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Department of Politics
DIRECTORY OF COURSES
ACADEMIC YEAR 2007-2008
April 2007
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Politics Course Directory 2007/8
All details are correct at the time of going to print (April 2007)
The Department reserves the right to change any of the details in this directory
without prior notification.
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Politics Course Directory 2007/8
The course directory provides you with the information you need to complete
your pre-registration form. Courses are listed below by Level.
We register students for courses for the coming academic year during the third
term of the preceding year. Each student is required to make a selection of
course units they would like to study in the coming session.
To pre-register, you will need the following:
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Pre-registration form 2007/8
List of courses 2007/8
Timetable 2007/8
Course Directory 2007/8
Please collect these from the Politics office or download from the politics website
www.politics.qmul.ac.uk
When making course selections, it is your responsibility to make sure that there
are as few clashes as possible. Do not choose a course that overlaps with a course
you’ve already taken.
DO NOT APPLY FOR A COURSE WITH PRE-REQUISITES IF YOU HAVE
NOT TAKEN AND PASSED THAT COURSE.
Once we have received your pre-registration we will then allocate you to courses.
We will try to give you at least one of your top four choices; however, this may
not always be possible (where demand for a course is high; where there are
limited spaces on a course etc.)
PLEASE NOTE: ALL FORMS SHOULD BE RECEIVED BY THE POLITICS
OFFICE NO LATER THAN 12 NOON ON FRIDAY, 25th MAY 2007.
The College allows you to select two courses from a different Department/School
during each year of your course. If you are thinking of doing so, please consult
with your Personal Advisor and indicate in the form.
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Politics Course Directory 2007/8
Courses available for registration 2007-2008
Semester 3 =
Semester 4 =
Semester 5 =
Semester 6 =
Autumn Term,
Spring Term,
Autumn Term,
Spring Term,
2nd year course
2nd year course
3rd year course
3rd year course
2nd Year Courses
Course: POL/206
Title: Modern Political Thought I and II
Value: 2.0 cu.
Semester: 3&4
Contact: Prof Jeremy Jennings/Dr Caroline Williams
Prerequisite: POL/100
Timetable: Lecture Thursday 11-12 pm, seminars 12-1 and 2-3 and 3-4 pm
Overlap: HST428 History of Western Political Thought
Description: The course offers an introduction to Modern Political Thought by
critically examining the texts and ideas of major political thinkers of the
seventeenth to twentieth century. The first semester this year will consider
Machiavelli and the social contract theorists: Hobbes, Locke & Rousseau. This
will enable students to assess the foundations of the history of political thought.
The second semester will focus upon the development of political thought in the
nineteenth century, with special emphasis upon the work of Marx and Nietzsche.
Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/206A; Spring Semester
POL/206B. This course is compulsory for single honours Politics students.
History/Politics joint honours students must take either POL206 or HST428
History of Western Political Thought.
Course: POL/207
Title: Latin American Politics
Value: 2.0 cu
Semester: 3&4
Contact: Dr Marianna Jimenez-Huerta
Prerequisite: POL/100 or POL/101
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday 2-3 pm, seminars 10-11, 11-12, 12-1 and 3-4 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course provides an introduction to the political history and
analysis of modern Latin America. Semester one focuses on country case
studies,including Mexico,Cuba, Nicaragua, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and
Colombia. Semester two considers the main political themes of the contemporary
period, including military dictatorship, marginality, guerrilla warfare, US policy
and transitions to democracy and neo-liberalism. Associate student registration:
Autumn Semester POL/207A; Spring Semester POL/207B.
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Course: POL/210
Title: Nations, States and Nationalism
Value: 2.0 cu.
Semester: 3&4
Contact: Dr Brendan O'Duffy
Prerequisite: POL/100 or POL/101
Timetable: Lecture Monday 11-12 pm; seminars 12-1, 2-3 and 3-4 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The course is divided into two parts. In Part I (Autumn Semester)
we will examine and evaluate theoretical explanations of nations and nationalism,
focusing on explanations of the basis of national identity, historical processes of
nation-building, and the political impact of nationalism on states and the interstate system. In Part II (Spring Semester), we will examine the strategies used by
modern states to resolve or regulate ethno-national conflict, focusing on three
case-studies: Israel/Palestine, South Africa, and Northern Ireland. By the end of
the course students should be able to use their understanding of the theory and
practice of nationalism to make prescriptive recommendations for different
regulation strategies in different conflict situations, utilising both normative and
empirical arguments. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester
POL/210A; Spring Semester POL/210B.
