Ph.D. in Political Science: Research Core

At the heart of the generalist training in political science that our program provides are the research tools. Unlike some smaller programs, we do not promote any one paradigmatic, methodological, or substantive approach. The research tools are designed to give all students a solid grounding in the foundations and epistemological core of the discipline, the broad questions that political theorists and political scientists have addressed over the years, the methods that they have used to investigate them, and the analytical tools that are the lingua franca of the political science research community. While our program is not highly quantitative – indeed, we place an equal emphasis on the worth of well-designed qualitative research, and have demonstrated faculty expertise in this area – we introduce all students to the elementary principles of statistical analysis and their use in applied research settings.

All successful Ph.D. students must complete the following courses. Although in rare circumstances we will consider requests for waivers from those who may have taken graduate courses elsewhere, our strong preference is that all students take these courses from our faculty. We also encourage students to complete these courses as early as possible, as we see them as imparting important knowledge and skills that will be used in more substantive and specialized seminars later in the program of study. In addition, students become part of a cohort, which encourages the sense of collegiality and camaraderie among our graduate student body.

Epistemology and Theory:

Pol S 501 (The Scope of Political Science). This course covers basic issues in social science epistemology, elements of social science theory-building, theoretical frameworks in social science, modes of political science thinking and reasoning. The intention of this course is to provide students will a general overview of the emergence of modern political science within the social sciences as a whole, and lay the foundation for the theoretical and methodological seminars included in the research tool requirements. This seminar is offered every Fall, and is taken by all incoming graduate students. Because of this, the seminar is one of the largest that students will take in our program and, depending on numbers of those admitted to the program, may have as many as 25 participants.

Pol S 502 (Normative Theory) or Pol S 511 (American Political Thought). These courses are intended to introduce students to the complexity of normative theory. The requirement aims to familiarize students with the broad questions and concerns that have characterized modern political science and to trace their roots in political philosophy. While the Ph.D. program does not include specialized seminars in normative theory, this basic training helps students place other more substantive seminars a broader historical and theoretical context. As the courses are not offered every year, we do allow students to substitute prior training in normative theory for this requirement (one class at the graduate level, two at the undergraduate level).

Research Methods:

Pol S 503 (Research Methods). This seminar is a general overview of research design and research methods that typify the social sciences and political science. The emphasis of the course is upon two things; first, competent research design, and second, the tools of basic social scientific research. No particular quantitative or statistical skills are required for this course, and topics include many of the basic components of good qualitative research. The intent of this course is to lay the foundations for more specialized research skills that students will acquire and need as they begin to conduct their own original research. As with Pol S 501, the size of this seminar is rather larger than the average in our department, although it does have the advantage of introducing new students to their peers in a cohort setting.

Pol S 504 (Quantitative Methods in Political Science and Criminal Justice). This course, cross-listed as Crm J 504, provides core training in applied statistical skills. Students are required to have previous training in introductory statistics, and will be asked to complete a satisfactory course at the undergraduate level if they have not already done so. Statistical analysis has become, in many ways, the lingua franca of political science as a discipline, and we are diligent about ensuring our graduates have the requisite skills to succeed in the profession. While we do not anticipate that all of our students will use these skills on a daily basis in their own research, the intent is to equip them to read research publications, conference papers, and review manuscripts for submission, that may contain advanced quantitative analysis. The course is offered every Spring and, as it is restricted to Ph.D. students, is not as large as Pol S 501 and 503.

Pol S 539 (Professionalization Practicum). This is a one credit course that meets periodically for two hours over the Fall semester. The practicum is designed to cover some of the more practical issues dealing with graduate studies and the political science profession that may not be covered in other graduate seminars. Topics that we cover include writing literature reviews, conducting research, conference participation, and professional associations in political science. While not a substitute for other, more informal mechanisms by which students gain an appreciation of academia as a profession, the practicum is an opportunity for all incoming students to engage in a dialogue with faculty in the department about their future goals.