Below is a menu of open POLI classes for the 2024/25 academic year, including course descriptions, times and links to Workday Student.
POLI 327: European Integration
Professor Kurt Huebner | Term 1: Mon/Wed 9:30 – 11:00 AM
Post-1945 integration of Europe, comparison of national politics and attitudes to integration, and the history and institutions of the European Union. Prerequisite: All of POLI 100, POLI 101, POLI 240. Or third-year standing or higher.
POLI 328C: Topics in Comparative Politics — The Comparative Politics of Immigration
Professor Antje Ellermann | Term 2 Mon/Wed 9:30 – 11:00 AM
Human mobility has become one of the most contested issues in contemporary politics. This course introduces key scholarly debates in the study of migration and citizenship in political science and related disciplines. We comparatively examine the ways in which states and societies (particularly in the Global North) have responded to, and have become transformed by, immigration. We also seek to understand the multifold experiences of immigrants.
The course covers a wide range of themes: theories of international migration, forced migration and humanitarian protection, immigration and settler colonialism, the politics of immigration, the ethics of borders, the politics of borders, and immigrant inclusion and belonging.
POLI 328F: Topics in Comparative Politics — Political Violence and State Fragility
Professor Sally Sharif | Term 2 Tues/Thurs 9:30 – 11:00 AM
This course examines the causes of state fragility, specifically in cases where political violence erodes the capacity and legitimacy of state institutions. Focusing on cases from various regions, we will explore the security dimensions of state fragility and the role of third-party interventions in (re-)building democratic state institutions.
We will conclude class by exploring state-building as a strategy for reducing political violence and the policy options that may help or hinder these efforts.
POLI 333A: Issues in Comparative Politics — 2SLGBTQIA+ Politics and Policy
Professor Calla Hummel | Term 2 Tues/Thurs 2:00 – 3:30 PM
In the last four decades, 2SLGBTQIA+ activists around the world have brought rights for sexual and gender minorities into mainstream politics.
In many countries, 2SLGBTQIA+ social movements have expanded family, employment, education, health, and anti-discrimination policies to include sexual and gender minorities. Activists work within and outside of national political systems to write legislation, file lawsuits, and put pressure on politicians to enshrine rights within policy. Once enacted, some policies have had widespread and measurable impacts on the well-bring of 2SLGBTQIA+ people while others have not. Simultaneously, countermovements have pushed back against the expansion of 2SLGBTQIA+ rights in most countries and successfully passed anti-2SLGBTQIA+ policy in some places.
This class uses political science research, theory, and methods to understand why global 2SLGBTQIA+ movements and rights have expanded over the last decades, when and why governments and activists successfully implement national 2SLGBTQIA+ policies, and the effects of these policies on our communities.
POLI 333M: Issues in Comparative Politics — Western European Politics
Professor Terri Givens | Term 2 Tues/Thurs 12:00 – 1:30 PM
The last decade has seen major electoral shifts and conflicts in Europe from the rise of the Radical Right, the decline of Left parties, Brexit and war in Ukraine. This course will approach the study of politics in Western Europe through the lens of current events. We will examine the ways that political scientists have approached the study of governments as well as the ways that the media and the rise of social media have impacted politics.
We will compare issues in Europe with politics in the US and Canada, as well as looking at the impact of foreign relations. Issues such as the impacts of immigration policy, gender and race will be incorporated throughout the semester.
POLI 369J: Topics in International Security — The Theory and Practice of Unipolarity
Professor Barnard Choi | Term 1 Tues/Thurs 3:30 – 5:00 PM
This course examines the international security implications of the post-Cold War transition from a bipolar distribution of power to unipolarity.
After an introduction to the theoretical literature on the durability and peacefulness of unipolarity, the course will explore its effects on the management of key international security issues (including those with second-order security effects such as (1) major power relations; (2) horizontal and vertical nuclear proliferation; (3) transnational terrorism, civil wars, and insurgencies; (4) order-defying minor powers; (5) international trade and finance; and (6) the global environment.
Finally, the course will inquire whether international politics is reverting back to either bipolarity or multipolarity and explore the possible consequences of such a transition.
POLI 369K: Topics in International Security — Russia-Ukraine War in Context
Professor Ibrahim Muradov | Term 1 Mon/Wed 3:30 – 5:00 PM
Conflicts in the post-Soviet space were primarily considered to be regional affairs. In other words, they were thought to be developments occurring within Russia’s sphere of influence and thus had no significant impact on global politics.
However, this perception entirely altered with the commencement of the second phase of the Russia – Ukraine war on 24 February 2022. Unlike the first phase of the war, which began in 2014 and was mostly kept at the regional level, the ongoing conflict has had a considerable impact on European security architecture and global politics in a variety of ways.
This course applies and analyzes ideas from the literature on international relations to the specific case of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War. The course explores: the origins – and causes – of the war, the types of warfare employed, and the impacts of the war on the warring parties, European security architecture, and global politics more generally.
In addition to evaluating the applicability of various theories explaining the origins of, developments within, and consequences of the war, students will also consider how analyzing the conflict at the individual, state, and international system levels yields unique insights.
POLI 370K: Topics in International Conflict Management — Armed Group Governance
Professor Sally Sharif | Section 001 Term 1 Mon/Wed 3:30 – 5:00 PM | Section 002 Term 2 Tues/Thurs 2:00 – 3:30 PM
In various countries, armed groups occupy a grey area in relation to the state—they may provide security, practice diplomacy, and implement public policy, yet remain adjacent to the state in ways that allow them to evade international legal frameworks. The Wagner group in Russia and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran are two prominent examples.
In this class, we identify the emergence and role of these groups domestically and internationally and then explore their governance strategies when they transition to becoming state actors in cases of rebel victory or successful coup d’états.
Register for POLI 370K 001
Register for POLI 370K 002
