This course aims to get students thinking about politics and policy as a part of their everyday life. We treat politics as a struggle among competing advocates trying to persuade others to see the world as they do, working within a context that is structured primarily by institutions and cultural ideas. We’ll begin by developing a policymaking framework, understanding ideology, and taking a whirlwind tour of the American political system. Then, we’ll examine six policy issues in depth: health care, gun control, the federal budget, immigration reform, same-sex marriage, and energy and climate change.

Weber on the Web is a project developed by sociology students at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. The aim of the project is to collect quality information available on the Internet about Max Weber and Marianne Weber, German sociologists with a great influence on the discipline. This work is part of the course Founders of Sociology: Max Weber, taught at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences.

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Weber en Web es un proyecto desarrollado por estudiantes de sociología de la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. El objetivo del proyecto es recopilar información de calidad disponible en Internet acerca de Max Weber y Marianne Weber, sociólogos alemanes con una gran influencia en la disciplina. Este trabajo forma parte del curso Fundadores de la Sociología: Max Weber, impartido en la Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales.

The Middle Ages are in the news a lot these days—from the invocation of the “Crusades” after 9/11 to the “medieval” plight of women in some areas of the modern Middle East to alt-right protestors dressing as chivalric knights and Vikings and using medieval symbols during the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. How do we teach students to understand and navigate a historical period that justifies ideas as varied as the Disney princess and terroristic violence? In this webinar, medieval studies and history of race expert Cord J. Whitaker leads participants through an exploration of far- and alt-right understandings of feudalism, caste systems, and racial homogeny in medieval Europe. We will also consider the Middle Ages’—and especially the Crusades’—roles in constructing the racial concepts of blackness and whiteness in the modern world. The webinar will include strategies for using students’ everyday experiences to teach these concepts inductively and intellectual strategies for resisting the further cooptation of the Middle Ages for racist objectives.

Diplomacy is an evolving practice in terms of historical circumstance and changing national interests. History and interests do not always coincide. This book explores in brief, pungent case examples, the challenges diplomacy faces today as actors seek to change history and undermine interests. Stephen Chan OBE was Foundation Dean of Law and Social Sciences at SOAS University of London, where he remains as Professor of World Politics. He has occupied many named chairs around the world, most recently the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Chair of Academic Excellence at Bir Zeit University in 2015, and the George Soros Chair of Public Policy at the Central European University in 2016.

This course provides an introduction to public policy analysis. It is designed for students who may be planning a career in public or non-profit sectors. The primary goal is to help students understand the implications of public policy for different pursuits. The class examines various approaches to policy analysis by considering the concepts, tools, and methods used in economics, political science, and other disciplines. Students apply and critique these approaches through case studies of current public policy problems.

This course applies microeconomic theory to analysis of public policy. It builds from the microeconomic model of consumer behavior and extends to operation of single and multiple markets and analysis of why markets sometimes fail. We will study empirical examples to evaluate theory, focusing on the casual effects of policy interventions on economic outcomes. Topics include minimum wages and employment, food stamps and consumer welfare, economics of risk and safety regulation, the value of education, and gains from international trade.
MITx Online Version
This course is part of the Micromaster’s Program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy through MITx Online. The course is entirely free to audit, though learners have the option to pay a fee, which is based on the learner’s ability to pay, to take the proctored exam, and earn a course certificate. To access the course, create an MITx Online account and enroll in the course 14.003x Microeconomic Theory and Public Policy.

Since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the beginning of the war in Donbas, Eastern Europe has been facing a migration crisis. Several million Ukrainians are internally displaced or have fled the country and now face an uncertain future. At the same time, Western-imposed sanctions and the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union have affected Russia’s migration policies. These largely ignored processes have a potential to change the social landscape of the region for many years to come. The aim of this collection is to shed light on the forgotten migrant crisis at the European Union’s doorstep and make sense of the various migration processes in and out of Ukraine and Russia. The book is divided into two sections. The first section deals with migration processes that have taken place within Ukraine or have involved Ukrainian citizens’ migration out of the country, excluding Russia. The second section discusses Russia’s response to the rapid inflow of migrants from Ukraine, its changing migration policies and their effect on migrants, as well as other processes related to the phenomenon over the course of the Ukraine crisis.

