Washington Center

Winter Quarter 2024

The American Congress: Design and Practice

Credits: 
4
Instructor: 
Day and Time: 
Winter Quarter / Spring Semester 2024
Quarter Dates: 
January 9 - March 12, 2024
Semester Dates: 
January 9 - April 16, 2024
Campus: 
UCDC
Category: 
Core Seminar
Description: 

Congress and other branches of the U.S. government were designed nearly two and a half centuries ago under circumstances and reflecting values and philosophies that bear little relationship to contemporary America. All of these institutions have evolved over time in response to changing conditions domestically and internationally; and the American electorate had undergone significant change as well, especially in the last half century. All of these developments place dramatic and consequential pressures on government, elected officials and voters alike. How are they responding and what can we anticipate, based on historical analysis, will change as a result of these unprecedented, simultaneous crises? What is the appropriate level of idealism, pragmatism and collaboration as ways to govern a diverse and divided democracy?

This course will focus on the performance of Congress, the American government and the electorate during a period in which four historic forces are colliding simultaneously:

The coronavirus pandemic and related societal disruptions; the widespread political/social responses to systemic racism affecting policing and other public institutions and policies; the electoral season that elevates partisan anger through the campaigns across the nation; and lastly, the diminished confidence of the American people in the structure and performance of their own government.                                                                                                 

 

About the Instructor: Professor John Lawrence served as a senior staff person in Congress for nearly four decades, the last eight as Chief of Staff to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He also served as staff director of two committees and on personal staff. He has taught at UCDC since 2013, and at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and has lectured widely on history and contemporary American politics at Columbia, Princeton, Oberlin and other venues. Professor Lawrence holds a Ph.D. in American History from the University of California (Berkeley), and an undergraduate history degree from Oberlin College.

 

Requirement for ALL semester students:

The last four weeks of the semester (March 27 to April 17) will be spent in a special topics module taught by Professor Marc Sandalow on Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30p.m. This module will account for 15% of the core seminar final course grade. Please contact Professor Sandalow (marc.sandalow@ucdc.edu) with questions.

Your selected seminar will begin the week of January 9 and your seminar instructor will officially be your instructor of record for the term, responsible for computing and submitting final course grades at the end of the term.

**NO additional registration required.

Course ID: 
UCDC191B01W24

General Research: Developing Critical Writing and Thinking Skills Through Independent Research

Credits: 
4
Instructor: 
Day and Time: 
Thursdays, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Quarter Dates: 
January 11 - March 14, 2024
Semester Dates: 
January 11 - April 16, 2024
Campus: 
UCDC
Category: 
Core Seminar
Description: 

The general research seminar introduces you to some of the main tools of social science research methods. You will learn and apply tools that will help you a) ask and try to answer critical questions about the world around you; b) understand the logic and significance of evidence-based research for analytical writing, policy recommendations and decision-making; and. c) explore research tools for your own research project. You will learn how to formulate focused and researchable questions, identify reliable data and relevant sources, and produce a robust literature review. You will also learn the uses and merits of case studies, and develop tools to reading statistical analyses and findings to better support your own research projects. Finally, you will be introduced to the elements of a policy brief and will be encouraged to use your internship experience to apply your research skills for the final research project.

Ultimately, this class aims to strengthen your research competence and confidence in using tools relevant to whatever career path you choose.

 

About the instructor: Professor Loubna Skalli-Hanna is a teacher, scholar and practitioner with subject area expertise in development, gender, youth and communication. She has taught at numerous universities in Morocco and the United States, including the American University (2003-2015). She is the author, co-author and editor of numerous peer reviewed journal articles, book chapters and books. As a practitioner, Professor Skalli Hana co-founded many women’s organizations and participated in the activities of a few others. She also consulted with numerous intern/national development organizations and agencies including USAID, World Learning, U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of State. Professor Skalli Hana earned her BA from Mohamed V University in Rabat (Morocco), her MA in social and cultural anthropology from Essex University (England), and her PhD in International Communication from the Pennsylvania State University.

