Spring 2005

GOV 312L • Issues & Policies in American Government

Course Description

Fulfills second half of legislative requirement for government. May be taken for credit only once. Offered on the letter-grade basis only.

The United States has received numerous benefits from globalization over the past fifty years. Liberal trade and investment policies have allowed it to achieve long periods of sustained economic growth, rebuild allies and important trading partners after war, peacefully defeat the Soviet Union in the Cold War, and play a powerful role in such organizations as the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund. Despite these gains, resistance to globalization remains a constant theme in contemporary American political discussions. This paradox will guide our examination of America‚s role in creating and now increasingly responding to the pressures created by competitive international markets. How is economic policy made in the United States? How do the distributional consequences of globalization shape policy decisions made by our government?

Grading Policy

Grades will be drawn from three in-class exams: Midterm 1 30% Midterm 2 30% Final 40%

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