Amy Liu

Seminar in Comparative Government and Politics.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

Eastern Europe is home to an ethnically diverse population. And in the past 100 years, the map for Eastern Europe has been redrawn more than a dozen times – often with great consequences for ethnic politics. This is the lens through which we will study the region. The course is divided into five broad topics: 1. We will begin by identifying the ethnicities of Eastern Europe. Next, we will shift our attention to the post-Cold War era. We will then look at the impact of an international institution – i.e., the European Union – and its policy of open-borders. We will return to the domestic politics, but this time, we will examine the effect of the European Union – its membership criteria and its unexpected implications – on the rise of right-wing parties.We will conclude by discussing the implications for minority accommodation, first by focusing on the post-Soviet republics where there are sizable Russian minorities; and then by understanding the importance of democracy for minority accommodation specifically and human rights generally.

Grading:

• Quizzes Canvas Current Events Quizzes: 10%
• In-Class Quizzes: 10%
• Examinations Midterm Examination: 20%
• Final Examination: 20%
• Government Cabinet Project Excel Spreadsheet Coding Assignment: 20%
• Power Point Slides Assignment: 20%

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

Students must have taken a foundational course in government or Asian studies. The course also assumes basic knowledge of world history.

Course Description

This course is primarily about ethnic politics in Taiwan. We begin with a study of different theories of ethnic politics. Then we will draw on these theories to understand how the Taiwanese state transitioned from being an authoritarian regime – where an ethnic minority repressed the majority – to one that is democratic and accommodating of even the most marginalized minorities. We will conclude by situating the Taiwanese experience against those of its neighbors.

Grading Criteria

25%     Weekly Quiz

25%     Midterm Examination

25%     Final Examination

25%     Data-Based Paper

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

PREREQUISITES

Students wishing to enroll in this class must have taken a foundational course in government, European studies, or Russian/East European studies. The course also assumes basic knowledge of world history. Students who find themselves lost during lectures or class discussions should see me during office hours immediately.

Course Description

Eastern Europe is home to an ethnically diverse population. And in the past 100 years, the map for Eastern Europe has been redrawn more than a dozen times – often with great consequences for ethnic politics. The course is divided into four parts. We will begin by focusing on the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of World War 1, the Interwar Period, and World War 2. During these thirty-some years, we see the importance of ethnicity for state-building. We will then continue on to the Cold War, paying special attention to the institutional differences across the otherwise ideologically similar communist states. We will also note how the different governments used these institutions to mute ethnic matters. Next, we will examine how these institutional differences affected subsequent democratic transitions and government policies toward minorities. We will conclude by looking at how the European Union has redrawn Eastern Europe by opening up borders and the implications of these opened borders, namely the rise of right wing nationalism.

Note: The importance of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe politics cannot be overstated. To this end, we will study the Soviet Union/Russia briefly, but note that the primary emphasis in this course is on the region to the east of present-day Germany and to the west of present-day Russia. We will not spend much time talking about any country formerly in the Soviet Union, i.e., Ukraine and the Baltic states.

GRADING POLICY

Your final grade is composed of the following five parts:

1. Quizzes: 20%
2. Midterm Examination: 20%
3. Final Examination: 20%
4. Coding Assignment: 20%
5. Coding-Based Paper Assignment : 20%

readings

One book is required for this course. You can buy a used copy for as little as $1.20 on Amazon:

• Krenz, Maria. 2009. Made in Hungary: A Life Forged by History. Boulder, CO: Donner Publishing (hereafter referred to as “Krenz”).

I will place most of the assigned readings (e.g., articles and book chapters) on Canvas. You can access them with your EID and password at https://canvas.utexas.edu. Readings not on Canvas can be accessed directly through Google. There are a few assigned videos to watch. Those can be found on YouTube.

GOV 347N, GOV and Politics of SE Asia

Prerequisites (if any)

Students wishing to enroll in this class must have taken a foundational course in government or Asian studies. The course also assumes basic knowledge of world history.

Course Description

This course is designed to introduce students to the politics of Southeast Asia. The course is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the different political regimes in the region. We will learn about the democracies – and how they compare to the United States. We will also learn about the different institutions employed by dictators to stay in power – personal cult, the military, a party structure, or the royal family (Brunei). In the second part, we will examine whether democracies or dictatorships are better at accommodating ethnic minorities. Note that this course is not about Southeast Asian foreign policy or US-Southeast Asia bilateral relations.

