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IDEAs in Action: Which curricular requirements does this course satisfy?

Instructor: Luc Bovens. This course meets TR 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. in CW 103.

This course will focus on the present political landscape in the US.

First, we will consider the 2024 presidential election outcomes. Do these outcomes signal a realignment of the voters across the Democratic and Republican parties? If so, what can explain this realignment?

Second, how do Project 2025 and Agenda 47 foreshadow what we may expect from the Trump administration?

Third, we will consider various promises of new policies that were central to Trump’s campaign:

1. What new tariffs may we expect and what will this do to the US economy?
2. What will the fallout of the projected border and deportation policies be for the US economy?
3. How will the Trump administration deal with democratic institutions and checks and balances in government?
4. How will Trump’s isolationism affect geopolitics, and in particular the wars in the Ukraine and the Middle East?
5. How will Trump’s promise of deregulation affect finance and tech?
6. How will Trump’s denialist stand on climate change affect the Green New Deal and the US’s participation in global climate agreements?
7. What fiscal policies may we expect from the Trump administration and how will this affect the social safety net?
8. How will the new Trump administration affect K-12 and Higher Education?

This class will be run as a seminar. You will be assigned to groups, that will jointly locate readings across the political spectrum on these topics, present findings, and lead discussions. You will also write a final paper and present your work to the class.

 

This course is for graduating senior PPE minors who have (1) taken the 384 Gateway course and (2) have taken (or are taking) all other courses necessary to complete the PPE minor.

For enrollment assistance, please contact our PPE Administrators at ppeprogram@unc.edu.

Prerequisite: PHIL/POLI/ECON 384.