C- or higher. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
A laboratory experience on the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and state manipulation using a correlated-photon laboratory platform. Experiments include quantum eraser, delayed choice, and quantum entanglement. Required corequisite to PHYS 434.
Credits: 0.25 Corequisite:PHYS 434 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
An introduction to the techniques and concepts used to analyze real-time dynamic models that involve nonlinear terms. Applications are emphasized and demonstrate the universality of chaotic solution behavior. This course is team-taught by members of the physics and mathematics departments.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:MATH 448 When Offered: Spring semester only, in alternate years
with a grade of C- or better) (One with a grade of C- or higher.) Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Recommended: Students should enroll through the department for which they intend to use the credit Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None Formerly: PHYS 458
Investigates general algorithms and their implementation for the exploration of problems in classical and quantum mechanics. Applications range widely from solar system dynamics and chaotic systems to particles in general quantum potentials. Fourier analysis, including the fast Fourier transform, and its application to the understanding of physical systems and data analysis, are also studied. Each student undertakes a major numerical project of his or her choice.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Fall semester only, in alternate years
Corequisite:PHYS 451L Prerequisites:PHYS 334 with a grade of C- or higher. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Credits: 0.25 Corequisite:PHYS 451 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Several important properties of matter in its solid form are examined. The ordered, crystalline nature of most solids is used as a starting point for understanding condensed material and as a basis for introducing the band theory of solids. The course investigates thermal, electrical, and magnetic properties of metals, semiconductors, and insulators.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Fall semester only, in alternate years
Corequisite: None Prerequisites:PHYS 334 and (PHYS 201 and PHYS 202 and PHYS 203 and PHYS 204) or (PHYS 201 and PHYS 205) all with a C- or higher. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
At the beginning of the 20th century, Einstein’s discovery of the Special and General Theories of Relativity revolutionized understanding of space and time. This course studies both theories; the emphasis is on General Relativity, including cosmology and the study of black holes.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Spring semester only, in alternate years
Corequisite: None Prerequisites:PHYS 334 with a C- or higher. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a faculty member, and following a course-like format. The content and syllabus must be approved in advance by the department chair.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for research-based individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty. This course does not count towards the upper-level course requirement for the physics or Astronomy-physics majors or for honors.
Credits: variable Prerequisites:PHYS 334 (waived for astrogeophysics majors) Major/Minor Restrictions: PHYS, ASTR, ASGE, NASC only Class Restriction: Only Senior Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
American politics (AM)
Comparative politics (CO)
International relations (IR)
Political theory (TH)
POSC 150 - America as a Democracy (AM)
While most Americans take it for granted that our political system is a democracy and that it serves as an ideal by which other systems might be measured, the United States is only one of many stable democratic polities in existence today. In our analysis of American democracy, this course places an emphasis on how the U.S. government fits within the multicultural and global world of the 21st century. To this end, students compare America’s democracy with other forms of democratic government across the globe. Students also consider how the growing racial-ethnic, class, sexuality, and gender diversity of the American population may impact the future of American politics. In our analysis of American democracy, this course places an emphasis on how the U.S. government fits within the multicultural and global world of the 21st century. To this end, we will compare America’s democracy with other forms of democratic government across the globe. We will also consider how the growing racial-ethnic, class, sexuality, and gender diversity of the American population may impact the future of American politics. (AM)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Senior Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
This introduction to political theory addresses the ways in which personal morality and ideas of human flourishing determine one’s perceptions and responses to political institutions that shape the life and culture of one’s nation. Using a wide variety of texts, the moral underpinnings of different political systems are discussed in terms of fundamental normative concepts such as right, duty, virtue, liberty, and equality. Other essential terms, basic to building a foundational political vocabulary, such as liberalism, conservatism, individualism, communalism, and modernity are also explored. This introduction to normative political theory gives special emphasis to the genesis and development of liberal democracy and the tensions between its component parts, particularly as they relate to visions of a well-lived, moral life. This course is designed to enrich one’s perceptions of the evening news and the political discourse of our times. (TH)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Senior Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Designed to provide students with an understanding of how international politics - politics between governments - differs from politics within a state. Students consider how the international system has evolved and currently operates, and examines some of the enduring questions of international relations: Why is there war? How can war be avoided? Is international equality a prerequisite for order? Can order, justice, and cooperation be achieved in a non-institutionalized and non-hierarchical system? (IR)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Senior Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
