All information in this guide is tentative and subject to change. Check with the Political Science Department Office for updates. The Real-time online schedule of classes is accessible through MySlice - Syracuse University
PSC
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600 m001 ASPI Research Seminar
Instructor: Francine D’Amico
Class#: 42214 Baobao Zhang
Class # 20946
Offered: W 9:30 am – 30am-12:15 pmFrequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
The seminar will explore practices and policies around diplomatic representation in various contexts/countries (such as USA, Sweden, Brazil, et al.) and in global governance (UN system) and the lived experiences of diplomats serving in the foreign services of those countries/institutions. There are no required textbooks for this course. All assigned readings will be available through the SU Library SUMMON system or through our PAIA 500 course Blackboard. Several seminar sessions will include guest lectures by researchers/authors, some of whom – like me - are participants in the University of Göteborg’s “Gender in Diplomacy Program.” GenDip: Gender in Diplomacy, University of Gothenburg (gu.se)PSC 600 m001 Constitutional Law
Instructor: Keith Bybee
Class#: 42989
Offered: M/W 2:30 pm – 3:45 pm
Frequency Offered: Special Offering
Prerequisites: None
Meets with LAW 602 m002
Course Description
A course covering the jurisprudence of individual rights developed by the United States Supreme Court since the Civil War. The topics covered include substantive due process; desegregation; race and gender discrimination; affirmative action; free expression; religious freedom; the right to privacy; and the constitutional significance of the welfare state. The Tuesday, Thursday classes will be supplemented by a series tutorial meetings at which classic works in the field will be discussed. PSC 600: Constitutional Law II is open only to PhD students. Enrollment requires instructor permission.PSC 600 m301 European Integration
Instructor: Glyn Morgan
Class #: 33729
Offered: W 6:45 pm – 9:30 pm
Course Description
From 1986 until 2005, the project to build an economically and politically integrated Europe proved remarkably successful. In the last few years, however, this project has confronted a number of interlocking difficulties—"or polycrises.” These difficulties include: populist nationalism; immigration; demographic decline; geopolitical conflict, and now the war sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These polycrises prompt the questions: (i) Does European integration have a future: (ii) If so, what form must it take to survive? More generally, the EU represents the first genuine attempt to find an
alternative to the nation-state. If the EU fails, then what does this tell us about the nature and durability of the nation-state as a macropolitical form?PSC 602 m001 Public Policy Analysis Theory & Practice
Instructor: Sarah Pralle
Class #: 42136
Offered: W 9:30 am – 12:15 pm
Course Description
This course examines the politics of public policy processes. The policy literature is characterized by attention to how politics shapes the set of issues on the policy agenda; the policy programs, solutions and instruments selected by the public and policymakers; the implementation of public policy; and how policies affect subsequent politics. We begin by exploring what is sometimes referred to as a "policy-centered" approach to understanding politics, as well as some classic texts that lay the groundwork for such an approach. Next, we investigate different stages of the policy process, including agenda-setting, policy change, design, and implementation. We also investigate specific policy institutions, such as the bureaucracy and interest groups. The course concludes with an examination of how policies, once created, may in
turn restructure political processes and shape subsequent polices. Throughout the course, special attention is given to the U.S. context, although some cross-national comparisons are included.PSC 612 m001 Development of the American Administrative State
Instructor: Steven White
Class #: 42137
Offered: W 12:45 pm-3:30 pm
Course Description
This course examines major themes in the study of American political development (APD). Among other topics, we will explore the development of the American administrative state, the enactment and persistence of major social policies, and changes in the party system. Along the way, we will also study the role of race, class, and gender in American political development.PSC 671 m001 Comparative Political Analysis
Instructor: Seth Jolly
Class #: 42138Course Description
PSC 600 m003 Global Environmental Governance
Instructor: Takumi Shibaike
Class # 13314
Offered: W 3:45 pm-6:30 pm
Course Description
Economic globalization involves the internationalization of markets. This course examines the need for governance of the global marketplace: the rules and institutions that both guide and restrain the international economic policies of states. Our primary focus will be on the governance of the key economic sectors of trade and finance. We will work to answer several fundamental questions about global economic governance: What explains the emergence of specific rules and institutions? Once created, how do these governance structures help resolve conflicts and collective action problems among states? How do different institutional designs bias governance outcomes in ways that benefit some states at the expense of others? How and why do existing governance structures change? Throughout the semester, we will explore a broad range of scholarly work that will begin to provide answers to these questions. These works draw from a variety of theoretical perspectives and employ a broad range of methodological approaches. Finally, using a pedagogical technique known as student directed learning (SDL), students will craft their own course of study for the final two sessions.
