GRADUATE COURSES OFFERED

The graduate courses being offered by the Political Science Department for Fall 2008 semester are listed below, followed by course descriptions for the Fall 2008 classes.

You may also see our Prospective Courses for the next 3 years.

FALL 2008

POL 580	001	METH POLITICAL INQUIRY	T	3:30 PM	5:50 PM	SSCI	332	MISHLER
POL 582	001	RESEARCH + METHODOLOGY	MW	11:00 AM	12:15 PM	S SCI	332	WESTERLAND
POL 582	001	RESEARCH + METHODOLOGY	F	10:00 AM	11:50 AM			WESTERLAND
POL 595A	001	AMERICAN POLITICS	M	3:30 PM	4:50 PM			NORRANDER
POL 595D	001	COMPARATIVE POLITICS	T	3:30 PM	5:50 PM			WILLERTON
POL 595E	001	INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS	W	3:30 PM	5:50 PM			VOLGY
POL 596D	001	COMPARATIVE POLITICS	M	2:30PM	4:50 PM			MISHLER
POL 596E	001	INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS	R	3:30 PM	5:50 PM			PETERSON
POL 601	001	PROFESSION OF POL SCI	F	3:00 PM	4:15 PM			DIXON
POL 682	001	ADV RESEARCH METHODS	W	3:30 PM	5:50 PM			GOERTZ

FALL 2008 Graduate Course Descriptions

POL 580 - Meth. Political Inquiry
Tuesday – 3:30-5:50
Professor William Mishler

This seminar introduces students to the theory and practice of research in Political Science.  The seminar begins at a high level of abstraction by engaging the twin questions: “how do we know what we think we know,” and, “how can we communicate that knowledge to others in ways they will accept/believe?” We draw upon a rich but sometimes difficult literature on the philosophy of science to try and understand the nature of science, the difference between good science and pseudoscience, and whether social and political phenomena can be studied scientifically. As part of this discussion we consider a brief history of Political Science focusing on the main schools of research in Political Science from the late 1800s through today.  The seminar then examines the basic elements of empirical (positive) research including theory construction, concept formation, observation and measurement, and causal inference.  A mixture of readings, both theoretical and applied, are assigned in an effort to prepare students both to evaluate existing research and to design a significant piece of original research on their own.  By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to understand and apply the basic concepts of research design to political science research.  They also are expected to be able to read the existing literature in Political Science with a critical but sympathetic eye and to be able to design an independent research project capable of answering important, theory relevant, nomothetic questions in Political Science.

POL 582 - Research and Methodology
Monday/Wednesday 11:00-12:15
Lab: Friday 11:00-11:50
Professor Chad Westerland

The goal of this course is to provide students with a basic understanding of statistical techniques used in the empirical analysis of research questions in political science. The course will focus on a theoretical understanding of basic statistics, along with their substantive applications. We will concentrate on the uses, limitations, and interpretations of statistics. Although this is not a highly mathematical course, some comfort with mathematical procedures, mostly at the high school algebra level is necessary. Further, we will discuss basic probability mathematics. Computers will be used to do much of the statistical calculations; the use of statistics packages will also be covered

POL 595A - American Politics
Monday 3:30-5:50
Professor Norrander

This course surveys some of the key issues in qualitative methods. Major sections of the course deal with causal complexity, necessary and sufficient conditions, fuzzy-set methods, concepts, case study methodology, case selection, and philosophy of causation. Students will do 5-7 page projects on (1) causal complexity, (2) concepts, (3) case selection, and (4) case studies.

595D – Comparative Politics
Thursday 3:30-5:50
Professor Pat Willerton

This survey and readings course is intended to expose participants to a diversity of topics and findings related to Comparative Politics. We will explore, among other topics, the literature on democratization, development, the state and its institutions, political economy, political elites, and party and electoral systems. The survey is not limited to any particular area or subfield and aims to introduce participants to the broad field of Comparative Politics. Attention will also be given to the intersection between political science disciplinary and area studies scholarship. Course participants will, among other tasks, craft and present to the seminar a research prospectus that I hope may serve as a basis for a future 900 paper or dissertation. Our sessions will involve our collective review and discussion of assigned readings as well as periodic consideration of one another's emerging research project and the planned prospectus. I put a lot of weight in assessing seminar members' performance on their weekly preparation and active participation. Participants will be able to complete all required assignments during the course of the 15-week semester; I intend that no incompletes will be given.

This course is designed to provide a comprehensive -- yet manageable -- presentation of the Comparative Politics field both to participants with a primary professional interest in this area and to participants whose primary interests are grounded in other fields of the discipline.

595E – International Relations
Tuesday 3:30-5:50
Professor Tom Volgy

This seminar is designed to survey the variety of theoretical approaches to the study of international politics; to review and assess salient literature on key topics in international politics; and provide an opportunity for students to place their specific area(s) of interest within the larger flow of literature
in the field.

Students are expected to become acquainted with key theoretical approaches and concepts; with key methodological issues and research designs and findings; and with continuing controversies over both in the field. At the conclusion of the seminar, each student is expected to produce a paper that demonstrates a working knowledge of choices available with respect to alternative theoretical
perspectives and research designs in the field.

POL 596D – Comparative Politics
Thursday 3:30-5:50
Professor William Mishler

This seminar examines the interaction and impact of institutions and culture on macro and micro-political behavior. The overall focus is on democratic institutions and regimes, although some readings and research may stray a bit from this focus.  The first half of the course will be devoted to the critical reading of a variety of old and new research on the structure and functioning of democratic systems and on the nature and determinants of individual political behavior within such systems. The second half of the course will emphasize students presentation (and critiques) of their own research on various aspects of this topic. The seminar will include practical instruction on concept formation and measurement and on comparative research methods including multi-level modelling.

POL 596E – International Relations - Global Political Economy
Monday 3:30-5:50
Professor V. Spike Peterson

Premise and objectives of the seminar:

In the face of contemporary structural transformations (typically--and problematically--characterized as ‘globalization’), reigning explanatory frameworks are inadequate. Hence, we will review existing characterizations of ‘globalization’ and the activities and developments construed as ‘economic restructuring’ with an eye toward what they tell us and what they obscure or omit. The seminar focuses on readings that are critical of the uneven effects of globalization and the new (neoliberal) global political economy. We will consider a variety of analytical/theoretical frameworks with the intention of developing more adequate approaches to today’s transnational political economies. To orient our efforts, we will explore an integration that I cast as “rewriting global political economy as reproductive, productive, and virtual economies.” That is, we will attempt to specify and integrate our knowledge of three interactive ‘economies’ (in the Foucauldian sense of overlapping systemic sites through and across which power operates): reproductive (this involves identities, ideologies and practices of ‘social reproduction’; informal sector activities), productive (this includes conventional but inadequately theorized activities and developments in the ‘formal’ sphere of markets), and virtual (this refers to technologically enhanced dematerialization, deterritorialization; expanding financial markets; consumerism of signs).

Email me if you have any questions! spikep@u.arizona.edu

POL 682 – Advance Research Methods
Wednesday 3:30-5:50
Professor Gary Goertz

This course surveys some of the key issues in qualitative methods. Major sections of the course deal with causal complexity, necessary and sufficient conditions, fuzzy-set methods, concepts, case study methodology, case selection, and philosophy of causation. Students will do 5-7 page projects on (1) causal complexity, (2) concepts, (3) cause selection, and (4) case studies.

3 Year Prospective Course Offerings

Academic Year 2007 - 2008

Academic Year 2008 - 2009

Academic Year 2009 - 2010

Department of Political Science, The University of Arizona
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Page last updated March 10, 2008