Politics

This seminar examines the political thought and practice of Abraham Lincoln. Emphasis is on his speeches and writings, supplemented by scholarly commentary on his life and career.

This course examines contemporary politics in the Middle East and North Africa. Topics include the role of colonial legacies in state formation, the region's democratic deficit, nationalism, sectarianism and the influence of religion in politics. We explore inter- and intrastate conflict, including the use of terrorism, economic development and underdevelopment, and the recent Arab uprisings (commonly referred to as the Arab Spring). Throughout, we consider why the Middle East attracts as much attention from policymakers and scholars as it does, how analysts have studied the region across time and space, and why understanding different cultural perspectives is critical to understanding the region.

An introduction to the study of international political economy, including a critical examination of globalization as a dominant trend in the 21st century. First, we explore major theoretical approaches to analyzing international political economy, such as realism, liberalism and critical theory. To apply the theory, we use The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy as a case study that represents specialization and division of labor in production, distribution and consumption of goods on a global scale. Then, we discuss key issues of globalization and international political economy, such as international economic organizations, trade relations, regionalism, multinational corporations, international development, global financial instabilities and economic crisis, U.S. economic hegemony, and the U.S.-China trade war.

An introduction to the history of voting-rights discrimination in the United States with a particular focus on gerrymandering. The course begins with a study of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and how it has evolved through congressional amendments and Supreme Court decisions. We then investigate theories of minority representation and democracy. To place the theoretical aspects of the course into practical perspective, the course includes a lab component in which students learn to use redistricting software (ArcMap). We use Virginia elections and census data to produce alternative election maps of Virginia to demonstrate how we can make elections fairer and more competitive and create more opportunities for minority representation.

This class uses episodes of the Emmy Award-winning television series "Mad Men" — famous for its depiction of shifting understandings of gender and race relations in the United States in the 1960s — as a basis for exploring the culture of race and gender shared/challenged by the show's 21st century audience. Supplementary reading and films will offer a framework for critique. Students create their own short screenplays to further explore how entertainment can work as social criticism.

This course examines the history, culture and politics of the Maghreb, and especially the Kingdom of Morocco. After a few days in Lexington, most of the course is based in the old cities of Rabat and Fez, the latter a UNESCO world-heritage site and home to the oldest continually operating university in the world. We take field trips to the blue city of Chefchouen, the Roman ruins of Volubilis, and Africa's largest mosque in Casablanca. Throughout the course, students explore the region's political history, including the influence of imperialism and Islam on politics, gender relations in North Africa, Morocco's relationship with the United States, and more.