PSC 651 m001 Theories of International Relations
Instructor: Audie Klotz
Class # 20948
Offered: T 9:30 am-12:15 pm
Course Description
PSC 651 serves primarily as the foundation for the Political Science PhD field exam in International Relations and secondarily for anyone (not limited to PSC) as a gateway to complementary coursework or dissertation research. We will cover basic theoretical vocabulary and sample major debates. Since we cannot possibly cover all topics, assignments will point you to related literatures. Readings will concentrate on contemporary writings, by both established and early-career scholars. You will learn to employ theories to differentiate key features of the international system; assess analytical claims about power in the international system and diversify the historical and geographical scope of your knowledge about the international system.
PSC 691 m001 Logic of Political Inquiry
Instructor: Lamis Abdelaaty
Class # 12042
Offered: TH 9:30 am-12:15 pm
Course Description
This seminar introduces students to the principles of research design in mainstream political science. We will begin with some questions in the philosophy of science as they apply to the social sciences. We will review the purpose of theories, as well as different approaches to generating and evaluating them. We will investigate concept formation and operationalization. We will discuss how different research designs (including the construction of counterfactuals, comparative case studies, large-N regression analysis, and experiments) may be used to help researchers make valid causal inferences.
PSC 693 m001 Intro to Quantitative Political Analysis
Instructor: Jessie Trudeau
Class # 11279
Offered: Tu 12:30 pm-32:15 pm
Course Description
This seminar surveys the major substantive topics in comparative politics. Topics include: democratization, collective action, state formation, political institutions, political violence, identity politics (especially ethnic politics), representation, political parties and party systems, and comparative political economy.PSC 694 m001 Qualitative Political Analysis
Instructor: Erin Hern
Class #: 31393
Offered: M 12:45 pm-3:30 pm30 pm; F 10:35 am-11:30 am Lab
Course Description
This course introduces the three methodological techniques most often associated in Political Science with the qualitative label: ethnography, discourse analysis, and historiography. Through homework assignments, you will learn to apply each tool in research of your choice. To situate these methods within a research proposal—the final assignment—we will also query distinctions between qualitative and quantitative (as well as other) methods. Your research design will mimic a
funding proposal, as appropriate for the project (e.g., master’s thesis, pilot study, or dissertation). Thus, the course should be useful both to those in the early stages of graduate work and to those starting dissertations.PSC 700 m101 Climate Change/Science/Perception/Policy
Instructor: Sarah Pralle
Class #: 42156
Offered: M/W 2:15 pm – 3:35 pm
Meets with LAW 891/PAI 770/CEE 600
Please note that due to differences between the Law School and Main Campus calendars, there will be one 3-hour class meeting on a weekend day to be determined.
