Political Economy (POLECON)

This is an archived copy of the 2017-18 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu.

Courses

POLECON 24 Freshman Seminar 1 Unit

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
The Freshman Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small seminar setting. Freshman seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment is limited to 15 freshmen.
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POLECON 45 Survey of World History 4 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
This course focuses on the history of global interaction, with a particular emphasis on the relationships between states and societies. Though it begins with a brief exploration of antiquity, it emphasizes world developments since the 15th century. The purpose of the course is to gain a better understanding of the rise and decline of states, empires, and international trading systems. Taking a panoramic view of the last 500 years, it explores the ways in which disparate places came closer together, even while it seeks to explain how those places maintained their own trajectories in the face of outside intervention.
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POLECON 84 Sophomore Seminar 1 or 2 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Sophomore seminars are small interactive courses offered by faculty members in departments all across the campus. Sophomore seminars offer opportunity for close, regular intellectual contact between faculty members and students in the crucial second year. The topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to 15 sophomores.
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POLECON 98 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2013
Student-directed course under the supervision of a faculty member. Subject matter to change from semester to semester.
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POLECON 100 Classical Theories of Political Economy 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
One-semester lecture course offered each semester. In-depth analysis of the classical political economy literature, including such authors as Locke, Smith, Marx, Mills, and Weber to Veblen and Polanyi. Strong emphasis is placed on providing appropriate background for understanding the evolution of the literature that has emanated from the various social science disciplines which forms the basis of modern political economy.
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POLECON N100 Classical Theories of Political Economy 4 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2018 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 First 6 Week Session
In-depth analysis of the classical political economy literature, including such authors as Locke, Smith, Marx, Mills, and Weber to Veblen and Polanyi. Strong emphasis is placed on providing appropriate background for understanding the evolution of the literature that has emanated from the various social science disciplines which forms the basis of modern political economy.
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POLECON 101 Contemporary Theories of Political Economy 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
This course is designed to introduce students to modern theoretical works of central intellectual debates on 20th century international political economy. The course explores alternative explanations for inequality in economic development among nations and economic declines of of the dominate powers. It will also examine tensions between the increasing "globalization" of that economy and continued fragmentation of the international political system in nation-states.
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POLECON N101 Contemporary Theories of Political Economy 4 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2018 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 First 6 Week Session
This course is designed to introduce students to modern theoretical works of central intellectual debates on 20th century international political economy. The course explores alternative explanations for inequality in economic development among nations and economic declines of of the dominate powers. It will also examine tensions between the increasing "globalization" of that economy and continued fragmentation of the international political system in nation-states.
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POLECON 107 Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory 4 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
This course is designed as a comprehensive overview of intermediate macroeconomic theory focusing on economic growth and international economics. It covers a number of topics including history of economic growth, industrial revolution, post-industrial revolution divergence, flexible-price and sticky-price macroeconomics, and macroeconomic policy. Course is structured for majors in Political Economy and other non-economic social science majors.
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POLECON 111 Poverty and Social Policy 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018
This course investigates the nature, extent, and persistence of poverty and inequality, and examines the effects of program and policy responses. Throughout the course we will look at proposed explanations for the causes of poverty and will observe how underlying values and assumptions have influenced the development of policies aimed at poverty alleviation. While emphasizing poverty and policy responses in the United States, we will examine poverty and related policies in other countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as points of comparison.
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POLECON 130 Cross-Listed Topics 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
This course is designed to accommodate cross-listed courses offered through other departments, the content of which is applicable to PE majors. Content and unit values vary from course to course.
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POLECON 133 Junior Seminar in Political Economy 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014
These small research and writing seminars will focus on the research area of the faculty member teaching the course and will provide students the opportunity to engage in conversation, research, and writing in greater depth than is possible in a larger class.
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POLECON C138 Gender and Capitalism 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018
The 21st century has seen powerful critiques of both growing economic inequality and the troubling persistence of domination based on gender, race and other categorical differences. Gender has a distinctive role here for many reasons: the centrality of gender to social reproduction; the historical coproduction of male domination and capitalism; and the way gender operates in the constitution of selves. Insofar as capitalism is organized and distributes power and profits through gendered structures, and gendered meanings and identities are shaped by their emergence within capitalist logics, it behooves us to think gender and capitalism in tandem. Figuring out how to do that, and sorting out the consequences, is our project in this class.
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POLECON 140 Special Topics 2 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
A short course designed to provide a vehicle to take advantage of short-term visitors coming to campus who have considerable expertise in areas of interest to political economy of industrial societies. Topics will vary from semester to semester.
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POLECON 150 Advanced Study in Political Economy of Industrial Societies 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2016, Fall 2015
Advanced multidisciplinary research in current issues of political economy and industrialization. Seminars will focus on specific geographical areas or topics with appropriate comparative material included. A major research project is required as well as class presentations. Topics change each semester.
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POLECON 155 Developments in Modern Political Economy 4 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
This course focuses on the relationship of politics and economics in modern societies. Special attention is given to problems and issues in social science or public policy best examined from an interdisciplinary perspective with an eye toward building students' knowledge of recently developed analytical tools in political economy.
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POLECON 160 Political Economy in Historical Context 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
This course focuses specifically on the historical context and perspective of the relationship of politics and economics in modern societies. Students are guided through an interdisciplinary survey of the historical experience of peoples and places who have participated in the ongoing great transformation away from argricultural societies to the rise of the industrial state and onto post-industrialism. Each term provides a different perspective of this transformation.
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POLECON W160A Political Economy in Historical Context: The Twentieth Century: Economies, Societies, Polities, Technologies 4 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
The world today is more different-in its economies, in its forms of political organization, in its sociological dynamics, and perhaps most of all in the technologies we use and abuse every day-than the world of 1870 was from the world of 1820, or indeed than the world of 1870 was from the world of 500 BC. We who live on this globe now are who we are because the history of the past century and a half has taken the form that it has. And that history is predominantly economic and technological. This course is web-based.
Political Economy in Historical Context: The Twentieth Century: Economies, Societies, Polities, Technologies: Read More [+]

POLECON 192 Senior Thesis 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018
This course is designed to provide a vehicle for undergraduate students interested in writing a major paper on a political economy topic. The paper should be approximately thirty pages in length; the topic should be agreed upon in advance by both the student and faculty sponsor.
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POLECON 194 Senior Seminar 4 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Interdisciplinary research seminar for Political Economy majors. Intensive writing on research questions in social science and public policy best approached from an interdisciplinary perspective. Course assumes intermediate to advanced knowledge of central focus or topic of course. Weekly discussions and critiques of readings and assignments. Final paper or project required. Topic must be approved by instructor. Topics vary from term to term.
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POLECON H195 Senior Honors Thesis Seminar 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Honors students are required to research and write a thesis based on the prospectus developed in International and Area Studies 102. The thesis work is reviewed by the honors instructor and a second reader to be selected based on the thesis topic. Weekly progress reports required.
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POLECON 196 Special Field Research 1 - 6 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Students to 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 produce a final paper for the course consisting of no fewer than 35 pages. Other restrictions apply; see faculty adviser.
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POLECON C196A UCDC Core Seminar 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012
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.
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POLECON C196B UCDC Internship 6.5 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012
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.
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POLECON C196W Special Field Research 10.5 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Spring 2013
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.
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POLECON 197 Field Studies 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2016 10 Week Session, Fall 2015, Spring 2012
Supervised experience relevant to specific aspects of Political Economy of Industrial Societies in off-campus organizations. Regular individual meetings with faculty sponsor and written reports required.
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POLECON 198 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2014

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

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Enrollment restricted by regulations of the college.
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