Spring 2021

POLS 492-001 CRN: 14726 Meets: IN PERSON Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 – 10:45 a.m. with Dr. Marne Berg
Diplomacy, Conflict Resolution and Cooperation
This capstone focuses on Diplomacy and Peaceful Conflict Resolution.  The world has changed since the end of the Cold War, and the events of 9/11 have brought to the forefront a debate about the role of public diplomacy in international relations.  We will look at the importance of soft power in international politics and the necessity and desire for more transparency and transnational cooperation.  We will also learn about and employ different methods for de-escalating conflict. This course is being proposed to help become globally literate. The goal is to help students develop skills and knowledge about the world to prepare for a variety of careers in a complex and interdependent world. Through readings on public diplomacy, negotiating and problem-solving skills, and international intervention students will learn to conduct independent research and role-playing with their peers.  Case studies based on real-world issues will stimulate student engagement in international politics with hands-on, impactful practices.  The class is a combination of lecture, class discussion, and foreign policy simulations.

POLS 492-002 CRN: 12157 Meets: ONLINE Tuesday and Thursday from 11-12:15 p.m. with Dr. Peter Harris
Let Us Now Praise Famous Women: Stateswomen and American Foreign Policy
This capstone explores the contributions of women to American foreign policy - past, present, and future. From Eleanor Roosevelt through Jeane Kirkpatrick and Condoleeza Rice to Hillary Rodham Clinton, women have made an indelible imprint upon US foreign policy and, by extension, world history. America's stateswomen have promoted human rights and waged wars; they have promoted visions of American power and purpose ranging from empathetic liberal internationalism to uncompromising neo-conservatism; and they have hailed from both sides of the political aisle. Do women leaders behave differently in office to their male counterparts? Do they rise to power in gender-specific ways? Why have there been three female Secretaries of State but no female Secretaries of Defense? What will be the future of women's influence on America's world role? What would US foreign policy look like with a woman in the Oval Office? This capstone seminar will address these questions and more through a theory-driven analysis of the life, times, and public service of America's greatest stateswomen.

POLS 492-003 CRN: 12158 Meets: IN PERSON Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 - 9:50 a.m. with Dr. Madeline Gottlieb
Power, Equity and Inclusion in Environmental Justice
This capstone provides students with an introduction to procedural environmental injustice, as defined by the exclusion of marginalized groups from decision-making processes and the underenforcement of environmentally protective regulations in marginalized communities. We will explore the degree to which power, equity and inclusion in policy and politics creates and perpetuates marginalization, weaving case studies throughout the semester for illustration. Using current theory and research, we will ask questions such as, “who has power?”, “how did they get it?” and “how have they kept it?” By the end of the semester, students should be able to explain the systemic barriers to achieving environmental justice and the mechanisms available for change through environmental justice advocacy and policy processes.