Introduction to American Politics
Intro American Politics
In this course, students will gain familiarity with some of the major questions and theoretical frameworks in the American Politics subfield of political science and learn how to think theoretically and empirically about politics.
- MW 6:10 p.m.-7:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
David McGrath
Info - 4 points
Introduction to American Politics Discus
Intro Am Pol Discussion
Discussion section
- 0 points
International Politics
Why do countries go to war? What conditions foster international cooperation? How do alliances between countries function? How are countries affected by global trade and investment, and in turn how does the political economy of individual countries shape international conflict and cooperation? How do ideas and culture (including both positive ideas like human rights and negative ideas like racism) affect international politics? What role do individuals and groups play in shaping international politics? What explains the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic? Why isn’t there significant cooperation on climate change, and can a new global cooperation emerge? What issues have garnered international attention, and how has that shaped the countries’ cooperation? What causes terrorism? Is the proliferation of nuclear (or cyber) weapons a threat to peace, and if so, how should the world response? Does UN peacekeeping work?
In this course we will begin to grapple with these questions. We will use theories developed by philosophers, political scientists and policy analysts, and we will examine the historical roots of today’s problems, in order to explain and predict the patterns of international politics and the possibilities for change. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to choose and develop their own theories to explain events.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the semester, students will accomplish the following:
Demonstrate broad factual and causal knowledge of important current and historical issues in international relations.
Apply contending theories from the political science literature and the policy world to analyze, compare, and evaluate events and trends in international relations.
Assess the value of competing theories in explaining events.
Synthesize facts and arguments across cases in order to reason critically and argue creatively, through both oral discussions in section and written essays.
- TR 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
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Instructor:
Jayme R Schlesinger
Info - 4 points
WHAT WAS NAZISM?
How did political theory explain the rise of Nazism in Germany? What models did it develop to understand the structure of the Nazi state, politics and the economy? What can we learn from this for dealing with the crises of democracy and the emergence of authoritarian politics today? This course in political theory and the history of political thought will explore contemporary answers to these questions. It will explore the thought of crucial thinkers on the problems and pitfalls of modern parliamentary democracy such as Max Weber and Hans Kelsen, as well as some of the most influential theoretical voices associated with ideas of Fascism, Totalitarianism and Anti-Semitism such as Theodor W. Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Ernst Fraenkel and Hannah Arendt.
The course will be structured around texts mainly from the 1920s to the 1960s which still have relevance for political theory today. A strong emphasis will be laid on originally German thinkers who fled to the US in the time of Nazi rule and who contributed decisively to American political science and its particular outlook in the post-war era.
This course aims to contextualise the discussed texts within the intellectual world of their own time. Students with an interest in twentieth century political, intellectual and social history will, therefore, be particularly welcome. However, the questions raised in the set texts also demand a theoretical and creative engagement with questions of good democratic rule, the challenges of mass society and participation, political in- and exclusion, minority rights and the emergence of terror and authoritarian rule. Additionally there will be a midterm and a final exam which will examine both students’ understanding of the set texts as well as their own thinking on the political theoretical problems raised in this course.
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Instructor:
Clara Maier
Info - 3 points
Democracy: Principles, Critics and Probl
Demcrcy: Prncpls, Crit, P
This course is about democracy: its theory, principles, critics and challenges. After centuries of vilification, democracy acquired the status of the "best" political order thanks also to the defeat of Nazism and fascism, in 1945. The end of the Cold War and the international order created by the victors of World War II caused some major changes in the perception and practice of democracy. The world has become a unified place for financial markets and a borderless space for the implementation of hegemonic projects. Openness and globalization put pressure on the ideal and practice of democracy, however. On the one hand, democracy seems to be the solution to all problems so much so that "democracy" now means everything on the right side of history. On the other hand, it seems instead to be a source of problems, and many (even democrats) criticize it for being inefficient in decision-making, subject to the prejudices of increasingly uninformed and ignorant voters, and finally a system that breeds corruption. The goal of this course is to understand this conundrum.
What are the basic principles of democracy and the main objections raised against it? In what sense does democracy embody universal values? Is it desirable that democracy contains partisanship with competence? Is populism a fate of modern democracies? These questions will guide us in understanding the promises of democracy and the disappointments of democrats. We will begin our intellectual journey with the ancient vision of democracy and its early critics, then explore the modern trajectory of democratic theory and finally contemporary populist transformations.
