Democracy Course Guide

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences  

Professors Dreama Johnson and Louis Nelson

This course defines public service and introduces students to the practices that support impactful service. Through speakers, readings, and reflection, students will begin to define their mission, recognize the power of collaboration, evaluate their strengths, and learn from challenges encountered during service. Students will understand how their own rights and responsibilities and those of their fellow citizens combine to sustain democracy. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Alice King

Introduces the study of history intended for first- or second-year students. Seminars involve reading, discussing, and writing about different historical topics and periods, and emphasize the enhancement of critical and communication skills. Several seminars are offered each term. Not more than two Introductory Seminars may be counted toward the major in history.

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Laura Goldblatt

When protesters gather in democratic nations, as part of their calls they often chant “this is what democracy looks like!” But what, exactly, do they mean? Does democracy have a “look”? In this Aesthetics Engagement, we will consider art, campaign materials, music, and credos from the founding of the United States to the present day to determine if, and how, democracy represents itself differently from other political systems and why such differences matter. For instance, we will consider the United States’ first postage stamps, which featured a dead president and Founding Father, and compare them to the Penny Black issued by the United Kingdom, the first postage stamp ever created, which featured the living Queen Victoria, to ask crucial questions about the role of history in democracies and how visual iconography reflects it. We will also turn to Cold War propaganda in the US and USSR to ask if abstract art is more “democratic” than figurative representations and, if so, how? In doing so, we will work together to understand political systems as a collective ethos that structure, guide, and delimit our everyday affective experiences. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor David Singerman

One nice thing about democracy, in theory, is that it's a form of government that responds to its own citizens. That means a democratic government has many questions about itself. Who are all these people? Where do they live? What do they do? What do they care about? (And, of course: who voted for whom?) Meanwhile, the people of a democracy have questions too. What is my government doing in my name? How does it make decisions? What does it know and what is it hiding? What do my fellow citizens and noncitizens think about all this? And ultimately, what’s working and what’s broken in our system itself? In this course, we’ll ask how American democracy has tried to organize, share, and process different kinds of information. We’ll see how the state tries to learn about the world, through elections, censuses, bureaucrats, and spies. We’ll explore how people try to learn things about their own democratic government, and ask what happens when they tell their government things it may not want to hear. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Gillet Rosenblith

Any cursory look at the news in the last few years (especially following Jan 6, 2021) will make it clear that people in the United States are worried about the state of our Democracy. U.S. citizens and onlookers are asking questions including: Does our democracy work? Is it failing? Why does it seem more fragile than in previous years? In our class, we will be examining some of the issues which have the potential to weaken the strength of U.S. democracy and consider what are the ethical ramifications of those problems. Who do these problems most impact and how? What’s at stake if these problems continue as they are or worsen? What happens if they improve?

A seven-week course can by no means be comprehensive. Accordingly, this course considers the ethical implications of four significant problems in the implementation of democracy in the United States, mostly related to elections and representation. Even these examinations will have to be somewhat superficial. Still, as a class we will consider what the ethical problems the practice of democracy has engendered in the U.S. says about our democracy and democracy more broadly. In each unit, we will examine these problems historically and contemporarily. The problems we will examine in the class are: voting; representation; money in politics; and federalism and state preemption.

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor T.C.A Achintya

What is law, and what does it mean to live in a legal world? How does the law surround us, and what are the ways we engage with it? How ancient or new are the ideas about law we take for granted?

We will explore these questions through our discussions, field visits, with invited speakers, course readings, and primary sources. Comparing moments from our present to historical episodes, we will study the roots of the legal codes and ideas we live with. Using Charlottesville and UVA as our laboratory, we will explore the legal systems in force around us. In our discussions, we’ll ask how everyday people can influence law. Where are the sites where groups and individuals can change legal structures?  Through our reading of primary sources and learning about the resources the university offers; we will consider how to deploy them to develop our opinions and hone our ability to prepare convincing arguments and disseminate them.

Over the course of this class, you will develop your own answer to the questions we explore. You will consider your place in the world as an ethical actor as you debate the systems that bind us all and the role you play in affirming or changing them.

