POL 296 - Special Topics in Global Politics

FDR: SS2
Credits: 3 in fall and winter, 4 in spring
Prerequisites vary by topic. A seminar in political science for students at the introductory or intermediate level. Topic, hour, and instructor are announced prior to registration. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.

Fall 2012 topics:

POL 296-01: Strategic Studies (3). No prerequisites. Open to majors and non-majors of all classes. Meets the global politics field requirement or elective credit in the politics major. Recommended for students interested in diplomacy, military science, national security policy, policy forecasting and consulting, or political science / public policy graduate study. We explain national and international political outcomes from a state or alliance’s decision rules under variable risk or uncertainty. Special attention to decision rules emphasizing national interest (utility), risk-assessment, and logistics (target location in space and time). Cases (using films) span all levels of strategic (policy-level) and tactical (theater-of-operations level) escalation from total war to mutual détente. Student assignments include simulated US Homeland Security Department task force reports (see www.dhs.gov/index.shtm). On-line syllabus and other information: mccaughrinc@wlu.edu. (SS2) McCaughrin.

POL 296-02: Negotiation Analysis (3). No prerequisites. Open to majors and non-majors of all classes. Meets the global politics field requirement or elective credit in the politics major. Recommended for students interested in diplomacy, estate management, labor-manager relations, alternative dispute resolution, civil law, or political science / public policy graduate study. We explain national and international political outcomes from selected negotiation rules constrained by mutually agreeable fairness norms. Special attention to sealed-bid auctions, point allocation rules under varied entitlements, and weighted-vote rules. Cases (via feature films) span variably complex disputes from one indivisible good with two claimants to multiple goods and fragmented claimants. Student assignments include application and evaluation of such rules to cases and data from the Harvard Negotiation Project (see www.pon.harvard.edu). On-line syllabus and other details: mccaughrinc@wlu.edu. (SS2) McCaughrin.

POL 296-03: Humanitarianism (3). No prerequisites. Open to majors and non-majors of all classes. Meets the global politics field requirement or elective credit in the politics major. The idea of humanitarian action - the desire to relieve the suffering of distant strangers - is centuries old, but over the last two decades the practice has undergone rapid change. Students in this course develop a better understanding of the current themes and debates in the field of humanitarianism, including questions of politicization and military intervention, human rights and advocacy, and accountability They also explore different hypotheses regarding the causes and consequences of humanitarian action and use critical analysis to gain a better understanding of the effects - intended and unintended - of humanitarian actions. (SS2) Kennedy.

POL 296-04: The European Union (3). No prerequisites. This course examines the origins, institutions, foreign policy and future of the European Union. Attention is also paid to the U.S. role and stake in Europe and how it deals with the EU. (SS2) Thompson