Political Science

124 Prospect, 432.5241
M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.

Chair
Ian Shapiro

Director of Graduate Studies
Frances Rosenbluth

Professors
Bruce Ackerman, Seylah Benhabib, Paul Bracken (Management), David Cameron, Cathy Cohen, William Foltz, Geoffrey Garrett, Donald Green, Ilona Kickbusch (Epidemiology), Theodore Marmor (Management), David Mayhew, Barry Nalebuff (Management), William Odom (Adjunct), Douglas Rae, John Roemer, Susan Rose-Ackerman, Frances Rosenbluth, Bruce Russett, James Scott, Ian Shapiro, Stephen Skowronek, Steven Smith, Ivan Szelenyi (Sociology)

Professor in the Field
Strobe Talbott

Associate Professors
Arun Agrawal, Alan Gerber, Alastair Smith, Norma Thompson, Leonard Wantchekon, John Wargo (Forestry & Environmental Studies)

Assistant Professors
Jose Cheibub, Keith Darden, Anna Grzymala-Busse, Gregory Huber, Anastassios Kalandrakis, Pauline Jones Luong, Pierre-François Landry, John Lapinski, Ellen Lust-Okar, John McCormick, Fiona McGillivray, M. Victoria Murillo, Jennifer Pitts, Nicholas Sambanis, Kenneth Scheve, James Vreeland

Fields of Study
Fields include contemporary theory, political philosophy, international relations, comparative politics, American politics, political economy, and empirical analysis and re-search methodology.

Special Admissions Requirement
The department requires that scores from the GRE General Test accompany an application.

Special Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree
Students are required to pass fourteen term courses during their first two years in the program, and receive a grade of Honors in at least two of them. Two of the courses may be in departments other than Political Science. Students are normally expected to complete seven courses in the first year. Courses are offered in seven fields: Contemporary Theory; Political Philosophy; International Relations; Comparative Politics; American Politics; Political Economy; and Empirical Analysis and Research Methodology. Each student must demonstrate competence in three of the seven fields by the beginning of the third year. Competence is demonstrated by passing the comprehensive examination in the field. The department also allows students to petition for the creation of a special field of study and examination. As part of the second year of courses, all students are required to take the two-term course in Research and Writing, which is devoted to the preparation of a manuscript based on original research on a topic of the student's choice. The first term is conducted as an individual tutorial; the second term is conducted as a seminar including all second-year students and directed by two members of the faculty. Performance in the first term course (540a) is graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. The second term course (541b) carries conventional letter grades that are assigned retroactively to 540a at the end of the second term. Students are also required to take a one-term course in statistical methods, successful completion of which satisfies the statistics requirement. Students may alternatively satisfy this requirement by completing an equivalent course, or by displaying requisite proficiency in statistical analysis. All students are required to demonstrate at least an elementary reading competence in one foreign language. Such competence is usually demonstrated by taking, or having completed, two years of undergraduate course work. A student may also fulfill the language requirement by taking a graduate-level course in statistics offered in the department, or in another department at Yale, in addition to the required course in statistical methods. In the fall term of the student's third year, each student must take the Dissertation Prospectus seminar. Upon submission of a dissertation prospectus that is approved by the seminar instructor and the student's dissertation adviser, the student is given a grade of either satisfactory or unsatisfactory for the seminar. The prospectus is judged by both readers for the following standard: The dissertation prospectus should present a summary of the nature and scope of the dissertation research. The prospectus should make clear the significance of the topic and should go into enough detail about research methods and plans to give the reader a clear idea of the research and persuade him or her of its feasibility. The prospectus must not exceed six double-spaced typewritten pages. If a satisfactory grade is not obtained, the student will be required to write a prospectus that is approved by three members of the faculty by May 1 of the student's third year. If three members of the faculty approve a student's prospectus prior to the start of the fall term of the third year, the requirement to participate in the prospectus seminar may be waived by the director of graduate studies.

Students are admitted to candidacy by the end of the third year, but only after all courses, including those involving statistics, language, and Research and Writing, and approval of the dissertation prospectus have been completed.