Course: POL/215
Title: British Political System
Value: 2.0 cu.
Semester: 3&4
Contact: Dr Judith Bara
Prerequisite: POL/100
Timetable: Lecture Monday 10-11 am; seminars 11-12, 12-1 and 2-3 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course will provide students with an advanced knowledge of
the British Political system. It is divided into two principal parts: the study of the
institutions of British politics, and the study of political culture, behaviour and
participation within those institutions. Topics covered include: the constitution,
Parliament, Prime Minister and the Cabinet system, civil service devolution, local
government, the electoral and party system, political parties, representation, and
electoral behaviour. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/215A;
Spring Semester POL/215B.
Course: POL/231
Title: The Comparative Politics of the Middle East
Value: 2.0cu
Semester: 3 & 4
Contact: Dr Toby Dodge
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL/101 or POL/103
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday, 11-12 pm; seminars 2-3, 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course is designed to provide an introduction to the politics of
the contemporary Middle East from the end of the First World War until the
present day. The course is structured to build upon the knowledge of political
science that students have accumulated during the first year of their degree and are
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continuing to develop in their second year. Each weekly topic will be approached
from both a theoretical and empirical angle, with the required readings reflected
this. The aim is to develop both their knowledge of comparative political science
and their understanding of politics in the Middle East. Students will be expected
to deploy the tools of comparative political science to understand the specific
politics of the various countries of the Middle East we will be studying. Associate
student registration: Autumn Semester POL/231A; Spring Semester POL/231B.
Course: POL/233
Title: The Politics of Post-communist Europe
Value: 2.0 cu.
Semester: 3&4
Contact: Dr Adam Fagan
Prerequisite: POL/100 or POL/101
Timetable: Lecture Friday 3-4 pm, seminars 2-3 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course will introduce students to the phenomenon of postcommunism as both a developmental model and as a legacy of 40 years of sovietstyle socialism. The empirical setting of post-communist Europe will be used to
examine processes of regime change, democratisation and state building, all of
which are occurring in the region alongside neo-liberal economic reform. The
course will consider differences in political development between neighbouring
states; the impact of democratisation and the absorption of the region within the
global political and economic structures; the meaning and relevance of ‘postcommunism’ and notions of Europeanization. Associate student registration:
Autumn Semester POL/233A; Spring Semester POL/233B.
Course: POL/234
Title: The Nation in the Global Age
Value: 2.0cu
Semester: 3 & 4
Contact: Prof Montserrat Guibernau
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL/101 or POL/103
Timetable: Lecture Thursday 9-10 am; seminars 10-11 and 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The aim of this course is to consider current challenges faced by the
nation in the global age. The course studies the concept of nation in classical
social theory by examining the work of Marx, Durkheim and Weber. It then
moves on to consider issues of nationalism and national identity, the politics of
recognition and multicultural citizenship. The study of the nation is closely
connected to nationalism and the different types of movements it has generated in
various parts of the world. To assess this, the course focuses on the concepts of
citizenship and identity in Britain, Canada and Spain. It also examines the impact
of globalization on traditional conceptions of the nation. Associate student
registration: Autumn Semester POL/234A; Spring Semester POL/234B.
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Course: POL/235
Title: International Relations in a Globalizing World
Value: 2.0cu
Semester: 3 & 4
Contact: Dr Richard Saull
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL /101
Timetable: Lecture Friday10-11 am; seminars 11-12, 12-1 and 2-3 pm.
Overlap: None
Description: This course focuses on some of the key issues and themes in the
study and practice of contemporary international relations. It takes as its starting
point the distinct political characteristics of the social space of the ‘international’
defined by the absence of common political power and the political and economic
changes associated with the end of the Cold War and globalisation. Its purpose is
to identify and examine key issues of concern within contemporary world politics
including the changing nature of state sovereignty, war and violence, global
governance and international organisations, the nature of the world economy, and
human rights. Through the study of these issues the course aims to equip students
with the conceptual tools and empirical knowledge to enable them to acquire a
deeper and more nuanced understanding of contemporary international relations.
Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/235A; Spring Semester
POL/235B.
Course: POL/236
Title: The Political Economy of Global Development
Value: 2.0cu
Semester: 3 & 4
Contact: Prof Ray Kiely
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL /101
Timetable: Lecture Wednesday 12-1 pm, seminars 11-12, 2-3 and 3-4 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The course is designed as a critical introduction to some of the key
themes and issues in the political economy of development. It starts by
introducing you to the ideas of development and the ‘Third World’, and then
relates these to theoretical understandings of the divisions between the global
‘north’ and ‘south’, since 1945, and with the advent of globalisation. The course
then examines current debates over globalisation and development, including
poverty, the environment, trade, debt, NGOs and social movements, international
institutions, multinational companies. Associate student registration: Autumn
Semester POL/236A; Spring Semester POL/236B.
Course: POL/237
Title: International Security in the Contemporary World
Value: 2.0cu
Semester: 3 & 4
Contact: Dr Bryan Mabee
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL /101
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday 10-11 am, seminars 12-1, 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
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Description: The course examines the study of security in international relations,
through its roots in Cold War strategic studies to the development of a more
broadly focused field today. A variety of perspectives on the causes of war and
peace in order to better examine the roots of violent conflicts and security
problems in the present day. Contemporary problems with civil war, economic,
and identity issues will all be investigated. In Part II the course offers a broader
examination of security in light of the expansion of the field at the end of the Cold
War. Examining international security from a number of different theoretical
perspectives, the course moves on to study a variety of important contemporary
issues, from problems with alliances through the environment as a security
problem to transnational security threats. Overall, the course gives a through
introduction to security in contemporary international relations. Associate student
registration: Autumn Semester POL/237A; Spring Semester POL/237B.
Course: POL/238
Title: Debates in Contemporary Political Theory
Value: 2.0cu
Semester: 3 & 4
Contact: Dr Lasse Thomassen
Prerequisite: POL/100
Timetable: Lecture Wednesday, 10-11 am, seminars 11-12 and 2-3 and 3-4 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The course examines current debates in contemporary political
theory, among others debates between liberals and communitarians; debates
between liberals and republicans; the deliberative democratic critique of liberals
and republicans; the agonistic critique of liberals and deliberative democrats; and
debates about globalisation and cosmopolitanism. Examining these debates, the
recurrent theme is the nature of citizenship and democracy in contemporary
Western societies. In this connection we look at related issues such as
multiculturalism and how to think about political agency, and we relate the
debates to particular empirical cases. Associate student registration: Autumn
Semester POL/238A; Spring Semester POL/238B.
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3rd Year Courses
Course: POL/308
Title: Ideology and Political Critique
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr Caroline Williams
Prerequisite: POL100 or POL101 and POL206
Timetable: Lecture Monday 11-12 pm, seminars 12-1 and 2-3 pm
Overlap: None
Description: What is ideology? Is it a set of beliefs and ideas that we voluntarily
hold about the world, or is it a structure that shapes our mode of thought? Do we
live in a post-ideological world as some contemporary liberals have proclaimed,
or is political reality inescapably ideological? This course will examine a number
of political thinkers who, in the wake of Marx, have explored the question of
ideology and its profound effect upon our lives. For these thinkers, it is an
understanding of the power of ideology which can explain, to a large extent, the
legitimation of modern capitalism. Georg Lukács, Antonio Gramsci and Louis
Althusser all contend that an analysis of ideology affords insights into the
dynamics which shape consciousness and the structure of power-relations in
modern societies. However some claim that its analytical value is long dead and
buried. The course will conclude by exploring the challenge posed to the `end of
ideology' thesis by the work of Michel Foucault. Associate student registration:
Autumn Semester POL/308A.
Course: POL/310
Title: The Politics Research Project
Value: 2.0 cu.
Semester: 5&6 [Workshops held in Semester 5 only]
Contact: Dr Judith Bara
Prerequisite: POL/100
Timetable: Lecture Thursday 10-12 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The project is now a compulsory course for all single honours
Politics students. It is designed to give students the opportunity of studying an
agreed topic under supervision on an individual basis and to a greater depth than
is possible within existing courses. Students must fill in the pre-registration form
and should undertake a programme of preparatory work during the long vacation.