 

Requirement for ALL semester students:

The last four weeks of the semester (March 27 to April 17) will be spent in a special topics module taught by Professor Marc Sandalow on Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30p.m. This module will account for 15% of the core seminar final course grade. Please contact Professor Sandalow (marc.sandalow@ucdc.edu) with questions.

Your selected seminar will begin the week of January 9 and your seminar instructor will officially be your instructor of record for the term, responsible for computing and submitting final course grades at the end of the term.

**NO additional registration required.

Course ID: 
UCDC191A01W24

American Foreign Policy Theory and Practice

Credits: 
4
Instructor: 
Day and Time: 
Wednesday, 10:00am - 1:00pm
Quarter Dates: 
January 10 - March 14, 2023
Semester Dates: 
January 10 - April 19, 2023
Campus: 
UCDC
Category: 
Core Seminar
Description: 

This course is designed to help you, the student, better understand and analyze the evolution of U.S. Foreign Policy past, present, and future. It sets the stage for a comprehensive approach to how key foreign and defense policy and strategy actors in Washington develop, coordinate, and implement foreign policy decisions in support of America’s national and international security principles and interests. The course also introduces relevant conceptual frameworks to highlight current foreign policy challenges facing the United States, its allies, and coalition partners whether dealing with China and Russia or confronting terrorism and illicit networks to mitigate risks emanating from threats and vulnerabilities to U.S. national and international security interests. It sets out to highlight the inherent mismatches between U.S. principles and interests and between strategy and policy utilizing a series of historical case studies beginning with World War I. Moreover, this course will provide you with the necessary U.S. practical foreign policy and strategy skills and tools that will last you a lifetime as you map your future national and international security career paths following graduation. The course will also address the following select topics including general theories related to international politics and U.S. Foreign Policy; relations between U.S. Foreign Policy and international security; Grand Strategy; U.S. counterterrorism and terrorism financing; countering international criminal organizations and illicit networks; the nexus between policy and national intelligence; the nexus between U.S. defense Intelligence and US. national Intelligence; private security contractors; Guantanamo and Combat Detentions; War, alliances, and coalition-buildings; national security law; congressional and presidential roles in Foreign Policy; The role of the U.S. National Security Council staff; the impact of think tanks and advocacy special interests on U.S. foreign policy; the role of the U.S. media in shaping public policy; and diplomacy and peace-building.

 

About the instructor: Professor Kamal A. Beyoghlow (BEY-O-LOU) received his PhD degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. His Master’s degree in International Relations from Tufts University, and his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from San Diego State University.

He served as a Foreign Affairs Officer in the Office of the U.S. Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State (DOS) initiating and implementing U.S. counterterrorism policy and strategy and was also the Principal Representative of DOS to President Obama’s Periodic Review Board for the Guantanamo Combat Detention facility in Cuba where he helped resettle detainees abroad. He taught national security and international relations at the Marine Corps University in Quantico where he also served as Director of the Strategic Level of War course. He started his U.S. Government career as an analyst of psychological military operations for the U.S. Army.

He also served as a political analyst at the CIA and was a tenured faculty of Grand Strategy and Chair of the Department of Culture and Regional Studies at the U.S. National War College, the highest military academy in the United States.

 

Requirement for ALL semester students:

The last four weeks of the semester (March 27 to April 17) will be spent in a special topics module taught by Professor Marc Sandalow on Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30p.m. This module will account for 15% of the core seminar final course grade. Please contact Professor Sandalow (marc.sandalow@ucdc.edu) with questions.

Your selected seminar will begin the week of January 9 and your seminar instructor will officially be your instructor of record for the term, responsible for computing and submitting final course grades at the end of the term.