Almost without exception, those who successfully complete the Ph.D. in Political Science will join the faculties of colleges and universities. For that reason, learning what is involved in teaching and gaining teaching experience is an essential and central component of graduate teaching. The department normally expects students to devote themselves exclusively to course work and comprehensive examinations in their first two years in the Ph.D. program. However, students are encouraged, and provided opportunities, to serve as teaching fellows in undergraduate courses in their third and fourth years.

A combined Ph.D. degree is available with African American Studies. Consult that department for details.

Master's Degrees
M.Phil. The academic requirements for the M.Phil. degree are the same as for the Ph.D. degree except for the completion of the dissertation.

M.A. (en route to the Ph.D.). The M.A. degree is awarded upon completion of a full year of course work in the program (i.e., at least seven term courses) with an average of High Pass or better. The course must include one each in at least three of the department's substantive fields and a basic course in statistical analysis. Language requirements are the same as for the Ph.D. degree.

Program materials are available upon request to the Director of Graduate Studies, Political Science Department, Yale University, PO Box 208301, New Haven CT 06520-8301.

Courses

Empirical Analysis and Research Methodology

PLSC 500a, Statistics. Anastassios Kalandrakis. Mon/Wed 9-10.30
An introduction to basic statistical theory and techniques for Political Science graduate students. The first part of the course covers probability theory, while the second-larger-part is devoted to estimation and inference, including extensive treatment of the classic multiple linear regression framework. Although emphasis is on the development of the relevant theory and statistical concepts, a series of applications and examples are considered on a variety of political science problems, such as turnout, crime, elections, party systems, etc.

PLSC 504b, Advanced Quantitative Methods. Donald Green.
The use of statistical evidence in the study of politics. Students learn about the techniques of quantitative analysis and research design-including descriptive statistics, sample surveys, data graphics, multiple regression, and hypothesis testing. The purpose is to develop good judgment in evaluating statistical studies done in political science. Also PSYC 530b, SOCY 579b.

PLSC 506au, Game Theory and Politics. Alastair Smith. Monday 1.30-3.20
This course introduces students to equilibrium concepts of game theory and their applications to voting behavior, multiparty competition, government and coalition formation in parliamentary systems, comparative institutional analysis, and rational choice models of democratization.

PLSC 514a, Creativity and Method in Comparative Research James Scott, Arun Agrawal. Tuesday 10-12
How do scholars generate insights, turn them into research questions, and persuade others of the compelling force of their arguments? An examination of the wide range of techniques and practices available to social scientists exploring comparative questions. Promotes an appreciation of the plurality of genres and approaches by considering exemplary historical, interpretive, statistical, and conceptual works.

PLSC 540a, 541b, Research and Writing I and II. David Cameron, David Mayhew.
Six weeks in beginning of fall term; six weeks in beginning of spring term. A required course for all second-year students. The fall meetings are devoted to discussion of research design as well as individual student projects. These meetings supplement 540a, the individual meetings with faculty advisers. The spring meetings are devoted to discussing drafts of student papers. The work of the spring semester includes criticism of the organization, arguments, data evaluation, and writing in each student's paper by the instructors and the other students. Using this criticism, and under the supervision of the instructors, each student conducts additional research, if necessary, rewrites the paper as required, and prepares a final paper representing the best work of which the student is capable. Students must submit a one-page outline of the proposed project for the first fall-semester meeting and a complete draft of the paper at the first meeting in the spring.

PLSC 545a, Prospectus Seminar. Ian Shapiro. Wednesday 1.30-3.20
This seminar is for third-year students without an approved prospectus. Students present drafts of their prospectuses for discussion by fellow students and faculty.

Contemporary Theory

PLSC 553a, Justice. Bruce Ackerman. Mon/Tues 4.10-6
Examines contemporary theories, together with an effort to assess their practical implications. Also LAW 20104.

PLSC 580b, Political Philosophy and Political Membership. Seyla Benhabib. Tuesday 1.30-3.20
Conditions of membership have not been subjected to rigorous philosophical examination in liberal-democratic theory. How can boundaries and borders be justified? In a world of deterritorialized politics, what is the moral justification, if any, for retaining nation-state borders? By focusing on Rawls, Walzer, Habermas, Arendt and contemporary theories of citizenship (Beiner, Carens, Nusbbaum, Bauboeck), this course deals with the ethics and politics of membership. Also PHIL 702b.

