Advising and Resources

POLS 2998 Sections

Instructor	Title	Description	Subdivision
Ahmed Zaki	Gender and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa	This course explores the different ways in which politics, in a broad sense, is gendered in the Middle East. It examines how the social and political construction of women as political subject influence the nature and practice of political life, as well as the ways in which sexual difference has served as a basis for social and political organization. It seeks to unravel, from a social science perspective, the political nature of the “woman’s question” in the Middle East. We seek here to go beyond the centrality of religion, mainly Islam, as the major cultural determent of the status of women in the Middle East, to discuss the role of the state, the social organization of religion and other cultural factors, and the role of local, national and transnational actors in determining the politics of gender in the region. We theoretically analyze the economic, social and political contexts of struggles around gender issues and cast a critical look at the policies of the postcolonial states in the region. Finally, we empirically examine in a number of issues such as the institutional roots of violence against women, the interaction of religion, law and interpretation, the mobilization of women’s movements and their relation to the state, the public/private divide and the gendered boundaries of public life. We also explore the role of oil in shaping the lives of women in the region. Finally, we will examine the challenges facing women in the wake of the Arab spring, and how Arab women mobilized in a diverse of ways to face those challenges.	Comparative Politics
Best	The Trump Legacy (Not available for credit if taken under former title, “Politics in the Time of Trump.”)	This course investigates the presidency of Donald Trump, exploring its impact on American politics. It begins by looking at how he successfully won the Republican nomination and Presidential election, considering his appeal to different segments of the electorate. It examines how the Trump Administration approached the key issues, laying out the reasoning and consequences of its decisions. It concludes by examining his reelection campaign and its aftermath.	American Politics
Ginsberg	Divided Government in America (W course)	This class will examine the impact divided government at the federal level has on passage of laws, policy enactment, policy provision, and legislative activity. This is a writing intensive course. Students will study the impact divided government has on that police issue.	American Politics (Stamford)
Grande	Intro to Native American and Indigenous Theory and Politics (Section 003)	This course introduces students to the study of Indigenous Theory and Politics through the fields’ major trajectories and key concepts. We will think with and alongside critical Indigenous scholars, artists, and community organizers. Also, because Indigenous politics are fundamentally place-based and emerge through kinship with land and all its relations, our studies will focus on the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island (North America) and Quinnehtukqut or what is currently called Connecticut.	Intersectional Indigeneity, Race, Ethnicity, and Politics
Grande	Theory and Politics of Student Government, Organizing and Activism	This course is designed for student leaders working in and across a variety of organizations, programs, and centers. Since the founding of American colleges and universities, students have been integral to broader social and political movements in and beyond the university. This course offers an opportunity to explore the historical, political, and theoretical foundations of these movements and their impact.	Intersectional Indigeneity, Race, Ethnicity, and Politics
House	National and Cyber Security	This course examines how the United States’ national security system has managed intelligence, defense and foreign policy since its creation in 1947 and is currently accommodating the advent of cyber weaponry. Specific areas of interest are national security leadership, structure and processes with some case studies. The course considers the evolution of cyber weaponry and how the United States has sought to integrate cyber offense and defense into national security management.	International Relations
Luo	Political Organizing (W course)	In this course, we will be exploring the theory and practice of "visionary organizing," a theory of progressive social change that tends to both internal and external transformation. Throughout the semester, we will be encountering various visions of revolution and evolution in the works of thinkers like Grace Lee Boggs, Octavia Butler, Gloria Anzaldúa, and more. The course will be divided into three units, focused on these questions: "Who are you and how do you want to grow? Who are our neighbors? What time is it on the clock of the world?" The course is designed to be co-created and students will be expected to participate in assigning books, poetry, music, or films that represent their answers to those questions. Throughout the semester, students will also be learning practical organizing lessons like how to craft compelling public narratives, carry out community conversations, and do power mapping.	Theory and Methodology
Morse	Politics in Africa (W course)	This course exposes students to the diverse and complex politics of sub-Saharan Africa. The course will incorporate narratives of African history, but also use the lens of political science theory to understand both persistence and change in African politics. The course is introductory and comparative in nature. We will delve into the pre-colonial and colonial history of Africa and explore the challenges of state building, the role of ethnic identity, the exercise of political power, and the nature of African political institutions and regimes. We will also spend time discussing what democracy means in Africa, what are the sources of economic development, and what the nature of civil conflict is. Note that this is a W course, meaning it is writing intensive and requires you to submit 15 pages of revised work throughout the semester.	Comparative (Stamford and Storrs)
Orozco Mendoza	Political Theories of Peace and Violence (W course)	This course explores political theorizing about the origins, motivations, and impacts of interstate as well as domestic war and the necessary conditions for peace. We ask whether a militaristic approach to solving conflict is unavoidable and the extent to which peace is better conducive to democracy, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability. Throughout the course, we will read both historical and contemporary political and philosophical texts that engage with the theme of peace and war globally to better understand how the present world is defined through the lens of war, violent/non-violent conflict, peace, and justice. Note. This is a W course. Students are required to write, revise, and re-submit an approximately 15-page, double spaced, paper to be completed throughout the semester.	Theory and Methodology
Pressman	The United States and Israel-Palestine (W course)	This class will address US government policy and societal perspectives toward Israel and Palestine. It will consider the US debate and the US impact on the conflict. Students will research specific aspects of the topic, with the aim of publicly posting the students’ case studies on a class website.	International Relations
Sterling-Folker	Nationalism and World Order (W course)	This course explores the practice of nationalism in both a domestic and global context.	International Relations

