POLS 102 INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE POLITICS

In the last decades the world has experienced two significant – and possibly related (?) phenomena: democratization and economic globalization. The new wave toward democracy in the developing world seems to confirm the thesis that it is a superior form of government.  The fact that processes of democratization/re-democratization have unfolded in parallel to that of global economic integration seems to confirm yet another thesis: that capitalism contributes to the emergence/consolidation of democracy. In this course we will examine and question these theses. We will discuss the origins of democracy, its different types, and its performance regarding the accomplishment of its main goals: liberty, equality, representation, social and economic justice, and political stability. We will compare European-style democracies with other forms of governments. How do they fare? Can their achievements be replicated in non-European societies? Are there legitimate alternatives to liberal democracy? Does capitalism foster democracy? Can democracy emerge and flourish in the absence of a capitalist economy?

POLS 251 LATIN AMERICAN POLITICS

What factors have shaped Latin American politics? To what extent can these factors explain commonalties and differences among Latin American countries? What are the strengths and limitations of theories that attempt to explain Latin American development/underdevelopment? What can the world learn from the Latin American experience with authoritarianism, democratization, revolutions, and civil wars? How have Latin American countries responded to new challenges of the 1980s and 1990s, such as drug-trafficking, environmental degradation, human rights abuses, regional integration, and economic globalization? This course will address these questions while providing the student with intellectual and methodological tools to pursue further research on Latin America.

POLS 257: POLITICS OF DEVELOPMENT

The purpose of this course is to challenge, both theoretically and ethically, students’ ideas about development. What does development mean? Who benefits from it? What strategies have been used in its pursuit? What conflicts – economic, political, religious, ethnic, and environmental  -- has it triggered or fueled? What kind of developmental path should the world pursue in the next millenium?

In Part 1 of the course, we will survey the many definitions of development. We will also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of theories that attempt to explain underdevelopment. In Part 2 we will study the main agents of development (the state, national and international businesses, and international agencies) and the types of development strategies that they have pursued in selected countries. In Part 3 we will evaluate the consequences of such strategies, particularly in what they have contributed to the emergence or intensification of social and political conflict. Finally, in Part 4, we will study some of the efforts that have been made to re-frame the dominant development paradigm. Discussions, readings, and assignments in each of these four sessions are guided by overarching ethical questions.

POLS 285: GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS

In recent decades, environmental problems have become, at once, a security issue for many nations and regions of the world, and a theoretical challenge for students of International Relations. Traditional theoretical tools such as state-centered theories, rational choice analyses, and legal approaches have provided, at best, partial explanations for the origins and implications of environmental problems, while failing to propose solutions. Thus, in Part I we discuss environmental problems in the context of the theory and practice of international relations: what is specific to the nature of environmental problems that challenges traditional concepts and theories in international relations? What major explanations and approaches have been developed by international relations theorists to address environmental issues? To what extent have environmental problems affected relations among international actors? In Part II, we will discuss the main actors in international environmental politics: how do their environmental interests vary? How is power distributed among them? What resources do different actors have to pursue their environmental agendas? What challenges do they face? Students will notice that discussions from here on will emphasize the gap in the approach to environmental issues between actors in the developed countries and those in developing countries. Part III presents four case-studies of global environmental problems (deforestation, biodiversity and genetically modified foods, endangered species, and hazardous waste). The purpose of this section is to familiarize the student with the causes and consequences of these problems, evaluated at the local, national, and international levels. Finally, in Part IV, we will discuss the various solutions to environmental problems that have been proposed and implemented by different actors: how effective have they been? How fair to all parties involved? What are the political, economic, and social costs of such proposals?

POLS 326: LATIN AMERICAN SEMINAR - THE STRUGGLE FOR CITIZENSHIP IN POST AUTHORITARIAN LATIN AMERICA

The seminar will address the struggles of Latin American grass-roots groups and social movements -- indigenous peoples, Amazon forest dwellers, landless peasants, women, and urban squatters, among others -- for justice and equality. Not all Latin American citizens have enjoyed such rights to the same extent, despite the fact that democracy is now the system of choice in most countries of the continent. Violation of basic human and environmental rights, racial and gender discrimination, and acute economic disparities, are only a few of the challenges against which Latin American citizens have mobilized. This course will assess the effectiveness of these efforts and their contribution for the improvement of democracy in Latin America. What strategies have grass-roots groups used to achieve their goals? With whom have they allied? How effective have they been in influencing long-term policies? What constrains have they faced? What lessons can be drawn from each case? Can these lessons be replicated in other contexts?

The format of the course is that of a group of researchers preparing a book. We will discuss working hypotheses to explain different outcomes of grass-roots groups’ and social movements’ struggles, and we will develop a theory. We will then look at specific cases -- the struggle for human rights, for indigenous peoples,’ minorities,’ women’s, and landless peoples’ rights, for labor rights and for the rights of the urban poor.  We will compare cases across time and across Latin American countries. The objective of the course is to provide students with the opportunity of evaluating Latin American democracies thoroughly, i.e., beyond the limits of formal electoral politics. Good knowledge of Latin American politics and society, and active participation in the seminar is expected.