graduate seminars

PLSC 420: Comparative Political Systems
Professor Avdeyeva
W 7:00pm / LSC

This course is the core graduate seminar in the field of comparative politics. It is designed to help students think theoretically and critically about the subfield of comparative politics, its scientific objectives, and its epistemological assumptions.  Within this context, the course will explore the most fundamental concepts and approaches, as well as some of the most important theories and debates that characterize the subfield. In this seminar, we will examine the historical development and trends in comparative politics and study the most fundamental epistemological issues in comparative political inquiry. We will also focus on the logic and process of comparison and review methodologies in comparative political studies. 

PLSC 430: Theories of International Politics
Professor Schraeder
T 7:00pm / LSC

This course serves as the core introduction to international relations theory.  We will examine competing theoretical approaches that have been adopted to explain a variety of international phenomena at three major levels of analysis: the individual decision-maker, the nation-state, and the international system.  The format of the course is a seminar, based on substantive discussion and participation by members of the class.  The weekly readings offer a selection of the classic books within the discipline, and will provide the student with a strong understanding of the major developments within international relations theory during the post-World War II era (i.e., 1945-present).  Each student will conduct research on the rise and decline of one "great power" in history--either the hegemonic power of a given era or one of the counter-hegemonic powers aspiring to hegemonic status.

PLSC 442: Modern Political Thought
Professor Katz
T 4:15pm / LSC

The centuries from the Renaissance to the French Revolution witnessed the emergence of the modern world --the disintegration of feudalism and the Christian Church, and the rise of capitalism, the sovereign state and modern natural science.  In this course we examine some of the most significant political theorists responsible for articulating the founding principles of modernity: Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.

PLSC 476: Techniques of Political Analysis II
Professor Mahler
M 7:00pm / LSC

This is an intermediate course in the application of statistical methods to political analysis.  The primary focus of the course is the theory and practice of multiple regression, the most important statistical technique in the social sciences.  Among the specific topics examined are the assumptions underlying regression and the consequences of violating them; analysis of residuals; collinearity; dummy regression; analysis of variance and covariance; hierarchical regression; nonlinearity and nonadditivity; pooled cross-sectional/time series  analysis; probit/logit analysis; structural equations; and factor analysis.  Emphasis throughout the course will be on practical applications and extensive use will be made of SPSS and Stata, computer programs commonly used in social science analysis.  Prerequisite:  the successful completion of Political Science 475, Techniques of Political Science I, or the instructor's permission.

PLSC 502: Political Behavior
Professor Frendreis
Th 7:00pm / LSC

This course will focus on voting behavior, with particular emphasis on voting behavior in the United States.  A secondary, but related, focus will be on the development and structure of political attitudes.  Specific topics to be covered include: models of voting behavior, the nature of belief systems, the role of political partisanship, ideology and issue voting, comparative voting behavior, nationalization of the American electorate, and realignment.