Pitt Political Science Department

Attention students looking for summer courses! These two have spots and should be of interest to many of you: PS 1328 Authoritarian Statecraft and the Arts of Resistance MoWe 6:00PM - 9:15PM (Web-Based Class)... A course on authoritarian statecraft and the arts of resistance will be offered this summer! PS1328 will tackle some of the most pressing questions in current debates about authoritarianism and regime change, including: What are the institutions and structures established by autocrats to maintain their power? Why do authoritarian systems differ across time and space? Why do some authoritarian regimes experience breakdowns, whereas others can persist for a long time? How do authoritarian regimes manipulate public opinions through mass media? How do people fight against authoritarianism, and what are the results of these resistance practices? This course will analyze historical and contemporary authoritarian systems and practices of resistance in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. This course aims to provide students with tools and knowledge to understand current events involving regime change and regime survival; and invite them to think creatively and critically about power and authority in all kinds of political systems, primarily non-democracies. For students who are thinking about working in international fields such as diplomacy or NGOs, this is a great course you cannot miss. Knowledge about different types of regimes and societies all around the world will be helpful for your career development in international fields. PS 1232 Political Attitudes and Public Opinion Web-Based Course Why do people fight over politics? All over the world, individuals are getting more and more polarized when debating over their favorite party, politician, or policies. We saw that last year during the presidential election. There are multiple examples of hot topics dividing voters in different parts of the planet: Brexit in the UK, lockdowns in Brazil, religion in Lebanon, and so on. In this course, we will dive deeply into public opinion. Our goal is to understand why people hold their political preferences, social identities, and, sometimes, uncivil attitudes toward those who they disagree with. As we get a grasp on the literature, we will move on to practical techniques: developing a survey, running it with a sample of American voters, and analyzing the results. In that process, students will be able to come up with their own questions and investigate whether their own theories explain political polarization in the United States.

"Acts of violence in our country are beginning to feel persistent to me. Personally, this feeling is distressing and weighs heavily on my heart." Read more of this message from Dean Bonner about taking care of ourselves during times of distress: https://bit.ly/3mXKVPx

The Black Faculty Panel on Graduate Programs and Careers in the Social Sciences is today, April 15th from 5-6 pm! During this virtual panel session, faculty members will share insights into their own career paths and the graduate and professional programs their schools offer. Featuring:... Dr. Yodit Betru, School of Social Work Dr. Yolanda Covington-Ward, Department of Africana Studies, Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences Dr. Waverly Duck, Department of Sociology, Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences Dr. Esohe Osai, Department of Health and Human Development, School of Education Lesha Greene, University Honors College (Moderator) https://calendar.pitt.edu//graduate_programs_and_career_pa

Reminder-- this event is tonight!

Todayon the 66th anniversary of the Salk polio vaccine being declared safe and effectivePitt premieres a new film, Chasing COVID." Watch the half-hour film tonight at 7 pm: https://bit.ly/3uJTFeN