Political Studies

Courses

Political Studies offers a core curriculum comprising the following courses: Political Theory, Comparative Politics, American Politics: Issues and Institutions, Political Economy, The Question for Justice: Foundations of the Law, and International Relations. The program also offers a wide range of courses in area studies (Western Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East most notably) and thematic seminars on American foreign policy, international security, democratization, terrorism, civil society, development, and political methodology, among other topics.

Areas of Study

At Bard, six broad clusters of political studies are identified: political theory, American politics, comparative politics, political economy, public law, and international relations. The clusters necessarily overlap one another and other fields. Students are encouraged to combine courses in political studies with relevant courses in other disciplines, such as history, economics, sociology, and literature.

Recent Senior Projects in Political Studies
“Aloha ’Aina: The United States Military and Its Controversial Use of Hawaiian Land”“Assessing the Theory of Demographics as Destiny and Patterns of Bloc Voting in the United States”“Japan’s Reemergence as a Military Superpower: Assessing the East Asian Security Dilemma”“The Stability of a Unipolar World Revisited”