A programme of research workshops will be provided in the first semester and
each student will have an opportunity to present their research to a small group in
the second semester. Assessment is on the basis of two coursework assignments
and a dissertation of 12,000 words. For more details, please read below.
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Course: POL/322
Title: Case Studies in Ethnic Conflict: Ireland and Northern Ireland
Value: 1.0 cu
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Brendan O'Duffy
Prerequisite: POL/100 or POL/101
Timetable: Lecture Thursday 11-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course analyses the ways in which British and Irish
administrations have attempted to resolve or regulate the conflict in Ireland and
Northern Ireland since 1800. After outlining the historical, religious and political
foundations of the conflict, the bulk of the course will focus on the period
following partition (1921). Students will be expected to gain an understanding of
theories of conflict regulations, nationalism and political violence, as they have
been applied to the study of the Irish/Northern Irish conflict. Associate student
registration: Spring Semester POL/322B.
Course: POL/325
Title: Electoral Behaviour
Value: 1.0 cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr Judith Bara
Prerequisite: POL/103 and POL/215
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday 12-1 pm; seminars 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The aim of this course is to examine and evaluate the major issues
and controversies in the study of elections and voting behaviour in Britain, and to
provide a basis for comparative analysis. It will examine some important
questions about elections, such as investigation into the nature and purpose of
elections, why they merit study and why elections often produce differing turnout.
There will also be a consideration of alternative approaches to voting behaviour,
which will focus on partisan alignment and delignment, social structure and
rational choice explanations. In addition we will consider issue voting and
economic voting. This will be complemented by discussion of the role of the
media, the changing nature of party campaigns- national and local, institutional
effects and leadership effects. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester
POL/325A.
Course: POL/326
Title: Theories of the Self
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Caroline Williams
Prerequisite: POL100 or POL101, POL206
Timetable: Lecture Monday 11-12 pm, seminars 12-1 and 2-3 pm
Overlap: None
Description: Questions regarding the formation and content of the self have
preoccupied philosophers and political thinkers since the Greeks. This course will
explore a range of philosophical, political and psychoanalytical perspectives on the
self and consider the ways in which its formation as a stable, unitary being has been
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called into question. Is there a true self, an essential self that we can come to
know, or is the idea of a centred self a fiction? Does self-knowledge bring
certainty, or is it always fragile and contestable? Is the self socially constructed?
What is the unconscious and how does it influence the conscious life of the self?
How are our identities constructed and transformed? These questions are also at
the heart of our study of politics since political philosophers have often built their
theories upon a view of the self/human nature. The course will consider the ways
in which early modern, modern and contemporary thinkers have reflected upon
the self and responded to the uncertainty regarding its formulation. Thinkers
covered will include Descartes, Spinoza, Nietzsche, Freud, Arendt, Foucault and
Butler. Associate student registration: Spring Semester POL/326B.
Course: POL/328
Title: The History and Politics of Immigration in Britain
Value:
1.0 cu
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Anne J Kershen
Prerequisite: POL/100
Timetable: Lecture Thursday, 2-4 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course will take a thematic and chronological direction
exploring and analysing the social and political implications of immigration into
Britain over the past three hundred years, with particular emphasis on London.
Amongst themes covered will be theories and patterns of immigration; debates
centring around the impact of globalisation and transnationalism and the
expansion of the EU. Political responses - policy formulation and implementation
- attention will be paid to the most recent government pronouncements on
refugees and asylum seekers. Associate student registration: Spring Semester
POL/328B.
Course: POL/330
Title: European Integration and the European Union as a political system
Value: 2.0 cu
Semesters: 5&6
Contact: Dr Françoise Boucek
Prerequisite: POL/100, POL/101 or POL/103
Timetable: Lecture Monday, 12-1 pm; seminars 11-12, 3-4 pm
Overlap: None
Description: European integration is the most far-reaching development of
voluntary supranational governance in world history. The objective of this course
is to explore first, the origins, development, and institutions of the EU. Second,
major policies and policy-making processes are examined (such as agriculture,
regional development, environment, social and employment, asylum, foreign
policy, and monetary policy). Finally, the course focuses on current EU
developments, dilemmas, and controversy such as the adoption of the Euro and
the European constitution, and EU enlargement). Students will be introduced to
existing and evolving theoretical approaches for explaining the process of
European integration. They will examine the complex operation of the EU as a
political system and they will analyse the political and economic logic behind
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different national perspectives on European integration. Associate student
registration: Autumn Semester POL/330A; Spring Semester POL/330B.