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Tom Donahue-Ochoa

Liberals scold populists. Greens slag capitalists. Conservatives chide social justice movements. And vice versa. But what does it all mean? In these disputes, each group cleaves to a set of ideas about politics. These ideas describe how society works; they set standards by which to judge those workings; they envision the good society; and they tell us how to get there from here. Thus these ideas aim to guide social change. And they do so by calling their holders to carry them out. So, for instance, when fascists strive against libertarians, they struggle over just these ideas: which ones should rule? In this course, we study these visions of politics, or what some call “political ideologies.” We therefore aim to plumb and sound the key ideas of many of the great visions of our time: those named above, and also socialism, anarchism, democracy, and more. What do their main ideas say? How do they compare with those of other political visions? What do they assume about freedom? Or human nature? We give students an insider’s view of each ideology. And also the tools to forge their own.

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Jake Green

This course is a survey introduction to the complex and increasingly pervasive impact of mass media in the U.S. and around the world. It provides a foundation for helping you to understand how mass media -- as a business, as well as a set of texts -- operates. The course also explores contextual issues -- how media texts and businesses are received by audiences and by regulatory bodies.

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Kristina Richardson

Explores the history of the Middle East and North Africa from late antiquity to the rise to superpower status of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. Topics include the formation of Islam and the first Arab-Islamic conquests; the fragmentation of the empire of the caliphate; the historical development of Islamic social, legal, and political institutions; science and philosophy; and the impact of invaders (Turks, Crusaders, and Mongols). 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Professor Alice King 

Studies the development of the colonies and their institutions, the Revolution, the formation and organization of the Republic, and the coming of the Civil War.

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Andrew Kahrl

Studies the evolution of political, social, and cultural history of the United States from 1865 to the present. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professors Manuela Achilles and Kyrill Kunakhovich 

This class studies fascism as an ideology, movement, and regime in a global framework. Thematic perspectives include: the origins and theories of fascism, key terms in the fascist lexicon, motives that brought people to fascism, fascism as an aesthetics and lived experience, and the role of women in fascism. We will also study the historical articulations of antifascism, i.e. groups and individuals who have fought against fascism over the years. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Alexander Motchoulski

Examines and evaluates some basic practices and principles of Anglo-American law. Discusses the justification of punishment, the death penalty, legal liability, good Samaritan laws, and the legal enforcement of morality.

Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy 

Professor Peter Johannessen

This course will introduce students to both the process of public policy and the tools of policy analysis. The first part examines the actors, institutions, and procedures involved in the adoption, implementation, and evaluation of public policy. The second part introduces students to the basic concepts and tools of policy analysis including problem definition, specification of alternatives, and solution analysis. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professors Emily Burrill and Paul Halliday

This course explores the workings of law and sovereignty in a changing world-historical landscape, mixing conceptual readings with concrete case studies across space and time. By exploring the discourses and practices of sovereignty-making across world history, we develop a more grounded approach to the issue and its contours in global politics today, from disputes over the high seas to discourses on "failed states" and interventions. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor William Hitchcock

An exploration of the geopolitical and ideological conflict that dominated world affairs from 1945 to 1990. Assignments include the readings of historical work, as well as primary sources, some of which are recently declassified material from the major states involved in the Cold War.

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Nichole Flores

Engaging commentary from a range of religious traditions and media sources, this course examines the enduring intellectual and political challenges of engaging religion in a pluralistic and democratic context. In addition to religious studies and theology, course readings will include material from media studies, law, political science, philosophy, and cognitive psychology. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Nichole Flores

This course examines how Latine religious traditions--including Latine Catholicism, Pentecostalism, Mainline Protestantism, Indigenous traditions, and religious "nones"--interact with political and democratic cultures in the United States. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Johanna O'Loughlin

This course will examine various types of inequality (race, class, gender) in the US and abroad. We will discuss sociological theories covering various dimensions of inequality, considering key research findings and their implications. We will examine to what extent ascriptive characteristics impact a person's life chances, how social structures are produced and reproduced, and how individuals are able or unable to negotiate these structures.

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Stephen Parks

Students in this course will explore the role of public writing within non-violent campaigns for democratic and human rights. The opening moments of the course will focus on theories of public writing, democracy, and non-violent movements. More than just study such theories, however, this course will actively train students in how to undertake such public work. Students will work through a series of workshops on non-violent organizing strategies created by the Nobel Peace Prize nominated Center for Applied Nonviolent Actions and Strategies (canvasopedia.org), with direct engagement with its founder Srdja Popovic.  

Students will then typically work directly on a specific international project focused on democratic rights. Past projects have included working with Evan Mawarire/Zimbabwe and Myo Yan Naung Thein/Myanmar, as well as worked with Russian advocates and Ukrainian students on issues of democracy and authoritarianism. In the past, students have also taken part in international dialogues with college advocates, which resulted in the publication Equality and Freedom: An Engaged Generation/A Troubled World as well as (available through the Working and Writing for Change Series, Parlor Press). 