Instructor	Title	Description	Subdivision
Bergendahl	The CT General Assembly	This is the graded course for the Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) Legislative Internship Program. Since this internship program requires the completion of academic work for both the Director of the CGA Legislative Internship Program and the courses in which you are enrolled, we will meet on designated dates. Consider part of your time at the CGA as “field work.” On the dates we meet, as a group, we will discuss the internship experience and assess the different components of the legislative process, including, but not limited to, political parties, lobbyists, and elections. You will also complete participation assessments that test your understanding of the legislative process at these class meetings, including what may be covered in the assigned reading(s). As part of the internship program, you are required to track a bill as it moves through the legislative process. Your final presentation is based on that bill tracking project.	American Politics OR Public Administration, Policy, & Law
Best	The Trump Legacy (Not available for credit if taken under former title, “Politics in the Time of Trump.”)	This course investigates the presidency of Donald Trump, exploring its impact on American politics. It begins by looking at how he successfully won the Republican nomination and Presidential election, considering his appeal to different segments of the electorate. It examines how the Trump Administration approached the key issues, laying out the reasoning and consequences of its decisions. It concludes by examining his reelection campaign and its aftermath.	American Politics
Dudas	American Heroes and Villains (W course)	Both American politics and American popular culture are obsessed with stories of heroism and villainy. In this writing-intensive course we will explore the structure and content of these stories, paying particular attention to: 1) how in the American tradition heroism and villainy depend upon one another; 2) how the categories of heroism and villainy give rise to stock characters who both recur in our popular entertainment and influence the trajectory of our politics; and 3) how we employ these stock heroes and villains to understand both ourselves as citizens and those who are considered “other” to the American nation.	American Politics
Evers & Hill	U.S. Foreign Policy (W course)	For students in the Honors Congressional Internship Program.	International Relations OR American Politics
Gercek	Social Contract Theory and its Critics (W course)	Social contract theory is a tradition in Western political thought according to which a legitimate political authority rests on individuals' mutual agreement. This course explores this tradition with a particular attention to its defenders and its critics throughout the history of political thought. It compares early-modern social contract theorists and their respective ideas of the “state of nature,” sovereignty, freedom, and political authority. It also explores modern challenges to social contract theory with a specific focus on issues of history, revolution, and alienation. The course also examines contemporary scholarship that makes affirmative or critical appeals to this tradition in order to address problems such as social injustice and settler colonialism.	Theory and Methodology
Gordon	Women, Sexuality, and Social Movements (W course)	This cross-listed (POLS/WGSS), writing-intensive seminar will explore the centrality of power, solidarity, and storytelling to forging and sustaining effective progressive social movements. We will examine their meanings through a focus on women’s and queer leadership in two moments in U.S. struggles for racial justice, at sex worker activism and how it became allied with disabilities rights activism in Australia, and at ecological movements that frame sustaining an inhabitable and thriving Earth as inseparable from the growth of Indigenous and Afro-descended power and sovereignty.	Theory and Methodology OR Race, Gender, Ethnicity, and Politics
Kelly	Surveillance and the Politics of Visibility (W course)	In this W course, students will explore two distinct but intersecting themes: The “expansion of surveillance in U.S. society” and “the politics of visibility” that have accompanied this expansion. This course begins with a consideration of the theoretical foundations for understanding the cultural, social, and political impacts of surveillance. The remainder of the semester will be devoted to investigating the role that surveillance plays in making things, people, and/or issues either more or less visible. The political implications of both visibility and invisibility will be our primary focus. Students will be required to write and revise a 12-15 page paper that connects one or more course themes to George Orwell's novel 1984 (and/or an alternative book selected by the student and approved by the instructor).	Public Administration, Policy, and Law OR American Politics
Lee	Asian and Black Science Fiction	A course on the historical imaginations, racial politics, and economic analyses of Asian diasporic and African diasporic creators of science fiction (with “science fiction” broadly construed). Our basic premise is that such Asian and Black science fictions are a variety or kind of political theory. This is an experimental, discussion- and writing-based course.	Theory and Methodology
Lupton	American Political Polarization	This course will investigate rigorously the causes and consequences of partisan and ideological polarization in American politics. We will seek to understand the structural factors, core values, beliefs, issues, demographic characteristics and identities that divide Democrats from Republicans and liberals from conservatives. We will also explore differences within each party and speculate upon potential remedies for the dysfunction that the polarization phenomenon has wrought upon our national discourse and policymaking, as well as consider the potential benefits that distinct party positions offer the electorate.	American Politics (Stamford)
Morrell	Political Theory and Popular Music	An exploration of 17th to early 20th century political theories of anarchism, communism, conservatism, feminism, liberalism, race, and the state of nature, and an examination of their echoes in contemporary popular musical genres, for example folk, hip-hop, pop, reggae, and rock. Students will conduct original content analysis research connecting political theory to contemporary popular music genres and artists.	Theory and Methodology
Scruggs	Science, Technology and Public Opinion	This class will examine the relationship between recent developments in science and technology and democracy. What is the promise and peril of cutting edge technologies for automation and biotechnology? Why don’t all Americans know that most scientists believe that humans are causing global warming and that its harms are getting worse? What role does expert (as opposed to majority) opinion play in the discovery and dissemination of technologies? How do we reconcile public and private ownership of inherently collective discovery? Is most disagreement about science and technology driven more by ignorance, or by conflicting values of the importance of science and technology in human society? Is ignorance really easier to overcome than value conflict?	American Politics
Sylvester	The Politics of Memorializing War and Peace (W course)	War is memorialized far more than other types of public action, surely more than activities we associate with peace. This course explores the politics of what is memorialized, where and how in the USA and internationally, and considers issues such as attacks on memorials and debates over reasons certain memorials exist and other meaningful events are not memorialized.	International Relations
Waddell	The United States and the Vietnam War	Key questions include: Why did we get involved in Vietnam? How did we go about fighting this war? Why did we lose? What did the war do to those who fought it, and to our nation as a whole? What did we take away from our involvement in this war? Although the Vietnam War was the most significant event in America’s postwar era, it is too little studied and understood, receding further every year into the mists of history. Yet the War has much to tell us today about the limits of U.S. power, and about how war and the national security state distorted American democracy in significant ways. The War was the culmination of a particular mindset among American leaders that saw the world as a kind of chessboard in which the U.S. needed to marshal its considerable economic and military resources to control events in far-away places, an attitude that persists today. Due to an easy confidence and ideological certainty that ignored complex realities, we stumbled to a stunning defeat that undermined this nation’s faith in its leaders and that led to a broad attack by various government leaders and institutions on those who would question our leaders and their policies. How to tackle such a subject? A course on the United States and the Vietnam War means confronting a huge swath of modern American history, the enormous institutional changes initiated by World War II, and the attitudes and outlooks of an entire generation of political leaders. It also means confronting the experiences and memories of those who experienced the war firsthand. How to do this in one semester? My approach is to intermix scholarly analysis with memoirs and documentaries – to gain some analytical tools for comprehending why and how the War proceeded the way it did, but also to listen closely to the voices of those who experienced it.	International Relations OR American Politics OR Public Administration, Policy, and Law (Hartford)