POSC 153 - Introduction to Comparative Politics (CO)
Nearly 200 independent states coexist in the world today. Although they are all unique, political scientists study them in systematic ways, comparing them to discover fundamental political patterns that can help produce broadly applicable generalizations across different cultures and geographies. Themes such as democratic or authoritarian regime type, models of economic development, state institutions, civil society, and issues of national and ethnic identity all form important realms of inquiry for researchers engaged in the practice of comparative politics. This course introduces students to the principle themes and basic theories of comparative politics using examples from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, including both authoritarian and unstable democratic countries. (CO)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Senior Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Offers a comparative examination of the social bases of democracy and of different forms of constitutional government and competitive politics in both advanced industrial and developing countries in regions including Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Students explore questions about the causes of democratic stability and instability across countries and the effectiveness of their democratic government in delivering goods to their citizens. Students examine key conditions that appeared conducive to producing democratic transitions across the three “waves” of democratization. Finally, students consider the process of democratic consolidations, considering topics such as civil society, civil-military relations, institutional design, and international influences. (CO)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Senior Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Analyzes the legislative process with a special emphasis on the relationship between Congress and the presidency. Students examine the historical development and structural attributes of Congress that determine its role in the executive-legislative relationship. Since the decision-making process varies enormously by issue area, students focus on several distinct policy areas. Course materials include classics of congressional scholarship as well as results from some of the latest research in the field. (AM)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Senior Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
POSC 211 - The Presidency and Executive Leadership (AM)
An examination of the complex and controversial role the presidency plays in the American political system. The course begins with the founders and with the creation of the presidency at the Constitutional Convention. This is followed by an examination of the powers vested in the office and the ways in which they check and are checked by Congress. Discussion then turns to what has come to be called the “managerial presidency.” Descriptive and analytical treatment of the ways in which the country elects presidents is a major topic. At many points the American presidency is compared to executive power in other democracies. (AM)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Senior Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
POSC 212 - The Politics of Race and Ethnicity (AM)
Examines the political dynamics of race in American society, focusing primarily on the experience of blacks as a socio-political group and to a lesser degree on that of other racial and ethnic minorities. The overriding theme is how race has influenced American politics and, conversely, how certain political phenomena have shaped the development of race. The specific topics around which the course is organized include the following: the most enduring and predominant racial issue - racial inequality; competing explanations for the origins and continuance of racial inequality; leadership approaches and ideologies for redressing the race problem; mass political strategies for dealing with the problem; majority attitudes and opinions regarding racial issues (including racial inequality); and the comparative experience of non-black minorities. These topics, individually and collectively, represent the essence of racial politics. (AM)
Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
POSC 214 - Comparative Politics: East and Southeast Asia (CO)
This course introduces students to the politics of countries in East and Southeast Asia. It examines similarities and differences in the evolution of their political societies from the end of World War II to the present time. Students will learn about the historical development of the state, regimes, and political parties and the interactions across these institutions that informed political and economic development in these countries. The course will cover the experiences of the East Asian early developers (Japan, Korea, and Taiwan), Southeast Asian countries (Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore) and the emergence of China as an economic and political power. (CO)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
An introduction to Middle Eastern politics, including historical foundations of the modern Middle East, competing strategies of state building, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Gulf War, the rise of political Islam, and American policy toward the region. (CO)
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:MIST 215 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Senior Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
POSC 216 - Comparative Politics: Latin America (CO)