School of Engineering and Applied Science 

Professor Bryn Seabrook 

The mission of UVA—SEAS is "to make the world a better place by creating and disseminating knowledge and by preparing engineering leaders to solve global challenges." In alignment with that mission, this course seeks to equip undergraduates with knowledge, understanding, and practice to prepare them for ethical leadership now, as students, and for their future as engineering leaders. Prerequisite second-, third-, or fourth-year engineering student 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Kate Sweeney 

This course introduces you to the style and structure of news writing. The main goals are to sharpen your writing, reporting, and critical thinking skills, as well as teach you about news values and ethics. We will focus on writing “hard news” stories and feature stories, and we will draw from current events to discuss what makes news newsworthy.

The course is practical. It’s designed to teach you to think like a journalist and participate in the truth-telling process by learning to report and write accurate stories on deadline. You’ll receive feedback on your writing, and you will have the opportunity to revise your writing for inclusion in an end-of-the-semester portfolio. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Neeti Nair 

Surveys 100 years of Indian history, defining the qualities of the world's first major anti-colonial movement of nationalism and the changes and cultural continuities of India's democratic policy in the decades since 1947.

School of Education and Human Development 

Professor Derrick Alridge 

This seminar delves into the history of K-12 education in the United States from 1945 to the present. We will conduct a multifaceted analysis of American education and schooling, exploring its development within the broader political and social contexts of postwar politics, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, and contemporary educational policies. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Lise Dobrin

The theoretical, methodological, and ethical practice of an engaged anthropology is the subject of this course, We begin with a history of applied anthropology. We then examine case studies that demonstrate the unique practices of contemporary sociocultural, linguistic, archaeological and bioanthropological anthropology in the areas of policy and civic engagement.

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor James Savage

Surveys the development of the American tradition of free government emphasizing the major contributors and their critics. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Christa Dierksheide

This course uses Thomas Jefferson as a lens to explore the post revolutionary era in the United States (ca. 1776-1830), with a focus on race and slavery, trans-nationalism, imperialism, and legal/constitutional developments.

School of Architecture 

Professor Rina Priyani

The Asian-African conference in 1955, known as the Bandung Conference, imagined a movement of newly independent nations of Asia & Africa, joining mutual solidarity to support the development & cultural as well as political independence. In this seminar, students will study the history of the Bandung project, the notion of freedom, liberation, independence, & sovereignty, as well as the material culture and built environment. Grad version has additional requirements. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Robin Means Coleman 

Black horror is a primer on the quest for social justice. What can such a boundary-pushing genre teach us about paths to solidarity and democracy? What can we learn about disrupting racism, misogyny, and anti-Blackness? If horror is radical transgression, then we have much to learn from movies such as Candyman, The First Purge, Get Out, Eve’s Bayou, Blacula, Attack the Block, Demon Knight, Tales from the Hood, Sugar Hill, and Ganja & Hess. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Caroline Janney

This course will examine the years after the Civil War, from 1865 to 1900, a period in which Americans witnessed unprecedented economic expansion that profoundly altered political and social arrangements. It explores how the nation "recovered" from the Civil War, how it reconstructed itself, and continued to define the notion of who was an American and who was not. In short, it examines how the nation transitioned from one divided to the threshold of world domination in the age of imperialism. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Carol Mershon 

Looks at how different groups have sought representation in democracies. We investigate multiple forms of, and channels for, representation, such as political parties, social movements, and protests. Countries include the United States and select countries in Latin America and Europe. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Jacqueline Arthur-Montagne

This course explores the origins and debates of Athenian democracy in the fifth century BCE through historical study and immersive role-play. Students examine primary sources from Herodotus, Thucydides, Plato, and Aristotle and then reenact the conflicts of 403 BCE in the Reacting to the Past game "The Threshold of Democracy," debating questions of citizenship, empire, justice, and political participation in the world's first democracy. 