**NO additional registration required.

 

Course ID: 
UCDC191E02W24

Museums, Culture, and Politics

Credits: 
4
Instructor: 
Day and Time: 
Tuesdays, 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Quarter Dates: 
January 9 - March 12, 2024
Semester Dates: 
January 9 - April 16, 2024
Campus: 
UCDC
Category: 
Core Seminar
Description: 

This course is an introduction to both Museum Studies and its politics: practical, historical, and theoretical. To take full advantage of our location in Washington D.C., we will focus specifically on the organizational hierarchies and histories of the federal museum system (the Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums) and national funding agencies (NEA and NEH) as well as examine culture as a historical form of “soft power,” that morphed in a strategic campaign to consolidate political power during the Culture Wars of the 1990s, and again more recently, over the last ten years. The content of this course consists of lectures, class and group discussions, readings and one optional field trip.

 

About the instructor: Jenni Sorkin writes on the intersections between gender, material culture, and contemporary art. Her recent is Art in California (2021), written for Thames & Hudson’s acclaimed World of Art series. As a state, California is the site of tremendous diversity in the visual arts and has been at the forefront of cultural production throughout the 20th century. Her first book, Live Form: Women, Ceramics and Community (University of Chicago Press, 2016) examined the confluence of gender, artistic labor, and the history of post-war ceramics. Recent projects include the essay “Affinities in Abstraction: Textiles and Otherness in 1970s Painting,” in Outliers and American Vanguard Art. Lynne Cooke, ed. (Washington D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 2018) and “Alterity Rocks: 1973-1993,” Art in Chicago: A History from the Fire to Now. Maggie Taft and Robert Cozzolino, eds. (Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2018). She has published widely as an art critic, and her writing has appeared in Artforum, Art Journal, Art Monthly, East of Borneo, NU: The Nordic Art Review, Frieze, The Journal of Modern Craft, Modern Painters and Third Text. In 2004, she received the Art Journal Award. She currently serves on the editorial board of Journal of Modern Craft, and has served as a member of the editorial boards of Art Journal and Textile: The Journal of Cloth and Culture.

 

Requirement for ALL semester students:

The last four weeks of the semester (March 27 to April 17) will be spent in a special topics module taught by Professor Marc Sandalow on Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30p.m. This module will account for 15% of the core seminar final course grade. Please contact Professor Sandalow (marc.sandalow@ucdc.edu) with questions.

Your selected seminar will begin the week of January 9 and your seminar instructor will officially be your instructor of record for the term, responsible for computing and submitting final course grades at the end of the term.

**NO additional registration required.

Course ID: 
UCDC191G01W24

Campaign 2024 and the Future of American Democracy

Credits: 
4
Instructor: 
Day and Time: 
Tuesdays, 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Quarter Dates: 
January 9 - March 12, 2024
Semester Dates: 
January 9 - April 16, 2024
Campus: 
UCDC
Category: 
Core Seminar
Description: 

No issue will command more attention in Washington, D.C. this year than the 2024 election. Its outcome may define the nation’s future for decades to come.   This course will explore the campaign in real time, using developments as a backdrop to gain a broader understanding of the changing nature of American politics. We will explore widening political divisions, the growing role of social media and fake news, the convoluted primary, caucus and Electoral College system, the role of money and polls, and reforms which might produce better outcomes.  This is a course for those who enjoy politics and will require keeping up with campaign developments. Classes will combine lecture, discussion, guest speakers and exercises with an emphasis on current developments. Students should emerge with a sophisticated understanding of American elections, the ability to go beyond media reports in assessing campaign developments, and a strong background in the details of the 2024 campaign. The course will also provide UCDC students a place to share internship experiences, fostering a sense of community and support for experiential learning.

 

About the instructor: Marc Sandalow (msandalow@ucdc.edu) is a senior faculty member at the University of California’s Washington Program. He worked as a journalist for nearly four decades, traveling with and interviewing candidates, and attending multiple Democratic and Republican nominating conventions. He spent 21 years at the San Francisco Chronicle, the last 10 years at the paper’s Washington Bureau Chief. He is the author of three books, including “Madam Speaker,” a biography of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He is currently a political analyst for KCBS radio in San Francisco and Hearst Television and writes a regular column for the San Francisco Examiner. He has been with UCDC since 2008.

