PLTC303

Scholars and political leaders often distinguish between the "normal" flow of politics and the politics of crisis and emergency. The latter increasingly dominate contemporary politics: we live in an era of "permanent crisis." How are crises governed? How do political and economic actors prepare for, prevent, mitigate, and manage emergencies? Who stands to profit, and who loses? Students examine case studies of various types of crisis or emergency in order to understand whether and how crises disrupt or reinforce political and economic power relations. Students participate in and analyze simulations of natural and/or manmade disasters.