This course is an exercise in the practical application of knowledge about 
politics.Its goal is to help answer a difficult question regarding what one 
does with a liberal arts degree.  This course will help liberal arts majors 
become more knowledgable on contemporary issues and have the ability to 
make informed judgements about the pressing issues of the day.
To do so, the course will examine two forms of political commentary that 
often get overlooked in a political science curriculum:  literature and film.

Seven two-week modules on themes such as: Reason, Modernity and 
Political Development; Revolution; Totalitarianism; the Glory of 
War; Women, Children, and Poverty in the Developing World, Labor 
Relations in Industrialized Societies, and Political Corruption. 
Each two week sequence will consist of analysis and discussion 
of film, a novel, and an article or essay.