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 671 m001 Comparative Political Analysis

Instructor: Dimitar Gueorguiev

Class # 20650

Offered: W 12:45 pm-3:30 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 691 m001 Logic of Political Inquiry

Instructor: Lamis Abdelaaty

Class # 11915

Offered: Th 9:30 am-12:15 pm

*This class is restricted to PSC students only*

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 # 11222

Offered: T 12:30 pm-3:15 pm

Course Description

This course introduces 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 m001 Law & Politics

Instructor: Stephan Stohler

Class # 21207

Offered: M 9:30 am-12:15 pm

Course Description

 This graduate seminar introduces students to the law and courts subfield, exploring both classic and contemporary debates that have shaped its development. The course is designed to prepare students for the law and courts comprehensive exam and equip them with the foundational knowledge necessary for conducting independent research in public law.

 The seminar is structured around four major theoretical areas that have driven scholarship in the field: legal activation and mobilization, legal behavior, judicial power, and judicial impact. Through these themes, students will engage deeply with key debates and critically assess competing approaches within the subfield.

 By the end of the course, students should be able to demonstrate a strong command of public law scholarship and contribute thoughtfully to discussions about its major theoretical and empirical questions. The seminar will be discussion-based, with students expected to engage actively with the readings and participate in critical analysis of the material.

PSC 700 m002 Political Conflict & Violence

Instructor: Yael Zeira

Class # 21198

Offered: T 9:30 am-12:15 pm

*This class is partially restricted for PSC Graduate students*

Course Description

In this course, we will engage with key questions in the study of political conflict and violence, including the sources and dynamics of social movements and protest, ethnic conflict and violence, and civil war. The course readings draw primarily from comparative politics but will also include readings from international relations, economics, sociology, and anthropology. The main goal of the course is to introduce you to the main questions driving comparative politics research on political conflict and violence, 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.

A second and equally important aim of the course is to prepare you to develop an independent, empirical research project on the subject of political conflict and violence. You will design such a project over the course of the semester, culminating in a grant proposal, polished research design, or pre-analysis plan that is ready to be submitted for a national grant or fellowship, pre-registered (e.g. with EGAP), etc. After completing this course, you should be able to:

· Know and understand the comparative politics literature on political conflict and violence

· Critically evaluate quantitative and qualitative research on political conflict and violence in terms of its theory, contributions, and methodology

· Develop an independent, empirical research project related to the study of political conflict and violence

· Successfully answer comprehensive exam questions about political conflict and violence

PSC 700 m003 Political Psychology

Instructor: Shana Gadarian

Class # 21208

Offered: W 9:30 am-12:15 pm

Course Description

This course will explore the role of psychology in politics. We will read both the literature in social psychology and political science, but focus most on understanding issues around governance, democracy, citizen competence, and decision-making. We will ask questions such as what do citizens know about politics and government and is it enough? What motivates people to participate in politics and what hinders participation? How does emotion affect citizen judgement and decision-making? More generally, what are the implications of psychology for the way politics works, and ought to work? 

PSC 700 m004 Order & Change in the International System

Instructor: Ryan Griffiths

Class # 21210

Offered: T 9:30 am-12:15 pm

Course Description

In this seminar we will explore a number of topics in international relations. We will begin by looking at theories of international order and the origins of the state system. We will then survey a set of related topics including theories of hierarchy and anarchy, legitimacy, regional variation in political order across time and space, the importance of borders, and the dynamics of international change. In doing so, we’ll engage with the latest research in these topic areas. The seminar is meant to not only prepare students for comprehensive exams, but to also assist them in identifying potential research projects. 

PSC 700 m101 Ethics in International Relations

Instructor: Glyn Morgan

Class # 12519

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 719 m001 Fundamentals of Post-Conflict Reconstruction

Instructor: Renee de Nevers

Class # 20641

Offered: T 3:30 pm-6:15 pm

Meets with PAI 719 m001 

Course Description

The goal of this class is to familiarize students with the main concepts of post conflict reconstruction, the various dimensions and goals of post-conflict work, the types of actors that conduct it, the trade-offs and dilemmas they face, and the lessons learned from its application across various settings. The course will devote considerable attention to the applied side of post-conflict reconstruction; that is, the techniques and tools used by international intermediaries (states, IOs and NGOs) as well as local stakeholders to transition societies from violence to sustainable peace. It will also address many of the key issues that frame the debate in post-conflict reconstruction work: the tension between externally and internally generated recovery efforts; the possibilities and weaknesses of formal peace and reconciliation commissions; the challenges of civilian-military cooperation in post-conflict zones; the trade-offs between stability and liberty; and the quest for viable exit strategies for international actors. 

PSC 785 m001 Comparative Civil-Military Relations

Instructor: Brian Taylor

Class # 20651

Offered: W 3:45 pm-6:30 pm

Course Description

This course is a graduate seminar on the major themes and debates in the study of civil-military relations (CMR). In every modern state the question of the proper balance between the armed forces and the civilian political leadership is a key feature of politics.  In the most extreme cases, the military itself takes power. In established democracies civil-military relations do not take this extreme form, but there are still important debates about the proper degree of military influence over defense and foreign policy, and the degree to which military policy should be responsive to broader social and cultural values. This course has four separate units: 1. Foundations: States, Militaries, Nations, and Military Professionalism; 2. Who’s In Charge? Military Intervention and Civilian Control; 3. Civil-Military Relations and the Use of Force; 4. New Challenges in Civil-Military Relations. 

PSC 792 m001 Research Design

Instructor: Chris Faricy

Class # 11761

Offered: Th 12:45 pm-3:30 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 796 m001 Formal Theories of Choice

Instructor: Minju Kim

Class # 20652

Offered: M 12:45 pm-3:30 pm

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to game theory in political science. In this class, you will learn models of non-cooperative individuals who are not bound by the direct preference aggregation rules. In game theory, preferences will be indirectly aggregated, under the name of “equilibrium,” with actions of the non-cooperative individuals.  

This class has two main learning objectives. First, students will be able to comprehend static and dynamic games of complete and incomplete information. Second, the course will prepare students to independently analyze social science phenomena using game theory. Students will not only solve ready-made problems but will also construct a game on their own to critically analyze a real-world event of their interest. In doing so, students will learn how to apply game-theoretic tools to their own research. 

PSC 804 m001 Advanced Topics in Qualitative Methods

Instructor: Steven White

Class # 12225

Offered: W 12:45 pm-3:30 pm

Course Description

This 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 # 11916, PSC 997 m001, 6 credit hours –or-

Register for class # 11917, PSC 997 m002, 0 credit hours

PSC 999 m001 Dissertation Credits

Register for class # 10430, for 1 to 15 credits

GRD 998 Degree in Progress (Zero Hour Registration)

Register for:

GRD 998m001, register for class # 16915

GRD 998m002, register for class # 16916

GRD 998m003, register for class # 16918

If you have completed your political science coursework and dissertation credits, you should register for GRD 998 “Degree in Progress” each semester until you graduate.

Along with your GRD 998 registration, please remember to complete a Full Time Certification form each semester you are registered for zero credit hours to continue your Full-Time student status. You can find the form on the graduate school link below.

https://answers.syr.edu/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.