Introduction to Comparative Politics This course offers an introduction to the comparative study of political systems and to the logic of comparative inquiry. How are different political systems created and organized? How and why do they change? Why are some democratic and others authoritarian? Why are some rich and others poor? Other topics covered in this course include nationalism and political ideologies, forms of representation, the relationship between state institutions and civil society, and globalization. The goal in this course is to use comparative methods to analyze questions of state institutions -- how they arise, change, and generate different economic, social, and political outcomes.

What Can I Say? Free Speech v. Racist Speech in the United States and Europe In this course we will delve into the politics and law surrounding issues of racist speech in the United States and Europe. We will look at the development of speech doctrines in the post-World War Two era, drawing on well-known case studies from American constitutional history, as well as European examples such as the Danish Cartoon Controversy and Holocaust denial cases. Through comparison across time and countries, we will debate the appropriate limits on racist speech in different contexts.

The Media and Minorities In this course we use techniques developed by Middlebury’s Media Portrayals of Minorities Project lab to examine how the media portray identifiable groups. These techniques enable quantitative and qualitative analysis of digital news to better understand how different types of groups--such as, for example, immigrants, refugees, Muslims, Jews, Latinos, Chinese, Africans, or others--have been portrayed in the US and international media. Students in this class will contribute to ongoing publication projects of the lab, and will have the opportunity to pursue their own research topics. Student projects will culminate in research papers that may form the basis for further independent work or for senior theses. 3hrs. seminar (Comparative Politics)

Foundations of European Studies: Texts, Contexts, and Legacies In this course we will review major texts that serve as a foundation for understanding core aspects of European societies. Covering the period from the Hebrew Bible to Dante’s Inferno, we will read works of religion, literature, philosophy, and politics such as Homer’s Odyssey, Plato’s Republic, Virgil’s Aeneid, the New Testament, Beowulf, an Icelandic Saga, and Marco Polo’s Travels. We will focus on the context in which these texts were written and the legacies they produced for understanding Europe as a region, discussing themes such as friendship, loyalty, family, home, gender roles, slavery, power relations, and the definition of Europe itself.

Introduction to Text as Data Computational tools that identify patterns in language and text increasingly help us understand the world. In this course we will explore several of the most common types of text-as-data analyses, such as collocations, keywords in context, topic modeling, and sentiment analysis. Students will work in teams throughout the semester to apply these tools to understand media coverage of a group or topic of their choice. This course is designed to be accessible to students in the social sciences, humanities, and arts as well as being of interest to computer science, math, and science students.

Media Portrayals of Minorities Project Lab In this course we use techniques developed by Middlebury’s Media Portrayals of Minorities Project lab to examine how the media represent different groups. These techniques enable quantitative and qualitative analysis of digital news to better understand how groups--such as, for example, immigrants, refugees, Muslims, Jews, Latinos, Chinese, Africans, or others--have been portrayed in the U.S. and international media. Students in this class will contribute to ongoing publication projects of the lab and will have the opportunity to pursue their own research topics. Student projects may form the basis for further independent work or for senior theses. This is a Half Credit course.

The Media and the Marginalized In this course we will study major elements of media analysis such as gatekeeping, agenda-setting, priming, framing, media tone, and media effects. We will then review how these elements have been applied in coverage of marginalized groups in developed democracies such as the United States and those of Western Europe. We will focus on groups identified by immigration status, race or ethnicity, religion, LGBTQ status, and sex. Students will develop skills to interpret and analyze articles about marginalized groups in light of theories of media studies, culminating in a research project of their choice.

Erik Bleich

Reviews and ratings for Erik Bleich at Middlebury College.Erik Bleich teaches Intro to Comparative Politics, Free Speech v. Racist Speech, Media and Minorities and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Erik Bleich good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

I took this class to fill out my schedule and ended up very much enjoying it. The material is very interesting and it definitely changes your perspective on how to view these issues. Professor Bleich is very enthusiastic about what he teaches and his lectures are very effective, although he is a tough grader. But I would recommend this class to anyone who wants to take a political science class.

The class was very reading heavy which set the class up well for discussion. The readings were also very interesting and a great mix of historical texts from Europe. The reading quizzes felt a little unnecessary and too specific that it felt like I had to memorize everything I read in order to get a 10/10 on the quiz. Either than that, I loved the class. 

I really enjoyed taking this class. I feel like the content was very fit to what was happening in the real world, and it changed a lot of my viewpoints around free speech. Bleich is very good at explaining both sides of the arguments of free speech.