Instructor	Title	Description	Subdivision
Best	The Trump Legacy	This course investigates the presidency of Donald Trump, exploring its impact on American politics. It begins by looking at how he successfully won the Republican nomination and Presidential election, considering his appeal to different segments of the electorate. It examines how the Trump Administration approached the key issues, laying out the reasoning and consequences of its decisions. It concludes by examining his reelection campaign and its aftermath.	American Politics
Dabrowski	Studying War Critically (W course)	Academic studies of war have traditionally taken a top-down, big-picture approach to understanding the topic. Historically, war is the primary topic of study for the field of international relations. This course aims to introduce students to alternative means by which war can be studied and analyzed. How does war embed itself in everyday lives? What is militarization? Are spaces of war separate from spaces of non-war? These questions and more guide this course’s exploration.	International Relations
Gercek	Social Contract Theory & its Critics (W course)	Social contract theory is a tradition in Western political thought according to which a legitimate political authority rests on individuals' mutual agreement. This course explores this tradition with a particular attention to its defenders and its critics throughout the history of political thought. It compares early-modern social contract theorists and their respective ideas of the “state of nature,” sovereignty, freedom, and political authority. It also explores modern challenges to social contract theory with a specific focus on issues of history, revolution, and alienation. The course also examines contemporary scholarship that makes affirmative or critical appeals to this tradition in order to address problems such as social injustice and settler colonialism.	Theory and Methodology
Perkoski	Rebel Group Dynamics (W course)	Rebel groups -- like terrorists and insurgent organizations -- face many difficult tasks. In this class we will explore how they recruit, finance, organize, and survive against much stronger state opponents.	International Relations
Sylvester	The Politics of Memorializing War & Peace (W course)	War is memorialized far more than other types of public action, surely more than activities we associate with peace. This course explores the politics of what is memorialized, where and how in the USA and internationally, and considers issues such as attacks on memorials and debates over reasons certain memorials exist and other meaningful events are not memorialized.	International Relations
Venator	Law and Ideology	This course provides a historical overview of the relationship between law and political ideologies. The course examines a wide range of historical examples of how different legal ideologies were invoked to legitimate political arguments. We will read a wide array of texts alluding to a wide array of debates including Socrates, Trial, the pamphlets of The White Rose, and President Clinton’s free speech argument on behalf of restraint during the Rwandan genocide.	Public Administration, Policy, and Law

