300 Level Papers

Note: Pre-requisite for one 300-level POLS paper is 36 x POLS points on 200 level, or HoD approval. No more than one 300-level POLS paper may be taken until two POLS 100-level and two POLS 200-level papers have been completed. Specific pre-requisites apply to POLS301, POLS302 and POLS303.

POLS301 Power and Liberty

Dr Vicki Spencer (18pts Summer School 2013)

An introduction to the complex and contested nature of the concept of power, and the different ways in which power shapes and constrains human liberty. A variety of thinkers in the history of political thought are examined from Machiavelli to Arendt and Foucault.

POLS302 Research Methods in Politics

(not offered in 2013)

In this course, students will carry out their own research project on some aspect of the forthcoming 2011 election in New Zealand. As part of the research project, students will learn how to conduct interviews, organise and moderate focus groups, and construct and administer a survey.

This paper is 100% internally assessed.

POLS304 International Relations - Peace-keeping

Dr Najib Lafraie (18pts 1st semester 2013)

The nature and role of the United Nations Organisation as a conflict management system. The second half of this paper deals with case studies of UN and non-UN peacekeeping operations.

POLS308 United States Foreign Policy since 1945

Professor Robert Patman & Dr Lena Tan (18pts 2nd semester 2013)

The formulation and implementation of US foreign policy. Covering key theories, enduring international issues, the strategy of containment and the US role in a post Cold-War world.

POLS310 Turkey and Its Neighbours

(Not offered 2013)

The politics and society of modern Turkey, and the geopolitics of Asia Minor, the Balkans, and the Caucasus. Focuses on the political complexities and tensions at the meeting point of Europe and the Islamic world. Includes consideration of the legacies of the Ottoman and Byzantine empires in their core territories.

 

POLS312 Ethics and International Relations

Professor Philip Nel (18pts 2nd semester 2013)

The impact of moral concerns on the norms, institutions and practices of international relations; and normative theory as it is being applied to the interaction of states and other actors across national boundaries.

POLS315 Nationalism and Identity

Dr Jim Headley (18pts 1st semester 2013)

This course explores the major debates and themes in the study of nations and nationalism. The first half of the course examines the notion of identity, the concepts of nation and ethnicity, the origins of nations and nationalism, and the historical development of nationalism from the nineteenth century to the post-Cold War period. The second half of the course examines contemporary debates about nationalism, including the basis and reproduction of national identity, and considers the question of self-determination and secession. A variety of case studies from around the world are used to illustrate.

POLS317 News Media and International Crises

Dr Chris Rudd (18 points 2nd semester 2013)

The interaction between the news media and the state during international crises, examples of which include traditional wars, 'uncivil wars' and the 'War on Terror".

POLS318 Chinese Foreign Policy

Dr Nicholas Khoo (18pts 1st semester 2013)

This course describes and critically analyzes the foreign policy of the People's Republic of China since its foundation in 1949. It is divided into separate sections that focus on: theoretical perspectives used in the study of China's international relations; Chinese foreign policy during the cold war and post-cold war era; China's behaviour with respect to specific functional issues in the international arena; and China's relations with specific sub-regions on its periphery.

POLS319 Treaty Politics

Associate Professor Janine Hayward (18pts 1st semester 2013)

Examines fundamental and topical Treaty of Waitangi issues. Includes analysis of the Treaty Settlement process; investigation of the partners 'Crown' and 'Maori'; and considers the implications of constitutional reforms for Maori.

POLS320 Political Transformation in the Pacific

(Not offered 2013)

Examines philosophical and practical underpinnings of Pacific Island political systems, and compares these with nation-state and democratic theory. Also compares and contrasts different Pacific Island country political systems, and the ways they have been affected by world powers, globalization, regionalism, economic development, and cultural traditions.

The paper is 100% internally assessed.

POLS321 Government and Public Policy

Dr Bryce Edwards (18pts 2nd semester 2013)

The course focuses on the questions of: Why do governments pursue certain courses of action and implement particular sets of policies during specific periods of history? Who makes policy and how? Why does policy matter? What is the relationship between economic and political power? Who runs New Zealand? More generally, how do we understand politics? The overall aim of the course is for students to understand how and why public policy is made in New Zealand.

POLS331 Special Topic: US Intelligence and National Security

Professor Stan Taylor (Summer School 2013)

This paper introduces students to the role of intelligence in U.S. foreign policy and national security decision-making. It focuses on American intelligence history, looks at the relationship between historical events and the organisational structure of American intelligence, and promotes an understanding of the complex relationship between various intelligence agencies and the work they do. Some time will be devoted to each of the sixteen agencies that make up the American Intelligence Community (IC). The paper will evaluate how well the IC has responded to the contemporary threat of terrorism. The paper will also focus on tensions between secrecy and democracy and on some of the contemporary problems faced by American intelligence.

Summer School Link

POLS332 Special Topic: Politics and Human Nature

Dr Carla Lam (18pts 2nd semester 2013)

Critically surveys ideas in ancient to contemporary political thought about human nature, focusing on the West, and applies them to contemporary debates and issues.