Congress in the World

Catalog description

This course is a seminar in legislative studies with a particular focus on how the U.S. Congress operates as both a forum for international affairs and an advocate for foreign policy within the American political system. Given the separation of powers in the American system, few other legislatures in the world play both of these roles. In order to understand what makes Congress a unique agent of international relations, the course will be grounded in work in the subfield of American politics as it intersects with international relations and comparative politics. Nonetheless, we will emphasize practical advocacy tools by engaging with interest groups and international non-governmental organizations as well as research tools to explore legislation and the U.S. code. Counts as a Communication Intensive course.