GOVT 4000 - Major Seminar

Fall, spring. 4 credits. Student option grading.

Permission of instructor required for some sections. Preference given to: Government seniors and juniors. Counts toward the government major requirement when taken for “letter grade.”

Fall, V. Bunce; spring, M. Krewel, S. Mettler.

Major seminars in the Government department are small, advanced courses that cover an important theme or topic in contemporary politics in depth. Courses place particular emphasis on careful reading and classroom discussion, and students can expect to write a significant research paper. The enrollment limit is 15 students. These courses are open to all Cornell students, but preference in admissions is given to seniors over juniors, and to Government majors over other students. Topics vary by semester and section.

Fall 2017 Topic: Despotism: Russia and Elsewhere. This seminar will focus on three questions. What makes a regime authoritarian? Why do some democracies move in an authoritarian direction? How do authoritarian leaders maintain and lose power? Students will be expected to write a research paper that addresses some aspect of these topics. (V. Bunce)

Spring Topic: Politics and Entertainment. “The Westwing”, “House of Cards”, “Borgen…The growing number of fictional political drama in the US as well as in Europe shows that politics plays a much bigger role in TV entertainment nowadays than in the past. The enormous success of news satire shows such as “The Daily Show” additionally confirm this trend. Since political communication research for a long time has concentrated on analyzing classical political information supply such as news, it now begins to turn itself to the depiction and influence of politics in fictional and non-fictional entertainment contexts. In this class we will therefore look at how politics is displayed in nontraditional media contexts as well as on the effects of these new entertainment formats on citizens’ perceptions, attitudes and political behavior. Does it matter for us if Homer Simpson casts the ballot? (M. Krewel)

Spring Topic: Trump and American Politics. Donald Trump defied all expectations by ascending to the American presidency in 2016, and in his early presidency, he has in several respects upended normal procedures. What explains Trump’s ascent and what is the significance of his presidency for American politics? This course begins by examining the political and institutional circumstances that led to Trump’s victory in the 2016 campaign. Next, it examines Trump’s policy objectives and the extent to which he has succeeded in achieving them, investigating why some have been more readily accomplished than others. Most broadly, the course grapples with the significance of the Trump presidency for American democracy. We will distinguish between the aspects of Trump’s presidency which are typical or at least have precedents in American politics and those which are out of the ordinary. We will investigate the extent to which the US political system, with its institutional checks and balances, constrains him. We will ponder the significance of his presidency for the future of American politics. (S. Mettler)