Grading Policy

Your final grade is composed of the following five parts:

1. Quizzes: 20%
2. Midterm Examination: 20%
3. Final Examination: 20%
4. Coding Assignment: 20%
5. Coding-Based Paper Assignment: 20%

Texts

D.R. SarDesai. 2012. Southeast Asia: Past and Present. 7th Edition. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Note: Student Economy 7th Edition (2015) acceptable.

GOV 390L, Comparative Ethnic Politics

Course Description

This graduate-level course introduces students to the principle concepts, questions, and answers in the subfield of ethnic politics. The readings and discussions will draw on all major regions in the world, including the United States. In this course, we will study the following four sets of topics: ethnic identity; ethnic diversity; ethnic parties; and ethnic accommodation. The objective of this course is fourfold. The first is to acquaint students with the theoretical literatures on ethnic politics. The second is to teach students how to design and evaluate theoretically-oriented research. The third is to train students to carry out various types of assignments that political scientists – or social scientists more broadly – are frequently required to perform. And the fourth is to enable students to move toward a publishable paper.

Grading Policy

Your final grade is composed of the following five items:

1. Attendance and Participation: You are allowed two absences for any reason. Any additional absence beyond that will drop your semester grade by a letter.
2. Weekly Writing Assignments: Abstracts, Essays, and Reviews (25%)
3. Coding Assignment (25%)
4. Mock Grant Proposal (25%)
5. Research Design Paper (25%)

Texts

Adida, Claire L. 2014. Immigrant exclusion and insecurity in Africa. New York NY: Cambridge University Press.

Selway, Joel Sawat. 2015. Coalitions of the Well-Being: How Electoral Rules and Ethnic Politics Shape Health Policy in Developing Countries. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Seminar in Comparative Government and Politics.

Please check back for updates.

Please check back for updates.

Ethnic Politics in Taiwan and Asia

Amy Liu, Department of Government

GOV 365L

Prerequisites

Students must have taken a foundational course in government or Asian studies. The course also assumes basic knowledge of world history.

Course Description

This course is primarily about ethnic politics in Taiwan. We begin with a study of different theories of ethnic politics. Then we will draw on these theories to understand how the Taiwanese state transitioned from being an authoritarian regime – where an ethnic minority repressed the majority – to one that is democratic and accommodating of even the most marginalized minorities. We will conclude by situating the Taiwanese experience against those of its neighbors.

Grading Criteria

25%     Weekly Quiz

25%     Midterm Examination

25%     Final Examination

25%     Data-Based Paper

Books

• Brown, Michael E. and Sumit Ganguly. 2003. Fighting Words: Language Policy and Ethnic Relations in Asia. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. ISBN-13: 978-0262025355
• Fell, Dafydd. 2012. Government and Politics in Taiwan. New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN-13: 978-0415575423

Politics of Eastern Europe

Amy Liu, Department of Government

GOV 324J

Prerequisites

Students must have taken a foundational course in government, European studies, or Russian/East European studies. The course also assumes basic knowledge of world history.

Course Description

This course is designed to introduce students to the politics of Eastern Europe. The course is divided into three parts. The first part (pre-communist era) focuses on the politics behind and the consequences of the collapse of two empires (tsarist Russia and the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary). In the second part (communist period), we will pay special attention to the institutional differences between these otherwise ideologically similar states. And in the third part (post-communist years), we will study the different political trajectories adopted in response to a forthcoming European Union membership and once admitted into the Union.

Grading Criteria

• 25%     Weekly Quiz
• 25%     Midterm Examination
• 25%     Final Examination
• 25%     Data-Based Paper

Books

• Krenz, Maria. 2009. Made in Hungary: A Life Forged by History. Boulder, CO: Donner Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-0982539309

Unique: 38535/31675

GOV 365L/ANS 361: Governments/Politics SE Asia

Closing limit: 30

Flag: GC

TTH 8:00am-9:30am, MEZ 1.102

Prerequisites

Students wishing to enroll in this class must have taken a foundational course in government or Asian studies. The course also assumes basic knowledge of world history and geography.

Course Description

This course is designed to introduce students to the politics of Southeast Asia. The course is divided into three parts. In the first part, we will study the democracies in the region – post-Suharto Indonesia, pre-National Front Malaysia, and post-Marcos Philippines – and how they compare to the United States. In the second part, we will learn about the different institutions employed by dictators to stay in power, whether it is the royal family (Brunei), the military (Suharto Indonesia), the party structure (National Front Malaysia), or personal charm (Sukarno Indonesia and Marcos Philippines). In the final part, we will examine whether democracies or dictatorships are better at facilitating economic development.