Instructor	Title	Description	Subdivision
Anievas	IR Theory & the Rise of the West (W course)	What is often referred to as ‘the West’ has been the dominant power in world politics in the modern epoch. It was, however, not always like this. The ‘rise of the West’ was a historical process that was far from inevitable. The primary purpose of this course is to familiarize students with this history and the dominant theoretical frameworks that seek to explain it. To this end, the course will introduce students to a wide range of literatures and debates concerning the ‘rise of the West’ and, relatedly, the global origins and expansion of capitalism and the making of the modern international system. While focusing in particular on the field of International Relations, the course materials will also draw on various contributions from the classical social theory tradition, historical sociology and world history.	International Relations
Bergendahl	The CT General Assembly (Internship participants only)	This is the graded course for the Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) Legislative Internship Program. Since this internship program requires the completion of academic work for both the Director of the CGA Legislative Internship Program and the courses in which you are enrolled, we will meet on designated dates. Consider part of your time at the CGA as “classroom time.” On the dates we meet, as a group, we will discuss the internship experience and assess the different components of the legislative process. You will also complete participation assessments that test your understanding of the legislative process at these class meetings. As part of the internship program, you are required to track a bill as it moves through the legislative process. Your final presentation is based on that bill tracking project. You must provide an overview of the legislative process, especially in relation to how your bill has gone through it, noting which part of that process is the most influential.	American Politics
Bergendahl	Criminal Justice in Practice (W course, Section 009)	This course provides students with the opportunity to gain a more practical understanding of the criminal justice system- especially by way of active learning assignments. Students interested in possible careers in law enforcement, prosecution, criminal defense, courts, corrections, and rehabilitation and re-entry programs will find this course particularly useful as they will have the opportunity to meet and interact with the practitioners in the field as well as take part in simulations that provide a “realistic” understanding of the challenges faced by the actors in the system. From there, students will then develop strategies and solutions for dealing with those challenges and incorporate those findings into the final paper assignment for the semester.	Public Administration, Policy, and Law
Berghel	Repression in a Digital Age (W course)	The spread and use of digital age technologies are impacting political cultures, civil societies, and state-society relations in every region of the world. This class will review the history of these technologies and the human and machine networks that developed alongside them. We will explore the debates about its potential for democratization as well as the evolution of these tools of interstate war, commerce, communication, and entertainment into 21^st century instruments of state repression. We will draw upon insights from the literature on social psychology, contentious politics, and political regimes to help us investigate the variation in digital authoritarianism and identify patterns of state behavior as they relate to regime durability. Topics include mass mobilization, e-governance, the Arab Spring, mass surveillance, censorship, disinformation, and artificial intelligence.	Comparative Politics
Best	The Trump Legacy	This course investigates the presidency of Donald Trump, exploring its impact on American politics. It begins by looking at how he successfully won the Republican nomination and Presidential election, considering his appeal to different segments of the electorate. It examines how the Trump Administration approached the key issues, laying out the reasoning and consequences of its decisions. It concludes by examining his reelection campaign and its aftermath.	American Politics
Dabrowski	Studying War Critically (W course)	Academic studies of war have traditionally taken a top-down, big-picture approach to understanding the topic. Historically, war is the primary topic of study for the field of international relations. This course aims to introduce students to alternative means by which war can be studied and analyzed. How does war embed itself in everyday lives? What is militarization? Are spaces of war separate from spaces of non-war? These questions and more guide this course’s exploration.	International Relations
Dudas	American Political Heroes & Villains (W course)	Both American politics and American popular culture are obsessed with stories of heroism and villainy. In this writing-intensive course we will explore the structure and content of these stories, paying particular attention to: 1) how in the American tradition heroism and villainy depend upon one another; 2) how the categories of heroism and villainy give rise to stock characters who both recur in our popular entertainment and influence the trajectory of our politics; and 3) how we employ these stock heroes and villains to understand both ourselves as citizens and those who are considered ‘other’ to the American nation.	American Politics
Gercek	Social Contract Theory & its Critics (W course)	Social contract theory is a tradition in Western political thought according to which a legitimate political authority rests on individuals' mutual agreement. This course explores this tradition with a particular attention to its defenders and its critics throughout the history of political thought. It compares early-modern social contract theorists and their respective ideas of the “state of nature,” sovereignty, freedom, and political authority. It also explores modern challenges to social contract theory with a specific focus on issues of history, revolution, and alienation. The course also examines contemporary scholarship that makes affirmative or critical appeals to this tradition in order to address problems such as social injustice and settler colonialism.	Theory and Methodology
Ginsberg	Divided Government in the United States (W course)	This course will attempt to understand the governmental phenomenon of Divided Government – how it happens and its consequences. This course is extremely timely as we enter an election year and citizens will once again have to choose their elected representatives in the fall. Will the November 2022 election results lead to a Divided Government or will government remain unified?	American Politics (Stamford)