Course: POL/333
Title: French Politics
Value: 1.0 cu.
Semester: 5
Contact: Prof Raymond Kuhn
Prerequisite: POL/100, POL/101 or POL/103
Timetable: Lecture Wednesday 9-10 am, seminars 10-11 am and 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course examines the politics of Fifth Republic France (1958 to
the present day). The course covers the key institutions and political actors,
including the core executive and the main political parties, with an emphasis on
the legitimacy and efficacy of the political system. Associate student registration:
Autumn Semester POL/333A.
Course POL/337
Title: The Politics of Economic Ideas: Key Texts in Modern Political
Economy
Value 1.0 cu
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Mark Pennington
Prerequisite: POL/100
Timetable: Lecture Friday 3-4 pm; seminars 2-3 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course aims to introduce students to the relationship between
economic ideas and political/policy argument. Students will study key texts in
political economy, including Keynes, Hayek and recent contributions from public
choice theorists. The course will consider the impact of economic ideas on
contemporary policy-making in the context of the continuing search for a middle
way in political economy (primarily in the UK and USA). Associate student
registration: Spring Semester POL/337B.
Course: POL/339
Title: Civil Society: Theory and Practice
Value: 1.0 cu.
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Adam Fagan
Prerequisite: POL/100; POL/101 or POL/103; POL/206
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday 12-1 pm; seminars 11-12 and 2-3 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course combines a theoretical critique of the concept of civil
society with an empirical study of civil society development in western and nonwestern settings. The course will begin by analysing the historic evolution of the
concept within the context of western modernity. Particular emphasis will be
placed on the work of de Tocqueville and Gramsci in an attempt to identify
competing understandings of the role of civil society within liberal democracy.
The second part of the course will focus on civil society in the context of regime
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change and democratisation, focusing in particular on civil society development in
post-communist Europe, Latin America and the developing world and the role of
international donor agencies. The course will end with a critical examination of
the much heralded notion of a ‘global civil society’. Associate student
registration: Spring Semester POL/339B.
Course: POL/345
Title: Theory and Practice in Environmental Politics
Value: 1.0 cu
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Mark Pennington
Prerequisite: POL/100 or POL/101
Timetable: Lecture Monday 3-4 pm, seminars 2-3 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course provides an introduction to the core concepts of
environmental politics. Its purpose is to explore the ideologies and attitudes,
which influence contemporary environmental debate and the people, movements
and organisations that form and implement the policies which result. The course
examines different conceptions of the relationship between human beings and the
natural world and relates these to the major philosophical traditions within modern
political thought. These concepts are then deployed to explore the formulation
and implementation of environmental policy and the role of individuals, interest
groups and government agencies within the policy process. Associate student
registration: Spring Semester POL/345B.
Course: POL/347
Title: Themes and issues in the comparative politics of the Middle East
Value: 1.0 cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr Toby Dodge
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL/231
Timetable: Lecture Wednesday 11-12 pm, seminars 10-11 am and 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course focuses on specific issues in Middle Eastern politics and
studies them in a comparative way across the region and beyond that across the
developing word as a whole. Its purpose is to identify and then examine the
different units of analysis used in the academic study of the politics of the Middle
East. It will examine these units of analysis, assess their strengths and weaknesses
and then seek to apply them to a series of case studies in the different countries of
the region. The course will include the study of sectarianism and communalism,
understandings of tribalism and gender, Islamic ideas of legitimacy and ideologies
that have had influence in the region. Associate student registration: Autumn
Semester POL/347A.
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Course: POL/349
Title: Visions of Capitalism: Adam Smith and Karl Marx
Value: 1.0 cu.
Semester: 5
Contact: Prof Jeremy Jennings
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL/206
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday, 2-3 pm, seminars 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The course is designed to act as an introduction to the history of
thought in political economy by focusing upon the two major theorists identified
with the analysis of capitalism: Adam Smith and Karl Marx. By closely
examining the writings of both authors the course will enable students to become
familiar with the ideas that have shaped our thinking about how markets work and
the benefits or otherwise that they produce. Beyond this the texts under
examination will raise issues relating to broader issues of political theory and
practice. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/349A.