Course Description
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of the twenty-first century. This course examines it from a multidisciplinary perspective that blends natural science, politics, economics, and law. It will cover: the drivers behind anthropogenic changes in the composition of the atmosphere that are causing climate change; the response of the global climate system; the global carbon, water, and nutrient cycles; local vulnerabilities of natural and social systems to climate change, and the likely impacts on those systems; actions that could reduce the impacts of climate change through adaptation; and actions that could mitigate the problem by reducing changes in the composition of the atmosphere. The course is intended to bring together students from a diverse range of backgrounds and does not have specific prerequisites.PSC 700 m201 Politics & Demographic Aging
Instructor: Margarita Estevez-Abe
Class #: 42142
Offered: M 3:45 pm – 6:30 pm
Course Description
Demographic change is one of the biggest problems facing mature economies. Demographic aging not only affects the welfare state but also the economy. The rising demands for healthcare and pension create fiscal pressures, while the ever-growing number of retirees reduces the size of the workforce and domestic demand. The future seems grim. Can politics rescue us from the demographic destiny? More immigration? More working mothers? This course compares why and how different OECD countries have addressed the problems differently; and, considers multiple political-economic trajectories of super-aging societies.PSC 700 m202 Politics of Africa
Instructor: Erin Hern
Class #: 42148
Offered: M students to the basic statistical methods used in the study of political science. In the seminars and labs, you will learn to describe and analyze social science data, such as national election surveys. Throughout the course, you will also learn to understand the importance of randomness in statistical research, conduct statistical tests, present your results, and evaluate the implications of quantitative analysis. You will learn to compute most of the techniques both ‘by hand’ and with Stata, a statistical software program commonly used in political science. Contemporary political science research in all subfields utilizes statistical techniques and, consequently, a basic understanding of these methods is crucial. The goal is this course to provide students with the statistical tools necessary to become a sophisticated consumer and producer of quantitative research.
PSC 700 m101 Ethics in International Relations
Instructor: Glyn Morgan
Class # 12761
Offered: W 6:45 pm-9:30 pm
Course Description
International Relations (IR) is a field of study that focuses on the behavior of international actors (typically states and international organizations). Ethics as a field of study focuses on the rights and wrongs of actions, policies, and institutions. The ethics of international relations focuses on the rights and wrongs of international actions, policies, and institutions. This class will read some of the classic works in International Political Theory (including works by Thucydides, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Kant, Morgenthau, Walzer, Habermas, and Rawls). We will discuss the pros and cons of the realist tradition. And we will examine a number of current ethical dilemmas, including terrorism, torture, global inequality, immigration, and climate change.
PSC 700 m103 Political Behavior
Instructor: Johanna Dunaway
Class # 20950
Offered: Th 9:30 am – 12:15 pm
Course DescriptionHow can African politics deepen our understanding of concepts in comparative politics? Many theories of comparative politics were developed with the experience of Europe or European settler colonies in mind, while the experiences of other places were relegated to “regional studies” or “why don’t our theories work there” thinking. This course applies concepts of comparative politics to African cases, seeking to uncover what CP concepts can explain about politics in Africa, while also illuminating how African experiences enrich our understanding of comparative politics.
PSC 700 m203 Political Conflict & Violence
Instructor: Yael Zeira
Class #: 42149
Offered: Th 9:30 am – .
PSC 712 m001 Public Opinion and Communication
Instructor: Emily Thorson
Class # 20951
Offered: Tu 9:30 am-12:15 pm
Course DescriptionIn this course, we will engage with key questions in the study of Middle East and North Africa politics and the politics of the Global South more broadly, with a special focus on authoritarian regimes and strategies, clientelism, opposition parties and movements, and the causes and consequences of the Arab Uprisings, including democratic transitions, reversals, and war. We will explore these questions using cases from across the region, including Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, and the Gulf, with an eye towards comparison with other world regions. The main goal of the course is to introduce you to some of the main questions driving contemporary research on Middle East and North Africa politics, the most important contributions made to answering these questions to date, and the gaps that remain in our understanding of these questions. In doing so, it aims to give you not only a survey of the relevant literature but also the tools you will need to engage with and evaluate new research, including your own.PSC 700 m301 Geoeconomics and Statecraft
Instructor: Daniel McDowell
Class #: 42151
Offered: M 12:45 pm – 3:30 pm
Course Description
