Graduate Seminars

POS 6736 Conduct of Inquiry

Why do we call our discipline “political science“? What kinds of research do political scientists do, and how do they communicate that knowledge to one another? How do we know what we think we know? How do we measure political phenomena? Requirements include weekly reading assignments, intermittent written assignments, a midterm exam, and a final research design.

POS 6207 Political Behavior

The goal for the seminar is to review the literature on political behavior and behavioralism generally with a view toward formulating questions for further research in the field. Each week, the seminar will review and discuss selected readings on various topics, and evaluate how well this group of readings answers basic scientific questions about political behavior. The collective effort will be supplemented by term papers by each member of the seminar.

 

POS 6933 Political Socialization and Psychology

The goal for the seminar is to review the literature on political socialization, social influence, and political cognition with a view understanding toward how useful these studies are for formulating questions for further research in political science. Each week, the seminar will review and discuss selected readings on various topics; some of those readings will be classics, others are simply examples of contemporary studies in social psychology or political science which use psychological concepts.

POS 6933 Political Participation

Who participates, and why?  Does political participation ameliorate or exacerbate social inequalities?  How do political institutions promote and inhibit political participation?  Does political participation in China mean the same thing as political participation in the United States or Peru?  Does political participation really matter?  Requirements include weekly reading assignments and reaction papers, plus a final research paper.