Course: POL/350
Title: Analysing Public Policy
Value: 1.0 cu.
Semester: 6
Contact: Prof Wayne Parsons
Prerequisite: POL/100 or POL/101
Timetable: Lecture Friday 11-12 pm; seminars 12-1 and 2-3 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The aim of this course is to examine the theory and practice of policy
making in modern liberal democratic political systems. The course explores the
way in which public issues and problems are triggered, defined and constructed,
how policy agendas are set, how decision making takes place, and how policies
are implemented. The course in comparative in scope and focuses primarily on
case studies from the UK and USA. Associate student registration: Spring
Semester POL/350B.
Course: POL/351
Title: European Politics: National Identity and Ethnicity
Value: 1.0 cu.
Semester: 6
Contact: Prof Montserrat Guibernau
Prerequisite: POL/100 or POL/101
Timetable: Lecture Thursday 2-3 pm; seminar 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The aim of this course is to study the politics of ethnic and national
diversity within the European Union. The course offers a theoretical introduction
to the concepts of nation-state, nation, and ethnic community. It explores different
models of governance, and considers ethnic, regional, national and European
layers of identity contributing to Europe’s diversity. The course also studies the
main challenges and questions faced by Europeans in trying to accommodate
ethnic and national diversity within democratic political institutions such as the
EU, its member states and regions. Associate student registration: Spring
Semester POL/351B.
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Course: POL/354
Title: Liberalism, Past and Present
Value: 1.0 cu.
Semester: 6
Contact: Prof Jeremy Jennings
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL/206
Timetable: Tuesday, 2-3 pm, seminars 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This module will examine the development of liberalism as a
political philosophy from the seventeenth century to the present day. It will do so
by concentrating upon the analysis of certain key texts in the history of liberalism.
These texts will include Locke’s Second treatise, Montesquieu’s Spirit of the
Laws, Constant’s Political Writings, Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, and
J.S.Mill’s On Liberty. For the twentieth century attention will be paid to such
thinkers as Isaiah Berlin, Karl Popper and Raymond Aron. . Students will be
expected to read and to comment upon a series of selected extracts. Associate
student registration: Spring Semester POL/354B.
Course: POL/355
Title: Globalisation: Issues and Debates
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Prof Ray Kiely
Prerequisite: POL/100, POL /101 and POL235
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday, 11-12 pm, seminars 10-11 am and 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The course provides students with a detailed examination – and
critique - of theories of globalisation and assessment of contemporary globalising
processes. It examines these influences through detailed analysis of contemporary
manifestations of ‘globalisation’, including the study of global production and
commodity chains, state-market relations, the nature and direction of capital
flows, patterns of global inequality, international institutions and global
governance, questions of cultural homogenisation/imperialism, the US state and
globalisation and East Asia and globalisation, and ‘anti-globalisation’. The course
aims to provide students with a well-rounded understanding of ‘the globalisation
debate’, and how this relates to contemporary international and global political
issues. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/355A.
Course: POL/356
Title: Tolerance: Theories and Cases
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr Lasse Thomassen
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL/206
Timetable: Lecture Friday, 3-4 pm, seminars 2-3 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The course examines an idea closely associated with the emergence
of modern political thought and often invoked by theorists and political agents
alike today, namely tolerance. In the course, we look at both theories of tolerance
and empirical (mostly contemporary) cases where tolerance has been invoked.
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The cases include, for instance, the so-called Mohammed cartoons, veils in
schools and religion in the school curriculum, and we look at the responses of
political theorists to these cases and how different strands of political thought
have approached tolerance. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester
POL/356A.
Course: POL/357
Title: Theories of Radical Democracy
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Lasse Thomassen
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL/206
Timetable: Lecture Friday 12-1 pm, seminars 11-12 and 2-3 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The course examines post-structuralist approaches to democracy and
politics, what some refer to as theories of radical democracy. We look at the
assumptions and implications of post-structuralism for, among other things,
identity and difference, equality and freedom, and political strategy. We do so in
the context of post-structuralist critiques of other approaches (including Marxism,
liberalism and communitarianism) and in the context of disputes among different
post-structuralist (for instance, the differences between Laclau & Mouffe and
Hardt & Negri). Associate student registration: Spring Semester POL/357B.
