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About our Fall 2022 courses

Courses in constitutional studies come from across the university disciplines. If you’d like to learn more about individual courses or request advising on which classes to take, please contact Soren Grefenstette (sorengref@nd.edu).

Please note that seats listed under a "CNST" course number are reserved for students who have officially declared the Constitutional Studies minor. However, those courses also have a primary or parent department course number (e.g., POLS or HIST), which may or may not be open to anyone. Any course on our list is eligible for minor credit, no matter which seat a student is enrolled in (a CNST seat or otherwise). Typically, AP course credits are applied only to University requirements and electives, not toward majors or minors.

CLICK THE COURSE TO SEE DESCRIPTION

Click this link for details and application information about the Fall '22 and Spring '23 Core Text Sequence in Citizenship & Constitutional Government.

*updated 4.6.22

Black Political Thought
- Instructor: Forjwuor, Bernard (BFORJWUO) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: AFST 30682
- CNST Number: CNST 30644
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
Black Political Thought
- Instructor: Forjwuor, Bernard (BFORJWUO) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: AFST 30682
- CNST Number: CNST 30644
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
This course will focus on the writings of Black political thinkers in the Americas, Africa, and Europe. Through critical examination of the conditions against, and contexts within, which the political theories of these thinkers are situated, this course hopes to arrive at some understanding of the principles, goals and strategies developed to contest and redefine notions/concepts of citizenship (vis-a-vis the imperatives of race/racism and the global colonial formations), humanity, justice, equality, development, democracy, and freedom.
GATEWAY - Constitutionalism Law & Pol II
- Instructor: Foster, Luke
- Primary Number: also POLS 30665
- CNST Number: CNST 50002
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
GATEWAY - Constitutionalism Law & Pol II
- Instructor: Foster, Luke
- Primary Number: also POLS 30665
- CNST Number: CNST 50002
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
In "Constitutionalism, Law & Politics II: American Constitutionalism," we shall study fundamental texts of the American constitutional and political tradition in an attempt to answer questions such as: What is the purpose of government? What is the meaning of political equality? What is political liberty and how is it best secured? Since we lack the time for a comprehensive survey of American political thinkers, we shall examine select statesmen and critical historical periods, focusing on the Founding era, Lincoln and the slavery crisis, and the Progressive era and New Deal.
Cybercrime and the Law
- Instructor: Tamashasky, Eric (ETAMASHA) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: CDT 40220
- CNST Number: CNST 30420
- Time: TTh 5:05pm-6:20pm
Cybercrime and the Law
- Instructor: Tamashasky, Eric (ETAMASHA) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: CDT 40220
- CNST Number: CNST 30420
- Time: TTh 5:05pm-6:20pm
Almost all crimes, or even human interactions, contain a digital component. The fact that "old" laws don't always fit "new" problems is no more apparent than in the area of cybercrimes. This course will include discussion of topics including: the methodology of typical cyber investigations, the application of the Fourth Amendment to digital evidence, and different types of cyber-specific laws enforced today. The course will also focus on the responses of both courts and legislators to the ever-evolving issues presented by computer crimes.
Int'l Law & Human Rights
- Instructor: Desierto, Diane (DDESIERT) [Primary, 99%]; Gonzalez-Diaz, Maria (MGONZA33) [1%]
- Primary Number: CHR 30708
- CNST Number: CNST 30245
- Time: MW 2pm-3:15pm
Int'l Law & Human Rights
- Instructor: Desierto, Diane (DDESIERT) [Primary, 99%]; Gonzalez-Diaz, Maria (MGONZA33) [1%]
- Primary Number: CHR 30708
- CNST Number: CNST 30245
- Time: MW 2pm-3:15pm
What role does international law have in the advancement of human rights, and how does human rights, in turn, advance international law? This course introduces university students to the general system of modern international law (e.g. its norm-generating framework involving States and non-State actors; the roles of many State and non-State authoritative decision-makers in shaping expectations of peaceful, just, and responsible behavior in the international system; its varied constellation of dispute settlement courts and tribunals, alongside the prospects and limits of enforcing State compliance with international decisions), specifically viewed from the lens of historic global, regional, and domestic challenges to human dignity that influenced the first global codification of human rights norms under the United Nations' 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, up to the present development of the current international system of protection for human rights. The course situates the framework of modern international law and civil, political, economic, social, and cultural human rights, using five examples of the historic, defining, and 'constitutionalizing moments' for the international system: 1) the international abolition of slavery; 2) the evolution from classical to modern international law in dismantling colonial empires to enshrine the self-determination of all peoples and the equality of sovereignty of all nations; 3) the outlawing of the aggressive use of force since 1929, towards the peaceful settlement of maritime and territorial disputes and the humanitarian rules applicable to armed conflict situations; 4) the establishment of international accountability of individuals and States for genocide, crimes against humanity and other human rights atrocities; and 5) the global regulation for sustainable use, shared protection, and intergenerational responsibility over natural resources (land, oceans, atmosphere, outer space).
