Political Science

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2014-15 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu/.

About the Program

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

The Political Science major is concerned with exploring the exercise of power in its myriad forms and consequences. Students in the major are encouraged to explore such central issues as the ethical problems attendant to the exercise of power; the history of important political ideas, such as "liberty", "justice", "community", and "morality"; the impact of historical, economic, and social forces on the operation of politics; the functioning and distinctive features of the US political system; the diversity of political systems and the significance of these differences; the interactions among international actors and the causes of war and peace. Undergraduate courses in Political Science vary from large lectures of 450 students to small seminars of 18 students. The courses are challenging, often emphasizing critical reading and analytical writing.

Declaring the Major

To declare the major, students must have completed the minimum eligibility and must attend a declaration-orientation session. For information regarding minimum eligibility, please see the Major Requirements tab on this page. Transfer students may go to assist.org  for a list of California community college courses that satisfy University and major requirements.

Students must attend a Major Declaration Session to declare the major:

  1. Pick a date from the calendar linked below. Students will be eligible to attend a Major Declaration Session after they have completed the final for their second introductory political science course.
  2. Gather transcript(s) and make copies of them to submit. See more on transcripts below.
  3. Come early to secure a spot! The first 25 students who arrive at each session will be accepted to attend the session (unless indicated otherwise). Sessions held early and late in the semester as well as during the TeleBEARS time are usually full. A sign-up sheet is available an hour before the session - there is no need to arrive earlier than an hour before the posted time.

Do not come to a Declaration Session without all needed transcripts. Students cannot declare without a complete set of relevant transcripts. This includes transcripts (unofficial is okay) for courses taken at community colleges, other universities, and UC Berkeley (for Berkeley courses, students can print out a Bear Facts transcript). One copy of each transcript is all that is required. DARS reports are not acceptable. The Department keeps the transcript, so students should bring a copy they can spare. (Transcripts for courses that do not count for the major are not needed.)

A Declaration Session takes about an hour and includes a brief orientation to the major and Q&A after which declaration forms are completed (forms are supplied — students supply the transcripts).

For a schedule of Major Declaration Sessions, please see the Department website .

Honors Program

Declared political science majors with a 3.5 grade point average (GPA) in the major and a 3.3 GPA overall who have senior standing, completed Political Science 3, and have at least two letter-graded upper division political science courses at Berkeley are eligible to apply for the honors program. The honors program consists of a two-semester seminar, POL SCI H190A and POL SCI H190B(offered in fall/spring only), and culminates in the writing of an honors thesis. Students must also obtain the sponsorship of a member of the faculty who will guide the research. Applications can be made only online ; please refer to the undergraduate program section of the website. Departmental honors are awarded upon completion of the honors seminar with a grade of B+ or better, a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major, and a 3.3 in overall work at Berkeley.

Minor Program

There is no minor program in Political Science.

Visit Department Website

Major Requirements

In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.

General Guidelines

  1. All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
  2. No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs, with the exception of minors offered outside of the College of Letters and Science.
  3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in both upper- and lower-division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.

For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.

Summary of Major Requirements

Lower-division Prerequisites: Two courses
Methods Requirement: POL SCI 3
History Requirement: One course
Distribution Requirement: One course
Subfield Specialization: Three courses
Upper-division Requirements: A total of eight courses within the department

Lower-division Prerequisites

Select two courses from the following (one course should be in the student's intended subfield of specialization)
Introduction to American Politics
Introduction to Comparative Politics
Introduction to Political Theory
Introduction to International Relations

Methods Requirement

POL SCI 3Introduction to Empirical Analysis and Quantitative Methods4

History Requirement

Select one course from the following list of pre-approved History courses.

