POLI_SCI 403 Introduction to Probability and Statistics
Set theory, sample spaces, combinatorics, conditional probability, Bernoulli and binomial random variables and distributions. Some discussion of estimation and inference.
POLI_SCI 410 American Political Institutions and Behavior
Introduction and review of major studies in American politics on such topics as the presidency, the Congress, the courts, interest groups, political parties, and voting behavior. A basic course for graduate students.
Contemporary international relations theory. Basic concepts on the philosophy of social science and substantive theories of international relations, including neorealism, neoliberalism, marxism, and constructivism.
The interrelationships between socioeconomic structures and democracy, the importance of political leadership, the historic relationship between capitalism and democracy, and contemporary tensions between market reform and democratization.
Examination of the crisis - or promise - of meaning that results from the multitude of ways in which political and linguistic theorists have responded to the challenge to think about language in non-referential terms.
The study of urban politics is re-emerging as a vital field of inquiry in political science. This course surveys central debates in the field, with an emphasis on institutional and mix-methods approaches to the study of local political phenomena in the context of supralocal constraints and social change. With an emphasis on the origins, interactions, and effects of local governance institutions, we will emphasize politics in large American cities, but comparative and transnational perspectives will be engaged as well. Students will engage with new approaches and contribute to current research on city politics.
POLI_SCI 490 Special Topic: Liberal Internationalism
This seminar examines liberal internationalism as an idea, an empirical theory and a practice. We will consider what the term means and how it has been used in scholarship and in government policy-making for various purposes. We draw on writings on history, law, politics and political theory to gain insight into how the idea came to occupy a place in contemporary international politics and the alternatives and challengers against which it is set. Students will write a research paper that explores some aspect of the theory, practice, or contestation around the concept.
POLI_SCI 490 Special Topic: Time Series and Panel Analysis in the Social Sciences
Social scientists routinely attempt statistical and causal inferences using data from a single case in which key variables of interest change over time (time series models), and also using data from multiple cases over time (pooled time series or panel models). These can be powerful techniques; they can sometimes provide more evidence than purely cross-sectional designs, and they can rule out some common inferential problems. However, examining data over time creates its own set of statistical and substantive challenges, and a rich methodological literature has developed around solutions.
POLI_SCI 490 Special Topic: Islamic Political Thought
This graduate-level seminar explores contemporary Islamic political thought with a special focus on Islamic political thinkers and ideas from the early twentieth century to the present. The objectives of the course are to assist students to : (1) acquire advanced knowledge and understanding of the core themes and concepts of Islamic political thought and ideas and their recent reconfigurations ; (2) grasp the complexity and variety of islamic intellectual trends, debates and arguments and their contexts ; 3) engage in critical reading and analysis of primary and secondary sources of Islamic Thought ; 4) prepare a piece of original research.
