Global Arc

Since the end of World War II the developing world has experienced numerous violent conflicts. These conflicts often pit government and allied forces against those of relatively small armed groups, often called "insurgents." This course will explore the roots of insurgency, the organization and tactics of insurgent groups (including the use of terrorism), counterinsurgency campaigns, and efforts at conflict resolution. It will focus on the conditions under which insurgents are most likely to prevail in their fight against better-resourced armed forces.

The course examines the history and dynamics of the struggle between the Jewish and Palestinian national movements for sovereignty and control over territory each claims as its historic homeland. The course will review the inter-state dimension: the competition between national movements; wars and their aftermath; and diplomatic efforts to achieve peace.

As we have increasingly looked to the federal government to provide and protect policies and rights that benefit its population, how have the branches of government risen to this occasion? Where have they struggled? What obstacles have they faced? What barriers have they created? This course is an investigation of the institutional, political, and legal development of the unique "American state" in the contemporary era.

This course focuses on the problems of crime and violence in the United States, and considers how to confront these problems. The semester is organized into four parts: 1) How to think about and study the problems of crime and violence; 2) Ideas and theories explaining crime and violence; 3) The challenge of violence in the United States; and 4) Approaches to confronting violence. Over the course of the semester, students will carry out two research projects analyzing data and policy related to crime and violence.

This course emphasizes the lessons for policy makers from comparative political economy, emphasizing the interaction between political institutions and economic goals, the better to understand the reasons for the differences among countries' levels of economic and political development, and to analyze the factors that foster or hinder effective policy making. The class is compatible with the political economy track in the politics department.

Analyzes the historical construction of race as a concept in American society, how and why this concept was institutionalized publicly and privately in various arenas of U.S. public life at different historical junctures, and the progress that has been made in dismantling racialized institutions since the civil rights era.

This course will examine how institutions develop, vary in design, and shape public policy. Law will be a primary focus because it is central to the development of institutions in modern societies and provides the formal means for expressing and fixing policy. The course will cover a wide range of institutions- social, economic, and political- not only in an American context but also in comparative perspective.

Introduction to communications policy and law, covering such topics as freedom of the press and the development of journalism; intellectual property; regulation of telecommunications, broadcasting, and cable; and policy challenges raised by the Internet and the globalization of the media.

The recent police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Daniel Prude and the subsequent Black Lives Matter Protests have elevated the conversations on racism, police violence, and the rise of mass incarceration n the United States. The United States has the world's highest rate of police violence as well as the world's highest rate of incarceration. This seminar will study the history and role of policing in the United States, and introduce students to current issues surrounding policing practices as they intersect with constitutional rights, racial justice, and the rise of mass incarceration in the United States

This course examines the dynamics of the Black American political experience in the U.S. The focus will be on Black Americans as actors, creators and initiators in the political process. Beginning with an exploration of the historical antecedents of blackness in America, this course will explore how the Black experience in America has shaped the American political system and how black Americans have come to understand their position within the American Political system. The course is intended to be an introduction to the Black political experience.