AFRICAM 4AAfrica: History and Culture4
AFRICAM 4BAfrica: History and Culture4
AFRICAM 111Race, Class, and Gender in the United States3
AFRICAM 135Course Not Available
ASIANST 10ACourse Not Available4
ASIANST 10BCourse Not Available4
CELTIC 70The World of the Celts4
CLASSIC 10AIntroduction to Greek Civilization4
CLASSIC 10BIntroduction to Roman Civilization4
DEV STD C100History of Development and Underdevelopment4
ECON 113American Economic History4
ETH STD 10ACA History of Race and Ethnicity in Western North America, 1598-Present4
ETH STD 21ACA Comparative Survey of Racial and Ethnic Groups in the U.S4
ETH STD 130ACCourse Not Available
GERMAN 160APolitics and Culture in 20th-Century Germany: A Century of Extremes4
GERMAN 160CPolitics and Culture in 20th-Century Germany: A Divided Nation. Politics and Culture in Germany 1945-19904
HISTORY 4AOrigins of Western Civilization: The Ancient Mediterranean World4
HISTORY 4BOrigins of Western Civilization: Medieval Europe4
HISTORY 5European Civilization from the Renaissance to the Present4
HISTORY 6AHistory of China: Origins to the Mongol Conquest4
HISTORY 6BIntroduction to Chinese History from the Mongols to Mao4
HISTORY 7AIntroduction to the History of the United States: The United States from Settlement to Civil War4
HISTORY 7BIntroduction to the History of the United States: The United States from Civil War to Present4
HISTORY 10African History4
HISTORY 8ALatin American History: Becoming Latin America, 1492 to 18244
HISTORY 8BLatin American History: Modern Latin America4
HISTORY 11India4
HISTORY 12The Middle East4
HISTORY 14Introduction to the History of Japan4
HISTORY 16ACCourse Not Available
HISTORY 105AAncient Greece: Archaic and Classical Greek History4
HISTORY 105BAncient Greece: The Greek World: 403-31 BCE4
HISTORY 105CCourse Not Available4
HISTORY 106AAncient Rome: The Roman Republic4
HISTORY 106BAncient Rome: The Roman Empire4
HISTORY 108Byzantium4
HISTORY 109AThe Rise of Islamic Civilization, 600-12004
HISTORY 109BThe Middle East, 1000-17504
HISTORY 109CThe Middle East From the 18th Century to the Present4
HISTORY 111ATopics in the History of Southest Asia: Southeast Asia to the 18th Century4
HISTORY 111BTopics in the History of Southest Asia: Modern Southeast Asia4
HISTORY 111CTopics in the History of Southest Asia: Political and Cultural History of Vietnam4
HISTORY 112ACourse Not Available4
HISTORY 112BAfrica: Modern South Africa, 1652-Present4
HISTORY 113BModern Korean History4
HISTORY 114AIndia: Medieval and Early Modern India to the Coming of the British4
HISTORY 114BIndia: Modern South Asia4
HISTORY 116AChina: Early China4
HISTORY 116BChina: Two Golden Ages: China During the Tang and Song Dynasties4
HISTORY 116CChina: Modern China4
HISTORY 116DChina: Twentieth-Century China4
HISTORY 118AJapan: Japan, Archaeological Period to 18004
HISTORY 118BJapan: Japan 1800-19004
HISTORY 118CJapan: Empire and Alienation: The 20th Century in Japan4
HISTORY 121ACourse Not Available
HISTORY 121BThe Colonial Period and American Revolution: The American Revolution4
HISTORY 122ACAntebellum America: The Advent of Mass Society4
HISTORY 123Civil War and Reconstruction4
HISTORY 124AThe Recent United States: The United States from the Late 19th Century to the Eve of World War II4
HISTORY 124BThe Recent United States: The United States from World War II to the Vietnam Era4
HISTORY 126AThe American West since 18504
HISTORY 126BThe American West since 18504
HISTORY 130ACourse Not Available
HISTORY 130BDiplomatic History of the United States: The United States and the World Since 19454
HISTORY 131ACourse Not Available
HISTORY 131BSocial History of the United States: Creating Modern American Society: From the End of the Civil War to the Global Age4
HISTORY 132ACourse Not Available
HISTORY 132BCourse Not Available
HISTORY 137ACThe Repeopling of America4
HISTORY C139BThe American Immigrant Experience4
HISTORY 139DCourse Not Available
HISTORY 140ACourse Not Available
HISTORY 140BMexico: Modern Mexico4
HISTORY 141ACourse Not Available
HISTORY 141BSocial History of Latin America: Social History of Modern Latin America4
HISTORY 143Brazil4
HISTORY 145Course Not Available
HISTORY 149BMedieval Italy: Italy in the Age of Dante (1000-1350)4
HISTORY 150ACourse Not Available4
HISTORY 150BMedieval England: From the Conquest to 12904
HISTORY 150CCourse Not Available4
HISTORY 151ABritain 1485-Present: Tudor Stuart Britain, 1485-16604
HISTORY 151BBritain 1485-Present: Britain, 1660-18514
HISTORY 151CBritain 1485-Present: The Peculiar Modernity of Britain, 1848-20004
HISTORY 152ATopics in the History of the British Isles: Ireland Since the Union4
HISTORY C153Course Not Available4
HISTORY 154Canada4
HISTORY 155AMedieval Europe: From the Late Empire to the Investiture Conflict4
HISTORY 155BMedieval Europe: From the Investiture Conflict to the Fifteenth Century4
HISTORY 156ACourse Not Available4
HISTORY 156BCourse Not Available4
HISTORY C157The Renaissance and the Reformation4
HISTORY 158AModern Europe: Old Regime and Revolutionary Europe, 1715-18154
HISTORY 158BModern Europe: Europe in the 19th Century4
HISTORY 158CModern Europe: Old and New Europe, 1914-Present4
HISTORY 159AEuropean Economic History4
HISTORY 159BEuropean Economic History4
HISTORY 160The International Economy of the 20th Century4
HISTORY 161Course Not Available
HISTORY 162AEurope and the World: Wars, Empires, Nations 1648-19144
HISTORY 162BWar and Peace: International Relations since 19144
HISTORY 163AModern European Intellectual History: European Intellectual History from the Enlightenment to 18704
HISTORY 163BModern European Intellectual History: European Intellectual History, 1870 to the Present4
HISTORY 164AModern European Intellectual History: European Intellectual History from Renaissance to Enlightenment4
HISTORY 165ATopics in Modern European History: The Reformations of Christendom4
HISTORY 165BTopics in Modern European History: The World, the Picture, and the Page: The Revolution in European Culture since the late 18th Century4
HISTORY 165CCourse Not Available4
HISTORY 166AModern France: Early Modern France to 17154
HISTORY 166BModern France: Old Regime and Revolutionary France4
HISTORY 166CModern France4
HISTORY 167AModern Germany: Early Modern Germany4
HISTORY 167BModern Germany: The Rise and Fall of the Second Reich: Germany 1770-19184
HISTORY 167CModern Germany: Germany 1914 to the Present4
HISTORY 168ASpain and Portugal: The Spanish and Portuguese Empires in the Golden Age: 1450-17004
HISTORY 169AModern Italy: Renaissance and Baroque Italy 1350-18004
HISTORY 170The Netherlands4
HISTORY 171ARussia: Russia to 17004
HISTORY 171BRussia: Imperial Russia: From Peter the Great to the Russian Revolution4
HISTORY 171CRussia: The Soviet Union, 1917 to the Present4
HISTORY 173BHistory of Eastern Europe: The Habsburg Empire, 1740-19184
HISTORY 173CHistory of Eastern Europe: History of Eastern Europe: From 1900 to the Present4
HISTORY C175ACourse Not Available4
HISTORY C175BJewish Civilization: Modern Period4
HISTORY 177AArmenia: Armenia from Ethnogenesis to the Dark Ages4
HISTORY 177BArmenia: From Pre-modern Empires to the Present4
HISTORY 185AHistory of Christianity: History of Christianity to 12504
IAS 45Survey of World History4
NE STUD 10Introduction to the Near East4
NE STUD C26Introduction to Central Asia3
NE STUD 109Mesopotamian History3
NE STUD 130AHistory of Ancient Israel4
NE STUD 130BHistory of Ancient Israel4
NE STUD 147The Rise of Islamic Civilization4
NE STUD 173ATopics in the History of Central Asia and the Turks4
NE STUD 173BTopics in the History of Central Asia and the Turks4
NE STUD 175History and Culture of Afghanistan3
PACS 125ACWar, Culture, and Society4
PORTUG 112Portuguese Civilization3
PORTUG 113Brazilian Civilization3
SCANDIN 123Viking and Medieval Scandinavia4
SCANDIN 127Course Not Available4
SCANDIN 128Course Not Available4
UGIS 55ACourse Not Available4
UGIS 55BCourse Not Available4

Distribution Requirement

Select at least one lower- or upper-division course from each of the five primary sub-fields below:

American Politics
POL SCI 1Introduction to American Politics4
Courses numbered between POL SCI 102-POL SCI 111B
Courses numbered between POL SCI 150-POL SCI 189
Comparative Politics
POL SCI 2Introduction to Comparative Politics4
Courses numbered between POL SCI 136A-POL SCI 140Z
Courses numbered between POL SCI 141C-149Z
Empirical Theory and Quantitative Methods
POL SCI 3Introduction to Empirical Analysis and Quantitative Methods4
Courses numbered between POL SCI 131-POL SCI C135
POL SCI 161Public Opinion, Voting and Participation (Shanks)4
Political Theory
POL SCI 4Introduction to Political Theory4
Courses numbered between POL SCI 112A-118AC
International Relations
POL SCI 5Introduction to International Relations4
Courses numbered between POL SCI 122A-POL SCI 129C

Sub-field Specialization

Students must specialize in one of the five primary sub-fields by completing the introductory course and taking two upper-division courses in that sub-field (see above).