 

Requirement for ALL semester students:

The last four weeks of the semester (March 27 to April 17) will be spent in a special topics module taught by Professor Marc Sandalow on Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30p.m. This module will account for 15% of the core seminar final course grade. Please contact Professor Sandalow (marc.sandalow@ucdc.edu) with questions.

Your selected seminar will begin the week of January 9 and your seminar instructor will officially be your instructor of record for the term, responsible for computing and submitting final course grades at the end of the term.

**NO additional registration required.

Course ID: 
UCDC191F02W24

Washington Institutions & Rituals: Myth vs. Reality

Credits: 
4
Instructor: 
Day and Time: 
Thursdays, 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Quarter Dates: 
January 11 - March 14, 2024
Semester Dates: 
January 11 - April 16, 2024
Campus: 
UCDC
Category: 
Core Seminar
Description: 

Much is said about Washington. Much of it is wrong. This course will immerse students in the history, institutions and rituals of nation’s capital. You will learn about Washington’s transformation from a remote federal city to the world’s most powerful capital. We will analyze the accuracy of Washington’s depiction throughout history, how it is represented – and misrepresented -- in modern culture, and why it is ridiculed by politicians who want to work there. We will examine the glorification and vilification of Washington in literature and film and assess the truth behind popular Washington myths. We will probe Washington policy debates and rituals and survey the research tools used to separate fact from fiction. You will have an opportunity to study and visit monuments and museums, as well as iconic institutions as the National Portrait Gallery and Ben’s Chili Bowl.

 

About the instructor: Professor Marc Sandalow is an Associate Director of the University of California Washington Program (UCDC). He is the author of three books, including “Madam Speaker,” a biography of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He has been a journalist for 30 years, including 21 years at the San Francisco Chronicle and more than a decade as the paper’s Washington Bureau Chief. He is a former columnist and contributing editor for the California Journal, and is a currently a political analyst for Hearst Argyle television stations and KCBS radio in San Francisco. Professor Sandalow has been the UCDC program since 2008.

 

Requirement for ALL semester students:

The last four weeks of the semester (March 27 to April 17) will be spent in a special topics module taught by Professor Marc Sandalow on Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30p.m. This module will account for 15% of the core seminar final course grade. Please contact Professor Sandalow (marc.sandalow@ucdc.edu) with questions.

Your selected seminar will begin the week of January 9 and your seminar instructor will officially be your instructor of record for the term, responsible for computing and submitting final course grades at the end of the term.

**NO additional registration required.

Course ID: 
UCDC191M01W24

Washington Media: Fake News, Social Media, and the Reshaping of American Politics

Credits: 
4
Instructor: 
Day and Time: 
Wednesdays, 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Quarter Dates: 
January 10 - March 13, 2024
Semester Dates: 
January 10 - April 16, 2024
Campus: 
UCDC
Category: 
Core Seminar
Description: 

Do Twitter or Facebook threaten democracy? What is the difference between “fake news” and journalism? Should the media report what people want to know or ought to know? Does objectivity exist?

This seminar examines the extraordinary changes to political communication and journalism over the past half century and the consequences for American democracy. The first year of Biden’s presidency and the aftermath of Trump’s are a great backdrop to assess the news media’s mission, goals, and biases. We will look at the media’s incentives to fuel controversy, politicians’ efforts to manipulate – or lie to -- the media, and how the digital revolution has fundamentally restructured – for better and worse -- the future of political communication. Classes will combine lecture, discussion, and exercises with an emphasis on current developments. Readings include scholarly articles, a book of your choice, and a steady diet of news and journal pieces to keep up with political developments.