Course: POL/358
Title: US Foreign Policy
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr. Bryan Mabee
Prerequisite: POL/100, POL /101 and POL/235
Timetable: Lecture Friday 10-11 am, seminars 11-12 and 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The United States occupies a fundamental place in contemporary
international relations. Therefore understanding its place in the international
system and how its foreign policy is made are of crucial importance for every
student of international relations. The course focuses on two elements of US
foreign policy: how it is made, and important contemporary policy issues.
Knowledge of these areas will give a solid overview and understanding of US
foreign policy in the contemporary world. Associate student registration: Autumn
Semester POL/358A.
Course: POL/359
Title: Resistance, Revolutionary Change and World Politics
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Richard Saull
Prerequisite: POL/100, POL /101 and POL/235
Timetable: Thursday 9-11 am
Overlap: None
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Description: This course offers students an advanced understanding of the theory
and practice of the international politics of radical and revolutionary movements.
Its main focus is on the historical experience of communist forms of revolutionary
politics – across the world - in the period after 1917, but it will also address new
the forms of resistance that have emerged after the Cold War. The course is
concerned with exploring the way in which revolutionary political movements are
shaped by international structures and processes and the extent to which these
movements have realised meaningful international political change. The course
aims to provide students with a sophisticated understanding of the character of
radical and revolutionary forms of political agency in the context of the Cold War,
as well as equipping them with a theoretical and empirical knowledge to explain
the emergence and nature of the new forms of resistance in world politics.
Associate student registration: Spring Semester POL/359B.
Course: POL/360
Title: Political Parties and Party Systems
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr Rainbow Murray
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL /101 or POL/103
Timetable: Lecture Monday 3-4 pm, seminars 2-3 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course looks at the role of political parties in modern
democracies. It examines how parties can be classified according to their
ideology and organisation, and shows how these traits influence party
competition. It also looks at party systems, accounting for differences between
countries and considering how party systems affect party behaviour. The course
then moves on to look at how parties treat their members and select electoral
candidates, before using more detailed case-studies to illustrate the core themes of
the course. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/360A.
Course: POL/361
Title: Gender and Politics
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Rainbow Murray
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL /101 or POL/103
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday, 11-12 pm, seminars 10-11 am and 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course looks at the theory and practice of politics from a
gendered perspective. It considers feminist debates concerning women’s role in
the public and private spheres and asks whether the political process can be
complete without women. It then looks at women’s current involvement in
politics and considers a range of explanations as to why women are underrepresented, and possible solutions. The course then examines women’s political
participation within and beyond electoral politics, and asks what difference
women can make. Associate student registration: Spring Semester POL/361B.
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Politics Course Directory 2007/8
Course: POL/362
Title: War in World Politics
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr Patricia Owens
Prerequisite: POL/100, POL /101 and POL/235
Timetable: Lecture Monday 10-11 am, seminars 11-12 and 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course offers students an advanced understanding of the place
of war in world politics. We will begin by asking what war is and then investigate
its relation to the fields of ethics, law, society and gender. We will look at the
question of combat motivation (why solders fight) and specific forms of warfare
such as genocide, guerrilla warfare, counter-insurgency, and political-economy of
war in contemporary Africa. The course concludes by addressing anti-war
activism and related forms of strategic non-violence. Associate student
registration: Autumn Semester POL/362A.
Course: POL/363
Title: Alternative Approaches to International Theory
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Patricia Owens
Prerequisite: POL/100, POL /101 and POL/235
Timetable: Lecture Monday 10-11 am, seminars 11-12 and 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course offers students an advanced understanding of nonmainstream approaches to international political theory. What is the
‘international’ and how, if at all, is it distinct from politics more generally? We
will take a number of different answers to these questions and asses their strengths
and weaknesses. These include historical-sociology, critical theory, normative
theory, ethical realism, post-structuralism, gender theory, post-colonialism,
republicanism, and neo-conservativism. We conclude by returning to the question
of the ‘political’ as distinct from the ‘international’ or ‘global’. Associate student
registration: Spring Semester POL/363B.
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Politics Course Directory 2007/8