Upper-division Requirements

Students must complete a total of eight upper-division courses within the Political Science Department from those numbered POL SCI 102 - POL SCI 189, POL SCI 191, and POL SCI C196W (the UCDC program). Courses fulfilling the distribution and sub-field specialization count toward these eight required upper-division courses. Graduate level Political Science courses may also count toward the upper-division course requirements.

College Requirements

Undergraduate students in the College of Letters and Science must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.

For detailed lists of courses that fulfill college requirements, please see the College of Letters and Sciences  page in this bulletin. 

Entry Level Writing

All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing Requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley. 

American History and American Institutions

The American History and Institutions requirements are based on the principle that a U.S. resident graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.

American Cultures

American Cultures is the one requirement that all undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.

Quantitative Reasoning

The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course.

Foreign Language

The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work.

Reading and Composition

In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing and critical thinking the College requires two semesters of lower division work in composition. Students must complete a first-level reading and composition course by the end of their second semester and a second-level course by the end of their fourth semester.

Breadth Requirements

The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship.  Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.

Unit Requirements

  • 120 total units, including at least 60 L&S units

  • Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units

  • Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department

Residence Requirements

For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters and Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes here for four years. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you go abroad for a semester or year or want to take courses at another institution or through University Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to see an adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.

Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.

Senior Residence Requirement

After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.

You may use a Berkeley summer session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence Requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the College.

Modified Senior Residence Requirement

Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) or the UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence Requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.

Upper Division Residence Requirement

You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding EAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.

Student Learning Goals

Learning Goals for the Major

  1. Exposure to the core sub-fields of political science:
    • American politics
    • Comparative politics
    • Political theory
    • International relations
  2. Opportunities to explore areas that cross-cut traditional political science sub-field boundaries:
    • Political behavior
    • Public law and jurisprudence
    • Public policy and organization
    • Empirical theory and quantitative methods
  3. Specialization in one sub-field of political science: Minimum of three courses taken in either one of the four core sub-fields (American politics, comparative politics, political theory, international relations) or one of the other departmental areas that generally cross-cut traditional sub-field boundaries (political behavior, public law and jurisprudence, public policy and organization, empirical theory and quantitative methods).

Skills

  1. Methodological skills:
    • Ability to understand and deploy the methods that political scientists use to answer questions about the operation of politics: causal inference, qualitative analysis, statistical analysis, experimentation, game theory, and modeling
    • Capacity to use critical thinking and evidence to understand and evaluate rival theories
  2. Research and Presentation Skills:
    • Writing skills - Ability to formulate a well-organized argument supported by evidence
    • Oral presentation skills - Ability to present a compelling oral argument supported by evidence to a group or public audience
    • Research skills - Ability to conduct political science research using materials such as primary, secondary, and online sources or databases in support of an original argument

Courses

Political Science

POL SCI 1 Introduction to American Politics 4 Units

An introductory analysis of the structure and operations of the American political system, primarily at the national level.

POL SCI 2 Introduction to Comparative Politics 4 Units

This course deals with the basic problems and processes that all political systems face and examines their particular expression in Western, Communist, and Third World settings.

POL SCI 3 Introduction to Empirical Analysis and Quantitative Methods 4 Units

Analytical and methodological problems of political inquiry, with an emphasis on quantification and measurement.

POL SCI 4 Introduction to Political Theory 4 Units

An approach to the understanding of politics through the perspectives and language of the political theorist.

POL SCI 5 Introduction to International Relations 4 Units

This course is designed to introduce students to the major theoretical approaches to international politics, to explore important historical and contemporary questions and debates in international affairs, and to teach students to think critically about international relations. It is a prerequisite for most upper division international relations courses in Political Science.

POL SCI 18AC Race, Culture, and Politics in the Golden State 4 Units

This course will study the historical processes of racial formation and transformation in California. Students will develop an understanding of the dynamic nature of racial and ethnic cultures and identities, and use these tools to better understand their own cultural position. Two periods are studied: 1848-1882 and 1964-1988. The course will consider the experiences of Asian Americans, Chicano/Latinos, African Americans, European Americans, and Native Americans.

POL SCI 39B Freshman/Sophomore Seminar 2 - 4 Units

Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester.

POL SCI 41 Freshman Seminar 4 Units

Topics, experimental in nature, will vary from year to year.

POL SCI C79 Societal Risks and the Law 3 Units

Defining, perceiving, quantifying and measuring risk; identifying risks and estimating their importance; determining whether laws and regulations can protect us from these risks; examining how well existing laws work and how they could be improved; evaluting costs and benefits. Applications may vary by term. This course cannot be used to complete engineering unit or technical elective requirements for students in the College of Engineering.

POL SCI 98 Directed Group Study for Lower Division Students 1 - 3 Units

Lectures and small group discussion focusing on topics of interest that vary from semester to semester.

POL SCI 99 Supervised Independent Study 1 - 4 Units

Supervised Independent Study and Research for lower division students, pursuant to the Regulations of the Berkeley Division, Section A230.

POL SCI 102 The American Presidency 4 Units

Analysis of principal institutions, functions, and problems of the Presidency and the federal executive branch. Special attention will be given to topics of presidential leadership, staffing, executive-legislative relations, and policy formation. Comparative reference to executive processes in other political systems.

POL SCI 103 Congress 4 Units

Nomination and election, constituent relations, the formal and informal structures of both houses, relations with the executive branch, policy formation, and lobbying.

