things that happen in and around the political world--are often underestimated as catalysts of political change. What explains this diverse and uneven pattern of democracy in South Asia? Hence, this seminar will put two very different bodies of theory in conversation: American National Identity and State Power. What enduring political conflicts have shaped the U.S. welfare state? Scholars, practitioners, and observers of American politics have debated whether the net effect is positive or negative. This course investigates the historical and contemporary relationship between culture and economics, religion and capitalism, in their most encompassing forms. How does Congress act as an institution and not just a platform for 535 individuals? Course readings touch briefly on social contract theories (Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, Kant) before turning to the core material for our exploration: alternative accounts of the origins of the state based on ancient Greek and Roman mythology and the ethnological writings of nineteenth-century socialists (Marx, Engels, Bebel, and others). Instead of a world order marked by alliances, arms races, and wars, Wilson offered a vision of a peaceful world and the rule of international law. What types of institutions, dynamics, and processes animate American political life in the twenty-first century? Others, whose ambitions and initiatives arguably undermined progress toward American ideals, were not recognized as dangerous at the time. The course will conclude with a consideration of the impact and legacy of the two decades of nation-building and social reform carried out by the United States since 9/11. Meanwhile, efforts to reform the nation's immigration laws have been stuck in gridlock for years. Are cyberweapons that target critical infrastructure similar to nuclear weapons, or is that comparison fundamentally flawed? How has that particular aspect of political life changed in the recent past? [more], Home to over half of the world's population and to more than twenty of the world's largest cities, Asia has gained global prominence in recent years; the twenty-first century in fact has widely been deemed the 'Asian Century'. [more], What can a critical analysis of gender and sexuality bring to the study of law, constitutions, legal interpretation, and the task of judging? In particular, this course examines the relationship between political and military objectives. How can we expect cyberweapons to shape the future of warfare, intelligence, and security competition? In much of the rest of the world, however, conservatives harbor no hatred of the state and, when in power, have constructed robust systems of social welfare to support conservative values. [more], Contrasted as "model minorities" or "incorrigible minorities" Asian Americans and African Americans have been pitted against one another in social standing and political objectives. The seminar will examine: original source materials; academic/popular interpretations and representations of the BPP; hagiography; iconography; political rebellion, political theory. The pandemic, related economic distress, social protests and insurrection have only sharpened the precarious state of U.S. democracy. By the end of the term, students should have an enhanced understanding of the major dilemmas related to the region's place in the international system. Our focus is on structures of power -- the limits on congressional lawmaking, growth of presidential authority, establishment of judicial review, conflicts among the three branches of the federal government, and boundaries between the federal and state and local governments. We investigate three types of cases: UN Security Council threats and condemnations, international criminal prosecutions, and international election monitoring. Does the concept fit well with, and reinforce, some institutions and configurations of power, and make others difficult to sustain (or even to conceive)? Materials include biographies, documentary films, short videos, economic data, and news reports. Safety measures are in place, and campus community members and guests are additionally advised to take personal precautions. Primary papers are due to respondent/professor 48hrs before the tutorial meets; response papers are emailed to the professor 2hours before the weekly tutorial meets. Students will develop a conceptual toolkit to study the politics of capitalism based in the economic history of the rich democracies (Europe, United States) in the twentieth century. Protests against cultural insensitivity on campuses. comparative politics to explore that premise. What is at stake, and what do different groups believe to be at stake? Do certain kinds of processes yield better policies than others? empowerment, privilege, or oppression? Is this a positive sign that the United States is governed by its most talented and capable members who have risen through hard work and equal opportunity? At the end we briefly reconsider current U.S. policies in historical perspective. This class examines the policy making process with particular emphasis on the United States: How do issues get defined as problems worthy of government attention? What form of government best serves the people? democracies complicate foundational theories on representation and accountability. Individual countries have always sought to change others, and following wars, countries have often collectively enforced peace terms. Despite this, national government has grown in scope and size for much of this history, including under both Democratic and Republican administrations. Looming environmental catastrophes capable of provoking humanitarian crises. The region is home to the world's largest democracy in India, often cited as an unlikely and puzzling success story. Are the politics of the presidency different in foreign and domestic policy? The seminar is open to all students; however, priority is given to seniors majoring in American Studies. 