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Courses
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People,
Power, and Politics
This course is an introduction to the basic concepts
of politics and political power. We will be examining policyhmaking processes,
governmental institutions and systems, and modes of representation and
participation both inside and outside those systems. Whenever possible,
we will draw on current events in order to better illustrate the topics
we explore. The course aims to introduce political science to the non-major
as well as to provide the Politics, Economics, and Society major with a
general understanding of the discipline and prepare him or her for other
courses in the P.E.S. Program. It also is intended to illustrate the various
sources of power that people possess to bring about political and social
change. |
Introduction
to U.S. Politics
The purposes of this course are to examine American
politics and political institutions through a critical analysis of the
relationship between the distribution of power and the political processes
in the U.S. and to explore the ways in which those processes have been
shaped by the design set out by the Framers of the Constitution. We begin
with an historical overview of the United States, and then turn to various
topics in political participation, governmental structures, and policymaking.
Throughout, we will discuss the potential for political and social change
in the U.S. today. |
Constitutional
Law and Politics
This course examines the judicial branch of government
as the chief interpreter of the U.S. Constitution and of the actions of
the other two branches, focusing on the distribution of constitutional
power among the three branches, and between the national government and
the states. We will look at such issues as whether the president and congresspeople
are immune from prosecution for their public and private actions; whether
states or the federal government can force businesses to conduct themselves
in certain ways vis-à-vis their employees; whether citizens' rights to
free speech, religious worship, and privacy are absolute; and whether public
or private organizations can exclude people based on race, ethnicity, class,
gender, or sexuality. |
Law
and Civil Liberties
This course examines the historical development and
philosophical and political underpinnings of constitutional civil liberties.
We will analyze Supreme Court cases on such topics as freedoms of speech,
press, religion, assembly, petition, and association; the right to privacy;
unreasonable searches and seizures; self-incrimination; the rights to counsel
and to fair trials; and cruel and unusual punishment and the death penalty.
Like Law and Civil Rights, the course is intended not only to prepare you
for law school or law- or politics-related careers, but also to inform
you of your rights and liberties as protected by the Constitution of the
United States and the Bill of Rights. |
Law
and Civil Rights
This course examines the historical development and
philosophical and political underpinnings of constitutional civil rights.
We will analyze Supreme Court cases and other writings on discrimination
based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class, and discuss such
topics as desegregation, affirmative action, voting and political representation,
abortion, sexual harassment, Native American treaties, welfare benefits,
school inequalities, disability, and age. Like Law and Civil Liberties,
the course is intended not only to prepare you for law school or law- or
politics-related careers, but also to inform you of your rights and liberties
as protected by the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. |
State
and Local Politics
This course explores political participation and
policymaking processes at the state and local level, with particular attention
to the historical contexts of social change, institutional reform, and
public policy in New York State, Long Island, and New York City.
We will discuss contemporary issues in state and local government and the
impact on public policy of competing interests on the people of New York.
Among the issues we cover are: criminal justice, welfare, health care,
education, immigration, the environment, and taxation. |
Political
Thought
This course surveys (mostly) Western political thought
through readings of the classis writings of political philosophers. Its
intent is to critically analyze contemporary political discourses and structures
and their assumptions through an evaluation of competing political beliefs
and values. Through discussions about such ideologies as liberalism, conservatism,
socialism, Marxism, fascism, feminism, and African-American political theories,
we will examine debates over the role of government vis-a-vis the everyday
life of "the people," and the tensions between liberty and equality and
between democracy and authoritarianism. |
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Research
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Most recently, I've researched modern statutory
rape laws, investigating the double-edged nature of the laws as both protecting
and punishing adolescent sexuality, and exploring cultural narratives of
gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, and nation underlying sexual
politics and morality policymaking in the United States. |