PLSC 595a, Theories of Distributive Justice. John Roemer. Wednesday 9-12
We survey the main theories of distributive justice proposed by economists and political philosophers in the last half-century, critiquing each theory from both the economic and philosophical perspective. Including Arrow's impossibility theorem and its resolution, axiomatic bargaining theory (J. Nash and followers), utilitarianism according to J. Harsanyi, egalitarianism according to J. Rawls and A. Sen, procedural justice according to R. Nozick, resource egalitarianism according to R. Dworkin, and equality of opportunity according to R. Arneson, G. A. Cohen, and J. Roemer. The main text is Theories of Distributive Justice (J. E. Roemer, 1996).

PLSC 596b, Workshop on Distributive Justice. John Roemer. Wednesday 10-12
Contemporary research on egalitarianism, conducted by social scientists and philosophers. In even-numbered weeks, an outside speaker presents his/her current work. In the week prior to a speaker, there is a warm-up session on the upcoming paper, in which students are assigned to orient the workshop's participants to the main issues in the paper.

Political Philosophy

PLSC 607a, Reading Max Weber. Ivan Szelenyi. Monday 1-3
A close textual analysis of some of Weber's work, with particular emphasis on Economy and Society. Also SOCY 545a.

PLSC 639au, Political Philosophies of the Enlightenment. Jennifer Pitts. Tuesday 3.30-5.20
An examination of key eighteenth-century thinkers including Montesquieu, Rousseau, Smith, Hume, Burke, Bentham, Godwin, Kant, and Herder, as well as more recent critical and interpretive debates. Was there an "Enlightenment project"? Themes include moral and political autonomy; theories of history, progress, and modernization; and international relations and commerce.

PLSC 640bu, Political Philosophy of Modernity. Steven Smith. Monday 3.30-5.20
This course deals with the foundations of modernity as both a philosophical and political problem. Philosophically, modernity defined itself as a reaction to or a repudiation of antiquity. The famous "quarrel between the ancients and the moderns" initiated a full-scale assault on ancient and medieval forms of authority and claims to wisdom. Politically, modernity has been defined by the creation of the secular sovereign state as the guarantor of toleration, rights, and freedom. The early modern period-roughly the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries-is the crucible in which was formed a whole range of ideas regarding the secular basis of political authority, religious toleration, skepticism of received authority, and a new kind of individualism.

PLSC 646au, German Political Philosophy from Kant to Nietzsche. Steven Smith. Monday 3.30-5.20
It was in this particular national and intellectual tradition, from Kant to Nietzsche, that the characteristically modern aspirations for freedom, idealism, and utopia came to a dramatic crescendo. The high point of the course focuses on a reading of Hegel's Philosophy of Right, the last great work of systematic political philosophy to be written in any language. Themes to be considered include the idea of the Enlightenment and human autonomy; civil society and the state; alienation and the dialectics of labor; and the historical critique of reason. Readings include selections from Kant's What is Enlightenment?, Fichte's Addresses to the German Nation, Humboldt's Limits of State Action, Hegel's Philosophy of Right, Marx's Paris Manuscripts, and Nietzsche's Untimely Meditations.

International Relations

PLSC 650bu, Theories of War and Peace. Bruce Russett. Tuesday 3.30-5.20
Comprehensive review and analysis of the theoretical literature on the causes of war and survey of some major ongoing research programs on war and peace. Includes structural systemic, dyadic, domestic political, bureaucratic/organizational, and psychological approaches.

PLSC 653b, Models of International Processes. Alastair Smith. Monday 1.30-3.20
This course examines a variety of formal and game-theoretic models that seek to explain why international conflict and war occur.

PLSC 656au, U.S. National Security. William Odom. Monday 3.30-5.20
The course examines the institutions and processes for making U.S. national security strategy and policy; reflects critically on inherent tensions in the way Americans view the nature of war, the use of force, the aims of diplomacy, and America's role in the world; and addresses several contemporary challenges facing the U.S. national security policy making.