Gordon	Gender, Sexuality, & Social Movements (W course)	This cross-listed (POLS/WGSS), writing-intensive seminar will assess how social movements have been defined, categorized, and theorized through exploring a range of historical and global examples of collective efforts that mobilize insights and aspirations based in experiences of gender, sexuality, race, indigeneity, disability, class, nationality, and spirituality to expand meaningful options and freedoms. Students will choose a particular movement and movement members to make their primary focus, drawing from those that critically engage with capitalism, colonialism, democracy, and globalization and seek economic and environmental justice, health, and sexual freedom.	Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics OR Theory and Methodology
Grande	Native American & Indigenous Theories of Liberation	In this moment of increased state violence, this course is committed to foregrounding Native American and Indigenous theories of liberation and resurgence. Over the semester, students will engage in sustained inquiry into the tensions and intersections between liberal and radical theories as articulated Indigenous politics, paying particular attention to the interplay of racial capitalism and settler colonialism, historically and in the present day. Finally, while our aim is to develop deeper understandings of the various manifestations of racialized and colonialist violence and injustice, we also look forward to envisioning new possibilities and horizons. Together we will engage the question posed by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor: “How do we get free?”	Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics
Hettinger	Women & the Law	This course explores the status of women under the law in the United States. Examines how advocates for women’s rights have used the political process and the judicial system to fight for recognition and equality and how opponents have used the same processes and systems to block those efforts.	Public Administration, Policy, and Law
House	National & Cyber Security	This course examines how the United States has managed national security challenges and is accommodating the advent of cyber threats to national security. It reviews the evolution of the U.S. national security system from 1947 to the present: leadership, structure, processes, the role of intelligence, assessment of priorities and some case studies. The course concurrently considers the evolution of cybersecurity threats to the United States and how the national security system addresses them, including the roles of our allies, state and local governments and the private sector.	International Relations
Kelly	Surveillance & the Politics of Visibility (W course)	In this course students will explore two distinct but intersecting themes: The “expansion of surveillance in U.S. society” and “the politics of visibility” that have accompanied this expansion. This course begins with a consideration of the theoretical foundations for understanding the cultural, social, and political impacts of surveillance. A central focus of the course will be on the role that surveillance plays in making things, people, and issues either more or less visible. Topics to be discussed include: national security, crime control, artificial intelligence, big data, income and racial inequality, and environmental justice. Students will be expected to come to class prepared to discuss and analyze the readings. Grading will be based on weekly reading question response, seminar participation, a draft paper, and a final paper.	Public Administration, Policy, and Law
Luo	Political Organizing	This course is about both the theory and practice of political organizing for social change. We will be exploring how social movements have been formed and carried out through focusing on a range of historical and global examples of collective efforts that utilize people power to create political change. The movements we study will range from a variety of movements that critically engage with capitalism, colonialism, democracy, and globalization and seek racial, economic, environmental, and sexual freedom (just to name a few). We will be hearing from various activists and community organizers who have various different theories and practices of political organizing in order to learn from their experiences. Students will also be practicing together various political organizing skills such as how to carry out community conversations, coaching others, power mapping, etc. Students will be expected to choose a particular movement to make their primary focus, with an emphasis on their local communities.	Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics OR Theory and Methodology (Hartford)
Morrell	Political Theory and Popular Music	An exploration of 17th to early 20th century political theories of anarchism, communism, conservatism, feminism, liberalism, race, and the state of nature, and an examination of their echoes in contemporary popular musical genres, for example folk, hip-hop, pop, reggae, and rock. Students will conduct original content analysis research connecting political theory to contemporary popular music genres and artists.	Theory & Methodology
Orozco Mendoza	Latin American Feminist Theory (W course)	This course considers the historical development and contemporary formations of Latin American feminist theory. Students in this course will study foundational authors and texts who have considerably impacted the development of Latin American feminist theory. Some of the central questions in this course are: what is Latin American feminist theory? Who are the leading proponents of this field, and what methods do they employ? What role does Latin American feminism extend to experience/praxis? What central themes, preoccupations, and political problems guide feminist inquiry in Latin America? How has Latin American feminist thought traveled beyond the geographical area of the Americas, and with what effects? In exploring these questions, students will examine how considerations of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality intersect in Latin American feminist thought.	Theory and Methodology
Sylvester	The Politics of Memorializing War & Peace (W course)	War is memorialized far more than other types of public action, surely more than activities we associate with peace. This course explores the politics of what is memorialized, where and how in the USA and internationally, and considers issues such as attacks on memorials and debates over reasons certain memorials exist and other meaningful events are not memorialized.	International Relations
Venator Santiago	The Puerto Rican Catastrophe	The United States invented a new type of expansionist territorial law and policy global in scope to rule the annexed ultramarine territories acquired in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War of 1898. Also known as the “Third View,” the new territorial law and policy was created as an alternative to the prevailing colonial and imperialist traditions. The ensuing territorial doctrine described Puerto Rico as an unincorporated territory that could be ruled as a foreign possession for domestic or constitutional purposes. Since 1898, the United States has ruled Puerto Rico as a separate and unequal territory that belongs to, but is not a part of the Anglo-American polity. The United States has invoked this territorial doctrine to legitimate its response to various types of catastrophes that have historically affected Puerto Rico.	Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics

