Open to all majors for summer term.

This course is designed to introduce students to the scientific study of violent political conflict. We will examine the dynamics of political violence, specifically related to why and how it emerges and in what forms.

This course provides an introduction to the historic and current political dynamics of East Asia and examines several major topics such as the political, economic, and security issues in the region. We will focus upon primary regional players such as China, Japan, and South Korea as well as their relationship with regards to the United States. Other topics of interest that will be covered include current issues such as territorial disputes, the increasingly prominent role of nationalism, and efforts at addressing North Korean nuclearization.

Course is open to all majors for Summer 2022.

In this course, we will explore whether or not we're experiencing a democratic recession in which the norms of dictatorship are becoming more widely accepted. We'll ask how authoritarian regimes are working to influence the world in order to make it safe for dictatorship. Some of the specific tactics we'll examine include the distribution of misinformation on social media, the hiring of foreign lobbying firms, and even assassinating dissidents living in exile. We'll ask whether these tactics are new or recycled, and whether aggressive actions by the world's dictators constitute an existential threat to democracy.

This course will serve as a survey of "pop" culture and how it relates to the American political system. While many people are not that interested in politics or watch the news everyday, they do interact on social media, see art, go to movies, and watch TV. In many cases these things are intertwined with concepts of political science. Because of this, they are an important component of political socialization and heuristics. In this course, we will focus on film and television but will also briefly cover other forms of expression including literature, fashion, and art. Structurally, we will examine pop culture's influence in six areas: legislative politics, presidential politics, judicial politics, interest groups/lobbying, the military, and social justice. Note: Much of the material we engage with will contain images, language, and themes that some people may find offensive. If you have concerns about registering for this course, please contact the instructor.

This course is an advanced seminar on the psychological underpinnings of social and political polarization of the mass public, with a focus on identity and social cognition. This course focuses primarily on intra- and intergroup relations at the group level, covering topics such as: social identity and categorization; when, why, and how "Us and Them" becomes "Us Against Them"; the effects of group identity and culture on perception, information processing, and cognition; and what this means for politics, polarization, and conflict. The course is generally useful to those in any field of study within government and politics, but especially those with an interest in understanding how identity is shaped, the power of identity to affect the way we think about and see the world, and political polarization.

The United States has one of the highest levels of economic inequality in the developed world. While some level of economic inequality is inherent and even desirable in a capitalistic economy, many scholars believe that the level of inequality that prevails in the United States erodes generalized levels of trust, poisons interpersonal relationships, and ultimately makes it far more difficult to govern a democratic society. This course examines the roots of American economic inequality, with a tight focus on how laws adopted through democratic processes have resulted in a huge transfer of wealth from the hands of the many to the hands of the few.