2007-08 - Pitzer College

210 POLITICAL STUDIES
POLITICAL STUDIES
103. Power and Participation in America. This course addresses the distribution of
power in America and patterns of political participation. Elite and pluralist models of
power are tested against existing patterns of social stratification and political influence.
Political movements are analyzed as they attempt to confront the existing power
structure and strategies of organization and mobilization are assessed. Emphasis is on the
obstacles ordinary people encounter as they attempt to influence the political process. Topics
include the defense industry, poor people’s movement, FBI and CIA surveillance of political
groups, corporate power, economic democracy, the American Indian Movement, Black
Panthers and other radical movements, and grass roots organization. [not offered 2007-08]
104. War and the American Presidency. This course is a study on presidential power, its
origins and evolution from Washington to contemporary presidents. Specifically, students
will explore the constitutional, institutional, contextual, and personal sources of
presidential power in an effort to understand why some presidencies are considered
imperial while others are seen as imperiled. Spring, A. Pantoja.
105. American Politics. This course covers a variety of issues at the forefront of political
debate in the United States. It is a reading and writing intensive course. Readings come
predominantly from leading intellectual journals and recent books. Students will be
expected to write several short essays on the issues covered in the course such as the
southernization of national politics, the privatization of the social safety net, the
militarization of U.S. foreign policy, corporate and political corruption, economic
polarization, the erosion of civil and human rights, the promise and limits of deliberative
democracy, the state of the environment, the political influence of religious
fundamentalists, homophobia in U.S. political culture, the aftermath of campaign finance
reform, increasing government secrecy, polarization of the electorate, the rightward drift
of the federal courts, and the “Texasization” of the U.S. education policy. Prerequisite: An
introductory course in politics or American studies is recommended, but not required. D.
Ward. [not offered 2007-08]
107CH. Latino Politics. The role of Latinos in the American political process will be
examined. Latino political empowerment movements will be analyzed, with a focus on
political culture/voter participation; organizational development in the different Latino
sub-groups; leadership patterns, strategy, and tactics; and other issues impacting the
Latino community. Fall, A. Pantoja.
108. California Politics. (Formerly Governing California 108, cannot be taken again for
credit) This course explores state ad local politics in California. Topics include
racial/ethnic diversity, campaigns and electoral politics, redistricting, legislative
professionalization and term limits, initiatives, referendums and recall elections, the
organization of the executive branch, fiscal politics in the era of Prop 13, and regional
policy and local governance. Fall, R. VanSickle-Ward.
109. Special Topics in American Politics. [not offered 2007-08]
110. European Politics. European Politics has been transformed in recent years by the
collapse of one supra-national political-economic structure, Soviet Communism, and the
rapid development of another, the European Union (EU). This course will examine the
causes and consequences of these changes. Topics examined include the post-1945
settlements in both Eastern and Western European countries, the breakdown of these
settlements, the future of the EU, xenophobic nationalisms, and relations between the EU
and Eastern Europe. [not offered 2007-08]
111. Theories of Electoral Systems. (See also Math 11). In this course we will analyze
various voting procedures (majority rule, Borda counts, instant runoff voting,
proportional representation, etc.) as well as ways of assessing voting power and other
kinds of power. We will also consider the U.S. Electoral College, the use of the initiative
in California and the election for governor in California. This course satisfies Pitzer’s
formal reasoning objective. J. Hoste, J. Sullivan. [not offered 2007-08]
113. Immigrants, Citizenship, and Nationalism in the European Union. Immigration,
citizenship and nationalism will be examined at the level of the European Union and at
the nation-state level for Germany, France, Britain and Italy. Topics to be explored
include: nationalism in the context of European integration; racism and xenophobia; and
immigrants as political actors. Analysis will focus on the role of divergent national
traditions (rooted in the development of nationalism and colonial histories) and the
convergent pressures resulting from European integration. Students with 3 semesters or
more of French, Italian or German may participate in half-course language sections
connected to the main course. N. Boyle. [not offered 2007-08]
IIS 113. Science, Politics, Alternative Medicine. (See International Intercultural Studies
113). Spring, S. Snowiss.
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115. Rival Models of Capitalism in Europe. This seminar will focus on the different
ways in which capitalism is organized in European countries. Three sets of differences
will be examined: that between the “Rhenish” and “Anglo-American” models of
corporate governance; that between social democratic, Christian democratic and liberal
varieties of the welfare state; and that between “left”, “right” and “third way” politicaleconomic
strategies. Particular attention will be paid to the challenges faced by the
“northern tigers”: Ireland, Finland, Sweden and Holland. Comparisons will also be made
to North America. The central question animating the course will be whether the forces of
“globalization”, capital mobility and EU integration are inducing a convergence toward a
common European model of capitalism. N. Boyle. [not offered 2007-08]
117. Irish Politics (Formerly Irish Nationalism 117, cannot be taken again for credit) This
course will examine the transformed politics of the two parts of Ireland: from strife to
accommodation in the Northern Ireland and from chronic underperformance to “Celtic
Tiger” in the Irish Republic. Spring, N. Boyle.
118. Teaching and Politics: Practicum. This course will examine both the politics of
teaching and the teaching of international politics. With a particular focus on the teaching
of International Studies in public schools the course will explore the way politics, from