POL SCI 103W The Congress 4 Units

This course will explore the Congress--the first branch under the Consititution--and its role in our political system. It will leverage our environment in Washington by featuring frequent guest speakers and seeking connections to current policy and political debate. In addition to surveying the pathways of lawmaking, we will ask how Congress and its members relate to the other branches of government, to the press, and to the public.

POL SCI 104 Political Parties 4 Units

The institutional environment within which American politics takes place. Concept and history of parties in the American context: their nature and function, origin and development. Party organization and structure. State, national, and local party systems and their variations. Nominations and elections.

POL SCI 105 The Politician 4 Units

The nature of politics, the education of politicians, the structure of ambition, and the ethical values of social behavior in the political world. Sessions with elected officials and party workers on their vocation.

POL SCI 106A American Politics: Campaign Strategy - Media 4 Units

An inside look at how political campaigns operate from the viewpoint of the media, taught by the people who run them. Class material will be directed towards students who are interested in direct involvement in campaign politics or who are looking for a greater understanding of the political process. Students will be required to develop a complete written campaign strategy document in order to fulfill class requirements. Students will be expected to follow political and campaign news via the media and be prepared to discuss those developments in class.

POL SCI 109A Special Topics in American Politics 4 Units

See department web site for specific course details.

POL SCI 109B Special Topics in American Politics 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 109G Special Topics in American Politics 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 109H Special Topics in American Politics 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 109L Special Topics in American Politics 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 109M Special Topics in American Politics 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 109R Special Topics in American Politics 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 109W Selected Topics in American Politics-UCDC 4 Units

Topics will vary.

POL SCI 110B Cal-in-Sacramento 2 Units

The purpose of this course is to provide Cal-in-Sacramento interns and other interested UC Berkeley students with a rudimentary understanding of our state government. We will focus on the state legislature and executive branch, exploring both the policy-making process and the politics in Sacramento, which we will learn are quite closely related to one another.

POL SCI 111AC The Politics of Displacement 4 Units

Antebellum American political history generally follows a routine script in which the purpose of the Revolution was to liberate Americans for self-government and economic and social development. Slavery is viewed as an anomaly still needing explanation, and Native American relocation as the consequence of natural forces of immigration and pre-modern social values. In this class, the revolution against traditional political authority embodied in Jefferson's and Thomas Paine's attack on the British crown, the rise of slavery, and the conflict with Native America are seen as coherent parts of a cultural and social development that emerges in the 18th- and 19th-century America. Using both original antebellum materials, including biographies, history, and literature, and contemporary images from American popular culture such as film, news and magazine articles, and music, we will compare and contrast the experiences of antebellum Native Americans, Euopean immigrants, and African slaves as a connection between the past and the present emerges.

POL SCI 112A History of Political Theory 4 Units

Major theories from the ancient Greeks to the modern period. Ancient and medieval political thought, including Plato, Aristotle, and St. Augustine.

POL SCI 112B History of Political Theory 4 Units

Early modern political thought up to the French Revolution, including Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.

POL SCI 112C History of Political Theory 4 Units

Nineteenth and twentieth century political thought, including Burke, Utilitarianism, Marx, and contemporary theory.

POL SCI 112D History of European Political Theory: The 20th Century 4 Units

This is a survey course that will examine developments in 20th-century European Political Theory. It will focus on theorists' contributions and reactions to various major political and intellectual shifts, including Marxism (as "Western Marxism" and Critical Theory, as well as institutionalized Soviet communism in its heyday); psychoanalysis; and fascism.

POL SCI N113A American Political Theory 4 Units

Basic problems of political theory as viewed within the context of American history and institutions.

POL SCI 114A Theories of Governance: Late 20th Century 4 Units

What is governance? How should we explain its emergence? What are its implications for public policy and democracy? This course uses debates about contemporary governance to examine four approaches to political science and political theory. The approaches are rational choice theory, institutionalism, Marxism, and poststructuralism. The course looks at the narrative that each approach provides of the origins and workings of governance since 1979, and at the way these narratives embody theoretical commitments about rationality and power, structure and agency, and democracy. It thus promotes an awareness of the way questions about contemporary governance are inextricably linked to philosophical and normative commitments. This course has a required discussion section.

POL SCI 116A Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116B Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116C Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116D Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116E Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116F Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116G Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116H Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116I Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116J Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116K Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116L Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116M Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116N Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116O Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116P Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116Q Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116R Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116S Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116T Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116U Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116V Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116W Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116X Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116Y Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 116Z Special Topics in Political Theory 4 Units

Intensive study of one topic, problem, or intellectual movement in political theory. See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 118AC Three American Cultures 4 Units

The course will examine three American cultural forms. The focus of the course is to be comparative; readings will center around first-person accounts, written by members of the ethnic groups most immediately involved in each of the cultural forms. The theme is that of identity, seen politically as well as culturally: examining how the various ethnic groups involved came to forge a collective identity for themselves. The three groups studied will vary by instructor. See departmental listings for more specific information.

POL SCI 122A Politics of European Integration 4 Units

The European Union is the world's most advanced experiment in governance beyond the level of the traditional nation-state. Through the European Union, the main members countries have pooled their national sovereignty and created new ways political authority, economic competition, social cohesion, and cultural identity. While specialists in comparative politics focus on the separate countries, scholars in international relations emphasize the construction of supranational institutions and transnational identities. This course seeks to synthesize the comparative and international approaches by examining the economic, political, and cultural aspects of integration. Readings are drawn from international relations, comparative politics, public policy, sociology, and some anthropological debates. Course requirements include careful preparation of the readings, discussion sections, participation in a group report on one of the major domains mentioned above, and a closed-book final.

POL SCI 123A Special Topics in International Relations 4 Units

See department web site for specific course details.

POL SCI 123G Special Topics in International Relations 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 123H Special Topics in International Relations 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 123M Conflict Management 4 Units

The goal of this class is to familiarize students with the various ways in which actors can manage and resolve their conflicts. Conflict management in both international and civil conflicts will be discussed. Students will learn about negotiation, mediation, arbitration and adjudication, sanctions, military intervention, peacekeeping, nation-building, and the design of peace agreements. We will also talk about the role of the United Nations, regional organizations, and major powers like the U.S. in conflict management. While the main goal of the class is to familiarize students with central concepts and theories of conflict management, we will also take a look at cases that illustrate when, how and why different strategies work.

POL SCI 123S Special Topics in International Relations 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 124A War! 4 Units

War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Is this necessarily true? Wars are brutal and horrific events, but are they all necessarily the result of miscalculation, accident, or fanaticism? Can war serve a rational purpose? Are wars governed by rules and do states care about these rules? This course is designed for upper-level undergraduate students.