Ancient Greece and Rome
- Instructor: Mazurek, Tadeusz (TMAZUREK) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: CLAS 10100
- CNST Number: CNST 10600
- Time: MW 11:30am-12:20pm
HIST - old Core History; WKHI - new Core History
Ancient Greece and Rome
- Instructor: Mazurek, Tadeusz (TMAZUREK) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: CLAS 10100
- CNST Number: CNST 10600
- Time: MW 11:30am-12:20pm
This first-year course introduces the general history and culture of ancient Greece and Rome to students coming to the subject for the first time. Literary texts central to the ancient Greek and Roman traditions receive prime attention, including works by Homer, Plato, Cicero, and Virgil, but students are also exposed to the importance of learning from documentary texts, archeology, and art history. Topics discussed include concepts of divinity and humanity, heroism and virtue, gender, democracy, empire, and civic identity, and how they changed in meaning over time. The course allows students to develop a rich appreciation for the Greek and Roman roots of their own lives, and prepares them to study the Greco-Roman past at more advanced levels. Offered annually.
The History of Ancient Greece
- Instructor: Baron, Christopher (CBARON1) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: CLAS 20105
- CNST Number: CNST 20610
- Time: MW 9:25am-10:15am
HIST - old Core History; WKHI - new Core History
The History of Ancient Greece
- Instructor: Baron, Christopher (CBARON1) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: CLAS 20105
- CNST Number: CNST 20610
- Time: MW 9:25am-10:15am
An outline introduction to the history of ancient Greece from the Bronze Age to the Roman conquest. The topics covered include the rise of the distinctive Greek city-state (the polis), Greek relations with Persia, Greek experiments with democracy, oligarchy, and empire, the great war between Athens and Sparta, the rise to power of Philip and Alexander of Macedon, and the Greeks' eventual submission to Rome. Readings include narrative, documentary, and archeological sources. The course prepares students for more detailed courses in ancient history. Offered biennially.
Education Law and Policy
- Instructor: Schoenig, John (JSCHOENI) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: ESS 30605
- CNST Number: CNST 30402
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
Education Law and Policy
- Instructor: Schoenig, John (JSCHOENI) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: ESS 30605
- CNST Number: CNST 30402
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
This course focuses on selected legal and policy issues related to K-12 education in the United States. A central theme is the intersection of K-12 schooling and the state, with a particular focus on Constitutional issues of religious freedom and establishment, student speech and privacy, parental choice, educational opportunity, and education reform trends such as charter schools and accountability measures. Questions examined over the course of the semester include: What are the most basic obligations of the state with regard to its regulation of K-12 education? What are the most basic rights of parents in this regard? In what ways does the 1st Amendment protect - and limit - the speech and privacy rights of K-12 schoolchildren? In what ways may the state accommodate K-12 schools with an explicitly religious character? What are the Constitutional requirements with regard to religious speech or expression within K-12 public schools? To what degree is the principle of equality manifest in the form of educational opportunity? How has this changed over time? In what ways have education reform trends such as charter schooling and increased accountability changed the policy landscape of K-12 education?