PLSC 663au, The United Nations and the Maintenance of International Security. Bruce Russett, James Sutterlin. Tuesday 1.30-3.20
Consideration of the evolution of the United Nations and its role in a post-Cold War international system both in preventive diplomacy, with its use of force for peace keeping and peace enforcement, and in peace building.

PLSC 671a, Introduction to International Health. Ilona Kickbusch. Tuesday 1-4.20
Students gain an understanding of the key players and organizations in the field of international health. An initial analysis of the evolution of development concepts, from colonization to globalization, provides the background necessary to critically examine the current forces that play a role in the public and private realms of health development. A series of outside lecturers expose students to a regional and intersectoral perspective on programming prioritization and strategy building. At the end of the course, participants should be able to use distinct criteria to evaluate a key actor in the international health arena. Also EPH 551a.

PLSC 674au, Africa in the International Arena. William Foltz. Wednesday 1.30-3.20
This research seminar investigates the roles Africa and individual African states play and have played in world affairs. Emphasis is placed on the post-World War II era, and particularly the period since 1960, but students may center their research on earlier times if that would help illuminate recent trends. Broad topics include relations among African states; regional and subregional organization; conflict and peace keeping; policies of outside powers toward Africa; the Cold War and its aftermath. Also AFST 674au.

PLSC 679bu, Theories, Methods, and Approaches in the Study of International Relations. Keith Darden. Wednesday 1.30-3.20
This course deals with theories of international relations, comparing them in terms of categories developed in the philosophy of science (ontology, epistemology, conceptual categories, notions of causality). The course presents the traditional framework of "levels of analysis" used to parse theories of international relations, but also presents an alternative system for categorizing the different theories. Particular attention is devoted to the presentation of different ways of thinking about causality and human agency, with examples given both from readings in philosophy and from the discipline of international relations.

PLSC 682a, Advances in the Study of Civil War. Nicholas Sambanis.
This seminar explores the causes of violent civil conflict, reviews the relevant literature, discusses conceptual issues, and analyzes methods used to study the determinants of civil violence with the focus on war-the most violent expression of civil violence-and distinguishes between war onset, duration, and post-conflict peace building, identifying the key determinants of each of these processes.

PLSC 686bu, Case Studies of Civil War: Onset, Duration, Resolution. Nicholas Sambanis. Tuesday 1.30-3.20
This seminar/workshop reviews the methodological literature on designing and conducting comparative case-studies and develops and applies a unified analytical framework to the study of six cases of civil war.

Comparative Politics

PLSC 702bu, South African Democracy in Comparative Perspective. Ian Shapiro, Jeremy Seekings. Tuesday 3.30-5.20
An intensive examination of South African politics, ranging over the rise and fall of Apartheid, the negotiated transition to democracy, and the period of democratic consolidation that has been under way since 1994. The South African political experience is located in two theoretical debates. The first concerns the dynamics of transition negotiations: why they begin and what makes them succeed or fail. Here the comparative points of reference are other successful transitions in Latin America and the post-communist world, as well as failed transition negotiations in the Middle East and the sputtering ones in Northern Ireland. Our question is what light, if any, does South Africa's success to date shed on these and other cases? The second debate concerns the distributive politics in new democracies, with particular attention to the structure and social composition of inequality following transitions to democracy. Here the questions revolve around the failure of previously excluded groups to use their new access to the political system to achieve significant redistribution; land reform; or, in many cases, even minimal economic security. Again our concern is to understand the degree to which the South African experience mirrors, or departs from, patterns in Latin America and the post-communist world, and to account for the similarities and differences that we find.

PLSC 704au, Brazil in Comparative Perspective. Jose Cheibub. Tuesday 3.30-5.20
This course examines three central issues in comparative politics taking Brazil as a point of reference: the breakdown of democratic regimes, the transition from authoritarianism to democracy, and the impact of institutions on the operation of democratic regimes.