Instructor	Title	Description	Subdivision
Berghel	Repression in a Digital Age (W course)	The spread and use of digital age technologies are impacting political cultures, civil societies, and state-society relations in every region of the world. This class will review the history of these technologies and the human and machine networks that developed alongside them. We will explore the debates about its potential for democratization as well as the evolution of these tools of interstate war, commerce, communication, and entertainment into 21^st century instruments of state repression. We will draw upon insights from the literature on social psychology, contentious politics, and political regimes to help us investigate the variation in digital authoritarianism and identify patterns of state behavior as they relate to regime durability. Topics include mass mobilization, e-governance, the Arab Spring, mass surveillance, censorship, disinformation, and artificial intelligence.	Comparative Politics
Best	The 2020 Presidential Election	This course examines the 2020 presidential election, investigating how the race unfolded and what were the key factors shaping its outcome. It explores how Biden successfully won the Democratic nomination, topping 28 other candidates in the race, as well as defeated Trump in the general election. It focuses on the issues, groups, and tactics instrumental to the result.	American Politics
Evers	International Security (W course)	Theory and practice of international security. Topics include why groups use terrorism, why states go to war, the emergence of humanitarian intervention, and the role of technology ranging from nuclear weapons to computer viruses.	International Relations (Stamford)
Gercek	Social Contract Theory and its Critics (W course)	Social contract theory is a tradition in Western political thought according to which a legitimate political authority rests on individuals' mutual agreement. This course explores this tradition with a particular attention to its defenders and its critics throughout the history of political thought. It compares early-modern social contract theorists and their respective ideas of the “state of nature,” sovereignty, freedom, and political authority. It also explores modern challenges to social contract theory with a specific focus on issues of history, revolution, and alienation. The course also examines contemporary scholarship that makes affirmative or critical appeals to this tradition in order to address problems such as social injustice and settler colonialism.	Theory and Methodology
Grande	Theory and Politics of the University (W course)	This course examines the university as an arm of the state, a tool of social reproduction, and site of possibility. Students will consider how conventional renderings of higher education presume a depoliticized if not romanticized vision of the university, detached from politics of imperialism, militarism, racism, and nationalism. Students will consider the broader social and political economy of the university, engaging contemporary debates on the corporatization and privatization of public higher education, rising tuition rates and student debt, the assault on humanities and ethnic studies, and the adjunctification of labor. Finally, students will work to imagine the university beyond its current parameters, thinking critically about the radical possibilities of a university aligned with social and political movements beyond the institution.	Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics OR American Politics
Morrell	Political Theory and Popular Music	An exploration of 17th to early 20th century political theories of anarchism, communism, conservatism, feminism, liberalism, race, and the state of nature, and an examination of their echoes in contemporary popular musical genres, for example folk, hip-hop, pop, reggae, and rock. Students will conduct original content analysis research connecting political theory to contemporary popular music genres and artists.	Theory and Methodology
Orozco Mendoza	Comparative Political Theory		Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics
Richards	IR in Film (W course)	Not only have films addressed seemingly every possible issue in the realm of world politics, but the medium itself allows these issues to be explored in ways that inform and connect to us differently than can a book, journal article, or newspaper story. Thus, as students of international relations, we do ourselves a favor in taking seriously the intellectual possibilities offered to us by films. We will be discussing films from across a wide spectrum of well-established genres, including: science fiction, comedy, anime, drama, romance, and documentary. Our goal is to appreciate and understand how films affect how we think about world politics.	International Relations
Scruggs	Public Opinion and Science: The Crisis of Faith in Science and Technology	This class will examine the decline in public confidence about science. Why don’t all Americans agree that most scientists believe that humans are causing global warming and warming is increasing? Is vaccine hesitancy greater in America than Europe? Is disagreement about science and technology driven by relative ignorance, or by conflicting values of the importance of science and technology? What is the promise or peril of cutting-edge technologies for automation (e.g., artificial intelligence or autonomous vehicles) and biotechnology (e.g., CRISPR-CAS9)? We will examine these questions in part by examining data from public opinion polls, and students will learn how to access and evaluate key questions using public opinion poll data.	Comparative Politics OR Public Administration, Policy, and Law
Sylvester	The Politics of Memorializing War and Peace (W course)	War is memorialized far more than other types of public action, surely more than activities we associate with peace. This course explores the politics of what is memorialized, where and how in the USA and internationally, and considers issues such as attacks on memorials and debates over reasons certain memorials exist and other meaningful events are not memorialized.	International Relations
Venator-Santiago	Law and Ideology	This course provides a historical overview of the relationship between law and political ideologies. The course examines a wide range of historical examples of how different legal ideologies were invoked to legitimate political arguments. We will read a wide array of texts alluding to a wide array of debates including Socrates, Trial, the pamphlets of The White Rose, and President Clinton’s free speech argument on behalf of restraint during the Rwandan genocide.	Public Administration, Policy, and Law
Waddell	The United States and the Vietnam War	How to tackle such a subject? A course on the United States and the Vietnam War means confronting a huge swath of modern American history, the enormous institutional changes initiated by World War II, and the attitudes and outlooks of an entire generation of political leaders. It also means confronting the experiences and memories of those who experienced the war firsthand. How to do this in one semester? My approach is to intermix scholarly analysis with memoirs and documentaries – to gain some analytical tools for comprehending why and how the War proceeded the way it did, but also to listen closely to the voices of those who experienced it.	American Politics OR Public Administration, Policy, and Law OR International Relations (Hartford)