POL SCI 124C Ethics and Justice in International Affairs 4 Units

Should nations intervene in other countries to prevent human rights abuses or famine? On what principles should immigration be based? Should wealthy states aid poorer states, and if so, how much? Who should pay for global environmental damage? Answers to these moral questions depend to a great degree on who we believe we have an obligation to: Ourselves? Nationals of our country? Residents of our country? Everyone in the world equally? We will examine different traditions of moral thought including skeptics, communitarians, cosmopolitans, and use these traditions as tools to make reasoned judgments about difficult moral problems in world politics.

POL SCI 124M The Scientific Study of International Conflict 4 Units

The goal of this upper-level seminar is to familiarize students with the scientific approach to studying international conflict, provide them with a deep understanding of the basic factors that exacerbate or mitigate international conflict, and sharpen students' analytical and research skills.

POL SCI 126A International Political Economy 4 Units

Economic concepts in the study of international political behavior. Political concepts influencing the choice of economic policies.

POL SCI 128 Chinese Foreign Policy 4 Units

This course covers the history and analysis of Chinese foreign policy since the inception of the People's Republic of China 1949. Some attention is devoted to pre-1949 Far Eastern international relations, but only as a background to the study of the contemporary period. Emphasis is placed on Sino-American and Sino-Soviet relations, on the domestic determinants of Chinese foreign policy, on the changing nature of China's relations with her Asian neighbors, and on important substantive issues.

POL SCI 128A Chinese Foreign Policy 4 Units

Chinese foreign policy from the inception of the People's Republic of China in 1949 to the present. This course aims at providing the student with a sufficient factual base, alternative theoretical approaches and some of the methodological tools useful in studying Chinese foreign policy.

POL SCI 129B Russia after Communism 4 Units

This course presents a broad introduction to contemporary politics and society in Russia. The social movements and political transformations of the Gorbachev period will be explored. Most of the course is devoted to the post-communist period and current problems of political change and upheaval. Topics to be investigated include the movement from a command economy to capitalism, struggles among emerging social interests, the changing role of the military in society, crime and social disintegration, the rise of nationalism and the search for national identity, civil war, and the transformation of political institutions. The course is recommended for juniors and seniors but is open to all students.

POL SCI C131A Applied Econometrics and Public Policy 4 Units

This course focuses on the sensible application of econometric methods to empirical problems in economics and public policy analysis. It provides background on issues that arise when analyzing non-experimental social science data and a guide for tools that are useful for empirical research. By the end of the course, students will have an understanding of the types of research designs that can lead to convincing analysis and be comfortable working with large scale data sets.

POL SCI C135 Game Theory in the Social Sciences 4 Units

A non-technical introduction to game theory. Basic principle, and models of interaction among players, with a strong emphasis on applications to political science, economics, and other social sciences.

POL SCI W135 Game Theory in the Social Sciences 4 Units

This course provides an introduction to game theory and its application in social science, especially political science and economics. The purposes of the course are to give students a sense of the field of game theory and how political scientists use it in making arguments about how government and politics work, to develop students' intuition about strategic situations in everyday life, and to develop students' analytical capabilities generally. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to depict social situations as simple game theoretic models, analyze those models to understand how the behaviors of the individuals involved are mutually reinforcing, and apply computer-based tools to evaluate under conditions of uncertainty.

POL SCI 137A Revolutionary Change 4 Units

Theories of revolutionary violence, rebellion, and revolution. Strategies of revolution, terrorism, sources of revolutionary action.

POL SCI 138E The Varieties of Capitalism: Political Economic Systems of the World 4 Units

This course examines the interaction between politics and markets, both in theory and in practice, explicitly linking classic works on political economy with current policy debates. We study how political systems and markets are organized in a wide range of different national settings, looking at both history and contemporary issues. Topics include: 1) early industrialization in Britain and the United States, 2) late industrialization in continental Europe and Japan, 3) the varieties of capitalism in contemporary industrialized countries, 4) the newly industrializing economics of Latin America and East Asia, 5) the problems of development, and 6) the transition from communism to a market economy in Eastern Europe and China.

POL SCI 138G National Success and Failure in the Age of a Global Economy: from Pleats to Cleats 4 Units

In the present era political, economic, and social organization powerfully influence national capacity to assure economic success, real and rising incomes for the population, and political success, basic survival, and the projection of its purposes and values. This course looks at the continual process of international competition and transformation, and examines which factors separate the winners from the losers. We will gain leverage into these questions by examining critical moments in the 20th and 21st centuries and analyze according to national responses. What choices signal success? Can the failures be avoided? The course will discuss whether globalization is shunting aside national political choice, or whether globalization is in fact a sequence of national and regional stories played out on a larger stage. We will consider how economic constraint structures political choice and national response to the global economy. But we will also examine how political developments shape market dynamics and national innovations. We will learn about all sorts of things from the politics of French fashion to why Japanese make good cars.

POL SCI 139B Development Politics 4 Units

Politics of economic development in developing countries. Comparative analysis of the theories and practice of development in the light of contemporary experience. Political strategies of agrarian, industrial, educational, and regional development and their impact on autonomy, welfare, justice, and human development.

POL SCI 139D Urban and Sub-national Politics in Developing Countries 4 Units

Over half of the world's population is now urban. As urban populations swell, metropolitan areas in both the developed and the developing world struggle to provide basic services and address the negative externalities associated with rapid growth. Sanitation, transportation, pollution, energy services, and public safety typically fall to sub-national governments. Yet local sub-national institutions face difficulties as they tackle these challenges because development tends to spill over political boundaries and resources are limited. Such difficulties are particularly acute in the developing world due to tighter resource constraints, weak institutions, and the comparative severity of the underlying problems. Moreover, democratization and decentralization suggest that urban governance and service delivery may have become more democratic, but present challenges with respect to priority setting, coordination, and corruption.

POL SCI C139 Urban and Sub-national Politics in Developing Countries 4 Units

Over half of the world's population is now urban. As urban populations swell, metropolitan areas in both the developed and the developing world struggle to provide basic services and address the negative externalities associated with rapid growth. Sanitation, transportation, pollution, energy services, and public safety typically fall to sub-national governments. Yet local sub-national institutions face difficulties as they tackle these challenges because development tends to spill over political boundaries and resources are limited. Such difficulties are particularly acute in the developing world due to tighter resource constraints, weak institutions, and the comparative severity of the underlying problems. Moreover, democratization and decentralization suggest that urban governance and service delivery may have become more democratic, but present challenges with respect to priority setting, coordination, and corruption.

