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GOV 1190: The Politics of Europe

Semester: 

Spring

Offered: 

2019

Today's Europe is in tumult and has been facing its most serious political tests since the end ofWW II. These include the 2009 financial Euro- crisis, Europe's refugee crisis of 2015, the steadyrise of the radical right and populist parties in western Europe, the ongoing saga of Brexit, and the emergence of authoritarian regimes in the eastern edges of the European Union. Analysts and citizens alike question the sustainability of Europe’s model of capitalism, the future of European Union, and the viability of democracy itself in Europe This course places these current headlines in...

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AFRAMER 123Z: American Democracy

Semester: 

Spring

Offered: 

2019

Democracy, inequality, and nationalism in America. The white working class and American politics. Class and race. Identities and interests. Conditions for socially inclusive economic growth. Alternative directions of institutional change, viewed in light of American history. Democratizing the market and deepening democracy. Self-reliance and solidarity.

GOV 99R: Tutorial - Senior Year

Semester: 

Fall

Offered: 

2018
Gov 99 is designed to supplement—not replace—the advice and support you will receive from your primary thesis adviser, and runs from now until the end of the writing process in March 2019. All senior thesis writers are required to successfully complete both semesters of Gov 99 in order to submit a thesis to the Government Department for honors consideration.

GOV 1368: The Politics of American Education

Semester: 

Fall

Offered: 

2018

This course seeks to  answer the following question: How did a school system, once the envy of the world, stumble so that the performance in math, science, and reading of U.S. students at age 15 fell below thatof students in a majority of the world’s industrialized nations? Exploring that question, we identify historical forces—the origins, the progressives, racialdesegregation, legalization and collective bargaining—that shaped and re-shaped U.S. school politics and policy. Then, we seek answers to a second question: What are the best ways of lifting the performance of American...

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GOV 1759: Behavioral Insights and Public Policy: Nudging for Good

Semester: 

Fall

Offered: 

2018

The aim of the course is to provide an introduction to behavioral economics and a practical guide to applying behavioral insights to improve government programs, policies, and administration.The field of behavioural economics focuses on the many ways in which people are typically not like rational, calculating machines pursuing their

maximum material self-interest. We all have limited attention spans and find it cognitively taxing dealing with com

plicated choices with uncertain consequences, and our decisions thus tend to reflect a variety of biases and reliance...

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GOV 62: Research Practice in Qualitative Methods

Semester: 

Spring

Offered: 

2018

The primary objective of this seminar is to introduce students to the basic principles and tools of qualitative research in the social sciences. A second objective of the course is to prepare students to undertake original research for their senior thesis projects. The course will therefore focus on issues of qualitative research design and methodological application in comparative social science. The various methodological issues covered in this course include causal inference, theoretical generalizability, measurement and conceptualization, comparative research...

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Government 94GK: The Politics and Ethics of Medical Care

Semester: 

Spring

Offered: 

2018
This course is an introduction to medical ethics and the ways in which political theory can inform our understanding of the moral and political dimensions of medical care. Using case studies as a launching point, we will explore ideas about autonomy, paternalism, beneficence, and distributive justice, and their application to issues such as informed consent, euthanasia, public health policies, the right to refuse care, the distribution of scarce resources, the health effects of inequality, and conflicts between patients’ rights and the public good. Readings include classics of moral and... Read more about Government 94GK: The Politics and Ethics of Medical Care

Government 94RG: A Revolt against Globalization? How Political Economies Change

Semester: 

Fall

Offered: 

2017
What drives the social and economic policies of the developed democracies?  Is the current wave of populism a revolt against globalization?  This course explores changes in the growth strategies pursued by the OECD countries since 1945 and the developments in electoral and producer group politics that drive them across different varieties of capitalism, including contemporary debates about the crises of capitalism and democracy.