Instructor	Title	Description	Subdivision
Venator- Santiago	Constitutional Dictatorship		Public Administration, Policy, and Law

Instructor	Title	Description	Subdivision
Ahmed Zaki	Comparative Law and Society (W Course)		Comparative Politics
Anievas	IR Theory and Rise of the West	What is often referred to as ‘the West’ has been the dominant power in world politics in the modern epoch. It was, however, not always like this. The ‘rise of the West’ was a historical process that was far from inevitable. The primary purpose of this course is to familiarize students with this history and the dominant theoretical frameworks that seek to explain it. To this end, the course will introduce students to a wide range of literatures and debates concerning the ‘rise of the West’ and, relatedly, the global origins and expansion of capitalism and the making of the modern international system. While focusing in particular on the field of International Relations, the course materials will also draw on various contributions from the classical social theory tradition, historical sociology and world history.	International Relations
Best	Politics in the Time of Trump		American Politics
Dudas	Heroes and Villains in American Politics (W Course)	An exploration of how conventional understandings of heroism and villainy influence American politics and, reciprocally, how reigning trends in American politics influence widely shared conceptions of heroism and villainy.	American Politics
Gercek	Social Contract Theory and its Critics (W Course)		Theory and Methodology
Grande	Black and Indigenous Theories of Resurgence and Liberation (W Course)		Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics
Hettinger	Gender and the Law		Public Administration, Policy, and Law
Kelly	Surveillance of the Politics of Visibility (W Course)	In this course students will explore two distinct but intersecting themes: The “expansion of surveillance in U.S. society” and “the politics of visibility” that have accompanied this expansion. This course begins with a consideration of the theoretical foundations for understanding the cultural, social, and political impacts of surveillance. A central focus of the course will be on the role that surveillance plays in making things, people, and issues either more or less visible. Topics to be discussed include: national security, crime control, artificial intelligence, big data, income and racial inequality, and environmental justice. Students will be expected to come to class prepared to discuss and analyze the readings. Grading will be based on weekly reading question response, seminar participation, a draft paper, and a final paper.	Public Administration, Policy, and Law
Sterling-Folker	Nationalism and World Order (W Course)		International Relations
Sylvester	Politics of War through Fiction		International Relations
Venator	Constitutional Dictatorship		Public Administration, Policy, and Law
Venator	Puerto Rican Catastrophe		Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics

Instructor	Title	Subdivision
Ahmed Zaki	Gender and Politics in the Middle East (W Course)	Comparative Politics
Best	The 2020 Elections	American Politics
Gercek	Rethinking Collectivity	Theory and Methodology OR Comparative Politics
Grande	COVID19, Indigeneity, Race and Racialization (W Course)	Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics
House	National and Cyber Security	International Relations
Ladewig	The 2020 Presidential Election (W Course)	American Politics
Morrell	Political Theory and Popular Music	Theory and Methodology
Pressman	Contemporary Affairs in the Middle East	International Relations
Schurin	Critical Elections in US History (W Course)	American Politics
Sylvester	Politics of Memorializing War and Peace (W Course)	International Relations
Sylvester	Politics of War through Fiction (W Course)	International Relations
Venator	Totalitarianism and Latin America	Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics
Venator	Legal Histories Research (W Course)	Public Administration, Policy, and Law

Instructor	Title	Subdivision
Ahmed Zaki	Comparative Government and Politics in the Middle East	Comparative Politics
Bergendahl	CT General Assembly (internship participants only)	Public Administration, Policy, and Law
Bergendahl	Women and the Law	Public Administration, Policy, and Law
Besso	Political Crises in American Politics	American Politics
Best	Politics in the Times of Trump	American Politics
Doukas	Colonialism, Racism, and US Polity (W course)	Theory and Methodology OR American Politics OR Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics (Hartford)
Dudas	Heroes and Villains in 21st Century Politics	American Politics
Kashwan	Indian Politics and Economy	Comparative Politics
Kelly	Politics of Surveillance and Visibility	Public Administration, Policy, and Law
Lupton	Campaigns and Elections (W course) (May see course as "Primary Campaigns" on transcript)	American Politics (Stamford)
Morse	Democracy and Democratization	Comparative Politics
Perkoski	Rebel Group Dynamics	International Relations
Venator	The Puerto Rican Catastrophe	Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics

Instructor	Title	Subdivision
Beltran-Alvarez	Political Thought of the Margins	Theory and Methodology
Bergendahl	Criminal Justice in Practice	Public Administration, Policy, and Law
Best	Politics in the Time of Trump	American Politics
Doukas	Families, Intimacy, and the Political State	Theory and Methodology
Kashwan	Contentious Politics and Collective Action (W Course)	Comparative Politics
Ladewig	Making the Modern American Presidency	American Politics
Ladewig	Congressional Apportionment and Redistricting	American Politics
Perkoski	Technology and Security	International Relations
Pressman	Protest in the United States	American Politics
Scruggs	Experiments and Experimental Design in POLS	Theory and Methodology
Simien	Historic Firsts in US Elections	American Politics
Sylvester	Politics of Memorializing War and Peace	International Relations
Venator	Totalitarianism and Latino American Political Thought	Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics
Venator	Constitutional Dictatorship	Public Administration, Policy, and Law
Zaki	Comparative Gender Politics	Comparative Politics

Pre-Approved Related Courses

Students may take all 2000-level or higher courses in the following subject areas. Any course in these departments that is cross-listed with POLS will count towards the major and not as a related course.

ANTH - Anthropology
ECON - Economics
GEOG - Geography
HIST - History
HRTS - Human Rights
PHIL - Philosophy
PP - Public Policy
SOCI - Sociology

Courses from the following list (or their W variant) and other courses as approved by advisor. (Click on a subject below to see which specific courses are approved.)