Today Latin America is one of the most democratic regions of the developing world, although it faces problems of inequality, gridlock, and economic growth. Latin America’s 20th-century experiences of coups, revolutions, and instability also present important lessons for comparative politics. This course introduces students to the countries of Latin America and the important patterns of similarity and difference that can help them understand political development and elucidate comparative trends. Regime type is one prism through which students examine the region’s countries, including democracy, semi-democracy, and various authoritarian regimes, especially bureaucratic authoritarianism. Another important topic is the United States’ relationship with the region’s polities, on issues like the Cold War, drug wars, and economic policies. In addition to big countries like Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela, the course also focuses on countries of particular student interest. (CO)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Senior Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
POSC 232 - Fundamentals of International Relations (IR)
An introduction to the basic approaches to international relations, such as realism, idealism, and the interdependence school. Students also consider fundamental problems of national security, the uses of power, the causes of war, the nature of international institutions, the relationships among security, deterrence, conflict escalation, and nuclear proliferation. (IR)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Senior Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
This introduction to political thought explores the questions: What is a just society? What is the best way of life? The course examines major alternatives from Plato to Nietzsche, as well as recent critics and defenders of American liberal democracy. (TH)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Senior Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Intended for students accepted to the Geneva Study Group the following spring. It has three purposes: to prepare students for life in Geneva through readings on the history and culture of Switzerland and discussion of the practical aspects of living in the city; to introduce students to the international organizations that the group will visit in Brussels at the beginning of the spring program; and to prepare students for their internships at international organizations and NGOs in Geneva.
Credits: 0.50 When Offered: Fall semester only
Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
POSC 303 - A View from the Mayor’s Desk: Current Dynamics of American Governance
Provides an insider’s perspective on the myriad and complex managerial, policy-making, and political challenges faced by Mayors in the contemporary US political system.
Credits: 1 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None Formerly: POSC 403
Studies the impact of the Islamic resurgence on international and intra-national politics. The course begins with an introduction to the Islamic faith. Students explore the origins of the Islamic resurgence, the ideas of influential Islamic political thinkers, and Islamic movements in comparative perspective (Iran, Egypt, Indonesia, the United States, and France). The class concludes by examining two issues of great contemporary importance: the impact of Islam on democracy and the future relationship between the Islamic world and the West.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:MIST 304 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
POSC 305 - From Coconuts to iPhones: the Politics of Economic Development in East and Southeast Asia
Studies the role of political institutions in shaping economic development in countries across East and Southeast Asia such as Japan, Korea, the Philippines, China, and Thailand. Students engage with a variety of topics such as the varied challenges of industrialization that different countries across the region faced; the role of the state in fostering markets; the relationship between economic growth and regime types; the impact of global financial markets upon political stability; and the political effects of developmental outcomes such as demographic change and rapid urbanization. The course is intended to give students a deeper understanding of the factors that led to the region’s trajectory of rapid economic growth and the different ways in which these countries are integrated with other economies of the world.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Examines China’s complex relations with the world mainly since the 1990s. It begins with a brief consideration of traditional Chinese understandings of international relations, historical legacies, geopolitical predicaments, and China’s foreign policymaking process. Students examine the recent reorientation of Chinese foreign policy as a result of China’s post-Mao economic reforms. Students assess China’s grand strategy of “Peaceful Development,” Chinese integration into “international institutions,” and China’s partial participation in an emergent Asian regionalism. Geographically, students examine China’s relations with its Pacific neighbors, other developing countries (especially in Africa), and with advanced countries (Europe and the USA). Students also evaluate the prospects for military conflicts over Taiwan, the Senkaku/Diaoyu, and the South China Seas. The problem of nationalism in foreign policy is assessed through an analysis of the “interactive nationalisms” driving the triangular US-China-Japan relationship. Students investigate China’s foreign policies on major international issues in an age of globalization. Specifically, with regard to the global economy, climate change and international human rights are examined. Concludes by assessing the prospects for Chinese foreign policy in the 21st Century.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
An introduction the political science subfield of American Political Development, which traces the historical development of political institutions and the evolution of state/society relations in this country. How “exceptional” is the trajectory of state-building in the United States compared with other long-term democracies? What is the role of culture in shaping American politics and explaining change over time? How has race figured historically in the articulation of state power? Course readings tackle these and other questions from the perspective of political scientists, sociologists, and historians working on a broad empirical terrain spanning several centuries.
