This First-Year Writing Seminar is devoted to the study of political power and the interaction of citizens and governments and provides the opportunity to write extensively about these issues. Topics vary by term.

Full details for GOVT 1101 - FWS: Power and Politics

This course will introduce students to comparative politics-the study of the political institutions, identities, and organized interests in countries around the world. Emphasis is on how to make meaningful comparisons between systems in different countries. Towards that goal, we will be looking at a dozen countries with different histories, political systems, and from various regions around the world. We will also use a comparative framework to use our knowledge of these (and other) countries to examine questions about democracies and democratization, electoral systems and political parties, authoritarian regimes, political mobilization and change, economic development and globalization, nationalism and identity politics, among other topics. The meta theme of this course is the comparative method as a unique way of leveraging our understanding about social and political phenomena. (GOVT-CP)

Full details for GOVT 1313 - Introduction to Comparative Government and Politics

At the inception of this department at Cornell University in 1969, the Africana Studies and Research Center became the birthplace of the field Africana studies. Africana studies emphasizes comparative and interdisciplinary studies of Africa, the U.S., the Caribbean and other diasporas. In this course, we will look at the diverse contours of the discipline. We will explore contexts ranging from modernity and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and plantation complex in the New World to processes of decolonization and globalization in the contemporary digital age. This course offers an introduction to the study of Africa, the U.S., the Caribbean and other diasporas. This course will examine, through a range of disciplines, among them literature, history, politics, philosophy, the themes - including race/racism, the Middle Passage, sexuality, colonialism, and culture - that have dominated Africana Studies since its inception in the late-1960s. We will explore these issues in an attempt to understand how black lives have been shaped in a historical sense; and, of course, the effects of these issues in the contemporary moment. This course seeks to introduce these themes, investigate through one or more of the disciplines relevant to the question, and provide a broad understanding of the themes so as to enable the kind of intellectual reflection critical to Africana Studies.

Full details for GOVT 1503 - Introduction to Africana Studies

This course introduces students to political theory as a distinctive mode of political inquiry. By surveying the wide range of forms through which political theory has been practiced-such as treatises, dialogues, plays, aphorisms, novels, manifestos, letters, speeches, illustrations, and films-we explore the ways in which political theory reflects upon, criticizes, and reshapes the basic concepts, habits of perception, and modes of feeling through which people make sense of the political world, from big events like wars and revolutions to everyday experiences of felt injustice or alienation. Our approach will be both historical and conceptual, attending to the force of each theoretical intervention in its context, while also drawing out the broader philosophical and political questions it continues to pose to us now. (GOVT-PT)

Full details for GOVT 1615 - Introduction to Political Theory

As a country, we are what we remember. But who decides what facts and stories about the past are important enough to memorialize? What does that decision tell us about power and truth? This class will discuss how the attacks of September 11 are remembered in the United States and the rest of the world. (GOVT-AM)

Full details for GOVT 2011 - September 11 and the Politics of Memory

Even through different countries may adopt similar economic strategies, their industrial relations system are generally quite unique, based on the particular institutional histories in each nation. This course is focused on understanding industrial relations systems around the world. Structured on a regional basis (Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Latin America, and Asia), students will appreciate the similarities and differences in industrial relations within each region, and in particular the impact of the design of each national industrial relations system on outcomes for workers, employers, and national governments.

Full details for GOVT 2303 - Introduction to International and Comparative Labor

An introduction to the use of quantitative data and quantitative methodology for political science and political scientists. We will cover statistics (data, probability, regression), research design, and computation.

Full details for GOVT 2309 - Data Science for Political Science I

This course explores trends in democracy around the world as both a product of public policy (which policies support and bolster democratic transitions and endurance), and as a factor that shapes representation, public policy and governance outcomes. How citizen interests translate into public policy outcomes is a key question of democratic practice. The course will identify variation across the world and use empirical analysis to identify patterns. It provides an opportunity to investigate the complex ways that regime politics (whether democratic or autocratic), public policies, and social inequalities shape one another.