COMM 2200: Interpersonal Communication
COMM 2300: Effects of Mass Media
COMM 2500: Persuasion
COMM 3130: Communication in Conflict Management
COMM 3210: Gender and Communication
COMM 3241: Motivation and Emotion
COMM 3310: Media Literacy and Criticism
COMM 3321: Latinas and Media
COMM 3410: Political Communication
COMM 3415: Protest & Communication
COMM 3530: Public Relations
COMM 3605: Communication Technology and Social Change
COMM 4200: Advanced Interpersonal Communication
COMM 4411: International Communication and Conflict
COMM 4501: Advanced Persuasion and Communication
COMM 4510: Communication Campaigns & Applied Research

WGSS 2105: Gender and Science
WGSS 2124: Gender and Globalization
WGSS 2263: Women, Gender, and Violence
WGSS 2267: Women and Poverty
WGSS 3042: Baseball and Society: Politics, Economics, Race, and Gender
WGSS 3102: Psychology of Women
WGSS 3105: The Politics of Reproduction
WGSS 3210: Gender and Communication
WGSS 3253: Gender Representations in US Popular Culture
WGSS 3255: Sexual Citizenship
WGSS 3260: Latinas and Media
WGSS 3264: Gender in the Workplace
WGSS 3269: Gender, Sexuality, and Social Movements
WGSS 3270: Masculinities

There are a lot of different options when it comes to how to fulfill your requirements. This is only one of many. You do not have to do things this way. This is just to give you an idea.

This sequence was created as if a student wasn't bringing in any credits. You may very well have credit that's helping you fulfill one or more requirements.

A slash "/" means a course is fulfilling more than one requirement. You can do this less frequently or more frequently than is done here.

Tips

You DO need to complete at least 120 credits.
You DO need to complete at least 45 credits at the 2000 level or above.
You CAN use double major, dual degree, and minor courses as your relateds.
You CAN take summer and/or winter classes if you'd like.
You CAN request permission to take excess credits if you have the appropriate GPA.
You CAN take your POLS subdivision courses and POLS additional major courses in any order.
You DO NOT have to have a Q in your major. You DO NOT have to have a Q in a related. These are just ways in which you could potentially fulfill multiple requirements with one class.
You DO NOT have to study abroad.
You DO NOT have to do an internship.
You DO NOT have to complete your requirements in four years if more or less time works better for you.
You DO NOT have to take 1000 level POLS classes before 2000 level and above POLS classes.

First Year, Fall Semester

Course	Credits
ENGL 1007	4
Language Elementary I	4
POLS 1000 level/CA 2/CA 4	3
POLS 1000 level/CA 1D	3
UNIV 1800	1

Total credits: 15

First Year, Spring Semester

Course	Credits
CA 1A	3
CA 2	3
Language Elementary II	4
MATH or STAT Q	3 or 4
POLS 1000 level/CA 4	3

Total Credits: 16 or 17

Second Year, Fall Semester

Course	Credits
CA 1B	3
CA 1C	3
Language Intermediate I	4
POLS 2000+ level (additional major)/W	3
POLS 2000+ level (subdivision)	3

Total Credits: 16

Second Year, Spring Semester

Course	Credits
CA 1 1 more/W	3
CA 3 (non-lab)/E	3
Language Intermediate II	4
POLS 2000+ level (additional major)	3
POLS 2000+ level (subdivision)	3

Total Credits: 16

Third Year, Fall Semester

strong>Course	Credits
CA 3 (lab)	4
POLS 2000+ level (additional major)/Q	3
POLS 2000+ level (subdivision)	3
Related 2000+ level	3
Related 2000+ level	3

Total Credits: 16

Third Year, Spring Semester

Course	Credits
POLS 2000+ level (additional major)	3
POLS 2000+ level (subdivision)	3
Related 2000+ level/Q	3
Related 2000+ level	3
UNIV 3088	1

Total Credits: 13

Fourth Year, Fall Semester

Course	Credits
Study abroad	15

Total Credits: 15

Fourth Year, Spring Semester

Course	Credits
2000+ level	3
2000+ level	3
2000+ level	3
Internship	3
UNIV 3088	1

Total Credits: 13

Additional Notes

Go to the Forms section of this page for a copy of the Major Plan of Study.
You can find a list of pre-approved related courses in the Courses and Credits section of this page.
Go to the General Education section of the CLAS Academic Services Center's webpage for information about which courses are approved to fulfill which general education requirements.

Academic Achievement Center: Assists students in attaining their academic and personal goals by providing a comprehensive, personalized array of programs, resources, and services which enhance skill development, effective decision-making, and personal transitions to and within the university setting.

Center for Students with Disabilities: Engages in an interactive process with each student and determines appropriate accommodations on an individualized, case-by-case, class-by-class basis.

CLAS Academic Services Center: Coordinates all academic advising for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Student Health and Wellness-Mental Health: Offers a variety of virtual mental health services for students with an existing relationship with the center, students who are seeking new services, and students experiencing a mental health crisis or emergency.

Experiential Global Learning: Coordinates study abroad programs for students in all majors and all colleges.

Student Activities: Provides programs and services that promote student self-governance, respect for diversity, civic responsibility, and lifelong learning.

Dean of Students: Provides interactions that help all students experience a sense of community and belonging and access to support resources to help students navigate challenges that sometimes arise during their college experience.

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Phone:	(860) 486-2440
E-mail:	pols@uconn.edu
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