Economic globalization is being reshaped by strategic considerations. The transformation under way reflects a variety of contemporary forces, including a shifting global distribution of power, intensifying interstate conflict, and the increased use of economic sanctions. These shocks to the “globalization status quo” are causing a foreign economic policy re-think in capitals around the world. The perceived benefits of deep integration are shrinking relative to expanding fears of strategic vulnerabilities from interdependence. This course surveys how strategic and security considerations are transforming interstate economic relations, including how states wield their economic power toward coercive ends, but also how they work to enhance their strategic autonomy and resilience in a riskier, more crisis prone world. The topics we will survey include economic sanctions, domestic reactions to economic coercion, financial statecraft, the weaponization of energy, private sector responses to geopolitical risk, de-risking in international trade and investment, and more. Weekly readings draw on academic research and some policy-oriented writing. We will engage with historical cases for additional context and comparison, though contemporary issues are the main event.PSC 706 m001 US National Security Policy
Instructor: Renee de Nevers
Class #: 32127
Offered: W 9:30 am-12
:15pm
Cross – listed with PAI 718.m001
Course Description
This course will explore U.S. national security and foreign policy. We will examine U.S. policy during the cold war to establish a framework for understanding the policy challenges the U.S. faces today; foreign and security policy decision-making; and current policy issues. The course will use a combination of readings, case studies, exercises, and guest speakers to explore issues ranging from the U.S. national security structure, diplomacy and the use of force, and U.S. relations with allies and potential adversaries.PSC 722 m001 Surveys and Experiments
Instructor: Emily Thorson
Class #: 42059
Offered: Tu 9:30 am-12:15pm
Course Description
This class will explore the use and applications of surveys and experiments as social science methods. The course will cover the advantages and disadvantages of surveys of the mass public, survey experiments, field experiments, and natural experiments. Familiarity with quantitative methods is useful but not a prerequisite.PSC 749 m001 International Security Theory
Instructor: Gregory Smith
Class #: 42139
Offered: Th 3:30 pm-6:15 pm
Course Description
This course is a graduate seminar on the main themes, literatures, and debates in the sub-field of security studies. The course is particularly appropriate for Political Science Ph.D. students interested in international relations and security studies; it also may be appropriate for M.A. students in International Relations, Political Science, and other programs, as well as Ph.D. graduate students from other departments. The key requirement is that students be interested in learning the theoretical literature in security studies. Although there are no prerequisites for the course, it is expected that students are coming into it with a basic familiarity with the general approaches and debates in international relations theory. Topics to be covered include: causes of war; balance of power, polarity, and hegemony; the security dilemma; coercion, deterrence, compellence, and bargaining; security institutions, cooperation, and collective security; civil war and internal conflict; military strategy and effectiveness; intervention and peacekeeping. Readings will be a mix of classics, review essays, and newer works, and draw from different theoretical and methodological traditions.PSC 758 m001 Global Migration
Instructor: Audie Klotz
Class #: 42140
Offered: W 9:30 am-12:15pm
Course Description
People increasingly move across international borders. Some seek jobs in more prosperous regions; others flee political persecution, war, or ecological disasters. What are the social, economic and political consequences of these transnational population pressures? How should national governments and international institutions meet these new challenges? Are immigration restrictions justified? Can international institutions provide better or supplementary responses?PSC 794 m001 Advanced Quantitative Political Analysis
Instructor: Baobao Zhang
Class #: 31395This course explores the processes by which citizens form their opinions, attitudes, and beliefs and the extent to which those opinions do (or do not) affect policymaking. We will examine a wide range of factors that shape public opinion, including (but not limited to) social identity, the mass media, new technology, and self-interest. The course will also include discussion of some of the major methodological components involved in the construction of surveys as well as approaches to drawing inferences about how individuals form opinions (including experiments). In the end, students will understand the challenges citizens face in forming public opinions and the hurdles to accurately measuring and understanding those opinions.
PSC 785 m001 Politics of the Developing World
Instructor: Erin Hern
Class # 20952
Offered: M 9:30 am-12:15 pm
Course Description
This course considers the specific challenges of governing in poorer countries. The course begins by interrogating whether “developing world” is a useful concept. It continues by considering questions related to the shared history and prospects of poorer countries, including the legacies of colonialism, development of nationalism, theory and practice of democracy, persistence of authoritarianism, strategies for economic growth, resource curses, the politics of foreign aid, and political violence.