Full details for GOVT 2323 - Global Democracy and Public Policy

What is Central Asia? How have religion and culture shaped the region?s modern identity? What are the lasting impacts of colonialism and empire on contemporary Central Asian politics? How is climate change influencing migration patterns? And how have energy resources shaped the economies of Central Asian countries and their roles in international politics? This course invites students to explore these critical questions through an examination of Central Asia?s history, society, politics, and international relations. (GOVT-CP)

Full details for GOVT 2543 - Politics in Central Asia

This course examines major trends in the evolution of the Middle East in the modern era. Focusing on the 19th and 20th centuries and ending with the Arab Spring, we will consider Middle East history with an emphasis on five themes: imperialism, nationalism, modernization, Islam, and revolution. Readings will be supplemented with translated primary sources, which will form the backbone of class discussions. (HIST-HGS)

Full details for GOVT 2747 - History of the Modern Middle East

Is Afghanistan part of Central Asia, South Asia, or the Middle East? Is it truly the 'graveyard of empires'? Why are great powers so interested in intervening in this country? Why did Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States fail to maintain their presence there? How does Afghan society and politics function? In this course, students will have the opportunity to explore answers to these and other questions. (GOVT-IR)

Full details for GOVT 2847 - Political History of Modern Afghanistan

This course provides an overview of the evolving architecture, processes, and outcomes in global governance. It examines the ways in which global governance does (or does not) work in practice as well as possible ways of improving the capacity of the international community to deal with global challenges. We will explore these issues through case studies of today’s most pressing issues, such as climate change, wars of aggression, accountability for mass atrocity, global public health crises, cybersecurity, business and human rights, and refugee flows.

Full details for GOVT 2857 - Global Governance and Policy

This lecture course is an introduction to the systematic study of international security, asking and critically analyzing a series of major puzzles in the field. Why do arms races and wars repeatedly occur, and why is there no world government to resolve these disputes? Why is war between states more common today than at any point since 1945? Why do so many modern wars seem like they have no end in sight? What motivates security competition among major powers, such as the United States, Russia, and China, today? Students will learn about the causes of war, nuclear deterrence, alliances, covert action, and asymmetric warfare, among other topics.

Full details for GOVT 2867 - Elements of Security

This seminar, using faculty-directed research projects, is intended to survey China's transformation through revolution and reform since 1949, and to examine major issues under the themes of modernity and sustainability in the reform era.

Full details for GOVT 3007 - China in Transition

This course, offered by faculty members of Peking University's School of International Studies, provides Chinese perspectives on contemporary China's international relations.

Full details for GOVT 3017 - Chinese Perspectives on International and Global Affairs

This course will introduce students to the law and practice of international human rights. Students will think critically about the effectiveness of the international human rights system by examining its successes, failures, and dilemmas in preventing and responding to human rights abuse. Topics covered include the origins of international human rights; the role of international, regional, and domestic institutions and actors in enforcing human rights; critiques of the human rights movement; challenges encountered in human rights advocacy; and the relationship of the United States to the international system for the protection of human rights. The course will also explore issues such as the immigration, the death penalty, gender justice, climate change, global poverty, racism and xenophobia, and responses to mass atrocities. Throughout this interactive course, students will have frequent opportunities to step into the shoes of a human rights advocate and work individually and with their classmates to address simulated human rights problems.

Full details for GOVT 3087 - International Human Rights Law and Advocacy

This course reviews the changing relations between science, technology, and the state in America, focusing on the period from 1960 to the present. We will explore science-intensive policy controversies. We will also look at how science and technology are used in different institutional settings, such as Congress, the court system, and regulatory agencies. Among other issues, we will examine the tension between the concept of science as an autonomous system for producing knowledge and the concept of science as entangled with interest groups.