Early Childhood Ed Policy
- Instructor: Fulcher-Dawson, Rachel (RFULCHER) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: ESS 30629
- CNST Number: CNST 30405
- Time: MW 2pm-3:15pm
ZCSC-Commnty Engagmnt Course
Early Childhood Ed Policy
- Instructor: Fulcher-Dawson, Rachel (RFULCHER) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: ESS 30629
- CNST Number: CNST 30405
- Time: MW 2pm-3:15pm
This course covers the various issues relevant to the current early childhood education landscape. This includes theories of early learning and child development, policy development in the United States, the issues of inequality and the achievement gap, and research on interventions or "what works" in early childhood programming. The advantage to understanding the theories of child development, the policy context and the intervention research is that it gives future teachers and future policymakers a foundational premise upon which to grow, analyze, learn and teach. Topics covered will include: Theories of Child Development (Infant Schools to Present), Head Start and the CCDBG, State Preschool, Inequality and the Achievement Gap in the Early Years and Interventions in Early Childhood (HighScope/Perry Preschool, Abecedarian and Chicago Parent Studies, Head Start Research). The goal of this class is to come away with a greater understanding of the language, the history, the goals and the possibilities in this policy area as well as its connections to other social welfare programs and to K-12 schooling. Students will become more fluent in the language of early childhood education and will gain the foundational knowledge of past and current theories, laws, policies and educational interventions.
Introduction to Public Policy
- Instructor: Mueller, Paul (PMUELLE1) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: HESB 20010
- CNST Number: CNST 20405
- Time: TTh 9:30am-10:45am
Introduction to Public Policy
- Instructor: Mueller, Paul (PMUELLE1) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: HESB 20010
- CNST Number: CNST 20405
- Time: TTh 9:30am-10:45am
Public policy could be fairly described as applied social science. This course will introduce you to the fundamentals of public policy by (1) understanding how policy is crafted, (2) detailing the linkages between public opinion and public policy, (3) appreciating how political institutions may bound policy outcomes, (4) and exploring the ability of special interests, and other parties, to shape policy outcomes all while introducing you to various tools and frameworks for approaching the study of public policy. These tools will draw from an understanding of human behavior (psychology), markets (economics), governments (political science), and organizations (sociology) and introduce you to policy analysis. We will use a case study approach to delve into current public policy controversies including healthcare, higher education finance, and infrastructure. This course acts as the primary introductory course for the Hesburgh Minor in Public Service, but is designed for students of all majors and interests.
Philanthropy & the Common Good
- Instructor: Hannah, Jonathan (JHANNAH) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: HESB 30348
- CNST Number: CNST 30423
- Time: M 6pm-8:30pm
CSTE - CST Elective
Philanthropy & the Common Good
- Instructor: Hannah, Jonathan (JHANNAH) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: HESB 30348
- CNST Number: CNST 30423
- Time: M 6pm-8:30pm
This course will explore the roots of philanthropy in American society, the role philanthropy plays within the modern economy, and how philanthropic activity helps us create a better world and strive for the common good. The key component of the course requires students to act as a Board of Directors and use thoughtful analysis to award real grants to deserving nonprofits (a sum up to $50,000). Students are expected to come to each class prepared to discuss course readings, and to offer ideas and suggestions regarding the grant making process. Each student is also expected to complete two site visits to nonprofit organizations outside of normal class hours. Students will nominate nonprofits for awards and the class will systematically discuss, analyze, and ultimately vote to award the grants.
From Rasputin to Putin
- Instructor: Lyandres, Semion (SLYANDRE) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: HIST 30355
- CNST Number: CNST 30227
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
HIST - old Core History; MESE - European Studies Course; WKHI - new Core History
From Rasputin to Putin
- Instructor: Lyandres, Semion (SLYANDRE) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: HIST 30355
- CNST Number: CNST 30227
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
This lecture course examines some of the most important events, ideas, and personalities that shaped late Imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet periods of Russian history during the last one hundred years: from the outbreak of the First World War and the Revolutions of 1905 and 1917 through the Great Terror of the 1930s, the experience of the Second World War and the emergence of the Soviet Empire, late Stalinism and post-Stalinist developed or mature socialism, the collapse of the communist rule and the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, as well as Russia's uneasy transition "out of Totalitarianism" and into Putin's authoritarianism during the first fourteen years of the twentieth-first century. The course is designed for history majors as well as for students in other disciplines with or without background in modern Russian and East European history.