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. Political Science Spring 2022-23 - Catalog - Williams College Catalog Requirements for the Major - Political Science The research results must be presented to the faculty supervisor for evaluation in the form of an extended essay. An important goal of the course is to encourage students from different backgrounds to think together about issues of common human concern. We will apply our learning on many of these topics to the ongoing 2022 midterm elections. 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. Riven by polarized partisanship and gridlock, the most powerful assembly in the world seemed incapable of representing citizens and addressing problems. Politically, the course will address changes in the role of government, what governments do and do not do, the growing influence of financial interests, the role of identities in mobilizing support for and legitimating governments, and the impact of these developments on the status of citizenship and democracy. The class will be composed equally of nine Williams students and nine inmates and will be held at the jail. Our focus is on rights and liberties -- freedom of speech and religion, property, criminal process, autonomy and privacy, and equality. black economic elites and the black middle class, the persistence of poverty and extreme inequality, expanding corruption, and why the ANC continues to prevail politically and electorally in spite of on-going poverty and worsening inequality, governmental failures, and corruption. Topics may include neoliberalism and democracy; sovereignty and biopower; pluralism, individuality, and justice; technology and the specter of ecological catastrophe; the problem of evil in politics; white supremacy; and contemporary struggles over gender and sexuality. After investigating the origins of the Silicon Valley model, we trace attempts to adopt it in Europe and Asia, which highlight the model's political contingencies and some of the more salient conflicts over the tech sector. Politics is our focus. arrival of Zionists, the pursuit of statehood and the in-gathering of Jews, and the responses of neighboring Arab states and local Palestinians. How does a state's nuclear posture affect basic political outcomes? The structure of the course combines political science concepts with a detailed survey of the region's diplomatic history. This tension over what government is doing and what it should be doing is only heightened in times of crisis, such as the moment the country is in now. What are the primary causes of war and conflict? Yet assessments of what is at the heart of the country's problems vary. You are unlikely to be trampled by a mammoth. The desire for political freedom is as old as the ancient world and as new as today's movements and liberation struggles. Who should rule? The second engages students with theory and methods for understanding and analyzing media contents (the stories, images, etc. What are the social and ethical prerequisites--and consequences--of democracy? This suggests that the better we can understand the nature of cause and effect, the better we can understand power. Not surprisingly, loneliness has become epidemic. If the U.S. is a nation of immigrants, why is immigration reform so difficult to achieve? This seminar focuses on how Congress organizes itself to act as a collective body. policing, criminal sentencing, political campaigns, government regulation, and war. Conflicting groups regularly accuse each other of being 'duped' by 'biased' sources of information on crucial issues like war, elections, sexuality, racism, and history. Yet inequality in wealth may conflict with the political equality necessary for democratic governance and public trust, leading to concerns that we are sacrificing community, fairness, and opportunity for the benefit of a small portion of the population. What is democracy, how does it arise, and how might it fail? Not surprisingly, loneliness has become epidemic. Does the state and its policies make the nation, as many scholars claim? Our time and Arendt's are similarly darkened by the shadows of racism, xenophobia, inequality, terror, the mass displacement of refugees, and the mass dissemination of lies. An important goal of the course is to encourage students from different backgrounds to think together about issues of common human concern. [more], How has the American Constitution been debated and understood over time? Cases include piracy, claims in the South China Sea, bonded labor, refugee quarantine, Arctic transit, and ocean pollution. From the Founding to the present, the American political order has undergone cataclysmic and thoroughgoing transformations, yet it has also proven to be remarkably enduring. [more], In the past half-century, American cities have gotten both much richer and much poorer. The course investigates family models in historical and comparative context; the family and the welfare state; the economics of sex, gender, marriage, and class inequality; the dramatic value and behavioral changes of Gen Z around sex, cohabitation, and parenthood; and state policies to encourage partnership/marriage and childbearing in both left-wing (Scandinavia) and right-wing (Central Europe) variants. Is there is a trade-off between democratic accountability and effective governance? A phenomenal strategy? Is it a capitalist strategy to divide the public in order to advance the interests of the wealthy corporate elite? We will evaluate the role of race as it relates to public opinion, political behavior, campaigns, political institutions, and public policy debates, with special attention devoted to the nature of racial attitudes. In turn, our feelings of disgust for anything deemed waste shape political deliberation and action on environmental policy, immigration, food production, economic distribution, and much more. We also attend to the. Is it the person or the context? The implications for political polarization, economic growth, social insurance programs, public health, military defense, even national survival are grim. Electoral Politics in the Developing World. We end by asking: Do anti-democratic means have to be employed to fully realize democracy? On the one hand, shifting ideas about gender have influenced the development of the sciences through history: for example, some feminists argue that science has historically been premised upon a view of women as objects, not subjects, of knowledge.