- MW 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
- 3 points
AMERICAN URBAN POLITICS
This course examines the pattern of political development in urban America, as the countrys population has grown in urbanized locations. It explores the process by which cities and suburbs are governed, how immigrants and migrants are incorporated, and how people of different races and ethnicities interact in urbanized settings as well as the institutional relations of cities and suburbs with other jurisdictions of government. The course focuses both on the historical as well the theoretical understandings of politics in urban areas.
- MW 6:10 p.m.-7:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
Carlos Vargas-Ramos
CULPA: 4 Info - 3 points
AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONAL HISTOR
This Course is intended to look at key developments of American History through the prism of Supreme Court decisions and their aftermath. In essence, this Course will address three questions: 1. How did the Supreme Court reflect, and affect, historic patterns of U.S. development, and how did it impact the legal and economic framework of the United States? 2. How did the Supreme Court respond to, or worsen, crises in U.S. history? 3. How did the perception of individual and collective rights and liberties, and of the function and role of Governments -- both Federal and State -- evolve over time?
- TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
Robert L Tortoriello
Info - 4 points
AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY-DISC
AMERICAN CONST'L HISTORY-
This is the required discussion section for
POLS UN3225.
- R 11:10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Robert L Tortoriello
Info - 0 points
NEW/OLD FORMS OF POL PROTEST
This course will introduce the students to the important topic of political protest. Each week we will address different aspects of the phenomenon: from the determinant to the actors and strategies of protest. We will discuss how the forms of protest have changed and the current role of the internet in general and social media in particular. Finally, we will discuss the role of the state and state repression, in particular censorship in the dynamics of protest. Since this is a comparative politics course, we will cover a range of different countries, including the United States, as well as both democratic and authoritarian regimes.
- TR 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
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Instructor:
Chiara Superti
CULPA: 3
Info
- 3 points
AUTOCRACY AND DEMOCRACY
With longstanding democracies in Europe and the US faltering, autocratic regimes in Russia and China consolidating, and hybrid regimes that mix elements of democracy and autocracy on the rise, scholars, policymakers, and citizens are re-evaluating the causes and consequences of different forms of government. This course is designed to give students the tools to understand these trends in global politics. Among other topics, we will explore: How do democracies and autocracies differ in theory and in practice? Why are some countries autocratic? Why are some democratic? What are the roots of democratic erosion? How does economic inequality influence a country’s form of government? Is the current period of institutional foment different past periods of global instability? This course will help students keep up with rapidly unfolding events, but is designed primarily to help them develop tools for interpreting and understanding the current condition of democracy and autocracy in the world.
- MW 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
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Instructor:
Timothy M Frye
CULPA: 8
Wikipedia
h-index: 31
Info
- 3 points
NAT'L & CONTEMP WORLD POLITICS
The causes and consequences of nationalism. Nationalism as a cause of conflict in contemporary world politics. Strategies for mitigating nationalist and ethnic conflict.
- MW 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
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Instructor:
Jack L Snyder
CULPA: 27 Info - 3 points
AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
This course is concerned with what policy the American government should adopt toward several foreign policy issues in the next decade or so, using materials from contradictory viewpoints. Students will be required to state fairly alternative positions and to use policy analysis (goals, alternatives, consequences, and choice) to reach conclusions.
- TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
Elizabeth N Saunders
Wikipedia Info - 4 points
AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY-DISC
Corequisites: POLS UN3631 This is the required discussion section for POLS UN3631.
- 0 points
Business & Politics in Globalized World
Business & Politics Globa
Companies (or, as we’ll mostly refer to them, firms) play a number of important roles in both domestic and international politics; among other activities, they create jobs, engage in trade and in-vestment, create social responsibility programs, lobby governments, and create much of the world’s pollution. How should we think about firms as political actors? Why, when, and how do firms attempt to influence policymaking? And when do they succeed? In this course, we will study strategic collaboration, competition, and collusion between firms and governments in a range of settings and policy areas. To do so, we will draw on insights from international relations, economics, and business scholars, and we will frequently engage with current real-world examples of business-government relations. Topics will include (among others) lobbying, corporate social responsibility, taxation and tax avoidance, public-private governance, and corporate influence in foreign policy.
