ETH POL ACROS POST-SOV EURASIA

Various forms of ethnic politics have characterized politics in many states throughout Eurasia since 1991, from nationalist separatism to violent conflict to political competition among ethnic minorities and majorities. This course is designed to encourage students to think deeply about the relationship between ethnicity and politics. We will consider several questions. First, why does ethnicity become politicized? We investigate this question by examining nationalist secessionism and ethnic conflict—phenomena that mushroomed at the end of the Cold War. We will focus on East Central Europe and the former Soviet Union, devoting special attention to the cases of Yugoslavia, the USSR, Moldova, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and Chechnya. However, we will also study cases in which the dog didn’t bark, i.e. places where nationalist mobilization and ethnic violence either did not occur, or emerged and then receded as in the ethnic republics of the Russian Federation (including the “Muslim” regions of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, etc.). In the second part of the course, we will analyze ethnic politics after independent statehood was achieved throughout the post-Soviet space. How do nationalist state-builders try to construct a nation and a state at the same time? Have they incorporated or discriminated against minorities living within “their” states? How have ethnic minorities responded? We will study Ukraine, the Baltics and Kazakhstan where ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking populations form large portions of the population, devoting particular attention to the crisis in Ukraine. We will also examine how the post-conflict regions of Bosnia and Kosovo have dealt with ethnic pluralism. These cases allow us to gain greater understanding of how multi-ethnic states use forms of federalism, consociationalism, and power-sharing as state-building strategies.

• R 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Elise Giuliano
  CULPA: 6 Info
• 4 points

Qualitative and Mixed Methods of Researc

Qual & Mixed Methods Res

This course covers research methods and research design in political science.  We cover concrete and practical issues of conducting research that are useful for all types of empirical political science research: picking a topic, generating hypotheses, case selection, measurement issues, and the ethics of research; with a focus on qualitative and mixed-methods tools such as: interviews, fieldwork, case studies, archival research, ethnographic work, designing and conducting experiments, coding data and working with data sets, combining quantitative and qualitative methods, etc.

The course is designed for several audiences in Political Science, including:


PhD students

MA students undertaking a major research project or intending to continue on to the PhD

Advanced undergraduates writing or contemplating an honors thesis, or another major research project

• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Virginia Page Fortna
  CULPA: 5 Wikipedia h-index: 17 Info
• 4 points

PRINC OF QUANT POL RESEARCH 2

Prerequisites: POLS W4710 or the equivalent. 

This course will
intensively
examine some of the data analysis methods which deal with problems occurring in the use of multiple regression analysis.  It will stress computer applications and cover, as needed, data coding and data processing. Emphasis will also be placed on research design and
writing research reports
. 

The course assumes that students are familiar with basic statistics, inference, and multiple regression analysis and have analyzed data using computer software (e.g., any standard statistical programs on micro-computers or larger machines -- Stata, “R”, SPSS, SAS, etc.). Students will be instructed on the use of the microcomputers and the R and Stata statistical software program(s) available as freeware (R) or in the CUIT computer labs (Stata; several campus locations) or through SIPA. The lectures and required discussion section will emphasize the use of “R.” Students may use whatever computer programs they prefer for all data analysis for the course. There may be an
additional fee
for classroom instructional materials.

• MW 5:40 p.m.-6:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Abdullah Aydogan
  h-index: 4 Info
• 4 points

PRINC OF QUANT POL RESEARCH 2-DISC

PRINC OF QUANT POL RES 2-

This is the required discussion section for
POLS GU4712.

• R 10:10 a.m.-11 a.m.
• R 11:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Lionel W Ong
  Info
• 0 points

QUANT METH 2 STAT THEO&CAUS INF

This course is the second course in the graduate-level sequence on quantitative political methodology offered in the Department of Political Science. Students will learn (1) a framework and methodologies for making causal inferences from experimental and observational data, and (2) statistical theories essential for causal inference. Topics include randomized experiments, estimation under ignorability, instrumental variables, regression discontinuity, difference-indifferences, and causal inference with panel data. We also cover statistical theories, such as theories of ordinary least squares and maximum likelihood estimation, by connecting them to causal inference methods. This course builds on the materials covered in POLS 4700 and 4720 or theirequivalent (i.e., probability, statistics, linear regression, and logistic regression).

• TR 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
• Instructor: John Marshall
  h-index: 20 Info
• 4 points

QUANTITATIVE METHODS 2 DISCUSSION

QUANT METH 2-DISC

This is the required discussion section for 
POLS GU4722.

