Current Course Information

My Course Offerings for Spring 2012.

(PS 101). Introduction to American Government.   A large lecture course supplemented by weekly small group discussions focusing on the connections between the founding theories of America and the historical and current practice of democracy in America. Substantial attention is paid to the success and failures in living up to the founders ideals, and we spend a lot of time demonstrating that many modern politicians (of all ideological stripes) fail to understand and follow the ideology that they claim.

This course is designed for Freshmen Students at the University of Illinois. Although it is open to all, advanced students are cautioned that the grade in this class is usually much lower (by an average 16.25 semester points) for seniors and juniors than it is for freshmen. Someday we'll do a study to find out why freshmen perform so much better than upper classmen!

(PS 450). Civic Engagement in Modern Society.  This course examines the problem of civic engagement, identifying theories about the reasons for its dramatic decline and assessing the difficulties that poses for civic life in democratic settings. Students write a major paper based on original research for the largest portion of their grade.

(HDES 598).  Research Seminar in the Human Dimensions of Environmental Systems.  This course is for graduate students in the HDES program.  We examine student and faculty research projects on the interdependencies of humans and their environments. Follow the class on its Face book group.

(PS 490, PS 492)  Independent Study Opportunities.  I no longer sponsor students for internships and independent studies in political science; I leave that to the full time political science faculty. Please ask some of them to sponsor your work. I spend my summers working elsewhere and with students whose work is in the human dimensions of the enviornment.  I will make occasional exceptions for students seeking work in HDES, the sociology of neighborhoods, or the lobbying internship, and especially for students with whom I have had a good prior working relationship.

NEW OPPORTUNITY!!  Neighborhood and Community Organizing. Credit for this course is earned thorough NYU. Non-NYU students should check with their home institution regarding transferability; University of Illinois students may earn independent study credit. Course is focused on several research sites in Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, and Massachusetts.  Students learn the basic theories of community organizing in the first three weeks of classroom-based work, and then undertake eight weeks of fieldwork.  Grades are based on performance in two quizzes during the first three weeks, evaluations from fieldwork supervisors, and a final paper submitted at the end of the semester. THIS DEADLINE HAS PASSED FOR 2012.

NEW OPPORTUNITY!!  Lobbying Internship. Paid internship. Students may earn experience and possible course credit by working with registered lobbyists for Sealand Chemical Corporation or Blue Cross between 18 May and 18 August, 2012.  See Professor Krassa by January 25, 2012 if you are interested in applying. University of Illinois students may earn credit via independent study (PS 490); students from other universities should enquire about possibilities that may be available arranged for credit through their home university, the University of Illinois, or the University of Cambridge. THIS DEADLINE HAS PASSED FOR 2012.

Malta Research and Education Exchange.  (Pending EU Funding.) Organized by the University of Cambridge to provide interdisciplinary social scientific coursework and research on methods, modeling, the EU, economics, architecture and art. Special use is made of the location in Malta by the courses in legislatures, elections, multicultural society, historic preservation, and architecture. Undergraduates participate in course work at the University of Malta; graduate student do supervised but independent research in Malta. Arrangements for archival access, interviews with public officials, or permission to enter restricted sites should be made through Professor Krassa at least two months in advance. Contact Professor Krassa for details on this program.  Important Note: Due to safety concerns in the Middle East, the portions of the Malta Summer Program that take place in Libya and Tunisia have been cancelled indefinitely.   THIS DEADLINE HAS PASSED FOR 2012.