PLSC 710a,b, Analytic Comparative Politics. Arun Agrawal [F], Frances Rosenbluth [Sp]. Thursday 10-12 [F], Monday 10-12 [Sp]
This course supplements the more traditional approaches to comparative politics with contemporary research on social forces and institutions. The goal is to give students the tools to evaluate and produce systematic and generalizable arguments about comparative politics. The course emphasizes causes and consequences of political institutions, including electoral rules, forms of government, legislatures, and state institutions such as the judiciary, the bureaucracy, and the central bank.

PLSC 714a, Corruption, Economic Development, and Democracy. Susan Rose-Ackerman. Tuesday 2.10-4
A seminar on the link between political and bureaucratic institutions on the one hand, and economic development on the other. Consideration is given to the role of international aid and lending organizations such as the World Bank. Particular focus on the impact of corruption on development. Also LAW 20098.

PLSC 716b, Studies in Grand Strategy, Part I. John Gaddis, Charles Hill, Paul Kennedy, Paul Bracken. Monday 1.30-3.20
Starting as PLSC 716b in spring 2002, this course continues in fall 2002 as PLSC 715a. It begins in January with readings in classical works from Sun Tzu to Clausewitz to Kissinger. Students identify principles of strategy and examine the extent to which these were or were not applied in historical case studies from the Peloponnesian War to the post-Cold War period. During the summer, students undertake research projects or internships designed to apply resulting insights to the detailed analysis of a particular strategic problem or aspect of strategy, whether of a historical or contemporary character. Written reports on these projects are presented and critically discussed early in the fall term. The seminar then turns its attention to strategic dilemmas currently facing governments, corporations, and nongovernmental organizations. Students must take both semesters, fulfill the summer research/internship requirement, and attend additional lectures on grand strategy to be scheduled throughout the spring and fall terms. For the first term, students from the Graduate School receive a grade of FY (full year), which converts to a final grade for both semesters upon completion of the course. Other students receive grades in accordance with the grading systems of their respective schools. In both semesters the seminar meets during reading week and holds a total of 14 weekly sessions. Admission is by competitive application only; forms are available at International Security Studies. Also HIST 985b, MGT 984b.

PLSC 717bu, The Political Evolution of French-Speaking Africa. William Foltz. Tuesday 1.30-3.20
The political history of French-speaking Africa from colonization to the present. French colonial theory and practice; African elites under the Third and Fourth Republics; decolonization; distinctive properties of francophone states; French postcolonial influence. A good reading knowledge of French is essential. Also AFST 717bu.

PLSC 721au, Regimes and Development. Jose Cheibub. Monday 3.30-5.20
This seminar examines the different ways in which political regimes are related to economic development, broadly understood. Focus on economic growth, income inequality, political instability, and other indicators of development.

PLSC 723au, Comparative Political Institutions. Anastassios Kalandrakis. Wednesday 3.30-5.20
The seminar covers in turn basic modern democratic institutions including: electoral systems, political parties, party systems, parliamentary government, government formation, presidential institutions, courts and judicial power, bicameralism, legislative committees, federalism, etc.

PLSC 725bu, Political Transitions in Africa and the Middle East. Ellen Lust-Okar. Tuesday 3.30-5.20
Following the dramatic economic crises and fall of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, states in Africa and the Middle East began a series of experiments with political liberalization. This course focuses on the development of new political institutions in Africa and the Middle East. It begins with a general, theoretical overview of the role that institutions play in initiating and sustaining political reform and a discussion of how institutional arrangements may influence the initiation of political reform. The remainder, and majority, of the class will examine the development of new political systems in Africa and the Middle East.

PLSC 732bu, Markets and States in Comparative Perspective. Victoria Murillo. Tuesday 3.30-5.20

PLSC 734a,b, Comparative Research Workshop. Hannah Brueckner. Monday 5-7
A weekly interdisciplinary seminar at which work-in-progress by distinguished visiting scholars, Yale graduate students, and faculty from various social science disciplines is discussed. Papers are distributed a week ahead of time and also posted at the Web site of the Center for Comparative Research. Students who take the course for a letter grade have to present a paper the semester they are enrolled for credit. Also SOCY 560a,b.

PLSC 740b, Topics in Comparative Political Behavior. Kenneth Scheve. Tuesday 1.30-3.20
An introduction to the study of comparative mass political behavior. The seminar focuses on research questions about cross-national differences and similarities in public opinion and voting behavior.