Full details for GOVT 3091 - Science in American Politics

This is a class about the American criminal justice system-from policing to prisons, from arrest to reentry. In many ways, the operation of the modern criminal justice system is taken for granted, which frequently allows it to escape close scrutiny. But we will examine it in great detail, with a focus on how it came about, how it sustains itself, its many roles in society (only some of which involve crime and justice), and how and why it may be changing. In Spring 2027, the class will take a particular look at the use of the criminal justice system by the Trump Administration and reflect on whether, and to what extent, that use has been legitimate. NB: This class is designed to challenge your settled assumptions and dearly held myths about what is right and wrong with the system. Those who have made up their mind about criminal justice in America should not take the course. (GOVT-AM)

Full details for GOVT 3121 - Crime and Punishment

A general-education course to acquaint students with how our legal system pursues the goals of society. The course introduces students to various perspectives on the nature of law, what functions it ought to serve in society, and what it can and cannot accomplish. The course proceeds in the belief that such matters constitute a valuable and necessary part of a general education, not only for pre-law students but especially for students in other fields. Assigned readings comprise legal materials and also secondary sources on the legal process and the role of law in society. The classes include discussion and debate about current legal and social issues, including equality, safety, the environment, punishment, and autonomy.

Full details for GOVT 3131 - The Nature, Functions, and Limits of Law

In this course, we will examine one of the most important documents in American history - our Constitution. Course topics will include the historical background of the document from the Magna Carta to the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. We will look at the creation of the Constitution, including the conflict between strong supporters of this proposed new Constitution (Federalists) and their opponents (Anti-Federalists). How did the Founders resolve their differences and what led the States to adopt a document limiting and balancing the powers of the President, Congress, and the Judiciary? We shall look at the constant tension (from the beginning to the present) over the balance of power between the three co-equal branches. We shall discuss the role of the Constitution from both empirical and theoretical perspectives and look at how it has evolved from 1788 to the present day. Special attention will be paid to the use of Amendments, particularly the Bill of Rights, to address events/circumstances unforeseen by the drafters. Finally, the course will discuss critical cases where the Supreme Court defined and redefined what the Constitution meant.

Full details for GOVT 3271 - Constitutional Law: An Introduction

Much has been said about the presence of China in Africa, some factual, some conjectural, and some fantastical. In this course, we will explore various approaches and positions with the aim of allowing students deeper comprehension of the subject matter as well as the stakes for Africa, China, and the US and its Western allies. We will ask whether there are causes for worry, caution, and simply for a good reality check on all sides.

Full details for GOVT 3333 - China-Africa Relations

This course presents the major political and social transitions in the People’s Republic of China, with a focus on domestic politics in the post-reform era (1979-present). Delving beyond news headlines, the course challenges students to examine the conditions that have catapulted China from a poor, developing nation to a global power in three decades, as well as the political and social consequences of such rapid change. Part I of the course introduces the major structural changes in China. Part II of the course delves into ongoing and controversial issues in the headlines. Together, these two parts combine an overview of major political reform with a topical focus on ongoing scholarly debates in the study of Chinese politics.

Full details for GOVT 3373 - Chinese Politics Beyond the Headlines

Social Justice: Special Topics explores feminist, anthropological, and interdisciplinary perspectives on social justice. It connects domestic and international concerns and fosters active and engaged learning, research, and discovery.

Full details for GOVT 3401 - Social Justice: Special Topics

Why do some countries offer universal health care coverage, free higher education, or personal financial security, while others do not? What explains the alternative national approaches to similar global challenges, such as those posed by climate change, the gig economy, or migration? This course explores how the public policy strategies adopted in the United States compare to those adopted in other affluent democracies - through the lens of socio-economic inequality. Examining how different countries confront the same issue allows us to identify the policies that redress it, how their content can vary, and why so. The course therefore underscores the reason for these differences: politics and government. Together, we will examine the multiple political pathways to creating public policy across these societies, as well as their effects on the people that live in them. (GOVT-AM, GOVT-CP)

Full details for GOVT 3583 - Comparative Public Policy: Political Pathways to Equality