Students will complete a major research project on a newsworthy topic which will be written in journalistic form in addition to shorter writing and speaking assignments. All assignments are aimed at sharpening research and writing skills, with a focus on identifying target audiences and communicating with clarity. Assignments may be adjusted to meet individual campus requirements. 

 

About the instructor: Professor Marc Sandalow is an Associate Director of the University of California Washington Program (UCDC). He is the author of three books, including “Madam Speaker,” a biography of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He has been a journalist for 30 years, including 21 years at the San Francisco Chronicle and more than a decade as the paper’s Washington Bureau Chief. He is a former columnist and contributing editor for the California Journal, and is a currently a political analyst for Hearst Argyle television stations and KCBS radio in San Francisco. Professor Sandalow has been the UCDC program since 2008.

 

Requirement for ALL semester students:

The last four weeks of the semester (March 27 to April 17) will be spent in a special topics module taught by Professor Marc Sandalow on Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30p.m. This module will account for 15% of the core seminar final course grade. Please contact Professor Sandalow (marc.sandalow@ucdc.edu) with questions.

Your selected seminar will begin the week of January 9 and your seminar instructor will officially be your instructor of record for the term, responsible for computing and submitting final course grades at the end of the term.

**NO additional registration required.

Course ID: 
UCDC191F01W24

The U.S. Supreme Court: Conflict, Change and the Court

Credits: 
4
Instructor: 
Day and Time: 
Wednesdays, 8:00am - 11:00am
Quarter Dates: 
January 10 - March 13, 2024
Semester Dates: 
January 10 - April 16, 2024
Campus: 
UCDC
Category: 
Core Seminar
Description: 

Immigration. LGBT rights. Healthcare. Abortion. The death penalty. Cell phone privacy. The U.S. Supreme Court has decided cases on all of these topics in recent years, and its decisions ultimately touch the lives of all Americans. In this class we will study the Supreme Court's place in the U.S. legal system. Topics we will cover include: how a case gets to the court, the justices, the role of lawyers before the court, the purpose of oral argument, the court building and its symbolism, and media coverage of the court.

In addition, students will listen to the arguments in current Supreme Court cases and spend class time discussing them. In papers, students will be asked to rigorously explain why the justices likely took those cases and how they will come out based on what they hear at oral argument. This class is geared not only toward anyone who is interested in the law or government service but also toward anyone interested in working on or being informed about the biggest issues of the day.

 

About the instructor: For the last decade Professor Jessica Gresko has been a reporter for The Associated Press, first in Miami and now in Washington. As a legal reporter, she covers court cases at all levels, both local and federal. She has been at the Supreme Court for many recent high-profile decisions including cases on gay marriage, healthcare and the death penalty. Professor Gresko earned her B.A. from Columbia University in New York and a M.S.L. (Master’s in the Study of Law) from Georgetown University Law School. She grew up in Southern California and took her first journalism class at UCLA.

 

Requirement for ALL semester students:

The last four weeks of the semester (March 27 to April 17) will be spent in a special topics module taught by Professor Marc Sandalow on Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30p.m. This module will account for 15% of the core seminar final course grade. Please contact Professor Sandalow (marc.sandalow@ucdc.edu) with questions.

Your selected seminar will begin the week of January 9 and your seminar instructor will officially be your instructor of record for the term, responsible for computing and submitting final course grades at the end of the term.

**NO additional registration required."

 

Course ID: 
UCDC191I01W24

Polarizer-in-Chief: Presidential Leadership in the 21st Century

Credits: 
4
Instructor: 
Day and Time: 
Thursdays, 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Quarter Dates: 
January 11 - March 14, 2024
Semester Dates: 
January 11 - April 16, 2024
Campus: 
UCDC
Category: 
Core Seminar
Description: 

Many Americans can name several presidents and even have opinions on “good” versus “bad” presidents. But what do presidents actually do, what resources and limitations do they have in their ability to act, and how do we measure their performance and our expectations for their leadership? With a divided Congress and record polarization, what can we expect during the next year and a half of a Biden/Harris administration? This course will put the modern presidency in historical and theoretical context, drawing on a variety of readings and approaches to determine which framework best explains presidential (in)action. At its core, this class is about the question of executive power in democratic government and how we understand what we see happening just down the street from the UC Washington Center. In addition to studying and reflecting on the theme of presidential power, we will also consider the limits to this power and how presidents achieve their goals. Ultimately, we aim to understand the work of the presidency and some of the different perspectives by which we might analyze or assess presidents and their administrations. 