PSC 792 m001 Research Design
Instructor: Dimitar Gueorguiev
Class # 11874
Offered: Tu 12:30 pm – 3:15 pm
Course Description
PSC 792 is required for Ph.D. students and should ideally be taken at the beginning of your third year, the same semester you are taking qualifying examinations. The primary goal of this course is to have each student produce a working draft of a dissertation proposal. Topics to be covered include: what makes for a good dissertation, what a prospectus should look like, how to situate your project in the existing literature, field research, funding, writing tips, and professional development. Each student will write and present several drafts of their proposal, and provide feedback to their colleagues. The course also will include discussions with junior faculty and current ABDs about their experiences, and meetings with university experts on human subjects research and external funding. In addition to the proposal, students will complete short assignments about different aspects of the dissertation process and professional development. Another important goal of the course is to develop the skills of providing feedback to your peers, and accepting constructive criticism from them. You should prepare to submit a 5-page description of your research area and the problem(s) you intend to address in your dissertation at the beginning of the semester. (Instructor consent required.)
PSC 804 m001 Advanced Topics in Qualitative Methods
Instructor: Jenn M. Jackson
Class #: 12603
Offered: Th 12:30 pm – 3:15 pm
Course Description
This course has several goals. First, to provide you with the ability to understand, utilize, and evaluate the classical linear regression model in an informed manner. Second, to explore alternative specifications and modeling approaches that better conform to the nature of your data and your questions. Third, to think carefully about the interpretations you draw from statistical analysis and to improve inference by design. Specific topics to be covered include, bivariate and multivariate linear regression, non-linear and limited dependent variables, panel and spatial data, experimental methods, and quasi-experimental methods like instrumental variables estimation and regression discontinuity. The connection between the course material and applied research will be highlighted throughout the course. Students will have regular problem sets, practice with statistical software, mainly Stata, and an exam.PSC 997 class covers a range of theoretical and practical issues related to conducting qualitative historical research in political science. Topics will include differences between historical research in political science and political history; historiography and selection bias when working with secondary sources; and planning and conducting archival research. We will also look at examples of different types of historical research to see best practices in action, including process tracing and the use of historical narratives to develop new concepts or hypotheses. Other topics might include using historical research as part of a mixed methods approach; points of tension and overlap with quantitative historical work; and debates about what transparency should look like for qualitative researchers.
PSC 997 m001 Master’s Thesis
Register for class # 3212812193, PSC 997 m001, 6 credit hours –or-
Register for class # 3190712194, PSC 997 m002, 0 credit hours
PSC 999 m001 Dissertation Credits
Register for class # 30597 10484, for 1 to 15 credits
GRD 998 Degree in Progress (Zero Hour Registration)
Register for:
GRD 998m001, register for class number # 37133 - GRD 998.001-or-
Register for class number # 37134 - GRD 998.002
When you have completed all your coursework and your 16528
GRD 998m002, register for class # 16529
GRD 998m003, register for class # 16531
If you have completed your political science coursework and dissertation credits, you should register each fall and spring semester for GRD 998 “Degree in Progress” , each semester until you graduate.
Along with your GRD 998 registration, to maintain your active student status. Please see Candy Brooks if you have any questions about your credits.
Remember to complete a “Certification of Full-Time Status” form each time you register please remember to complete a Full Time Certification form each semester you are registered for zero credit hours to continue your full time Full-Time student status. You can find an electronic Certification of Full-Time Status form for matriculated graduate students with the following link from the Answers page. Forms - Graduate School - Answers (syr.edu)the form on the graduate school link below.
https://su-jsm.atlassian.net/wiki/display/GS/Forms
Your student status will be discontinued if you are not registered before the last day to add a class:
Please see Candy Brooks if you have any questions about your credits or registration.