• M 10:10 a.m.-11 a.m.
• Instructor: Sydney L White
  Info
• 0 points

QUANT METH 4 TOPICS IN METHODS

This course is the fourth course in the graduate-level sequence on quantitative political methodology offered in the Department of Political Science. Students will learn a variety of advanced topics in quantitative methods for descriptive and causal inference, such as simulated-data experimentation, statistical graphics, experimental design, Bayesian inference, multilevel modeling, ideal-point and measurement-error models, and time/spatial/network models.  This course builds on the materials covered in POLS 4700, 4720, 4722, and 4724, or their equivalent courses (i.e., probability, statistics, linear regression, logistic regression, causal inference with observational and experimental data, and knowledge of the statistical computing environment R).

• MW 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Andrew Gelman
  CULPA: 6 Wikipedia h-index: 112 Info
• 4 points

QUANTITATIVE METHODS 4 DISCUSSION

QUANTITATIVE METH 4 DISCU

This is the required discussion section for 
POLS GU4726.

• 0 points

GAME THEORY & POLIT THEORY

Prerequisites: POLS GU4700 or equivalent level of calculus. Introduction to noncooperative game theory and its application to strategic situations in politics. Topics include solution concepts, asymmetric information, and incomplete information. Students should have taken POLS GU4700 or have equivalent background in calculus. Permission of instructor required.

• MW 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
• Instructor: John Huber
  CULPA: 15 h-index: 31 Info
• 4 points

GAME THEORY & POL THEORY-DISC

This is the required discussion section for POLS GU4730.

• F 2:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
• Instructor: Seungyup Shin
  Info
• 0 points

ISSUES & DEBATES-AMER POLITICS

Prerequisites: the instructors permission prior to registration. Please contact the instructors for more information. This graduate student field survey provides an overview of the scholarly study of American politics. The course has been designed for students who intend to specialize in American politics, as well as for those students whose primary interests are comparative politics, international relations, or political theory, but who desire an intensive introduction to the ;American; style of political science.

• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Michael Ting
  CULPA: 4 Info
• 4 points

COMPARATV POLITICS SURVEY II

GR6412 is one of two survey courses in comparative politics offered by the Political Science Department. The two courses complement each other, but need not be taken in any particular order. The course includes a great deal of student involvement and is designed to help you educate yourselves about the major themes in comparative politics and develop the analytic skills need to conduct research at a high level.

• T 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Timothy M Frye
  CULPA: 8 Wikipedia h-index: 31 Info
• 4 points

Empire and Political Thought

This seminar examines the relationship between the history and theory of empire and the development of modern political thought.  The course is structured around the work of canonical thinkers, politicians, and writers, and considers how they understood and debated the nature and consequences of the imperial experience, from overseas trade and commercial expansion, imperial conquest, competition, and rivalry, to theories of world order and federation.  We will focus on how the history of empire shaped central concepts of political theory such as the state, sovereignty, the nation, property, liberty, and progress.  What were the moral, political, and economic arguments offered for and against empire?  How were domestic politics seen as connected with and constrained by global political interactions and global political structures?  How did imperial powers imagine conditions of stability, progress, and peace?  What was imperial liberalism as a domestic and international ideal?

• F 10:10 a.m.-noon
• 4 points

COLLOQ ON POLITICAL BEHAVIOR

Courses on public opinion and political behavior (including the GR8210 seminar taught by Professor Shapiro) ordinarily move briskly through a wide array of topics having to do with how American tend to think and act. This class has a narrower scope but tries to delve more deeply into the literature.  We focus on four topics that are arguably crucial understanding contemporary American politics (and perhaps the politics of other times and places). 


The first topic addresses what might be thought of as the legacies of slavery: prejudice, resentment, racial/ethnic group identification, issue preferences on topics that are directly or indirectly connected to race/ethnicity, and group differences in political behavior. 

The second topic considers the literature on partisanship and polarization, as well as related topics on “macropartisan” change and party realignment.  What are the causes of micro- and macropartisan change, and what are its consequences? 

The third topic is support for democratic norms, civil liberties, and respect for the rights of unpopular groups.  How deeply committed are Americans to democratic values and constitutional rights?  

The fourth topic is the influence of media on public opinion, a vast topic that includes the effects of advertising, news, social media, narrative entertainment, and so forth. 


Although we will be focusing on just four broad topics, time constraints nevertheless prevent us from covering more than a fraction of each scholarly literature.  Students are encouraged to read beyond the syllabus, and I am happy to offer suggestions.

• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Robert Y Shapiro
  CULPA: 4 Wikipedia Info
• 4 points

POL ECON ANALYS OF POL BEHAVIOR

This course examines comparative political behavior from a political economy perspective, focusing on how incentives drive the micro-level behavior of voters and politicians. Students will rigorously examine contemporary debates, both theoretically and empirically. Student will also combine formal models and modern research designs to generate hypotheses, identify causal effects, and ultimately seek to interpret them. The course draws from evidence from across the democratic world. The goals of this course are twofold. The substantive goal is to familiarize students with theoretical arguments and frontier empirical evidence pertaining to central questions in comparative political economy. The methodological goal is to help students think critically and conduct cutting edge research. Specifically, the course aims to empower students to read and even write formal models, implement modern causal inference techniques in their research, and combine the two approaches to interpret the evidence.

• R 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: John Marshall
  h-index: 20 Info
• 4 points

Adv. Topics in Formal Political Theory

Adv Formal Political Theo

This course will prepare graduate students in political science and economics who have completed their basic formal and quantitative training for research in formal political theory. The specific substantive focus of the course will depend on the distribution of students’ interests, but topics will include electoral and legislative institutions, autocratic politics, political behavior, persuasion, and conflict. The topics should be of broad relevance for graduate students interested in political economy across the social sciences.

The course will be conducted primarily in seminar format, complemented by frontal instruction. For each topic, we will focus on a small number of relatively recent articles and working papers. Students will also present on topics related to their own research.

• W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Carlo Prato
  h-index: 11 Info
• 4 points

Politics in the World Economy

This seminar is both a critical survey of empirical evidence on foreign aid, trade, and investment and an introduction to modern quantitative research methods used in international political economy. Substantively, the seminar will examine the relationships between economic instruments and human rights, conflict, public opinion, and other topics. It will introduce students to cutting-edge debates in the field. How can the international community best promote human rights? What international factors lead to economic growth? When do countries comply with international laws? When do the economic activities of the international community lead to conflict? More generally, the course will consider the challenges of drawing causal inferences in the field of international political economy.

The seminar will discuss empirical research designs including instrumental variables, field experiments, and regression discontinuity designs. We will read recent scholarship on political economy topics with a critical focus. Students will also produce a research proposal for studying a topic related to political economy, though they do not need to actually conduct this research.

• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Allison J Carnegie
  Info
• 4 points

THEORIES OF WAR AND PEACE

In this course we undertake a comprehensive review of the literature on the causes of war and the conditions of peace, with a primary focus on interstate war. We focus primarily on theory and empirical research in political science but give some attention to work in other disciplines. We examine the leading theories, their key concepts and causal variables, the causal paths leading to war or to peace, and the conditions under which various outcomes are most likely to occur. We also give some attention to the degree of empirical support for various theories and hypotheses, and we look at some of the major empirical research programs on the origins and expansion of war. Our survey includes research utilizing qualitative methods, large-N quantitative methods, formal modeling, and experimental approaches. We also give considerable attention to methodological questions relating to epistemology and research design. Our primary focus, however, is on the logical coherence and analytic limitations of the theories and the kinds of research designs that might be useful in testing them. This course is designed primarily for graduate students who want to understand and contribute to the theoretical and empirical literature in political science on war, peace, and security. Students with different interests and students from other departments can also benefit from the seminar and are also welcome. Ideally, members of the seminar will have some familiarity with basic issues in international relations theory, philosophy of science, research design, and statistical methods.

• F 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Jack Levy
  Info
• 4 points

Firms in International Political Economy

Firms in IPE

Inspired both by advances in data availability and a growing scholarly appreciation for the political influence of the private sector, firm-level theories and research designs have grown increasingly popular among political economy scholars in recent years. While studying firms allows for the generation of new insights across a broad array of substantive topics, it carries with it several unique conceptual and empirical challenges. For example, how should we conceive of firms as political actors, given their organizational structures? What are firms’ policy preferences? How do they influence politics, and how can we measure their impact? In this course we will review political economy research that centers the firm as the actor of interest; particular focus will be given to recently published work that is innovative in terms of methodology, measurement, and/or data collection. While we will focus primarily on international political economy applications—for example, firm-level studies of trade, in-vestment, and commercial diplomacy—we will also cover less inherently international topics such as lobbying, environmental politics, and private governance/corporate social responsi-bility. In addition to providing preparation for the IR field exam, this course aims to give students the tools to conduct state-of-the-art political economy research at the firm level.

• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Calvin N Thrall
  Info
• 4 points

SPECIAL RESEARCH COURSE

• Instructor: Eunji Kim
  Info
• Instructor: Clara Maier
  Info
• Instructor: Andrew J Nathan
  CULPA: 44 Wikipedia h-index: 40 Info
• 1-6 points

DISSERTATION SEMINAR

Provides students the opportunity to present draft dissertation proposals and draft dissertation chapters.

• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: John Huber
  CULPA: 15 h-index: 31 Info
• 4 points