POL SCI 140E Selected Topics in Comparative Politics 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 140F Selected Topics in Comparative Politics 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 140R Selected Topics in Comparative Politics 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 140S Selected Topics in Comparative Politics 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 141C Politics and Government in Eastern Europe 4 Units

Modern politics and government in the states of Eastern Europe presented within a broader cultural, historical, and sociological framework. Problems of economic underdevelopment and national fragmentation. Comparisons of the pre-Communist, Communist, and post-Communist periods.

POL SCI 142A Middle East Politics 4 Units

The Middle East in world affairs, international relations and domestic policies of contemporary states in the Middle East; policies and strategy of major powers; supranational movements, regional political and security organizations. The area comprises Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Israel, and the Arab countries.

POL SCI 143A Northeast Asian Politics 4 Units

The structure and evolution of political institutions in China, Japan, and Korea. Emphasis upon such topics as nationalism, political modernization, and ideology.

POL SCI 143B Japanese Politics 4 Units

The structure and evolution of political institutions in Japan. Emphasis upon such topics as political parties, the bureaucracy, social change, and contemporary policy issues.

POL SCI 143C Chinese Politics 4 Units

An overview of Chinese politics since the fall of the Qing Dynasty. Emphasis on the People's Republic of China and post-Mao reforms.

POL SCI 143T Chinese Politics and Society 4 Units

This course offers the opportunity to learn about contemporary Chinese politics and society while visiting both famous and ordinary places to see and hear first hand how the Chinese people have experienced over five decades of dramatic change. The course has two components. The first week will be spent on the Berkeley campus and will involve an intensive introduction to the major strands of scholarly work on Chinese politics since the Communist revolution. During this time, students will also have a chance to become familiar with the basic outlines of recent Chinese history. The remaining 3 weeks of the course will be held in the Peoples Republic of China with an emphasis on experiential learning. Lecture and discussions will be on-going during and following field work and tours. In addition to lecture and discussions, two essays will be required.

POL SCI 144 American Foreign Policy Toward Asia 4 Units

This course is designed primarily for students interested in exploring in depth the relationship between U.S. foreign policy and developments in East Asia. This course will explore the historical and contemporary foreign policies of the United States toward Asia with an eye toward analyzing the ways in which Asia has been shaped by American, and in turn American policies have been shaped by events in Asia.

POL SCI 144B Politics of Divided Korea 4 Units

An overview of modern Korea divided into the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The course will compare the two Koreas in terms of political, social and economic institutions, culture, political elites and modernization strategy.

POL SCI 145A South Asian Politics 4 Units

A comparative analysis of development and change in the political systems of contemporary South Asia.

POL SCI 145B South Asian Politics 4 Units

A comparative analysis of development and change in the political systems of contemporary South Asia.

POL SCI W145A Understanding Political Developments in India 4 Units

This class focuses mostly on the "domestic" politics of India. In addition to providing an overview of political developments in India since independence, this online course assesses the nature of democratic participation and representation in contemporary India - the world's largest democracy.

POL SCI 146A African Politics 4 Units

Introduction to politics in the states of contemporary sub-Saharan Africa. Comparative study of political institutions and regime transitions; economic crisis and development; political violence and civil conflict.

POL SCI 146D Environment, Culture, and Peacebuilding 6 Units

The course begins at the global level and moves to the local level in examining the nexus of politics, environment, and culture where conflicts ensue. These conflicts can lead to violence and hardship. They can also result in creative adaptations and solutions based in political and administrative institutions and processes that build peace. The first three weeks of the course examine global trends and institutions; the last three weeks examine the specific dynamics involving land and resource conflict in Kenya. Throughout the course, students will be introduced to social science and environmental science perspectives. Students will be exposed to the analytical tools of political economy, history, and political ecology. The class will consist of students from the University of California, Berkeley and Kenyatta University. It will be led by faculty from both institutions.

POL SCI N146C Conflict and Change in Southern Africa 4 Units

Combining classroom lectures and discussion with visits to interesting and relevant places in the Cape Town area, this course will be concerned with the dynamics of political change in South Africa. We will sketch the historical evolution of the system of minority racial rule that characterized South Africa until 1994; analyze the process of political upheaval and the transformation that culminated in the transitional election of 1994; examine the process of negotiations and constitution making that began in 1990, and its implications for the nature of politics and governance in a new government to overcome the legacies of South Africa's past.

POL SCI 147F Contemporary French Politics: The Republican Model in Transition 4 Units

French political life has long gravitated around a "Republican model" marked by an unmediated relationship between the citizen and the state, socialization into French values through secular public education, a special vocation for France on the international stage, and an activist state. Recent developments have called the Republican model into question. This course will examine the transformation of France's Republican model - its origins, operations, and responses to contemporary challenges.

POL SCI 147G The Welfare State in Comparative Perspective 4 Units

Comparision of welfare states in Western Europe and North America. Origins of welfare states. Varieties of welfare states. Relationship between welfare states and the economy. Impact of changing social, economic, and family structure states. Contemporary welfare reform.

POL SCI 147T German History and Politics 4 Units

This course provides an introduction to German history, from ancient times to the post-reunification period. Special emphasis will be placed on the history of the city of Berlin. Except for a few preparatory activities in Berkeley, the course will be conducted in Berlin, offering lectures as well as hands-on visits to important places of German history. This is a four-week travel-study course.

POL SCI 148A Latin American Politics 4 Units

Political institutions, groups and parties in Latin American countries. Basic characteristics of political processes in Latin America; problems of political development and modernization and political change. Comparative study of political systems, institutions, groups and political culture.

POL SCI 149B Special Topics in Area Studies 4 Units

See department web site for specific course details.

POL SCI 149C Special Topics in Area Studies 4 Units

See department web site for specific course details.

POL SCI 149E Special Topics in Area Studies 4 Units

See department web site for specific course details.

POL SCI 149F Special Topics in Area Studies 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 149I Special Topics in Area Studies 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 149J Special Topics in Area Studies 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 149P Special Topics in Area Studies 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 149W Special Topics in Area Studies 4 Units

See department web site for specific course details.

