This purpose of this course is two-fold. First, the survey course is designed to introduce students to a wide range of theories of international politics. During the course of the semester we will examine neo-realism, power transition theory, hegemonic stability theory, the modern world system, international regimes and interdependence, the democratic peace, bureaucratic politics, organizational theory, constructivism, and decision making theory. Second, the course will sharpen students' research design skills. The written assignments require students to take the often abstract theories presented in the readings and develop practical research designs for testing hypotheses derived from the theories. The papers will not include data collection or the execution of actual tests. Rather, they will focus on the conceptual problems of designing tests which eliminate competing hypotheses, operationalizing variables, and identifying potential sources of data. Student's grades will be based on five short research designs and discussion leadership.

Consult department for detailed descriptions. More than one course may be taken in a given semester. Recent titles have included: Race Development and American International Relations, Hegel and Marx, and Logic of the West.

This course will examine the theoretical, historical and political foundations of contemporary human rights debates. The course will cover not only broad conceptual issues, but also specific issue areas (e.g., civil rights, economic rights, women's rights, business and human rights), as well as the question of how new rights norms emerge and diffuse in the international arena. The course is open to students in the Master of Liberal Arts Program, as well as students who are actively pursuing the Graduate Certificate in Interdisciplinary Studies in Global Human Rights.

Over the past two hundred years, with the rise industrial production, growing educational attainment, and availability of contraception, women have entered the formal labor market in vast numbers. Yet despite advances, there are still important disparities between the sexes, often exacerbated by class and racial politics. This course unpacks the elements of the transition in the political economy of gender and examines its limits. We set out to understand women's labor in emerging industrial and post-industrial economies; the causes and consequences of women's political inclusion; gendered opportunities in the labor force including the persistence of pay gaps; and the formation of economic and political preferences across the genders. Theoretically, we will engage with Marxian political economy, and new institutionalist approaches to understand how political and economic institutions reproduce or remedy contemporary problems including the gender gap in wages, in political representation, and in women's economic opportunities. Throughout the course we will pay special attention to challenges faced by minority groups and by women in developing countries.

Consult department for detailed descriptions. Recent topics include: Globalization; Race & Criminal Justice; Democracy & Markets in Postcommunist Europe.

Consult department for detailed descriptions. Recent topics include: Globalization; Race & Criminal Justice; Democracy & Markets in Postcommunist Europe.

This is a mandatory seminar for all students planning to submit an honors thesis for the purpose of possibly earning distinction in Political Science upon graduation. The course is aimed at helping students identify a useful and feasible research question, become familiar with the relevant literatures and debates pertaining to that question, develop a basic understanding of what might constitute "good" and "original" research in different subfields, and set up a plan for conducting and presenting the research. The course is also aimed at building a community of like-minded student researchers, which can complement and enrich the honor student's individual experience of working one-on-one with a dedicated faculty thesis advisor. Students apply in the spring of their junior year for admissions to the honors program and enrollment in PSCI497.

This class provides a "hands-on" introduction to the promises and limitations of using Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) to inform policy makers, practitioners, and academics of the conditions under which policies likely would have a positive effect on economic and political outcomes, in the context of international development. This course has three parts: the first is devoted to understanding the "nuts and bolts" of running field experiments / RCTs in developing countries. In part, we will be reading Glennester and Takavarasha's Running Randomized Evaluations: A Practical Guide. In addition, we will discuss core behavioral concepts from both behavioral economics and social psychology (prospect theory). The second part of the course will be devoted to demonstrating how schools have used RCTs to inform core policy debates (e.g. What are some effective ways to reduce corruption? How can we improve the performance of frontline service providers? How can politicians be more responsive to their constituents?) In the third part, students will be presenting their own research proposals, explicitly designed to address either a core policy question in the developing world or--for those interested--in the USA. Here students will have an opportunity to partner with the Social and Behavioral Sciences Team (https://sbst.gov), which is under the National Science and Technology Council.