 

About the instructor: I am a Ph.D. of American government and politics with specializations in the American presidency, public policy, and polarization. My research focuses on presidential governance via executive orders and how political factors influence the ability of presidents to issue their most significant orders. I have taught UCDC’s presidency seminar since Fall 2017. While earning my degree at the University of Maryland, I taught classes about public policy and Congress to students who had internships related to those fields in a format similar to the UCDC program. Outside of the classroom, I work at Community Change & Community Change Action, non-profit organizations focused on building a movement led by everyday people to create change in their communities and across the country. As the Electoral Data Manager, I work with many different teams and partner organizations to identify target audiences and track the work we are doing in communities affected by injustice.

 

Requirement for ALL semester students:

The last four weeks of the semester (March 27 to April 17) will be spent in a special topics module taught by Professor Marc Sandalow on Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30p.m. This module will account for 15% of the core seminar final course grade. Please contact Professor Sandalow (marc.sandalow@ucdc.edu) with questions.

Your selected seminar will begin the week of January 9 and your seminar instructor will officially be your instructor of record for the term, responsible for computing and submitting final course grades at the end of the term.

**NO additional registration required."

Course ID: 
UCDC191C01W24

Reducing Poverty and Inequity: Lessons from International Development

Credits: 
4
Instructor: 
Day and Time: 
Thursdays, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Quarter Dates: 
January 9 - March 12, 2024
Semester Dates: 
January 9 - April 16, 2024
Campus: 
UCDC
Category: 
Core Seminar
Description: 

This course introduces students to the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as agents of advocacy and socio-political, economic and cultural change. The emphasis is on a) examining ways in which the NGO sector operates at the local, national and international levels, b) understanding the range of issues NGOs promote and advocate for; c) examining the tools and strategies they use in their advocacy; and, d) assessing the impact NGOs have on the policy making process as well as the targted communities.

The course is designed for students interested in questions of advocay, activism and nongovernmental interventions, all of which are central to the dynamic cultural and political landscapes where NGOs operate. Some of the NGOs we will explore focus their advocacy on promoting political rights, gender equality and minority rights, while others focus on ending poverty, violence, human trafficking, exploitative labor, health problems and environmental degradation.

 

About the instructor: Professor Loubna Skalli-Hanna is a teacher, scholar and practitioner with subject area expertise in development, gender, youth and communication. She has taught at numerous universities in Morocco and the United States, including the American University (2003-2015). She is the author, co-author and editor of numerous peer reviewed journal articles, book chapters and books. As a practitioner, Professor Skalli Hana co-founded many women’s organizations and participated in the activities of a few others. She also consulted with numerous intern/national development organizations and agencies including USAID, World Learning, U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of State. Professor Skalli Hana earned her BA from Mohamed V University in Rabat (Morocco), her MA in social and cultural anthropology from Essex University (England), and her PhD in International Communication from the Pennsylvania State University.

 

Requirement for ALL semester students:

The last four weeks of the semester (March 27 to April 17) will be spent in a special topics module taught by Professor Marc Sandalow on Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30p.m. This module will account for 15% of the core seminar final course grade. Please contact Professor Sandalow (marc.sandalow@ucdc.edu) with questions.

Your selected seminar will begin the week of January 9 and your seminar instructor will officially be your instructor of record for the term, responsible for computing and submitting final course grades at the end of the term.

**NO additional registration required.

 

Course ID: 
UCDC191E01W24
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