Topics course. This course examines the work of Michel Foucault (1926 - 84), French philosopher, social critic, historian and activist, and generally acknowledged as one of the most influential of the thinkers whose work is categorized as poststructuralist. Foucault's various inquiries into the production of knowledge and power have formed the paradoxically destabilizing foundation for much of the work on the status of the human subject in post-modernity.

Topics course. This seminar explores the status of the family in American political life and its role as a mediating structure between the individual and the state. Emphasis is placed on the role of the courts in articulating the rights of the family and its members. Suggested preparation: GOV 202 or WST 225.

Topics course. A comparative examination of McCarthyism, Watergate and Iran-Contra. A look at how our political institutions function under stress. Prerequisite: a 200-level course in American government.

A study of major ideas and theories of justice and rights since World War II. Beginning with the work of John Rawls and his critics, we move to examine the debates raised by Rawls in the works of other authors who take seriously his idea of building a just society for all. Special attention is paid to the politics of inclusion for groups based on race, gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity as their claims for rights/justice/inclusion present challenges to our rhetorical commitment to build a just and fair society for all.

What role do international organizations play in world politics, and what role should they play? Do international organizations represent humanity's higher aspirations, or are they simply tools of the wealthy and powerful? This course explores the problems and processes of international organizations by drawing on theoretical, historical and contemporary sources and perspectives. We focus on three contemporary organizations: the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and the European Union. Prerequisite: 241 or permission of the instructor.

This course examines the most important issues facing the U.S./Mexico border: NAFTA, industrialization, and the emergence of the maquiladoras (twin plants); labor migration and immigration; the environment; drug trafficking; the militarization of the border; and border culture and identity. The course begins with a comparison of contending perspectives on globalization before proceeding to a short overview of the historical literature on the creation of the U.S./Mexico border.

This course delves into the development issues facing Muslim-majority countries through a political economic lens and considers the validity of "Muslim exceptionalism" in the context of Muslim countries' developmental trajectories. The aim is to introduce students to the diversity of challenges facing the Muslim world, exploring the roots of underdevelopment and tentative progress under a variety of conditions, and inquiring whether these same challenges and successes are unique to Muslim countries or shared by their non-Muslim counterparts.

This course introduces students to comparative political analysis and provides a foundation to better understand major political, economic and social forces in a diverse set of countries. We first focus on key methods and concepts such as state and nation, asking where states come from and how are nations built. The course then addresses questions including: why are some countries democratic and others authoritarian; how do states promote or stymie economic development; and what role do civil society and social groups play in political and economic transition?

An analysis of the executive power in its constitutional setting and of the changing character of the executive branch.

The growth and development of political communities in metropolitan areas in the United States, with specific reference to the experiences of women, black and white. Focus on the social structuring of space; the ways patterns of urban development reflect prevailing societal views on relations of race, sex and class; intergovernmental relations; and the efforts of people -- through governmental action or popular movements -- to affect the nature and structure of the communities in which they live.