Credits: 1.00 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Public opinion provides students with information about the nature and origins of Americans’ political belief systems. Students will center their investigations around the following concepts and their importance for understanding variation in public opinion: (1) ideology, (2) partisanship, (3) race and racial attitudes, (4) political knowledge and information and (5) various approaches and challenges to studying public opinion. In addition to relying on analyses that use the public opinion survey as a tool for investigating the political attitudes and beliefs of the American population, students will also consider and try to wrestle with the limits of the public opinion survey.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Examines the politics of identity in comparative perspectives. Introduces students to a variety of theoretical approaches concerning the origin, transformation, and mobilization of national, ethnic, and other forms of collective identity. Students consider empirical applications of these theories: students identify processes through which identity becomes politicized, explore why some identity conflicts manifest as violence, and analyze the various ways - ranging from electoral solutions to genocide - in which states manage difference. Case studies are drawn from Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, the Asian sub-continent, and the United States.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Do states intervene in the economy too much as conservatives and libertarians claim, or should they intervene more as many liberals and progressives argue? Does business have too much power or have the critics of “big business” and multinationals been too alarmist? Is the role of the government diminishing as the world becomes more global? This course discusses contemporary controversies regarding the relationship between government and the economy. It evaluates and examines the extent and kinds of state intervention into markets and the private sector, the influence and impact of corporations and business leaders on government institutions and policy from the United States to Latin America.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
POSC 321 - Political Parties and Electoral Process
Political parties are some of the most influential entities in politics, and this course examines them as they pursue pork, policy, and power in the arenas of elections and elected institutions. After providing a strong background in party theory and the American party system, the remainder of the course highlights important commonalities by comparing party activity and party system development in other countries that straddle the developed and developing world.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
Focuses closely on the US party system and the electoral area in which the parties struggle for power. In order to develop a strong conception of American parties, students combine scrutiny of the day-to-day media representations of political parties with important comparative perspectives to understand how American parties and elections fit into broader political science frameworks, as well as their long-term and global implications. Students compare the current US party system in three directions: back through history (especially the 20th century) to understand the roots of today’s parties; out to the rest of the world, comparing party systems in other highly democratic countries; and also down to the state level, where students examine to what degree New York State parties and elections reflect national trends. Important topics covered include the effects of redistricting and campaign finance. Students also investigate the importance of issue-framing with units on contrasting party strategies of presenting a “war on women” and President Obama’s “socialism.”
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Focuses on governing processes and institutions at the state and local level. Special attention is given to inter-governmental relations, municipal finance, and proposals for reform of local government.
Credits: 1 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Religion and politics influence each other–pervasively and controversially–in almost every political system across the globe. This course examines this fundamentally important relationship in a variety of national settings through a comparative assessment of issues and controversies such as constitutional relations between religious institutions and the state; the appropriate role of religious beliefs in a democracy; the challenges posed to contemporary governments by the expansion of religious pluralism; the role that religious interests and religious leaders can play in elections and policy making; and the many ways that religion and religious mobilization are shaping the very nature of political life in the modern world.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
POSC 329 - The Politics of Nationalism and Memory in Eastern Europe (Extended Study)
How is history used to advance state-building and nation-building projects? What role do forgetting and memory play in politics? How do international forces interact with domestic political movements? This extended study course uses Vilnius, the current capital of Lithuania, as a case for studying the politics of nationalism and memory, which so shaped its history and which continue to inform its politics and culture today.