PLSC 744au, Dynamics of Russian Politics. William Odom. Tuesday 1.30-3.20
Issues of political stability, constitutionalism, and institutions for political participation and governing are examined in light of contemporary events as well as the legacy of the Soviet period. Concepts from political development literature are used to devise alternative interpretations of the most critical determinants of Russian political change and stability, today and in the future. Huntington's Political Order in Changing Societies, Dahl's Polyarchy, Barrington Moore's The Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy, as well as selected journal articles on transitions to democracy, provide the analytic tools for analysis. Students write a short midterm essay on concepts for analysis, and they choose a research paper topic in one of the main issue areas, basing their research on the contemporary Russian press and other available sources on Russian affairs since 1985.

PLSC 748au, Political Economy, Governance, and Development. Leonard Wantchekon. Wednesday 1.30-3.20
The link between government structure, on the one hand, and economic growth and development, on the other, is contested, and the empirical evidence is inconclusive. For some, the problem with democracy is that the median voter will not support policies that require sacrifice in the present in order to produce growth in the longer term. For others, democracy is necessary for growth because it assures that the policies adopted will benefit the majority who then become supporters of growth.

PLSC 749au, Democracy after Civil War? Leonard Wantchekon. Tuesday 1.30-3.20
This seminar examines theoretical arguments and empirical evidence on the conditions under which democracy arises from civil war.The main topics include theories of warlord democratization, nature of first post-civil-war elections, the role of foreign interventions, and institutional engineering. The main theoretical readings include Hobbes, Machiavelli, Schumpeter, Tilly, and Levy. Empirical readings include Wod, Walter, and Doyle.

PLSC 755au, European Politics. David Cameron. Wednesday 1.30-3.20
A comprehensive survey of politics in Europe. Attention is concentrated upon the development of the European Union as a supranational organization-including recent developments associated with economic, monetary, and political union, and the developments that have occurred throughout Eastern Europe since 1989.

PLSC 758au, The Comparative Political Economy of Womanhood. Frances Rosenbluth. Wednesday 1.30-3.20
This course considers how women experience their life cycles across time (in historical perspective) and place (in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas). We employ three analytical lenses to help us interpret what we see: biology, markets, and power. These lenses help us understand how issues specific to women relate to debates in mainstream political economy.

PLSC 779a, Agrarian Societies: Culture, Society, History, and Development. James Scott, Michael Dove, Robert Harms, Linda Rebhun. Monday 1.30-5.20
An interdisciplinary examination of agrarian societies, contemporary and historical, Western and non-Western. Major analytical perspectives from economics, history, political science, and environmental studies are used to develop a meaning-centered and historically grounded account of the transformations of rural society. Team taught. Also ANTH 541a, F&ES 753a, HIST 965a.

PLSC 780au, Institutions and Transitions of Democracy. Ellen Lust-Okar. Tuesday 1.30-3.20
An examination of the institutional choices of regime transitions and their implications. Consideration of why some states create presidential systems and others parliamentary ones; the choices of various electoral rules; and political implications of these institutions for future regime change.

PLSC 783bu, Seminar on the IMF. James Vreeland. Monday 1.30-3.20
The International Monetary Fund is at a crossroads. Originally intended to provide exchange rate stability, the IMF has gradually become involved in the economic policies of most countries in the world. Since the East Asian financial crisis, however, the IMF has come under closer scrutiny than ever before. For the first time, calls for its reform and even its dissolution come from across the political spectrum.

PLSC 784au, Africa and the Disciplines. William Foltz, Christopher L. Miller. Tuesday 1.30-3.20
This seminar is designed to introduce students to the study of Africa from the perspective of the several disciplines, specifically history, anthropology politics and economics, law, literature, linguistics, and art history. It examines how Africa has been studied from the perspectives of the different disciplines, and also shows how the study of Africa has in turn contributed to the disciplines themselves. Also AFST 764au.