Frank Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy 

Professors Craig Volden and Melanie Egorin

This survey course that introduces students to the history, politics, and economic and social significance of the major challenges facing 21st century U.S. policymakers. Examples of topics that may be explored include: the federal deficit and debt, the rise of China and India, health care costs, climate policy, energy security, economic opportunity in an era of globalization, the future of public higher education, and U.S. foreign policy. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Nicholas Winter 

This course examines public opinion and its place in American democracy. We study the psychological and political roots of citizens' opinions, as well as the relationship between public opinion and political campaigns, the media, and government. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Kasey Jernigan  

An intro to the broad field of Native Studies, this class focuses on themes of representation and erasure. We read Indigenous scholars and draw from current events, pop culture, and historical narrative to explore complex relationships between historical and contemporary issues that Indigenous peoples face in the US. We examine the foundations of Native representations and their connections to critical issues in Native communities.

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Christopher Gratien

At the Great War's centennial, we take stock of how it shaped life in the 20th century for peoples around the globe. Movies, memoirs, government reports and other texts throw light on causes of the war, the human carnage of 1914-18, Woodrow Wilson's effort to end war forever with a League of Nations, the demise of liberalism and the rise of fascism and communism in postwar Europe, and the launch of anti-colonial movements in Asia and Africa. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Kenneth Stroupe

Provides students with the opportunity to be directly involved with the research, programming, operations, and outreach of the University's non-profit, non-partisan Center for Politics. Includes projects focused on state and national politics, political history, civic engagement, voter behavior, media and politics, campaign finance and political analysis. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Bruce Williams 

This course examines the ways a changing media system is altering the dynamics of public discourse and democratic politics in the United States. Throughout the course we will critically analyze the ways in which scholars from a wide range of disciplines have studied the connection between media and politics, the methods they have employed, and the validity of their findings and approaches in the new media environment in which we now live.

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Milton Vickerman 

Introduces the study of race and ethnic relations, including the social and economic conditions promoting prejudice, racism, discrimination, and segregation.  Examines contemporary American conditions, and historical and international materials.

School of Education and Human Development 

Professor Bethany Bell

This course provides a historical overview of major social problems and the social contexts, policies, and programs developed in response. Attention is paid to the experiences of vulnerable groups and processes and contexts that facilitate or constrain social change. Using a historical analysis, students gain an understanding of how policies, institutions, and organizations shape and respond to complex human needs and issues of social justice. 

School of Education and Human Development 

Professor Alexa Rodriguez 

In this course, students will use course texts and classroom discussions to explore how schools have been integral to teaching what the role and responsibilities of citizens in a U.S.-style democracy, as well as how schools also reveal the boundaries of this form of citizenship. The course will start from the formation of the common schools in the United States and span the 20th century, and will feature readings that employ a transnational lens.

School of Education and Human Development

TBA 

Will civil discourse save democracy or deepen oppression? Why does speech matter so much to political struggles? What does it mean for political dialogue to be successful? This course integrates theory with practice as students engage in political dialogue, then draw on their experiences, primary source research, the popular press, and political theory to analyze the relationship between political dialogue and democracy. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Stephen Parks

This course provides the opportunity to offer new topics in global studies. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Andrew Kahrl

The history of local government and local politics in shaping American life. Course examines issues, themes, and problems of local democracy in historical and contemporary contexts. Class meetings combine lectures and discussions. Course includes local civic engagement component. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Alexander Motchoulski

This course will consider three central questions in political philosophy: Why do political societies exist? What kind of political society is best? And, what is the proper role of the state in the social and economic affairs of its citizens? Rather than a comprehensive overview of the subject, this course will offer a chance to carefully examine some of the most influential attempts to answer to these core questions. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Adam Slez

Social movements are an historical and global phenomenon of great complexity and variety. Because the topic can be so broad, the course is organized around case studies of civil rights, the industrial workers' movement, environmentalism, religious fundamentalism, and the counter movements to globalization. These cases will be used to illustrate variety of themes and principles, and you'll learn about specific events, personalities, organizations, and dynamics that shaped these movements. By this method, you will gain specific knowledge about important social movements, as well as an overview and general orientation to the sociology of this dynamic area of social life. Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or instructor permission. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Laurent Dubois 

Explores the history of soccer to understand how and why it has become the most popular sport on the planet. We focus on the culture, economics and politics of the sport. Examples are drawn from Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, and include a focus on women's soccer. Class materials include scholarly works, essays, fiction, and film; students work on digital projects related to upcoming international tournaments. 