Credits: 1 Crosslisted: JWST 329 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Examines post-Mao China’s socioeconomic development and post-socialist transition in an age of economic globalization. It analyzes the evolution of Chinese economic market reforms and China’s uneven integration into the Liberal World Order since 1978. This two-pronged developmental trajectory, however, encounters major challenges such as socioeconomic problems, ecological degradations, political dysfunctions, ideational crises, and international impediments. With varying efficacy, the Chinese government has attempted to redress these daunting problems through administrative reforms, economic rebalancing, anti-corruption campaigns, and international institutions. These major challenges and their attempted ameliorations are analyzed in-depth. The course concludes by examining the practical and discursive ramifications of China’s development model for Chinese society, world politics, and the philosophical search for alternative modernities.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Provides an understanding of politics in 48 countries that constitute sub-Saharan Africa. Following the independence era of the early 1960s and 1970s, much of the sub-continent exploded into a seemingly endless cycle of violence underscored by military coups d’état and civil wars. Over the last decade, various conflicts subsided enough for some states to institute political and market reforms. Others remained stuck in the throes of economic stagnation, on the verge of disintegration and vulnerable to terrorist groups and drug runners who exploit their vast ungovernable territories. What explains the various transitions that some states have experienced in sub-Saharan Africa? Why did most states disintegrate in violence following the end of colonial rule? Drawing upon pre-colonial accounts and histories of state formation and the theoretical, methodological, and conceptual tools that various Africanists have used to analyze key events, this course offers answers to these and other important questions about political and socio-economic developments on the continent of Africa.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Public policies to protect the environment are among the most important and controversial issues in local, state, and national government. This course analyzes the politics of environmental protection in the United States through the use of social science theory and a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods. The course introduces frameworks for understanding environmental policy problems and reviews several important American environmental laws. Readings include social science “classics” on the environment, as well as recent scholarship on environmental politics and emerging environmental issues. Topics covered in the course include the politics of environmental science, environmentalism as a social movement, environmental lawmaking in Congress, bureaucracy and environmental regulation, federalism, environmental law, and environmental justice.
Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Examines political campaigns and voting behavior in American elections. The course will focus on both the broad theoretical literature surrounding campaigns and voter behavior as well as in-depth coverage of ongoing political campaigns in the United States. We will primarily examine presidential and congressional elections. Topics to be covered include: primary elections, election forecasting, campaign effects, negative vs. positive campaigning, theories of candidate preference and political participation.
Credits: 1.00 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts CORE: None
POSC 338 - Sex, Law, and the American Culture Wars
Explores the American church-state debate through the lens of abortion and same-sex marriage. These sexual freedom and reproductive rights issues raise questions that reach to the very heart of the American political project. What is the scope of our right to engage in private behavior? Do longstanding religious and moral traditions have a place within a secular legal system? Are there limits to the Constitution’s guarantee of religious free exercise, and, if so, how do we determine these limits? These issues have generated intense social and political conflict, and are at the center of today’s “culture wars” in the U.S. This course will provide students with a robust background in the legal history of these issues, and will furnish students with a framework for making sense of some of today’s most contentious political battles in the U.S.
POSC 341 - War and the Shaping of American Politics
Examines the impact of warfare, expansion, and national security policy on the development of domestic American institutions and politics since the Revolution. War’s impact has been multifaceted and contradictory, fueling a politics of reaction and repression in many contexts while serving as a catalyst for advances in political, racial, and economic equality and inclusion in others. Students will explore those contradictions by connecting war mobilization and security politics to the trajectory of American political development and state/society relations over time. Topics include: the role of the putatively weak American state in shaping 19th century territorial expansion; the effect of wartime mobilization and participation on racial politics; the interplay of warfare and the welfare state in American history; the postwar politics of the “military-industrial complex;” and the impact of foreign policy and national security on the American party system. Readings will engage such topics from the perspective of political scientists, sociologists, and historians working on a broad empirical terrain ranging over several centuries.
Why do states want to have nuclear weapons? How do specific motivations differ from Iran to North Korea to Israel, to India, to Pakistan? Some scholars and politicians argue that the world will be safer as more countries possess functional nuclear arsenals; are they right? This course examines the available data and the analyses of authors from a variety of countries in order to derive the best answers we can to the questions.