This seminar overviews political theories of colonialism and empire, and in doing so, allows us to pose questions about the constitutive elements of our modernity, such as slavery, racism, dependency, and dispossession. Throughout the semester, we will examine the relationship between former colonies and political and economic configurations (nationalism, internationalism, capitalism, socialism), as well as philosophical and epistemological questions about the relationship between the universal and the particular, and the imperatives of history-writing. The course material will give us an opportunity to conclude with questions about whether or not the process of decolonizing our world and our study of it is complete or an ongoing project. (GOVT-PT)

Full details for GOVT 3715 - Colonialism and Anticolonialism

This course introduces students to the latest empirical research on the applications of novel, large-scale, and unstructured data in political science and public policy. Themes include causality and credibility; administrative and open data; geographic and geospatial data; social media and digital trace data; text, image, audio, and video data; and generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). For each type of data, students learn the set of questions it can help answer, along with appropriate methods for analysis. The course situates the rise of data-intensive social science within the broader context of political science and policy research and examines the promises and pitfalls of computational innovations and new data science methods, including their implications for ethics, transparency, and privacy.

Full details for GOVT 3761 - Data Science Applications in Politics and Policy

This course examines the politics of international economic relations. It focuses on the sources of national economic policies affecting trade, exchange rates, and all forms of international investment. Three interrelated facets of politics are emphasized throughout this course: the distributional consequences of international economic policy; political cleavages among both states and domestic interest groups; and the national and international institutions that channel and ameliorate these conflicts. The goal for this course is to understand the debates surrounding each of these topics.

Full details for GOVT 3977 - International Political Economy

Does allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons reduce violent crime? Do affirmative action policies at law schools cause black students to fail the bar? Do micro-finance policies make the poor better off? Do the militaries of democracies fight better in the field than those of non-democracies? Does the death penalty save lives by deterring murders? Answering questions like these about the effects of public policy implies cause and effect knowledge: if we implement policy X, we will get effect Y. But on what evidence should answers to questions like these rest? How do you know the answer, and under what conditions can you? Providing robust answers to cause-and-effect questions in a (mostly) non-experimental field like political science is devilishly difficult. In this course, we will learn some of the pitfalls that make it so hard to evaluate evidence in the public policy realm, how to judge the quality of evidence cited in the media, and how to ask the right questions to get the best possible evidence. We'll do so by working through the evidence supporting yes or no answers to the questions listed above. (GOVT-AM)

Full details for GOVT 3999 - How Do You Know That?

Major seminars in the Government department are small, advanced courses that cover an important theme or topic in contemporary politics in depth. Courses place particular emphasis on careful reading and classroom discussion, and students can expect to write a significant research paper. These courses are open to all Cornell students, but preference in admissions is given to seniors over juniors, and to Government majors over other students. Topics vary by semester and section.

Full details for GOVT 4000 - Major Seminar

The most intense public encounter between Existentialism and Marxism occurred in immediate post-WWII Europe, its structure remaining alive internationally. Existentialist questions have been traced from pre-Socratic thinkers through Dante, Shakespeare, and Cervantes onward; just as roots of modern materialism extend to Epicurus and Lucretius, or Leopardi. This course will focus on differing theories and concomitant practices concerned with “alienation,” “anxiety,” “crisis,” “death of God,” “nihilism,” “rebellion or revolution.” Crucial are possible relations between fiction and non-fiction; also among philosophy, theology, psychoanalysis, and political theory. Other authors may include: Althusser, de Beauvoir, Beckett, Büchner, Camus, Che, Dostoevsky, Fanon, Genet, Gide, Gramsci, O. Gross, Hamsun, Heidegger, Husserl, Jaspers, C.L.R. James, Kafka, Kierkegaard, Lagerkvist, Lacan, Lenin, Marx, Merleau-Ponty, Mishima, G. Novack, Nietzsche, Ortega, Pirandello, W. Reich, Sartre, Shestov, Tillich, Unamuno. There is also cinema. Taught in English.