Students will review a Draft Environmental Impact Statement and respond in the form of public comments at a mock public hearing.

Model Diplomacy is the Council on Foreign Relations’ (CFR) free multimedia simulation program. It engages students through role-play and case studies to understand the issues, institutions, and challenges of creating and implementing U.S. foreign policy. It is an adaptable interactive resource that promotes independent research, critical thinking, effective communication, and collaborative approaches to problem solving. Model Diplomacy places students in the position of policymakers deliberating hypothetical scenarios based on real issues. Content is informed by CFR experts.

This course surveys Japanese history from the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603 to the present and explores the local and global nature of modernity in Japan. It highlights key themes, including the emergence of a modern nation-state, the rise and fall of the Japanese Empire, the development of mass consumer culture and the middle class, and the continued importance of historical memory in Japan today.

The authors' goal is to provide organizers with a resource to form their own mutual aid networks in the Library, Archive, and Museum (LAM) community, as well as bring awareness to existing mutual aid groups and efforts to support LAM workers. This resource will provide possible pathways organizers may take and relevant examples from the workplace, and challenge organizers to interrogate what they define as their community.

They aim to motivate library, archive, and museum workers in the United States to create informed mutual aid networks as a foundation for connecting with and organizing colleagues to take collective action. They hope that these mutual aid networks will communally address issues of precarious employment and limited access to critical resources highlighted by, but not originating from, the COVID-19 pandemic.

This resource contains multiple entry points into mutual aid organizing as well as resources and support that accommodate a spectrum of users at any point in their involvement in mutual aid. If you're new to mutual aid or would like a refresher, the authors recommend that you start with the section, Jumping Into Mutual Aid to ground yourself in the basic concepts, and then move linearly through the content.

Edward Snowden's revelations about government surveillance of private citizens sparked debate around the world about the trade off between privacy and security. The Institute for Humane Studies invited Professor Ronald Sievert of Texas A&M and Cindy Cohn, legal director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation to answer questions about government data collection. This is their debate.

What makes a ‘nation’ and what makes peoples strive for nationhood? This unit will provide you with an introduction to studying political ideas by looking at how people who see themselves as nations challenge the existing order to assert their right to a state of their own.

This edited collection presents a balanced analysis of the multifaceted roles taken on by religions, and religious actors, in global politics. The volume brings together over thirty leading scholars from a variety of disciplines who utilise case studies, empirical investigations, and theoretical examinations to move beyond the simplistic narratives and overly impassioned polemics which swamp the discourse on the subject.

Where do rights come from? In this lecture, Dr. Bill Glod of the Institute for Humane Studies explains the two approaches that philosophers use to derive rights, consequential and deontological, and their ability to provide a strong argument in favor of rights.

The rise and fall of National Socialism is one of the most intensively-studied topics in European history. Nevertheless, after more than half a century, popular views of Nazism in the media and among the public remain simplistic-essentialized by equal parts fascination and horror. Adolf Hitler, for instance, is often portrayed as an evil genius of supernatural ability; while the Nazi state is similarly imagined to have held absolute power over every aspect of its subjects’ lives. Such characterizations allow ordinary Germans to be portrayed as helpless victims of Nazism, ensnared or coerced into submission by forces beyond their control. Another popular characterization is that German culture itself is fundamentally flawed - that all Germans were basically Nazis at heart. This schema conveniently erases the manifestations of fascism in other Western nations, and allows Americans and other Westerners to reassure themselves that the horrors of Nazism could never emerge in their own enlightened national cultures.

This workshop is designed to introduce students to different perspectives on international politics in the 21st century. Students will explore how advances in information technology are changing international relations and global governance through opening new channels of communication, creating new methods of education, and new potentials for democratization. We will consider the positive and negative externalities associated with applications of such technologies. Students will be encouraged to look at alternative futures, and/or to frame solutions to problems that they define. The class will include guest lectures, discussions, and a final project and presentation.

Background:
In my experience, I have discovered many common roadblocks to non-traditional and under-represented student participation in hydrogeology:
Time constraints -- many students have complicated schedules and demands on their time that a traditional undergraduate does not have. For example, many of these students are working full time, and required experiences outside of the classroom often pose scheduling conflicts for students.

