POLITICS (1): Power
and Politics in Today’s World
This relatively new way of learning
for iU3A
Group Coordinator: Vivek Nanda (click to contact).![]() |
When On the third Friday of each month
from 10.30 am for about 90 minutes.
|
Where On Zoom.
|
Overview
This friendly and
welcoming group discusses Power and Politics together,
sharing different perspectives and priorities, to enrich the
learning experience of all in a sociable and enjoyable way.
In the process, many members find that they are motivated to
complete they course they started, rather than move on to a
new course without completing any of the courses they
started. The outline structure of the Yale course can be
found here. A short
description of the first meeting can be found here.
Lectures yet to be discussed
21 January 2022 — Lecture 24: Unemployment, Re-employment & Income Security, which focuses on the question: How to respond to endemic and permanent wage insecurity in light of last lecture's discussion of politics?
18 February 2022 — Lecture 25: Tough Nuts — Education and Health Insurance, which looks at two other challenges, K-12 education and universal health insurance, in light of two especially strong obstacles in the United States, fiscal federalism and inertia that privileges path dependence.
18 March 2022 — Lecture 26: Agendas for Democratic Reform, which provides a review of central themes, discusses four paths taken and missed, and agendas for democratic reform.
Optional Extras:
The slides for all the lectures, which are very large files as they have videos embedded in them, can be found here.
The optional readings for all the lectures can be found here.
The full list of videos in which Professor Shapiro answers the questions of the students taking part in-person can be found here.
Lectures already discussed
17 December 2021 — Lecture 23: Building Blocks of
Distributive Politics.
19 November 2021 — Lecture 22: Political Sources of Populism - Misdiagnosing Democracy’s Ills.
15 October 2021 — Lecture 21: Backlash - 2016 and Beyond.
17 September 2021 — Meeting delayed by a month.
20 August 2021 — Lecture 20: The Housing Crisis and its Aftermath.
16 July 2021 — Lecture 19: Crisis, Crash, and Response.
18 June 2021 — Lecture 18: Political Limits of Business: The Israel-Palestine Case.
21 May 2021 — Lecture 17: Filling the Void - China in Africa.
16 April 2021 — Lecture 16: Denouement of Humanitarian Intervention.
19 March 2021 — Lecture 15: Demise of the Neoconservative Dream: From Afghanistan to Iraq
19 February 2021 — Lecture 14: 9/11 and the Global War on Terror
15 January 2021 — Lecture 13: The International Criminal Court and the Responsibility to Protect
18 December 2020 — Lecture 12: Business and Democratic Reform: A Case Study of South Africa
20 November 2020 — Lecture 11: Democracy’s Fourth Wave? South Africa, Northern Ireland, and the Middle East
16 October 2020 — Lecture 10: Money in Politics
18 September 2020 — Lecture 9: Privatizing Government II: Prisons and the Military
21 August 2020 — Lecture 8: Privatizing Government I: Utilities, Eminent Domain, and Local Government
17 July 2020 — Lecture 7: Shifting Goalposts: The Anti-Tax Movement
19 June 2020 — Lecture 6: Reorienting the Left: New Democrats, New Labour, and Europe’s Social Democrats
15th May 2020 — Lecture 5: The Resurgent Right in the West
17 April 2020 — Lecture 4: Fusing Capitalist Economics with Communist Politics: China and Vietnam
20 March 2020 — Lecture 3: Advent of a Unipolar World: NATO and EU Expansion
21 February 2020 — Lecture 2: From Soviet Communism to Russian Gangster Capitalism
17 January 2020 — Lecture 1: Introduction to Power and Politics in Today’s World

Lectures yet to be discussed
21 January 2022 — Lecture 24: Unemployment, Re-employment & Income Security, which focuses on the question: How to respond to endemic and permanent wage insecurity in light of last lecture's discussion of politics?
18 February 2022 — Lecture 25: Tough Nuts — Education and Health Insurance, which looks at two other challenges, K-12 education and universal health insurance, in light of two especially strong obstacles in the United States, fiscal federalism and inertia that privileges path dependence.
18 March 2022 — Lecture 26: Agendas for Democratic Reform, which provides a review of central themes, discusses four paths taken and missed, and agendas for democratic reform.
Optional Extras:
The slides for all the lectures, which are very large files as they have videos embedded in them, can be found here.
The optional readings for all the lectures can be found here.
The full list of videos in which Professor Shapiro answers the questions of the students taking part in-person can be found here.
Lectures already discussed
19 November 2021 — Lecture 22: Political Sources of Populism - Misdiagnosing Democracy’s Ills.
15 October 2021 — Lecture 21: Backlash - 2016 and Beyond.
17 September 2021 — Meeting delayed by a month.
20 August 2021 — Lecture 20: The Housing Crisis and its Aftermath.
16 July 2021 — Lecture 19: Crisis, Crash, and Response.
18 June 2021 — Lecture 18: Political Limits of Business: The Israel-Palestine Case.
21 May 2021 — Lecture 17: Filling the Void - China in Africa.
16 April 2021 — Lecture 16: Denouement of Humanitarian Intervention.
19 March 2021 — Lecture 15: Demise of the Neoconservative Dream: From Afghanistan to Iraq
19 February 2021 — Lecture 14: 9/11 and the Global War on Terror
15 January 2021 — Lecture 13: The International Criminal Court and the Responsibility to Protect
18 December 2020 — Lecture 12: Business and Democratic Reform: A Case Study of South Africa
20 November 2020 — Lecture 11: Democracy’s Fourth Wave? South Africa, Northern Ireland, and the Middle East
16 October 2020 — Lecture 10: Money in Politics
18 September 2020 — Lecture 9: Privatizing Government II: Prisons and the Military
21 August 2020 — Lecture 8: Privatizing Government I: Utilities, Eminent Domain, and Local Government
17 July 2020 — Lecture 7: Shifting Goalposts: The Anti-Tax Movement
19 June 2020 — Lecture 6: Reorienting the Left: New Democrats, New Labour, and Europe’s Social Democrats
15th May 2020 — Lecture 5: The Resurgent Right in the West
17 April 2020 — Lecture 4: Fusing Capitalist Economics with Communist Politics: China and Vietnam
20 March 2020 — Lecture 3: Advent of a Unipolar World: NATO and EU Expansion
21 February 2020 — Lecture 2: From Soviet Communism to Russian Gangster Capitalism
17 January 2020 — Lecture 1: Introduction to Power and Politics in Today’s World