17th Century England
- Instructor: Rapple, Rory (RRAPPLE) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: HIST 30412
- CNST Number: CNST 30622
- Time: TTh 12:30pm-1:45pm
HIST - old Core History; MESE - European Studies Course; WKHI - new Core History
17th Century England
- Instructor: Rapple, Rory (RRAPPLE) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: HIST 30412
- CNST Number: CNST 30622
- Time: TTh 12:30pm-1:45pm
England's seventeenth century provides one of the most compelling epochs of human history, full of a cast of remarkable characters. Once Elizabeth I died in 1603, a new dynasty, the Scottish royal house, the Stuarts, came to the throne in the person of James VI & I. A new political dynamic ensued. Insoluble tensions arose between perceived licentiousness in high politics on one hand and puritan moral rigour on the other, between royal control of religion and a hankering after policies based on literal Biblical interpretation and also between a gaping royal treasury and public reluctance to contribute financially to the realm. These, and other factors, resulted in the unthinkable: the dissolution of the ties that had held English politics and society together. The Civil War (or "Great Rebellion", or "Puritan Revolution" depending on the interpretation favoured) that resulted gave rise to a welter of new constitutional ideas, religious experiments and virulent anti-Catholicism. These were all set loose as King and Parliament fought for domination of the country. We will pay particular attention to the figure of Oliver Cromwell, who came to command English politics both before and after the hitherto unimaginable public execution of the king (who many believed was God's anointed). We will also ask why the English after allowing their king to be executed and their toleration a substantial Interregnum subsequently restored Charles II, their erstwhile king's son, as monarch. Remarkable figures that we will encounter and evaluate include the Leveller John Lilburne, the poet John Milton, Praise-God Barebones (yes, that is a name) and the libidinous Samuel Pepys.
Crime,Heredity, Insanity in US
- Instructor: Przybyszewski, Linda (LPRZYBYS) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: HIST 30634
- CNST Number: CNST 30428
- Time: TTh 9:30am-10:45am
HIST - old Core History; PSIM - Poverty Studies Elect.; WKHI - new Core History
Crime,Heredity, Insanity in US
- Instructor: Przybyszewski, Linda (LPRZYBYS) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: HIST 30634
- CNST Number: CNST 30428
- Time: TTh 9:30am-10:45am
This course gives students the opportunity to learn more about how Americans have thought about criminal responsibility and how their ideas have changed over time. Historians contend that the 19th century witnessed a transformation in the understanding of the origins of criminal behavior in the United States. The earlier religious emphasis on the sinfulness of all mankind, which made the murderer into merely another sinner, gave way to a belief in the inherent goodness of humankind. But if humans were naturally good, how are we to explain their evil actions? And crime rates varied widely by sex and race; European women were said to have been domesticated out of crime doing. What do those variations tell us about a common human nature? The criminal might be a flawed specimen of humankind born lacking a healthy and sane mind. Relying in part upon studies done in Europe, American doctors, preachers, and lawyers debated whether insanity explained criminality over the century and how it expressed itself in different races and sexes. Alternative theories were offered. Environment, heredity, and free will were all said to have determined the actions of the criminal. By the early 20th century, lawyers and doctors had largely succeeded in medicalizing criminality. Psychiatrists now treated criminals as patients; judges invoked hereditary eugenics in sentencing criminals. Science, not sin, had apparently become the preferred mode of explanation for the origins of crime. But was this a better explanation than what had come before? Can it explain the turbulent debates in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries over variations in crime rates by race? Can it explain why men, not women, are still more likely to commit murder?
US Foreign Policy in the Cold War
- Instructor: Miscamble, Wilson
- Primary Number: HIST 30805
- CNST Number: X
- Time: MW 3:30pm-4:45pm
HBNA-History of North America , HCT5 - HIST Cat 5: US , HIST - old Core History , NSMA - NROTC Secrty/Miltry Aff , WKHI - new Core History
US Foreign Policy in the Cold War
- Instructor: Miscamble, Wilson
- Primary Number: HIST 30805
- CNST Number: X
- Time: MW 3:30pm-4:45pm
This course covers the main developments in American foreign policy from World War II through the end of the Cold War. The principal topics of investigation will be wartime diplomacy and the origins of the Cold War; the Cold War and containment in Europe and Asia; Eisenhower/Dulles diplomacy; Kennedy-Johnson and Vietnam; Nixon-Kissinger and détente; Carter and the diplomacy of Human Rights; Reagan and the revival of containment; Bush and the end of the Cold War.
