Teaching
Political Science 3540: Constructing States, Nations and Democracy
The course will examine the development of, and relationship among, the three constituent features of the modern political world: states, nations and democracy. The course will begin with the literature on state-building, investigating how and why states emerged first in Western Europe and then moving on to examine the challenges of state-building today. The course will then analyze how and why nations began to supplant other forms of identity during the early modern period in Europe, and then examine how and when national identities supplant or are submerged in other identities in different parts of the world today. The course will then move on to consider how state and nation building influence the strength and nature of democracy today. Overall, the course will provide an in-depth introduction to the historical and contemporary study of political development.
Political Science 4428: Topics in European Political Development
This is an upper-level course in postwar European political development with a focus on Western Europe. It is designed for undergraduates who already have some exposure to European history or politics and/or comparative politics, and graduate students. The course will analyze important theoretical works, and debates about critical issues and events in postwar European political development and place the European experience in comparative perspective.
Political Science 8493: Political Development
This is a graduate course in political development. It critically analyzes the theories and debates that define the field. Its goals are to encourage rigorous comparative thinking as well as prepare students for general exams and dissertation writing.
Political Science 8431: European Domestic Political Development
This is a graduate course in West European political development. It analyzes important theoretical works, and debates about, the evolution of European political systems and institutions and places the European experience in comparative perspective. The aim is to prepare students for general exams and stimulate thinking about dissertation topics.
Political Science 3401: Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe
This course examines the development of democracies and dictatorships in Europe from the French Revolution to the present day. It analyzes the nature and dynamics of European political history and uses the European experience as a foundation upon which to build a broader understanding of how different types of political regimes emerge, function and are sustained over time.
Political Science 3505: Making Democracy Work
This colloquium examines the problems faced by new democracies and what, if anything, outsiders can do to help them. The course begins with the literature on democratic consolidation, giving students an overview of the most important theories about what makes democracies work. It then explores historical cases of intervention and debates about America’s role in promoting democracy. Finally, it examines some of the research on democracy promotion, asking what can and should be done in this area in the future.
Political Science 3761-2: Senior Seminar
This course is designed to help students get through the process of writing a senior thesis.