School of Education and Human Development 

Professor Rachel Wahl

This course builds on the skills students develop through the Civic Cornerstone Fellowship and applies them to local civic issues. Students will develop their ability to understand myriad perspectives on political dilemmas and enhance their capacity to work across ideological differences to construct solutions to these challenges. The semester will culminate in student-led collaboration on a proposed policy, program, or creative project. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Jennifer Rubenstein 

Examines politics surrounding claims that large-scale issues (e.g. terrorism, climate change) are emergencies and responses to those claims. Should laws accommodate emergencies or should emergency responses be "outside" the law? What happens if emergency action violates democratic and justice-based norms?  What is the difference between bottom-up and top-down emergency response? Readings draw primarily from political theory, sociology, and law.

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Nicholas Winter 

A seminar introducing students to the study of political psychology. Topics include authoritarianism, tolerance, altruism, ethnocentrism, the role of affect and cognition in political choice, the role of racial stereotyping in political campaigns, and psychological challenges to rational choice models of political decision-making. Prerequisite: One course in PLAP or instructor permission.

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Len Schoppa 

Explores why policies on issues like health care, social welfare, education, and immigration differ markedly from nation to nation, focusing on how contrasting cultures, state institutions, and societal organizations shape the historical trajectory of public policies. The primary focus of the course is on policies in advanced industrialized nations such as Britain, the U.S., Japan, and Sweden. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Carol Mershon

Examines political parties in a variety of institutional and socioeconomic settings, focusing on parties in the democratic political systems of Europe, the United States, and Japan. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Denise Walsh 

This course focuses on marginalized groups and the production of injustice with a focus on the global South. It draws on multidisciplinary scholarship that is theoretically challenging, empirically rich, and politically provocative. Readings span the globe and address topics such as drugs, migration, and policing. 

Frank Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy 

Professor Paul Martin

This class explores the intersection between how we perform elections and how we craft public policy. We investigate two broad questions (1) the effect of policy on elections—how rules around voting, funding, and the organization of elections influence election outcomes and larger policy discourse, and (2) the effect of elections on policy—how elections shape elite motivations and citizen expectations around the development and passage of policy. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Peter Furia 

This course examines both academic and policy debates about democracy and foreign policy. We begin by reviewing the theory and practice of democracy and the literature on democracy in international politics. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Daniel Blinderman

Investigates a selected issue in American government or American political development. Prerequisite: One course in PLAP or instructor permission. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Gerard Alexander

Intensive analysis of selected issues and concepts in comparative government. Prerequisite: One course in PLCP or instructor permission. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Anne Meng

Intensive analysis of selected issues and concepts in comparative government. Prerequisite: One course in PLCP or instructor permission.

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Jennifer Rubenstein 

Investigates a special problem of political theory such as political corruption, religion and politics, science and politics, or the nature of justice. Prerequisite: One course in PLPT or instructor permission. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Christa Dierksheide

The major seminar is a small class (not more than 15 students) intended primarily but not exclusively for history majors who have completed two or more courses relevant to the topic of the seminar. The work of the seminar results primarily in the preparation of a substantial (ca. 25 pp. in standard format) research paper. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Felix Maradiaga 

This course is taught by Felix Maradiaga, internationally recognized Nicaraguan democratic and human rights advocate recently nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. This course explores the global democratic ecosystem, focusing on civil society’s role in resisting autocracy. It examines activist networks, autocratic collaboration, and how pro-democracy forces counter them. Covering human rights, free elections, and transparency, it combines theory with practical activism. The course also considers global democratic regression’s impact on U.S. democracy and the potential for a new wave of democratization. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Lisa Cacho  

New course in the subject of American Studies. 

Frank Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy 

Professor Paul Martin

Northern Ireland offers a rich and compelling opportunity to learn from a society that has seen policy-driven ethnic exclusion, a civil rights movement that mutated into a violent conflict, and an ongoing peace process that directly reckons with long-standing harms from punitive policing; housing, employment, and educational discrimination; active disenfranchisement and exclusionary institutions. The Brexit vote destabilized decades of work toward peacebuilding and provides further study of the work to rebuild a post-conflict society. The class dives into understanding what happened in Northern Ireland and what lessons we can glean from their experience. Class includes a required field study in Northern Ireland during spring break of 2026. Significant financial aid is available to students who (according to SFS) demonstrate financial need. Out of pocket costs can be as low as $400 for students with high need. 

School of Law 

Professors Risa Goluboff, Saikrishna Prakash, Deborah Hellman, and others

This course is an introduction to the structure of the U.S. Constitution and the rights and liberties it defines. Judicial review, federalism, congressional powers and limits, the commerce clause, and the 10th Amendment are covered, as are the equal protection and due process clauses. 