Human Rights Reparations
- Instructor: Perez-Linan, Anibal
- Primary Number: KSGA 30201
- CNST Number: X
- Time: M - 12:30P - 3:15P
Human Rights Reparations
- Instructor: Perez-Linan, Anibal
- Primary Number: KSGA 30201
- CNST Number: X
- Time: M - 12:30P - 3:15P
The course will explore the current state of reparations for human rights violations, as prescribed by international courts, tribunals, commissions, and other adjudication bodies. We will develop two disciplinary perspectives and integrate them in a collective research project. The first perspective will examine, from a legal standpoint, the sufficiency and adequacy of reparation measures light of international human rights law and the general law of international responsibility, and will inquire into the political and civil society challenges resulting in unmet reparations for complex human rights violations, such as slavery and the trans-Atlantic slave trade, climate change impacts, refugees and displacements from migration, genocide and mass atrocities during conflicts. The second perspective will explore the political conditions under which governmental actors comply with human rights reparations, and what non-governmental actors can do to promote compliance.
American Evangelicals and Global Affairs
- Instructor: Powell, Charles (CPOWELL1)
- Primary Number: KSGA 30606
- CNST Number: CNST 30251
- Time: MW 9:30am-10:45am
GLBC - Global Cultures
American Evangelicals and Global Affairs
- Instructor: Powell, Charles (CPOWELL1)
- Primary Number: KSGA 30606
- CNST Number: CNST 30251
- Time: MW 9:30am-10:45am
Since the end of the Cold War, American Evangelicals? political influence has increased significantly. For example, Christian Zionist have continued to contribute meaningfully to American political support for the state of Israel. Additionally, to improve human dignity, Evangelicals have established schools and promoted literacy, built clinics and dispensaries, promoted agricultural development and distributed food aid, created orphanages, and propagated values about the inherent worth of all persons. Twenty-five to thirty percent of the US population is neo-evangelical and another five to ten percent adheres to some form of evangelical theology. That means that 100 million Americans are in one way or another tied to evangelical theology and they seem to pray, think, vote, and lobby as a coalition. This course will examine the rise of American Evangelicalism and explore matters deemed important to Evangelicals: social and political affairs, global engagement, participation in public affairs, international affairs, support of Israel, political and economic development. More generally, this course offers a compelling account of Evangelicals? influence on America's role in the world. Students will learn how to engage more thoughtfully and productively with this influential religious group - a group that has been called political kingmakers! Students will also learn about the largest protestant denomination in the world - Southern Baptists - from the professor, who was a former Southern Baptist Minister and church planter.
Medical Ethics
- Instructor: Ted Warfield
- Primary Number: PHIL 20602
- CNST Number: X
- Time: MW 2:00pm-2:50pm
CSTE - CST Elective (CSTE), PHI2 - old Core 2nd Philosophy (PHI2), STVF -Sci, Tech,& Values Fndtn (STVF), WKSP - new Core 2nd Philosophy (WKSP)
Medical Ethics
- Instructor: Ted Warfield
- Primary Number: PHIL 20602
- CNST Number: X
- Time: MW 2:00pm-2:50pm
An exploration from the point of view of ethical theory of a number of ethical problems in contemporary biomedicine. Topics discussed will include euthanasia, abortion, the allocation of scarce medical resources, truth-telling in the doctor-patient relationship, the right to medical care and informed consent, and human experimentation.
World Politics: Intro to Comp
- Instructor: Gould, Andrew (AGOULD) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: POLS 20400
- CNST Number: CNST 20200
- Time: TTh 9:30am-10:45am
SOSC - old Core Social Science; WKSS - new Core Social Science
World Politics: Intro to Comp
- Instructor: Gould, Andrew (AGOULD) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: POLS 20400
- CNST Number: CNST 20200
- Time: TTh 9:30am-10:45am
This course will focus on the relationship between democratic institutions, peace, and economic/human development. While drawing on lessons from North America and Europe, we will focus largely on countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. During the semester, we will discuss and debate the merits of various explanations or hypotheses that political scientists have proposed to answer the following questions: Why are some countries more "developed" and democratic than others? Is development necessary for democracy or democracy necessary for development? What is the relationship between culture, development, and democracy? How do different types of political institutions affect the prospects for development and democracy? Should/how should U.S. and other established democracies promote democratization? By the end of the course, the objectives are that students (1) learn the most important theories intended to explain why some countries are more democratic and "developed" than others, (2) understand the complexity of any relationship between democracy and development, and (3) grow in the ability to think about and intelligently assess the strengths and weaknesses of strategies intended to promote democracy and development.
