140 Gender Politics
This course will introduce students to the relationship between gender and politics by examining the American political system in historical and comparative perspectives. Topics will include the history of the women’s movement, policy debates critical to women in American society, feminist strategies for social change and gender issues in global politics. (This course is cross-listed with Women’s & Gender Studies)

141 Contemporary Revolutions
A comparative study of failed and successful revolutions of the 20th Century, examining revolutionary theory and the debates between revolutionaries. Using primary texts, students read the theorists and practitioners of each revolution studied. Cases include the successful Russian Revolution as the first model, followed by the unsuccessful German and Spanish revolutions, the Chinese and the Cuban Revolutions, the attempted French Revolution of May 1968, the Chilean revolutionary process of 1970-73, the Vietnamese Civil War, the Iranian and Nicaraguan revolutions of 1979.  Eastern European revolutions of 1989 are examined as the completion of the failed process of imposed revolutions from above and without after 1945. The causes and basis of social conflict are explored as well as the way rebellions, riots and insurrections can turn into revolutions. Questions are posed for the contemporary post-cold war world: after the Seattle ferment around globalization and the rise of religious nationalism and terror in the post-September 11th reaction, are revolutions in order?

142 African Politics
A study of the evolution of the African State from its colonial creation to its modern day “crisis” through an examination of how political, economic and social considerations have shaped and transformed African politics. Surveys the main political issues facing contemporary African states, including poverty, instability, ethnicity, class conflicts, integration in the world economy, corruption, authoritarianism, democratization and reversion to authoritarianism, state collapse, social disengagement, structural adjustment, and relations with former colonial powers.

143 Middle East Politics
An introductory comparative politics course in the Middle East, the course analyzes such specific problems as the role of the military, the process of modernization, the impact of state proliferation, and the consequences of socioeconomic disparities resulting from the recent influx of oil wealth.

144 Asian Politics
Analysis of political systems in the nonwestern developing regions of Asia, with emphasis on the process of modernization and the problem of political stability.

145 Latin American Politics
An examination of the historical evolution and present state of political systems in Mexico, Central America, and Southern Cone countries.  Alternative theoretical explanations of democratization, democratic consolidation, and the links between public policy and socio-economic development are emphasized.  Major themes of the course include measuring and explaining the quality of democratic governance, institutional variations, social justice, human rights, ideologies, and US policy toward the region.

146 Princes, Parliaments and Prime Ministers: A Political Tour of London, Paris, and Berlin
What does Prince William actually do?  Why do French politicians routinely survive sex scandals that would politically destroy an American politician?  Where have all the Nazis gone? Why does France have more than twenty political parties, including four “Green” parties and one devoted to hunting and fishing? What is the European Union and why should anybody, including Europeans, care about it?  Has Germany--after losing two world wars--finally conquered Europe?  For answers to these and other pressing questions you never thought of, try “Yahoo! Answers” or check out this course which will provide a whirlwind tour--“If this is May, we must be in Germany”-- of the governments and politics of Western Europe.  No prerequisites.

147 Soviet and Post-Soviet Russian Politics
A survey of the political, social, and economic development and demise of the Soviet Union from the Revolution to the present. The course takes an interdisciplinary and theoretical approach beginning with Marx, Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin, and goes on to Gorbachev’s attempted reform, and the disintegration of the USSR. The course finishes with an examination of the contradictions facing the present Russian government in its attempt at integration into the world economy and its response to the terminal crisis of a system in collapse.

148 Eastern European Politics
This course looks at Russian and Eastern European political institutions, political actors, and political processes. Structure and functions of the government and party apparatus are examined. The rise and fall of the communist party is traced. A large part of the course is devoted to an examination of ongoing changes in Russia and Eastern Europe, and towards that end a variety of topical issues are explored in some detail.

149 Topics in Comparative Politics
Examination of political systems not covered in other courses, investigating selected areas such as African, Canadian, or Pacific Rim countries. May be repeated for credit as content varies.