PLSC 793a, Chinese Politics. Pierre Landry. Tuesday 3.30-5.20
This seminar examines key theoretical and empirical approaches to the study of Chinese politics and political economy in the post-Mao era. Readings and seminar discussions are intended to familiarize students with the core literature in Chinese politics but also help them formulate an original research design, due at the end of the semester. In addition, participants are expected to write four analytical essays, each critiquing a set of weekly readings.

Political Economy

PLSC 712a,b, Political Economy. Frances Rosenbluth [F], Fiona McGillivray [Sp]. Monday 10-12
The course introduces graduate students to the basic theoretical and methodological approaches to political economy (most notably rational choice and game theory), as well as analyzing important empirical questions, and providing a forum for students to undertake their own research. Some of the empirical topics include transitions to democracy and the market, political competition and economic outcomes, globalization, deregulations, environment, regional integration, federalism and corruption.

American Politics

PLSC 800a, Introduction to American Politics. David Mayhew. Tuesday 1.30-3.20
An introduction to the analysis of U.S. politics. Approaches given consideration include classical separation of powers, political culture, civil society, the state, the public sphere, attitudes, power and influence, ideology, on-site contextual, econometrics of elections, rational actors, and formal theories of institutions.

PLSC 820a, Executive Politics and the Presidency. Stephen Skowronek. Wednesday 3.30-5.20
An examination of the structure and operations of the American presidency. Topics include the political development of the presidential office, the politics of leadership, relations with Congress and the Court, and the exercise of political power within the EOP. Also AMST 827a.

PLSC 827b, Political Advertising. John Lapinski.
This course evaluates the degree to which Americans' political opinions and actions are influenced by the mass media, particularly television. Specific topics include campaign communication and candidate strategy, how television affects the manner in which public officials govern, and the general role of the mass media in the democratic process.

PLSC 828b, American Political Development. Stephen Skowronek. Wednesday 3.30-5.20
An examination of patterns of political change and institutional development in the United States.The course considers patterns of reform, the political construction of interests and movements, problems of political culture, party building, and state building. Also AMST 828b.

PLSC 853au, U.S. National Elections. David Mayhew. Wednesday 1.30-3.20
A research seminar centering on presidential and congressional elections. Topics include electoral realignments, current presidential alignments, voter turnout, aggregate House election patterns, House incumbency advantage, challenger quality, career decisions, election laws, House and Senate constituencies, campaign finance, Senate elections, and divided party control.

PLSC 857au, The Future of American Cities. Douglas Rae.
A comparative study of American metropolitan region-Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Boston, Minneapolis, Seattle-considering the best strategies for dealing with their future development. Issues include governmental fragmentation, racial segregation, failing school systems, inefficient transportation, and uneven tax resources. Also MGMT 578a.

PLSC 871a, Health, Law, and Policy. Theodore Marmor, Robert Gordon.
Law and medicine are among the oldest professions, traditionally defined as occupations that collectively set and enforce standards of education, apprenticeship, and the quality of ethics and practice; that grant individual members a large autonomous discretion to determine how to apply those standards in practice in caring for the interests of clients, patients, and the public interest in justice and health; and that in return for adherence to such professional standards are protected from the competition of nonprofessionals and accorded high social status and the chance to earn a comfortable living. In the last twenty years both law and medicine have been undergoing massive structural changes in the organization and financing of their services, in large part driven by intense pressures (in law, chiefly from corporate clients; in medicine, from insurers and the federal government) to cut escalating costs. In both, the result of changes has been significantly to erode the authority and autonomy of professionals to control their markets and the terms on which their services will be rendered; both lawyers and doctors increasingly find that their decisions regarding service and treatment are subject to the direction, supervision, and second-guessing of outside monitors, bureaucratic hierarchies, and regulators. These developments (often coupled with new forms of competition from inside and outside the professions) have given rise to much protest and debate-with traditional lawyers and physicians claiming that new pressures toward standardization and regulation and increased competition are seriously compromising professional values of quality and care for clients/patients; and proponents countering that the new structures promote superior as well as more cost-effective service. This seminar aims to examine and compare the structural changes occurring in law and medicine and to assess their effects on professional values. Also LAW 20130, MGMT 985a.

PLSC 990a,b, Directed Reading. Faculty.

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