Full details for GOVT 4015 - Existentialism

American conservative thought rests on assumptions that are strikingly different from those made by mainstream American liberals. However, conservative thinkers are themselves committed to principles that are both quite varied and sometimes contradictory. This course examines the assumptions upon which rest the libertarian, market/economic, and cultural/traditional strains of American conservatism and asks whether the tensions between them weaken or strengthen conservative thought as an alternative to mainstream liberalism. (GOVT-AM)

Full details for GOVT 4021 - American Conservative Thought

This course serves as a survey of major issues within Chinese politics and foreign policy and constitutes the capstone seminar for CAPS students. It is intended to give students an opportunity to explore aspects related to Chinese politics, economics, and society that they may have touched upon in other China-focused courses at Cornell, but have not been able to examine as fully, and with the degree of care, that they would like. In this regard, the substance of the course will be developed through an iterative process between the instructor and the seminar participants. We will spend the first part of the course doing a series of recent influential readings on contemporary China and developing initial research projects. The second half of the class will be organized around student led presentations of research projects (accompanied by relevant academic, media, and policy readings). (ASIAN-SC)

Full details for GOVT 4037 - Making Sense of China: The Capstone Seminar

This seminar will explore some of the most important psychoanalytic approaches to politics and collective life. from Sigmund Freud's Mass Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego to works by Le Bon, Reich, Althusser, Fanon, Lacan, Safouan, Zizek and Dolar. Questions explored will include the relationship between mass and individual psychology; the role of unconscious identification (ideal ego, superego) in group formation, nationalism, xenophobia and racism; fantasy and politics; and the people considered as a subject and political actor. Events and contexts discussed will range from the French Revolution to the Nazi Reich to colonialization and contemporary authoritarianisms. Works of political theory by Rousseau, Kant, Marx, Arendt, Balibar and Ranciere will be put in dialogue with psychoanalytic readings.

Full details for GOVT 4246 - Psychoanalysis and Politics

This seminar examines the emergence of national identities, nationalist movements, and nation-states in the modern Arab world. First, we will examine various approaches to the question of nationalism, using Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities as our basic reference. We will then test the applicability of these general theories to the Arab World through our examination of specific case studies. (HIST-HGS)

Full details for GOVT 4339 - Nationalism(s) in the Arab World

GOVT 4959 is the second semester of honors thesis research, limited to students who have completed GOVT 4949 - Honors Seminar: Thesis Clarification and Research. There is no formal class meeting. Instead, students will work on their own, with their advisers and other faculty they may consult. Following the plan developed in the fall semester, they will proceed to gather and analyze data or texts, turning in thesis chapters to the adviser on a regular schedule that the student and adviser develop.

Full details for GOVT 4959 - Honors Thesis: Research and Writing

The core course at Cornell in Washington is an engaged learning class that focuses on understanding and analyzing the professional experience of being in DC. Its primary purpose is to give students a chance to sunthesize the lessons of their internship work by examining and reflecting on that work, investigating the context and structures of the policy and political world with which they are engaging, and learning and practicing the professional forms of writing that the community uses. This process occurs through readings, written assignments, guest speakers, and signature events. An internship is required for the class.

Full details for GOVT 4998 - Engaged Learning About Policy Making in Washington D.C.

One-on-one tutorial arranged by the student with a faculty member of his or her choosing. Open to government majors doing superior work, and it is the responsibility of the student to establish the research proposal and to find a faculty sponsor. Applicants for independent study must present a well-defined program of study that cannot be satisfied by pursuing courses in the regularly scheduled curriculum. No more than 4 credits of independent study may count toward fulfillment of the major. Students who elect to continue taking this course for more than one semester must select a new theme or subject each semester. Credit can be given only for work that results in a satisfactory amount of writing. Emphasis is on the capacity to subject a body of related readings to analysis and criticism. Keep in mind that independent study cannot be used to fulfill the seminar requirement. The application form for independent study must be completed at the beginning of the semester in which the course is being taken.