POL SCI 149Y Special Topics in Area Studies 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 149Z Special Topics in Area Studies 4 Units

See department web site for specific course offerings.

POL SCI 150 The American Legal System 4 Units

The nature of the American legal system; the interrelationships of judges, lawyers, police, political officials, bureaucrats, press, and general public; the political and social aspects of the legal process.

POL SCI 157A Constitutional Law of the United States 4 Units

Fundamental principles of constitutional law, leading cases, causes, and consequences of legal decisions and their role in influencing, shaping, and constraining the American political system. Judicial Review and the Limits to National Power.

POL SCI 157B Constitutional Law of the United States 4 Units

Fundamental principles of constitutional law, leading cases, causes, and consequences of legal decisions and their role in influencing, shaping, and constraining the American political system. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

POL SCI 161 Public Opinion, Voting and Participation 4 Units

The nature of public opinion, attitude formation, electoral turnout and choice; political cleavages; the role of the mass public.

POL SCI 164A Political Psychology and Involvement 4 Units

Personality factors in political behavior; psychological roots of decision-making; leadership; psychological sources of political belief; conflict theory.

POL SCI N164A Psychology of Politics 4 Units

This course explores the sources of political beliefs and actions through the application of psychological theories about personality, learning, cognition, and group dynamics. The course begins by briefly considering a number of alternative analytic approaches to linking human nature and politics and then considers such problems as political ideology, persuasion, compliance, protest, violence, and leadership in terms of these approaches. The course considers both mass and elite political behavior. The readings include both quantitative materials drawn from survey research and experiments and more impressionistic and clinical studies.

POL SCI 166 Latinos and the U.S. Political System 4 Units

This course provides a critical analysis of the political circumstances, political behavior, and the activities and consequences of Latinos (or Hispanics) within the governmental and political system of the United States. Latinos became the nation's largest minority group in 2005 and are also the largest minority group in U.S. elementary/secondary schools. For these and other reasons the situation of Latinos has broad social and political significance.

POL SCI 167AC Racial and Ethnic Politics in the New American Century 4 Units

Some of the most enduring and violent conflicts in America center on race. The goal of this course is to explore, discuss, and better understand the relationship between perceptions of racial identity, attributions of racial difference, and politics, broadly defined. We focus on the recent and persistent debates about racism, identity, rights, representation, citizenship, conflict, and coalitions. A repeated theme of this course is the question whether racial order and inequality are essential to, or an exception from, the liberal democracy in the U.S. This is a lecture course with intensive readings, written assignments, and in-class discussion.

POL SCI 169 Selected Topics in Political Behavior 4 Units

See departmental announcements.

POL SCI 171 California Politics 4 Units

An inquiry into the political environment of the state--historical, economic, geographic, and social; its political institutions--government, parties, interest groups, and citizens; and the policies resulting from the interaction of environment and institutions.

POL SCI 173S Political Economy of the California Crisis 4 Units

This course examines the emergence and crisis of California's political economy. An analytical framework is developed that encompasses the secular growth and cyclical variability of California's income, expenditure, and revenue levels. California's economic growth and political development since 1875 will be analyzed. Specific topics covered include the Edmund G. (Pat) Brown era; Proposition 13 and the Ronald Reagan governorship; California's demographic transformation; challenges of minority economic development and political representation; the 2003 gubernatorial recall and the 2002-04 fiscal crisis. Course is part of the University of California Center Sacramento Program and is located in Sacramento.

POL SCI 175A Urban and Metropolitan Government and Politics 4 Units

The roles of various levels of government--local, regional, state, and national--in politics and policy-making in metropolitan regions.

POL SCI 179 Undergraduate Colloquium on Political Science 1 Unit

Political issues facing the state of California, the United States, or the international community.

POL SCI 181 Public Organization and Administration 4 Units

The methods used to manage the power of the bureaucracy in the American political system. An introduction to theories of organizational behavior. The effects of administrative structure upon the creation and distribution of public benefits.

POL SCI H190A Honors Seminar 4 Units

H190A is the first of a two-semester research seminar designed to provide support and structure to political science seniors writing an honors thesis. To receive department honors, students must maintain the minimum GPA for honors and complete H190B with a B+ or better. For additional details, please consult the Undergraduate Advising Office or http://www.polisci.berkeley.edu.

POL SCI H190B Honors Seminar 4 Units

H190B is the second of a two-semester research seminar designed to provide support and structure to political science seniors writing an honors thesis. To receive department honors, students must maintain the minimum GPA for honors and complete H190B with a B+ or better. For additional details, please consult the Undergraduate Advising Office or http://www.polisci.berkeley.edu.

POL SCI 191 Junior Seminar 4 Units

The seminars will be led by ladder-rank faculty members in the subfields of American Politics, International Relations, and Comparative Politics. These intense writing seminars will focus on the research area of the faculty member teaching the course. The seminars will provide an opportunity for students to have direct intellectual interactions with faculty members while also giving the students an understanding of faculty research.

POL SCI 196 Special Research Project 1 - 4 Units

Independent study of an advanced topic resulting in a substantial research paper.

POL SCI 196S UC Sacramento Internship and Research Seminar 9 - 13 Units

This seminar will introduce students to the theory and practice of policy analysis and development as it relates to legislative action at the state level to maximize students' internship experience. The internship component of the course will provide students with a challenging opportunity to engage in experiential learning in some aspect of the political, policy-making, or governmental processes in California's state capital. This course will permit students to develop a systematic understanding of the public policy and political process in California and to develop analytical writing skills to produce a 25-30 page research paper developing and reflecting on this understanding. This course is part of the University of California Center Sacramento Program and is located in Sacramento.

POL SCI 196W Understanding the Congressional World: A Field Research Seminar 10.5 Units

This research seminar will explore the workings of Congress and its role in making public policy. It combines elective coursework with the original scholarship requirements of a UCDC research seminar and is designed for students in Congressional internships and those considering Congressional staff positions after graduation. In addition to studying the pathways of lawmaking, we will ask how Congress and its Members relate to the other branches of government, the press, and the public.

POL SCI C196A UCDC Core Seminar 4 Units

This course is the UCDC letter-graded core seminar for 4 units that complements the P/NP credited internship course UGIS C196B. Core seminars are designed to enhance the experience of and provide an intellectual framework for the student's internship. UCDC core seminars are taught in sections that cover various tracks such as the Congress, media, bureaucratic organizations and the Executive Branch, international relations, public policy and general un-themed original research.