School of Law 

Professor Payvand Ahdout 

This course is about the federal judicial system and its relationship to various other decision-makers, including Congress and the state courts. We will examine the jurisdiction of the federal courts; the elements of a justiciable case or controversy; the role of state law and so-called "federal common law" in federal courts; implied causes of action; and state sovereign immunity.

School of Architecture 

Professor Barbara Wilson

Explores methods beyond the conventional town-hall meeting to gather insights from communities on planning issues. Topics will include more traditional methods of qualitative research such as focus groups, interviews, charrettes, participatory action research, and scenario planning, as well as strategies like asset mapping, visual preference surveys, games, art-based visioning, participatory budgeting. 

Frank Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy 

Professor TBA

In this course students will learn how to create change in the public policy arena by understanding political actors, their interests, and the institutions they inhabit. Students will learn how issues move through the policy process, at which points they are most amenable to influence, and how to create and use professional work products to influence them.

School of Data Science 

Professor Jess Reia

Combines topics in data ethics, critical data studies, public policy, governance, and regulation. Address challenges by topic (Health, Education, Culture & Entertainment, Security & Defense, Cities, Environment, Labor). Research how data-centric systems are deployed within socioeconomic ecosystems and shape the world. Interrogate connections between data science, governments, industry, civil society organizations, and communities. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Sidney Milkis 

This seminar will critically examine both classic and current scholarship in American Political Development (APD)—a sub-field of American Politics that explores the historical roots of politics and government in the United States.

School of Law 

Professor Andrew Block and Annie Kim 

This course will introduce students to law and public service, broadly defined to include all careers that serve the public interest, from litigating civil rights cases to prosecuting and defending criminal suspects to providing legal services for indigent clients to representing local, state, and federal government agencies to working for an international human rights organization and everything in between.

School of Law 

Professor Michael Gilbert 

A web of constitutional, statutory, and judge-made laws regulate the American political process. This course will examine these laws and their implications for three broad and important issues: participation, aggregation, and governance. Participation involves the right to vote and various restrictions thereon, aggregation involves apportionment and redistricting, and governance involves campaign finance and the role of political parties.

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Denise Walsh 

This course begins with the relationship of political science to identity politics. Next, we study the shift in treating identity as a given to a process and consider four approaches to identity formation. We then turn to two pressing challenges: how to study identity and the interactions of identity groups with one another. The final section of the course addresses the consequences of identity politics, such a mobilization and voting. 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Paulina Ochoa Espejo

This course is a continuation of a fall semester course examining the role of borders and boundaries in democracies. We will ask questions about territorial borders and other social boundaries. Topics will include immigration, territorial control and colonialism, membership, sovereignty, the unity of the nation state, and indigenous peoples’ and environmental rights. We will seek answers to our questions from the perspective of several disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. 

School of Law 

Professor Charles Barzun

This short course will examine the philosophical foundations of some of the most pressing debates in contemporary constitutional theory and explore the implications of these debates for how we think about law, politics, and public policy. Some topics that we will discuss include the following: originalism, legal positivism, and the rule of law. 

School of Law 

Professor Leslie Kendrick

This course offers an intensive, albeit introductory, study of First Amendment law relating to freedom of speech and press (and corollary freedoms, such as freedom of political association). 

College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

Professor Justin Kirkland 

Studies the legislative process in the U.S. Congress, U.S. state legislatures, and some examination of comparative legislatures. Topics include the internal distribution of power, influences on legislative behavior, institutional changes in legislatures and their effects, relationships with other political institutions, the place of legislatures in the American polity, and the problems associated with it. 

School of Law 

Professors Lisa Lorish and Timothy Heaphy

Protest or riot? Civil disobedience or insurrection? Cities, universities, and other governmental entities must simultaneously protect free speech and public safety while managing mass demonstration events. The legal, ethical, and practical issues presented by these events will be the focus of this course. 

School of Law 

Professors Amanda Frost and Anja Bossow 

This seminar examines the development of U.S. citizenship through law, history, and politics, including topics such as naturalization, birthright citizenship (jus soli), citizenship by descent (jus sanguinis), and expatriation/denaturalization.

School of Law 

Professor Kimberly Robinson

In the United States, education serves as the foundation of our democracy and economy. Law and policy determine the quality of educational opportunities in the United States. Although law and policy have made substantial inroads in reducing discrimination in education, they also tolerate and exacerbate inequalities in educational opportunities that influence the academic, professional, and social outcomes of students and communities.