Full details for GOVT 4999 - Undergraduate Independent Study

This course builds upon 6019, covering in detail the interpretation and estimation of multivariate linear regression models. We derive the Ordinary Least Squares estimator and its characteristics using matrix algebra and determine the conditions under which it achieves statistical optimality. We then consider the circumstances in social scientific contexts which commonly lead to assumption violations, and the detection and implications of these problems. This leads to modified regression estimators that can offer limited forms of robustness in some of these cases. Finally, we briefly introduce likelihood-based techniques that incorporate assumptions about the distribution of the response variable, focusing on logistic regression for binary dependent variables. Students are expected to produce a research paper built around a quantitative analysis that is suitable for presentation at a professional conference. Some time will be spent reviewing matrix algebra, and discussing ways to implement computations using statistical software. (GOVT-AM)

Full details for GOVT 6029 - Advanced Regression Analysis

The major issues, approaches, and institutions of American government and the various subfields of American politics are introduced. The focus is on both substantive information and theoretical analysis, plus identification of big questions that have animated the field. (GOVT-AM)

Full details for GOVT 6031 - Field Seminar in American Politics

An in-depth, graduate-level introduction to qualitative and comparative methods of political analysis, with special emphasis on the application of these methods in comparative and international politics. Through readings, discussions, and written assignments, students will explore strategies for concept formation, theory construction, and theory testing, using the craft and tools of comparative political analysis. (GOVT-CP, MHA-EL)

Full details for GOVT 6053 - Comparative Method in International and Comparative Politics

This course will explore the relationship between popular belief, political action, and the institutional deployment of social power. The class will be roughly divided in three parts, opening with a discussion of how the material world influences the culture of a society. The middle section will connect culture to political ideology, including symbolism and the construction of group identity. The last part of the course will consider ways in which cultural symbols and ideology can be manipulated in order to legitimate government authority. We will then, coming full circle, trace how political regimes can influence the social practices from which culture originates. (GOVT-CP)

Full details for GOVT 6202 - Political Culture

How a society confronts and shapes socio-economic inequality depends largely on the policy tools at its disposal. A range of remedies - in areas as diverse as employment, education, health care, retirement, disability, housing, and parental leave - are available, yet different countries pursue alternative approaches to these issues. This seminar examines how politics shapes a government's social policy strategies. We will review the classic theories of welfare state variation emerging from Western Europe, how they shed light on the American approach to social policy, and to what extent they apply outside affluent democracies. We also will consider whether existing social policies can adapt to emerging issues, such as those posed by the gig economy and climate change. (GOVT-AM, GOVT-CP)

Full details for GOVT 6223 - Inequality and the Welfare State

This course explores the concepts of membership, belonging, citizenship and (im)migration with regards to the U.S. Latina-o-x experience. In this course, we will examine how historically, politically, socially and culturally, Latinas-os-xs have been construed as belonging or not belonging members of U.S. society. Given the multifaceted nature of the topics, our investigation of these topics will rely on an interdisciplinary approach. That is, we will draw from materials and knowledge in political science, sociology, history, public policy, and the law. The course will survey materials, concepts, and theories to investigate the ways in which race, immigration, gender, geography, politics and policy have defined how, when and under what circumstances Latinas-os-xs belong or do not belong in America.

Full details for GOVT 6252 - Latino Politics and the Boundaries of Belonging

In this course, we will examine one of the most important documents in American history - our Constitution. Course topics will include the historical background of the document from the Magna Carta to the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. We will look at the creation of the Constitution, including the conflict between strong supporters of this proposed new Constitution (Federalists) and their opponents (Anti-Federalists). How did the Founders resolve their differences and what led the States to adopt a document limiting and balancing the powers of the President, Congress, and the Judiciary? We shall look at the constant tension (from the beginning to the present) over the balance of power between the three co-equal branches. We shall discuss the role of the Constitution from both empirical and theoretical perspectives and look at how it has evolved from 1788 to the present day. Special attention will be paid to the use of Amendments, particularly the Bill of Rights, to address events/circumstances unforeseen by the drafters. Finally, the course will discuss critical cases where the Supreme Court defined and redefined what the Constitution meant. (MPA-PUBNON, MPA-SOCPOL)

Full details for GOVT 6271 - Constitutional Law: An Introduction

This course introduces students to the latest empirical research on the applications of novel, large-scale, and unstructured data in political science and public policy. Themes include causality and credibility; administrative and open data; geographic and geospatial data; social media and digital trace data; text, image, audio, and video data; and generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). For each type of data, students learn the set of questions it can help answer, along with appropriate methods for analysis. The course situates the rise of data-intensive social science within the broader context of political science and policy research and examines the promises and pitfalls of computational innovations and new data science methods, including their implications for ethics, transparency, and privacy.

