Fall 2013 Courses
ECO 520/POL 577Economics and PoliticsFocused on analytical models of political institutions, this course is organized around canonical models and their applications. These include: voting models, menu auctions, models of reputation and cheap talk games. These models are used to explain patterns of participation in elections, institutions of congress, lobbying, payments to special interest groups and other observed phenomena.Marco Battaglini
POL 502Mathematics for Political ScienceBasic mathematical concepts essential for formal and quantitative analysis in political science research. Course prepares students for advanced courses offered in the Department, e.g., POL 573-576. Topics will include calculus, linear algebra, and probability theory. Some applications to political science will be introduced. The course is aimed for both students with little exposure to mathematics and those who have taken some but wish to gain a more solid foundation. No prerequisite.Kristopher W. Ramsay
POL 503Survey AnalysisA reading course on survey design and analysis and a practicum on analyzing survey data. Each student will write a paper based on his or her analysis of previously collected survey data or on original survey data collected by the student. Course open to Politics seniors by permission. (Does not prepare for the General Exam in Formal and Quantitative
Analysis.)Martin I. Gilens
POL 511Problems in Political Theory: Property and SovereigntyThis seminar investigates the relationship between property and sovereignty in modern political thought. Among the questions discussed are: are property rights natural or conventional? What is the moral basis of the state's sovereignty over its population and territory? In what ways were ideas about justice and charity (both domestic and international) in this period linked to a background understanding of property rights and their function? The course also considers connections between our main theme - property and sovereignty - and several related topics, including the law of nations, war, and trade.Anna B. StilzCharles R. Beitz
POL 518/PHI 529Political Philosophy: The Problems of Political PhilosophyThis seminar will cover some basic concepts deployed in political thought and practice, looking at the various ways in which they may be institutionally implemented. The concepts discussed will include those of the state, the constitution and the people as well as some more regular social concepts like that of agency, corporation, freedom and power.Philip N. Pettit
POL 525Comparative BureaucracyA seminar dealing theoretically and empirically with the role of bureaucracy as an integral part of the political system, with an emphasis on the relation of the governmental bureaucracy to other governmental institutions (political parties, executives, legislatures) and to nongovernmental institutions. All aspects are treated comparatively. The course covers different methodologies to the study of bureaucracy.Ezra N. Suleiman
POL 544Introduction to American Politics, Part I: Political BehaviorPart of a two-course sequence of the core curriculum in American politics. Provides an introductory survey of American political behavior through a sample of major theories and methods in the study of citizens' views and actions regarding politics. Course begins with consideration of classic studies and proceeds to current works.Tali Mendelberg
POL 547Identity PoliticsGraduate seminar on identity politics within the U.S. context; primary focus is on ethnic, racial and religious identities. Course tackles questions about when, why and to what extent ethnic, racial and religious identities take on significance in American politics. In doing so course examines theories of identity development and change; considers strategies for measuring identity; and assesses the standard empirical approach to studying identity in American politics. Course also explores how context, institutions and elections work to politicize identities under some conditions.Ali A. Valenzuela
POL 551Seminar in International PoliticsA general introduction to the field of international relations, with an emphasis on the principal theoretical approaches and major problems and theories in the field. Students emerge from the course with an ability to situate theories and empirical claims in the broader historical, conceptual and empirical context of debates and literatures.Christina DavisKeren Yarhi-Milo
POL 571Quantitative Analysis IThis is a first course in statistics for social scientists. Students will learn to explore data creatively and to conduct straightforward statistical analyses. Basic probability and statistical theory will also be taught. There is no prerequisite except high school mathematics and a willingness to learn elementary calculus.David B. Carter
POL 573/SOC 595Quantitative Analysis IIISecond course in applied statistical methods for social scientists, building on the materials covered in POL 572 or its equivalent. Course covers a variety of statistical methods including models for longitudinal data and survival data. Material covered corresponds to the quantitative part of the General Exam in Formal and Quantitative Analysis at Level II.Kosuke Imai
POL 576Formal Political Analysis IIFurther development of the analytical tools used in formal political analysis, with special attention given to the role of information, uncertainty, and dynamics in the design and performance of political institutions. Readings emphasize the current research literature. Typical applications include participation, legislative structure, political campaigns, multiparty government, and the interaction of economics and politics.Matias Iaryczower
POL 582Advanced Comparative Political EconomyA broad introduction to the state of the art of the research in formal comparative political economy (CPE), in which the topic of the economic role and of the economic origin of political institutions is perhaps the most central. A number of models are viewed in detail, discussing their substantive results and how the models can improve our understanding of important questions of comparative political economy.John B. Londregan
POL 589State Formation and Political RegimesCourse surveys major topics and theoretical contributions in the construction of political order, the choice of constitutional regimes and the sources of citizens¿ compliance. Course examines: the formation and development of the modern state; democracy; authoritarianism; revolution and political stability; legitimacy and compliance; nationalism; and macro theories of political change. With the explicit goal of exploring how research in comparative politics should be pursued in the future, each session assigns readings from both traditional macrohistorical and qualitative research and more recent analytical models.Jennifer A. Widner
WWS 561/POL 523The Comparative Political Economy of DevelopmentAnalysis of political change and the operation of political institutions in the development process, with emphasis on the interaction of political and economic factors. Various definitions and theories of political development are examined and tested against different economic, ethnic, geographic, and social contexts.Deborah J. Yashar