POL SCI C196B UCDC Internship 6.5 Units

This course provides a credited internship for all students enrolled in the UCDC and Cal in the Capital Programs. It must be taken in conjunction with the required academic core course C196A. C196B requires that students work 3-4 days per week as interns in settings selected to provide them with exposure to and experienc in government, public policy, international affairs, media, the arts or other areas or relevance to their major fields of study.

POL SCI C196W Special Field Research 10.5 Units

Students work in selected internship programs approved in advance by the faculty coordinator and for which written contracts have been established between the sponsoring organization and the student. Students will be expected to produce two progress reports for their faculty coordinator during the course of the internship, as well as a final paper for the course consisting of at least 35 pages. Other restrictions apply; see faculty adviser.

POL SCI 197 Field Study in Political Science 1 - 3 Units

Supervised experience relevant to specific aspects of Political Science in off-campus organizations. Regular individual meetings with faculty sponsor and written reports required.

POL SCI 198 Directed Group Study for Undergraduates 1 - 4 Units

Submission of study proposal by faculty sponsor to the department chairman one month in advance of the semester to be offered. Group studies of selected topics which vary from year to year.

POL SCI 199 Supervised Independent Study and Research for Undergraduates 1 - 4 Units

Enrollment is restricted by departmental regulation.

Faculty

Professors

Vinod K. Aggarwal, Professor. Political science, negotiations, trade policy, international organizations, international debt rescheduling.
Research Profile

Christopher Ansell, Professor. Political science, social movements, political sociology, network analysis, organization theory, public administration, political parties, Western Europe.
Research Profile

Mark Bevir, Professor. Public policy, political theory, democratic theory, governance, Britain.
Research Profile

Wendy L. Brown, Professor. Feminist theory, critical theory, theories of neoliberalism, public higher education, nineteenth and twentieth century political theory.
Research Profile

Pradeep K Chhibber, PhD, Professor. Political parties, politics of India.
Research Profile

Jack Citrin, PhD, Professor. Immigration, multiculturalism, taxation, survey research, political psychology, public opinion, political identity, alienation.
Research Profile

Lowell Dittmer, Professor. Comparative politics, Chinese politics, informal politics, East Asian international relations.
Research Profile

Thad Dunning, Professor.

M. Steven Fish, Professor. Political science, post-Soviet politics, democratization regime change, general comparative politics, Russian revolution, communist and post-communist studies, democracy.
Research Profile

Rodney E. Hero, Professor.

Hong Yung Lee, Professor. Political science, East Asian studies.
Research Profile

Taeku Lee, Professor. Political science, discrimination, language, social movements, political behavior, identity, racial and ethnic politics, public opinion, survey research methods, social welfare policies, partisanship, stereotypes.
Research Profile

Kevin J O'Brien, Professor. Social movements, Chinese politics, peasant politics.
Research Profile

T.J. Pempel, Professor. Political science, comparative politics, political economy, East Asian studies, contemporary Japan, Asian regionalism.
Research Profile

Paul Pierson, Professor.

Robert L. Powell, Professor. Political science, game theory, international relations, formal theory and methods, nuclear deterrence theory, credibility, international conflict.
Research Profile

Eric Schickler, Professor.

Jasjeet S. Sekhon, Professor.

J. Merrill Shanks, PhD, Professor. Political science.
Research Profile

Shannon C. Stimson, Professor. Politics in Shakespeare, history of early modern political thought, history of political and economic thought, constitutionalism and modern jurisprudence.
Research Profile

Steven Vogel, Professor. Political science, political economy or comparative political economy, the Japanese model of capitalism, Japanese politics.
Research Profile

Steven Weber, Professor. Political science, international security, international political economy, information science.
Research Profile

John Zysman, Professor. Political science, comparative politics, finance, political economy, manufacturing, European and Japanese policy, corporate strategy, Western European politics, post-industrial economy, governments, the politics of industrial change.
Research Profile

Associate Professors

Leonardo R. Arriola, Associate Professor. Ethiopia, elections, political parties, democracy, Kenya, African politics, ethnic politics, coalitions, Cameroon, Senegal, election violence.
Research Profile

Kiren A. Chaudhry, Associate Professor.

Sean P. Gailmard, Associate Professor. Bureaucratic organizations, American political institutions, rational choice game theory, statistical modeling, laboratory experimentation in social science.
Research Profile

Ron E Hassner, Associate Professor. International relations, international security, religion and conflict.
Research Profile

Kinch Hoekstra, Associate Professor.

Gabriel Lenz, Associate Professor. American politics, elections, voter behavior, democratic accountability, campaigns.
Research Profile

Jonah Levy, PhD, Associate Professor. Political science, social policy, comparative political economy, West European politics, relationship between partisanship and welfare reform in contemporary Western Europe.
Research Profile

Laura Stoker, Associate Professor. American politics, political behavior, political psychology, public opinion, voting and elections, political socialization, research design and empirical methods.
Research Profile

Robert Parks Van Houweling, Associate Professor.

Jason Wittenberg, Associate Professor. Ethnicity, statistical methods, Eastern Europe, religion and politics, voting behavior.
Research Profile

J. Nicholas Ziegler, PhD, Associate Professor. Political science, technology, corporate governance, comparative political economy, European politics, political ideologies, politics of economic reform in Germany, politics of property rights in Germany.
Research Profile

Assistant Professors

Jennifer L. Bussell, Assistant Professor.

Peter Lorentzen, Assistant Professor. Development, China, political economy, game theory, authoritarianism.
Research Profile

Aila Matanock, Assistant Professor.

Michaela Mattes, Assistant Professor.

Alison Post, Assistant Professor. Regulation, infrastructure, water and sanitation.
Research Profile

Adjunct Faculty

Helene Silverberg, Adjunct Faculty.

Lecturers

Amy Gurowitz, Lecturer.

Ted Lempert, Lecturer.

Alan David Ross, Lecturer.

Dan Schnur, Lecturer.

Darren C. Zook, Lecturer.

Contact Information

Department of Political Science

210 Barrows Hall

Phone: 510-642-6323

Fax: 510-642-9515

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Eric Schickler, PhD

850C Barrows Hall

Phone: 510-643-2933

eschickler@berkeley.edu

Department Vice-Chair and Director of Undergraduate Affairs

Jonah Levy, PhD

762 Barrows Hall

Phone: 510-642-4686

jlevy@berkeley.edu

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