- MW 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
Calvin N Thrall
Info - 3 points
RESEARCH DESIGN: DATA ANALYSIS
This course examines the basic methods data analysis and statistics that political scientists use in quantitative research that attempts to make causal inferences about how the political world works. The same methods apply to other kinds of problems about cause and effect relationships more generally. The course will provide students with extensive experience in analyzing data and in writing (and thus reading) research papers about testable theories and hypotheses. It will cover basic data analysis and statistical methods, from univariate and bivariate descriptive and inferential statistics through multivariate regression analysis. Computer applications will be emphasized. The course will focus largely on observational data used in cross-sectional statistical analysis, but it will consider issues of research design more broadly as well. It will assume that students have no mathematical background beyond high school algebra and no experience using computers for data analysis.
- MW 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
Abdullah Aydogan
h-index: 4 Info - 3 points
Persuasion at scale: causal inference, m
Persuasion at Scale
By employing statistical and computational methods, including randomized controlled trials, natural experiments, and machine learning techniques, students will engage directly with real-world data to uncover the intricacies of persuasion across different sectors, including but not limited to quantifying the effects of partisan media, social media, and political campaigns. The course will also delve into the historical evolution of these persuasive techniques, providing students with a rich contextual background to better understand current trends and anticipate future developments.
This course fulfills the quantitative methods requirement for the Political Science major.
- MW 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
- 3 points
RESEARCH DESIGN: SCOPE AND METHODS
RESEARCH DESIGN: SCOPE&ME
This class aims to introduce students to the logic of social scientific inquiry and research design. Although it is a course in political science, our emphasis will be on the science part rather than the political part — we’ll be reading about interesting substantive topics, but only insofar as they can teach us something about ways we can do systematic research. This class will introduce students to a medley of different methods to conduct social scientific research.
- TR 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
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Instructor:
Caterina Chiopris
Info - 4 points
SCOPE AND METHODS - DISC
This is the required discussion section for
POLS UN3720.
- 0 points
Experimental Research
Randomized experimentation is an important methodology in political science. In this course, we will discuss the logic of experimentation, its strengths and weaknesses compared to other methodologies, and the ways in which experimentation has been -- and could be -- used to investigate political phenomena. Students will learn how to interpret, design, and execute experiments.
- TR 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
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Instructor:
Yamil R Velez
CULPA: 1 h-index: 8 Info - 4 points
EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH-DISC
This is the required discussion section for POLS UN3768.
- 0 points
SEMINAR IN POLITCAL THEORY
Conservatism 1789-1945
Seminar in Political Theory. Students who would like to register should join the electronic wait list. For list of topics and descriptions see: https://polisci.columbia.edu/content/undergraduate-seminars
- T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
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Instructor:
Daniel Luban
Info - 4 points
AMERICAN POLITICS SEMINAR
THE FIRST AMENDMENT
Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Pre-registration is not permitted. Seminar in American Politics Seminar. Students who would like to register should join the electronic wait list. For list of topics and descriptions see: https://polisci.columbia.edu/content/undergraduate-seminars
- T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
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Instructor:
Robert L Amdur
CULPA: 16
Info
- 4 points
AMERICAN POLITICS SEMINAR
Polling and Democracy
Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Pre-registration is not permitted. Seminar in American Politics Seminar. Students who would like to register should join the electronic wait list. For list of topics and descriptions see: https://polisci.columbia.edu/content/undergraduate-seminars
- T 8:10 a.m.-10 a.m.
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Instructor:
Greg Bovitz
Info - 4 points
AMERICAN POLITICS SEMINAR
AFRICAN AMERICAN POLITICS
Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Pre-registration is not permitted. Seminar in American Politics Seminar. Students who would like to register should join the electronic wait list. For list of topics and descriptions see: https://polisci.columbia.edu/content/undergraduate-seminars
- T 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
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Instructor:
Fredrick Harris
Wikipedia Info - 4 points
AMERICAN POLITICS SEMINAR
AMERICAN PUBLIC OPINION
Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Pre-registration is not permitted. Seminar in American Politics Seminar. Students who would like to register should join the electronic wait list. For list of topics and descriptions see: https://polisci.columbia.edu/content/undergraduate-seminars
AMERICAN POLITICS SEMINAR
TOPICS IN AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Pre-registration is not permitted. Seminar in American Politics Seminar. Students who would like to register should join the electronic wait list. For list of topics and descriptions see: https://polisci.columbia.edu/content/undergraduate-seminars
- W 10:10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Lincoln A Mitchell
Info - 4 points
AMERICAN POLITICS SEMINAR
Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Pre-registration is not permitted. Seminar in American Politics Seminar. Students who would like to register should join the electronic wait list. For list of topics and descriptions see: https://polisci.columbia.edu/content/undergraduate-seminars
- M 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
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Instructor:
Judith Russell
CULPA: 49 Info - 4 points
AMERICAN POLITICS SEMINAR
POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Pre-registration is not permitted. Seminar in American Politics Seminar. Students who would like to register should join the electronic wait list. For list of topics and descriptions see: https://polisci.columbia.edu/content/undergraduate-seminars
- M 10:10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Yamil R Velez
CULPA: 1 h-index: 8 Info - 4 points
COMPARATIVE POLITICS SEMINAR
VOTING WITHOUT BORDERS
Prerequisites: POLS V1501 or the equivalent, and the instructors permission. Pre-registration is not permitted. Please see here for detailed seminar registration guidelines: http://polisci.columbia.edu/undergraduate-programs/seminar-registration-guidelines. Seminar in Comparative Politics. Students who would like to register should join the electronic wait list.