Political Theory
- Instructor: Villa, Dana (DVILLA1) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: POLS 20600
- CNST Number: CNST 20602
- Time: MWF 2pm-2:50pm
PHI2 - old Core 2nd Philosophy; WKSP - new Core 2nd Philosophy
Political Theory
- Instructor: Villa, Dana (DVILLA1) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: POLS 20600
- CNST Number: CNST 20602
- Time: MWF 2pm-2:50pm
This course is an introduction to political theory as a tradition of discourse and as a way of thinking about politics. The course surveys selected works of political theory and explores some of the recurring themes and questions that political theory addresses, especially the question of justice. This introductory course fulfils the political theory breadth requirement for the political science major.
Gay Rights & the Constitution
- Instructor: Barber, Sotirios (SBARBER) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: POLS 30071
- CNST Number: CNST 30406
- Time: TTh 11am-12:15pm
Gay Rights & the Constitution
- Instructor: Barber, Sotirios (SBARBER) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: POLS 30071
- CNST Number: CNST 30406
- Time: TTh 11am-12:15pm
This course will review decisions of the U.S. Supreme court regarding the constitutional rights of homosexuals. It will assess the Court's decisions in light of (1) background theories of constitutional interpretation; (2) the principles of the American Founding; and (3) present day moral arguments for and against gay rights. Readings will consist of Supreme Court cases, selections from the Ratification debate and the philosophic writings that influenced the Founding, and the writings of present-day moral philosophers on both sides of the issues. Grades will be based on mid-term and final exams, with an optional term paper for one quarter of the course grade.
International Criminal Justice
- Instructor: Reydams, Luc (LREYDAMS) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: POLS 30222
- CNST Number: CNST 30211
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
International Criminal Justice
- Instructor: Reydams, Luc (LREYDAMS) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: POLS 30222
- CNST Number: CNST 30211
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
This course critically examines the phenomena of international judicial intervention and ‘criminalization of world politics'; the actors, ideas, and rationales behind the international criminal justice project; the operation of international criminal justice in a world of power politics; its accomplishments, failures, and financial costs; and the future of international criminal justice. The course includes Skype conferences with a war crimes investigator, a war crimes analyst, a defense counsel, a victim representative, a State Department official, and a staff member of the Coalition for the International Criminal Court.
Middle-East Politics
- Instructor: Michael Hoffman
- Primary Number: POLS 30441
- CNST Number: CNST 30233
- Time: MW 2:00pm-3:15pm
MPPE -Minor in Phil, Pol &Econ (MPPE)
Middle-East Politics
- Instructor: Michael Hoffman
- Primary Number: POLS 30441
- CNST Number: CNST 30233
- Time: MW 2:00pm-3:15pm
The Middle East is simultaneously one of the most strategically important regions in the world and one of the least understood. This course provides an introduction to the politics of the region from a thematic perspective. It addresses a variety of topics, including democracy, development, sectarianism, oil, and conflict. Students will be assigned readings from both historical scholarship and contemporary analysis of regional issues. When applicable, cases from across the region will be used to illustrate the themes of the course.
Varieties of Democracy
- Instructor: Michael Coppedge
- Primary Number: POLS 30497
- CNST Number: CNST 30244
- Time: MW 3:30pm-4:45pm
MPPE -Minor in Phil, Pol &Econ (MPPE)
Varieties of Democracy
- Instructor: Michael Coppedge
- Primary Number: POLS 30497
- CNST Number: CNST 30244
- Time: MW 3:30pm-4:45pm
The world's largest collection of information about the state of democracy all over the world resides at the University of Notre Dame. This course is a guided exploration of the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) data. It begins with a survey of the varied ways that philosophers and cultures have thought about democracy. It then explains how these traditions were distilled into a lengthy questionnaire answered by more than a thousand country experts all over the world. The course provides you will the methodological tools you need to explore the data in depth to answer questions such as: What does it mean to be "democratic"? Are there different types of democracy in the world? What are the different ways of being undemocratic? Which countries and regions are most and least democratic in each way? What trends can we observe over the past century? Are there sequences of reforms that lead to successful democratization? As the database is still growing, many students will have the opportunity to contribute to the data collection process. You will also supplement the data with independent research to produce a detailed report evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the political regime in one country and placing it in comparative and historical perspective.
