Studies the legislative, executive, and judicial branches and the functional and territorial distribution of powers as reflected by Supreme Court decisions. Includes the nature of the judicial process. (No CR/NC enrollees.)

This seminar considers how works of fiction enhance our understanding of the terms of democratic life. The theme for the spring of 2020 is the life and afterlife of slavery in American political experience; and the central authors are Herman Melville, Ralph Ellison, and Toni Morrison.

Examines politics surrounding claims that large-scale issues (e.g. terrorism, climate change) are emergencies and responses to those claims. Should laws accommodate emergencies or should emergency responses be "outside" the law? What happens if emergency action violates democratic and justice-based norms?  What is the difference between bottom-up and top-down emergency response? Readings draw primarily from political theory, sociology, and law.

A survey of the way gender ideas shape political behavior in the American political system, historically and today. Prerequisite: one course in WGS or American political behavior (PLAP 2270, 3140, 3150, 4120, 4150, 4360).

A seminar introducing students to the study of political psychology. Topics include authoritarianism, tolerance, altruism, ethnocentrism, the role of affect and cognition in political choice, the role of racial stereotyping in political campaigns, and psychological challenges to rational choice models of political decision-making. Prerequisite: One course in PLAP or instructor permission.

Explores why policies on issues like health care, social welfare, education, and immigration differ markedly from nation to nation, focusing on how contrasting cultures, state institutions, and societal organizations shape the historical trajectory of public policies. The primary focus of the course is on policies in advanced industrialized nations such as Britain, the U.S., Japan, and Sweden.Prerequisites: Prior course work in American and/or comparative politics is required.

Explores the connections between economics and national security from three angles. First, does economic interdependence between nation-states foster a peaceful world, as liberals argue, or does it increase the likelihood of war, as realists contend? Second, what are the economic causes of the rise and decline of great powers? Third, what are the economic roots of great power imperialism against smaller states? Prerequisite: One course in international relations, history, or economics.

Explores the role of political advertising in American democracy. Examines ad messages as strategic political communications, analyzing both classic and contemporary ads. Explores the effects (if any) of political advertising on citizens' attitudes and behavior.

Examines how and why legislators and legislative parties make the decisions they do. Compares legislative decision-making processes and outcomes in a variety of institutional settings. Prerequisite: At least two courses at the 3000 level in American politics and/or comparative politics.

Examines political parties in a variety of institutional and socioeconomic settings, focusing on parties in the democratic political systems of Europe, the United States, and Japan.