- T 8:10 a.m.-10 a.m.
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Instructor:
Chiara Superti
CULPA: 3
Info
- 4 points
INTERNATIONAL POLITICS SEMINAR
COERCION AND WORLD POLITICS
Prerequisites: POLS UN2601 or the equivalent, and the instructor's permission. Seminar in International Politics. Students who would like to register should join the electronic wait list.
- R 10:10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Sarah Daly
Info - 4 points
INTERNATIONAL POLITICS SEMINAR
SOLVING GLOBAL PROBLEMS
Prerequisites: POLS UN2601 or the equivalent, and the instructor's permission. Seminar in International Politics. Students who would like to register should join the electronic wait list.
- M 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
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Instructor:
Giulio M Gallarotti
Info - 4 points
INTERNATIONAL POLITICS SEMINAR
INTERNATIONAL LAW
Prerequisites: POLS UN2601 or the equivalent, and the instructor's permission. Seminar in International Politics. Students who would like to register should join the electronic wait list.
- W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
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Instructor:
Jean Krasno
CULPA: 1 Info - 4 points
INTERNATIONAL POLITICS SEMINAR
INT'L CRISES SINCE COLD WAR
Prerequisites: POLS UN2601 or the equivalent, and the instructor's permission. Seminar in International Politics. Students who would like to register should join the electronic wait list.
- M 8:10 a.m.-10 a.m.
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Instructor:
Jeremiah S Pam
Info - 4 points
INTERNATIONAL POLITICS SEMINAR
ADVANCES IN IPE
Prerequisites: POLS UN2601 or the equivalent, and the instructor's permission. Seminar in International Politics. Students who would like to register should join the electronic wait list.
- M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
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Instructor:
Davit Sahakyan
CULPA: 1 Info - 4 points
INTERNATIONAL POLITICS SEMINAR
FOREIGN ECONOMIC POLICY
Prerequisites: POLS UN2601 or the equivalent, and the instructor's permission. Seminar in International Politics. Students who would like to register should join the electronic wait list.
- W 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
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Instructor:
David E Spiro
CULPA: 1 h-index: 6 Info - 4 points
HONORS SEMINAR
Prerequisites: admission to the departmental honors program. A two-term seminar for students writing the senior honors thesis.
- M 10:10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Shigeo Hirano
CULPA: 3
Info
- 4 points
MODERN POLITICAL THOUGHT
Interpretations of civil society and the foundations of political order according to the two main traditions of political thought--contraction and Aristotelian. Readings include works by Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Montesquieu, Hume, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Saint-Simon, Tocqueville, Marx, and Mill.
- MW 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
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Instructor:
Nadia Urbinati
CULPA: 29 Wikipedia Info - 4 points
GREAT BOOKS ON RACE,POLIT,SOC
- R 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
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Instructor:
Fredrick Harris
Wikipedia Info - 4 points
METHODS OF INQUIRY & RES DESIGN
This course will cover research methods and research design in political science. We will focus on concrete and practical issues of conducting research: picking a topic, generating hypotheses, case selection, measurement issues, designing and conducting experiments, interviews, field work, archival research, coding data and working with data sets, combining quantitative and qualitative methods, etc. The course is designed for several audiences, including: (1) PhD students in Political Science, (2) MAO students undertaking a major research project, and (3) advanced undergrads contemplating an honors thesis, or another major research project.
- T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
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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.
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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.
- 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.
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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.
- 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.
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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.
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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.
- 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.
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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
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.
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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.
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.
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Instructor:
Calvin N Thrall
Info - 4 points
DISSERTATION SEMINAR
Provides students the opportunity to present draft dissertation proposals and draft dissertation chapters.
- 4 points