Catholicism and Politics
- Instructor: Philpott, James (JPHILPOT) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: POLS 30654
- CNST Number: CNST 30215
- Time: TTh 9:30am-10:45am
CSTE - CST Elective; WKCD - new Core Cathol&Discipl
Catholicism and Politics
- Instructor: Philpott, James (JPHILPOT) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: POLS 30654
- CNST Number: CNST 30215
- Time: TTh 9:30am-10:45am
Catholicism and Politics poses the question, both simple and complex: How ought Catholics to think about the political order and political issues within it? The first part of the course will survey major responses to this question drawn from Church history: the early church, the medieval church, and the modern church. The second part applies these models to contemporary issues ranging among war, intervention, globalization, abortion, the death penalty, religious freedom, gender issues, and economic development. The course culminates in "Vatican III," where teams of students, representing church factions, gather to discover church teachings on selected controversial political issues.
Modern Political Thought
- Instructor: Benjamin Sehnert
- Primary Number: POLS 30725
- CNST Number: CNST 30614
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
Modern Political Thought
- Instructor: Benjamin Sehnert
- Primary Number: POLS 30725
- CNST Number: CNST 30614
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
Modernity, and what it means, has increasingly become a topic of dispute in the 20th and 21st centuries, with defenders and critics on both left and right. Yet our modern heritage continues to shape even the thought of its critics and lay the groundwork for many of our unquestioned assumptions about political, social, and moral life. This course traces the story of modern political thought from its origins in the wake of the Reformation and Renaissance to the crisis of modernity experienced at the close of the XIXth. We will survey the emergence of questions surrounding justice and the nature of the state in the early social contract theorists (Hobbes, Rousseau) before moving to discuss the increasing concern over balancing the claims of individuals, civil society, and the modern state (Kant, Hegel, Mill) that arise in the wake of the French Revolution. Finally, we will trace the emergence of liberal modernity's critics who have remained influential in even contemporary evaluations of the modern project (Marx, Nietzsche). Through the close study of both text and context, we will debate to what extent the project of liberal modernity still remains valid and whether its claims have been unsettled.
Native American Politics & Philosophy
- Instructor: Samuel Piccolo
- Primary Number: POLS 30727
- CNST Number: CNST 30252
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
Native American Politics & Philosophy
- Instructor: Samuel Piccolo
- Primary Number: POLS 30727
- CNST Number: CNST 30252
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
From the protests at Standing Rock, the renaming of various sports teams, and a Supreme Court decision regarding much of eastern Oklahoma, the political concerns of Native Americans have come to the fore in recent years. How is the relationship between Native North Americans and the United States (and Canada)? In this class, we will try to understand the Native American worldviews that lie behind these political conflicts by reading a variety of Indigenous North American writers. We will discuss the role of nature, spirituality, authority, and political community in Native American traditions. We will also examine how philosophic disagreements between Native American philosophy and Western philosophies can produce political conflict. Students will leave this class with a strong grasp of Native American philosophy and political concerns, as well as a good framework of Western political philosophy.
Classical Islamic Pol thought
- Instructor: Mahmoud Youness
- Primary Number: POLS 30774
- CNST Number: CNST 30253
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
Classical Islamic Pol thought
- Instructor: Mahmoud Youness
- Primary Number: POLS 30774
- CNST Number: CNST 30253
- Time: MW 12:30pm-1:45pm
This course examines the development of political thought in classical Islam (7th-14th centuries). The course runs in two parallel tracks. The first track introduces students to Islamic history and culture. Here, students will present themes that will set the background for the second track. Each class starts with student presentations on the major dynasties that ruled different parts of the Muslim world at different times with an emphasis on politically contested issues and culturally relevant debates. The second track considers the different schools of political thought: the philosophical, the juristic, and the humanist. Here, the emphasis is on textual analysis. In the second part of each class, we turn to the works of Al- Farabi, Al-Mawardi, and Ibn Khaldun and we study them within the context set by student presentations. Throughout, we consider how their work dealt with issues of political stability and conflict and we examine, within a comparative framework, their relevance for today's concerns.
