POST 136 PZ -Political Authority and State Formation

Institution: Pitzer

Description: This is a course about change and continuity in the nature and structure of political authority in Europe and its implications for contemporary state-builders. The purpose of this seminar is to introduce students to current thinking in the social sciences on the emergence of the modern state in Europe. In recent years state building /failure have emerged as first order problems in international politics. As the difficulty of constructing viable and stable states in troubled regions of the world has come to the forefront of the international agenda, policy makers and academics have increasingly sought insights into the nature of the state by reexamining its emergence in Europe. In this course we will examine the principal social science approaches to European state formation within the context of current vibrant debates within historical literatures on the nature of political authority in late medieval and early mordern Europe. We will conclude by considering the implications of these literatures for contemporary problems of state failure and building.

Prerequisite(s): Please check course schedule for requirements.

Cross-listing: ANTH 136 PZ

Formerly: POST 136 PZ Race in Brazil and the US

For up-to-date information on current course offerings and details, please refer to the Pitzer class schedule on MyCampus2 Portal.