Credits: 0.50 Prerequisites:POSC 152 or POSC 232 or POSC 353 or POSC 366 or HIST 216 or HIST 217 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
The two progressive “isms” of the 19th and 20th centuries—liberalism and socialism—are referred to constantly in our political discourse, but what were they? And do they really guide our politics today? Should they? Students examine the course of both political traditions over the 19th and 20th centuries and consider their significance for our politics today.
Credits: 1.0 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Examines the nature and extent of poverty in the United States, with particular emphasis on public policies designed to alleviate poverty and recent proposals for reform. Political factors affecting the formulation and implementation of poverty policies are examined, drawing on case studies of selected issues such as the war on poverty, Medicare, food stamps, aid to families with dependent children, and negative income tax proposals.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
POSC 345 - The News Media and the Political Process
Politics is a distant and dimly understood process for most people; still, they must somehow come to terms with the threats and reassurances it offers, and reach assessments of personalities and policies about which they often know little. This course is an analysis of politics and the media from the inside out, beginning with the ways people receive, interpret, or ignore the media messages directed at them. News reporting and questions of bias are treated in the context of a group analysis of important stories. The class also considers the evolution and refinement of media campaigning techniques. Those who cannot purchase time or space in the mass media may resort to protest, terror, and violence in order to air their views. The class discusses these cases along with the ethical issues they pose. (PG)
Credits: 1.00 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No First-year Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
POSC 346 - Beneath the Black Robes: Courts as Political Institutions
Focuses on the causal dynamics of judicial behavior. Introduces students to the study of courts as political institutions and, in doing so, provides some understanding of the political nature of the role of courts in American society. Departs from the view that landmark national decisions such as Roe v. Wade, Baker v. Carr, and Brown v. Bd. of Education, along with their more recent conservative corollaries, are solely the product of adherence to constitutional standards of interpretation. Instead, it posits that these controversial rulings and judicial policy in general can be explained through careful examination of certain political factors. In short, the course is based on the premise that the judiciary is a permeable structure that is responsive to democratic processes and that, in turn, exerts influence upon those processes. Two major theoretical concerns integrate the lectures and materials covered: 1) the dynamic relationship between court decision-making processes and major features of the larger American political arena, and 2) the inherent tensions between judicial independence and democratic politics.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: 100-level POSC course Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Examines the spread of political and economic ideas and practices in the shocking advent and demise of state socialism and subsequent transitions to market capitalism. Students study the ideological struggles with Nazism, Fascism, and Capitalism, focusing mainly on the countries of East Central Europe and the former Soviet Union, but addressing an entire system of states where such transformative processes occurred in the 20th century. Students explore the politics, implementation, and impact of radical economic and social ideas. Students devote particular attention to the relationship between personal and cultural influences of ideologies, local polities and economies, and processes of global ideological development.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
Looks at the historical and theoretical development of the international political economy. Some of the major topics include the interaction between politics and economics in trade and protectionism, capital flows, exchange rates, debt, globalization, and problems in development. (IR)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Discusses and analyzes the idea of national security in theory and practice, as well as the impact of nuclear weapons on contemporary statecraft topics including deterrence theory, arms control and disarmament, nuclear proliferation, and recent strategic developments. An optional three-week extended study in New York City, POSC 383, deepens students’ understanding of several issues that are treated in class during the term.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:POSC 152 or POSC 232 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
POSC 354 - Capitalism, the State, and Development in Latin America
The developmental trajectories of Latin American countries contain a double conundrum: first, in spite of being a region endowed with a considerable amount of natural resources and having enjoyed privileged access to Western European and North American markets, the overall economic performance of the region during the 20th century lagged considerably behind that of the rest of the Western world. Second, even when these countries all share a past of colonial rule and a “peripheral” location in the international system, the economic differences within the countries of the region are staggering. Seeking to shed light on this puzzle, this course surveys existing theories on the relationship between political institutions and economic outcomes and explores the historical co-evolution of states, regimes, and markets in the region.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