Full details for GOVT 6761 - Data Science Applications in Politics and Policy

It is hard to find any domain of international politics untouched by international law, norms, or institutions. Even in what scholars term an "anarchic'' system -- one lacking a central authority over sovereign states -- international politics increasingly occurs in, through, and by international institutions. This advanced research seminar examines the complex politics among states, international organizations, and non governmental actors as they create, enforce, and contest the institutions and rules that govern the international order. Why do states create international institutions? How do these bodies influence state behavior and global outcomes? And through what processes do institutions persist, adapt, stagnate, or die? This course will explore these and other questions through an examination of foundational scholarship in the field of international relations and recent research at the empirical and theoretical frontier of the discipline. The course aims to prepare students to make their own contributions to the field. (GOVT-IR, MHA-EL)

Full details for GOVT 6837 - International Organization

This seminar is an intensive study of the political thought of Martin Luther King, Jr. Approaching texts in contexts, we will seek to recover King the political thinker from his mythologization in American political culture by carefully reading his books, speeches, sermons, interviews, notes, and correspondence as illocutionary interventions into the major crises and ideological disputes of twentieth century American politics. Topics we will explore include the politics of dignity, leadership and mass politics, rhetoric and democratic persuasion, law and direct action, nonviolence, loss and mourning, race and political economy, global justice, and the practices of prophetic critique. Along the way, we will study King in dialogue with both his contemporaries as well as more recent interventions in the study of civil disobedience, racial capitalism, and Afro-modern political thought. (GOVT-PT)

Full details for GOVT 6865 - Martin Luther King, Jr.

This seminar will be devoted to the careful reading of a single significant and challenging work of political theory, accompanied by consideration of the author's reception of the work of their predecessors; the contexts in which the work was written; its relation to other parts of the author's corpus; the way the work has been critically engaged by others; the state of the relevant scholarly literature; and, especially, the continuing impact of the work in twentieth-century and contemporary political theory. In Spring 2023 the course will be centered on Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan. (GOVT-PT)

Full details for GOVT 6875 - Key Works in Political Theory

The core course at Cornell in Washington is an experiential learning class that focuses on engaging with the professional experience of being in DC. Its primary purposes are to give students to build their understanding of their internship work by analyzing and reflecting on that work, understanding the context and structures of the policy and political world with which they are engaging, and learning and practicing the professional forms of writing that that world uses. This process occurs through readings, written assignments, guest speakers, and signature events. (MPA-DATSCI, MPA-ECONPL, MPA-ENPO, MPA-INTPMN, MPA-PUBNON, MPA-SCITEC, MPA-SOCPOL, MPA-TPA)

Full details for GOVT 6998 - Experiential Learning in Policy Making in Washington, DC

The Proseminar in Peace Studies offers a multidisciplinary review of issues related to peace and conflict at the graduate level. The course is led by the director of the Judith Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies and is based on the Institute's weekly seminar series, featuring outside visitors and Cornell faculty. (GOVT-IR)

Full details for GOVT 7937 - Proseminar in Peace Studies

Individualized readings and research for graduate students. Topics, readings, and writing requirements are designed through consultation between the student and the instructor. Graduate students in government who are looking to use this as an option to fulfill their course requirements should check with their chairs to be certain that the program of study is acceptable for this purpose. Applications must be completed and signed by the instructor and by the chairs of their special committees. They are available from, and must be returned to, the graduate assistant in 212 White Hall.

Full details for GOVT 7999 - Independent Study