Grading Policy

Your final grade is composed of the following four parts:

1. Weekly quizzes: 25%
2. Midterm examination: 25%
3. Final examination: 25%
4. Short writing assignment or coding project: 25%

Texts

D.R. SarDesai. 2012. Southeast Asia: Past and Present. 7th Edition. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Note: Student Economy 7th Edition (2015) acceptable.

Unique: 38730

GOV 390L, Comparative Ethnic Politics

Closing limit: 12

T 12:30-3:30pm, BAT 1.104

Course Description

This graduate level course is designed to introduce students to ethnic politics. The readings will examine the politics of ethnicity (and race) in all major regions of the world – including North America. The course is divided into four parts. In the first part, we will study the concept of ethnicity: What determines membership into a particular ethnic group? How do we measure ethnic identification? In the second part, we will learn about the construction of ethnicity. What shapes ethnic identity? To what extent are identities the product of something exogenous – i.e., genetic – or the creation of political forces? In the third part, we will examine the consequences of these ethnic identities on attitudes, economic development, and social mobilization. In the last part, we will focus on ethnic conflict. What role does identity, democratization, and political institution play in exacerbating – or mitigating – ethnic conflict?

The objectives of this course are three-fold: first, to familiarize students to the ethnic politics literature; second, to teach students how to design and evaluate theoretically-oriented research; and third, to train students to carry out various types of writing assignments that political scientists are frequently required to perform.

Grading Policy

Your final grade is composed of the following four parts:

1. Class participation: 25%
2. Weekly abstracts and reviews: 25%
3. Grant proposal: 25%
4. Final paper: 25%

Please check back for updates.

Prerequisites

None

Couse Description

In the past 100 years, the map for “Eastern Europe” has been redrawn more than a dozen times. This course examines the politics behind and the consequences of these border changes. We will begin with the collapse of two empires—the dual monarchy of Austro-Hungary and tsarist Russia—at the end of World War 1. We will then continue on through the Interwar period, World War 2, and the Cold War. We will give special attention to the institutional differences across these otherwise similar-in-ideology “communist states.” We will examine how these differences affected subsequent transitions and government policies toward minorities. We will conclude by looking at how the European Union has redrawn Eastern Europe by opening up borders and the implications of these opened borders.

The importance of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe politics cannot be overstated. To this end, we will study the Soviet Union/Russia briefly, but note that the primary emphasis in this course is on the region to the west of present-day Germany and to the east of present-day Russia. This would include Ukraine.

Grading Policy

• Quizzes: 25%
• Midterm Examination: 25%
• Final Examination: 25%
• Coding Assignment: 25%

Texts

• Bunce, Valerie and Sharon L. Wolchik. 2011. Defeating Authoritarian Leaders in Postcommunist Countries. Cambridge, NY: Cambridge University Press.
• Krenz, Maria. 2009. Made in Hungary: A Life Forged by History. Boulder, CO: Donner Publishing.
• MacMillan, Margaret. 2003. Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World. Random House Trade Paperbacks.

-Prerequisites: none

-Course Description:  This is the first course in the graduate

sequence in  quantitative empirical analysis in the Government

department.

At a fundamental level, this course lays the groundwork for answering the question “What can we learn about political systems and political processes from empirical observations?’’ In doing so, the relationship between theory and data (ie ‘’the real world’’) is explicated. It does so via quantitative political methodology- the application of statistical methods and reasoning to problems in political science. The primary goals of the course are two-fold: firstly to provide a conceptual and rigorous introduction to statistical inference and reasoning about uncertainty (that is: “how should we, as social scientists, think about estimating quantities of substantive interest based on limited information?’’) and secondly, to provide mathematical and statistical preparation for further courses in quantitative methods. The course will cover a fair amount of material, so it is important that students keep up with the material and readings. Do not hesitate to utilize the resources available, especially the professor (both in class and during office hours) and teaching assistant concerning any questions or concerns.

Text(s): There is no single textbook for the course. Rather, material is drawn from several sources (documented below). Lectures are meant to be self-contained. Readings are important to compliment (or even supplement) lectures. Course material is primarily drawn from the following:

• • [LM] Richard J. Larsen and Morris L. Marx. An Introduction to Mathematical Statistics and Its Applications (Fifth Edition). Pearson/Prentice Hall. [Strongly recommended]
• • [AF] Alan Agresti and Barbara Findlay. Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences (Third Edition).
• • [Row] Derek Rowntree. Statistics Without Tears (2000) Penguin Publishing.

-Grading Policy:  Grades will be based on problem sets and examinations.