Communication skills -- many under-represented students arrive in the classroom with communication skills that are not fully developed. Students are often learning English as they are learning the complex vocabulary of hydrogeology.

Math skills -- many students are under prepared in math and/or have math phobias

Funding -- many students are unable to pay laboratory and field trip fees.

I currently teach at minority serving institution. Here, I find that hands-on practice is the most successful learning experience for students. Students grasp concepts such as discharge, flux, and residence time more effectively when they are active participants in the learning process. The most effective method I have found for addressing these issues and encouraging under represented student participation in hydrogeology is to create student-designed group research projects. I used this strategy three quarters in a row, and the same students (as well as new students they recruit) continue to sign up for these courses. This trend, in addition to students' growing confidence in engaging in the scientific method, is my primary evidence for success.

Resources are very limited at my institution, so here are a couple of suggestions that work well.
Borrow equipment -- from other universities, from consulting companies, from colleagues.

Simplify analyses -- many interesting conclusions can be drawn from simply pH, conductivity, and temperature data. But, there are also relatively inexpensive test kits on the market that are sufficient for class purposes (ex. LaMotte urban water test kit ~$30).

Description
Everyone will have different class sizes, student preparation levels, and goals when attempting an exercise like this, so I will provide general information, which others can modify to meet their needs. Below I briefly outline the steps I take the students through during the project and highlight ideas for improving success for the targeted groups.

Form groups -- depending on class size, 2-4 students per group (I try to ensure the groups are balanced based on skills and student interests)
Choose topic -- I usually provide a list of possible topics and have students adapt a topic from the list that interests them. Students require a lot of guidance at this stage to assure selection of a manageable topic for a quarter-long project. This is the most important step - guiding students into a topic they are passionate about and where they can be successful is key. Students usually have no shortage of questions they want to answer about water in an urban environment! Since most of the students have spent their whole lives in an urban situation, they are deeply passionate about these issues.
Research literature -- students perform a background search for previous work on their topic to help guide them. I provide a laboratory session on how to search the library and databases for related information, as well as provide a list of recommended journals and websites. In addition, students locate supporting data (discharge, well levels, precipitation)
Plan study -- we discuss study design, sample types, sampling location, frequency. During this phase, students use maps, study weather patterns, and determine site accessibility.
Collect data -- we set aside lab periods for collecting data together. These are the sessions where you should be prepared to answer all sort of questions. Once the students begin implementing their study, many new questions come up.
Analyze and interpret results -- multiple lab periods are used to analyze data; student data are the basis of the remainder of labs. Techniques discussed are applied to their group projects.
Present findings -- students assemble posters and present results to their classmates.

Urban topics
Below is a short list of topics to stimulate ideas. Equipment required includes pH meter, conductivity meter, flow meter, Lamotte test kits.
Sources of N and P to the Los Angeles River
Contribution of golf courses to urban runoff
Extent of tidal influence on Ballona Creek
Metal fluxes from storm drains to the ocean
Relationship of land use to water quality
Relationship of population demographics to water quality

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With the toll of the global COVID-19 pandemic approaching 3 million deaths in 192 countries and new and dangerous variants emerging constantly, the need for concerted global action has never been greater. This calls for not only a thoughtful public health approach but also diplomacy to bring coherence from the range of disparate and self-interested national responses. This is not the first time global health diplomacy has been called for: from the smallpox eradication program to Millennium Development Goals and more recently efforts to unify global health security, understanding and agreement between nations requires an appreciation for the political as well as the epidemiological aspects of response to these societal challenges. This talk will provide a brief history of global health diplomacy in the era of globalisation and discuss the challenges and opportunities posed by 21st century pandemics.

As the former US representative on the Executive Board of the World Health Organization and assistant secretary of health for global affairs during the Obama administration, Dr Nils Daulaire has practiced global health diplomacy at the highest levels. At present, Dr Daulaire is a Senior Visiting Scholar at the Arctic University of Norway/UiT and at the Harvard School of Public Health.

An interactive timeline on the nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea across three decades that have failed to halt the advance of the North’s atomic weapons program.