SrSem:American & French Revolutions
- Instructor: Radcliff, Benjamin
- Primary Number: POLS 53001
- CNST Number: X
- Time: TTh 3:30pm-4:45pm
MPPE -Minor in Phil, Pol &Econ (MPPE), WRIT - Writing Intensive (WRIT), ZUG1 - UG Research -Admin (ZUG1)
SrSem:American & French Revolutions
- Instructor: Radcliff, Benjamin
- Primary Number: POLS 53001
- CNST Number: X
- Time: TTh 3:30pm-4:45pm
Introduction to Criminology
- Instructor: Thomas, Mim (MTHOMA13) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: SOC 20732
- CNST Number: CNST 20403
- Time: TTh 11am-12:15pm
SOSC - old Core Social Science; WKSS - new Core Social Science
Introduction to Criminology
- Instructor: Thomas, Mim (MTHOMA13) [Primary, 100%]
- Primary Number: SOC 20732
- CNST Number: CNST 20403
- Time: TTh 11am-12:15pm
Introduction to Criminology provides students with an overview of the sociological study of law making, law breaking and the resulting social responses. In this class we not only look at a variety of crimes, but we also discuss the varying methods sociologists use to collect, interpret and evaluate data, as well as how we theorize about crime and punishment. We address questions such as "Why are some people or groups labeled as criminal, while others are not?" "Do laws in both their construction and enforcement serve everyone's interests equally?" "How can the communities in which people are embedded be considered as criminogenic?" "How are poverty, race, gender and other social factors related to crime?"
Theology, Ethics, and Business
- Instructor: Clairmont, David OR Boyd, Brian
- Primary Number: THEO 20639-01 to 20639-06
- CNST Number: X
- Time: MW 9:30am-10:45am OR MW 11:00am-12:15pm OR MWF 3:30pm-4:30pm
CSTE - CST Elective , THE2 - old Core Dvlpmnt Theo , WKDT-new Core Devel. Theology , ZTST - Final exam
Theology, Ethics, and Business
- Instructor: Clairmont, David OR Boyd, Brian
- Primary Number: THEO 20639-01 to 20639-06
- CNST Number: X
- Time: MW 9:30am-10:45am OR MW 11:00am-12:15pm OR MWF 3:30pm-4:30pm
This course is intended to be an introduction to Catholic moral theology customized for those discerning a career as a business professional. In the wake of ethical failures at a number of prominent corporations, business leaders have renewed their call for ethical behavior and have begun to establish criteria for hiring morally thoughtful employees and to institute ethics education in the workplace. This is a move which has prompted a number of questions. Are institutions of higher education or small groups of well-meaning business professionals capable of training people to behave ethically? Is the real problem in contemporary business a lack of ethical knowledge, a lack of skill in applying rules to particular cases, or a lack of sensitivity to morally relevant issues? In the first part of the course, we will examine philosophical, theological, and economic interpretations of our current business situation, and we will consider various approaches to thinking about the ethical dimensions of business. In the second part of the course, we will examine the tradition of Catholic theology as a virtue ethics tradition, considering how virtue relates to happiness, law, moral judgment, and one's professional vocation. Third, we will examine Catholic theologies of work and the tradition of Catholic social teaching, with special attention to the relationship between workers and management as well as the norms of justice that ought to govern these relations. The course will conclude with student presentations of original cases.
Core Texts I: Classical & Christian Constitutionalism
- Instructor: Deneen, Patrick
- Primary Number: X
- CNST Number: CNST 30700
- Time: MW 9:30am-10:45am
Core Texts I: Classical & Christian Constitutionalism
- Instructor: Deneen, Patrick
- Primary Number: X
- CNST Number: CNST 30700
- Time: MW 9:30am-10:45am
The “Core Texts in Citizenship & Constitutional Government'' course sequence offers a select group of students an opportunity to study some of the seminal texts in history and philosophy of constitutional government. Students will study classical texts with Prof. Patrick Deneen (fall) and modern texts with Prof. Vincent Phillip Muñoz (spring), including: Plato, Aristotle, the Bible, Augustine, Aquinas, Locke, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and others. Through small seminars, students will engage in a year-long conversation about justice, equality, liberty, and the rule of law. The sequence is designed for students looking for and willing to engage in deep, deliberate, and careful study of core texts of Western constitutionalism. Department approval required.