PSCI5800 - Game Theory

Status
A
Activity
SEM
Section number integer
301
Title (text only)
Game Theory
Term
2024C
Syllabus URL
Subject area
PSCI
Section number only
301
Section ID
PSCI5800301
Course number integer
5800
Meeting times
WF 10:15 AM-11:44 AM
Level
graduate
Instructors
Alexander R Weisiger
Description
This course provides an introduction to non-cooperative game theory and its applications to political science. The goal of the course is to provide students with the background and understanding necessary to read published game-theoretic work in political science journals. To that end, the course covers the basic concepts of game theory, including Nash equilibrium and its main refinements, simultaneous and sequential games, repeated games, evolutionary game theory, and games of incomplete and private information. In addition, we will cover some of the central models used in political science, notably models of public choice (such as the median voter theorem) and models of bargaining.
Course number only
5800
Use local description
No

PSCI5685 - Modern Islamic Political Thought

Status
A
Activity
SEM
Section number integer
301
Title (text only)
Modern Islamic Political Thought
Term
2024C
Subject area
PSCI
Section number only
301
Section ID
PSCI5685301
Course number integer
5685
Meeting times
T 1:45 PM-4:44 PM
Level
graduate
Instructors
Roxanne L Euben
Description
The study of modern and contemporary political theory tends to focus on European and American thinkers. By contrast, this seminar is an advanced, reading-intensive course focused on modern and contemporary Islamic political thought. Topics and concepts covered include Muslim philosophies of history; critiques of Western imperialism; the relation between reason and revelation; the status of women; travel and knowledge; democracy and sovereignty; jihad and violence; what it means to be a Western Muslim; what the War on Terror means to American Muslims; and what makes a thinker or book “Islamic.” The course has three goals: 1) to introduce students to a rich tradition of political thought beyond the Euro-American canon of political theory; 2) to critically analyze some of the most important ideas, debates, and dilemmas that characterize modern and contemporary Islamic political thought; and 3) to engage with major figures from the recent history of Islamic political thought on as close to their own terms as possible, with an eye toward understanding their continuing political significance.
Advanced undergraduates require instructor permission.
Course number only
5685
Use local description
No

PSCI5401 - Human Rights

Status
A
Activity
LEC
Section number integer
640
Title (text only)
Human Rights
Term
2024C
Subject area
PSCI
Section number only
640
Section ID
PSCI5401640
Course number integer
5401
Meeting times
T 5:15 PM-7:55 PM
Level
graduate
Instructors
Eileen Doherty-Sil
Description
This course will examine the theoretical, historical and political foundations of contemporary human rights debates. The course will cover not only broad conceptual issues, but also specific issue areas (e.g., civil rights, economic rights, women's rights, business and human rights), as well as the question of how new rights norms emerge and diffuse in the international arena. Undergraduates are not permitted.
Course number only
5401
Use local description
No

PSCI5400 - Borders and Boundaries in International and Comparative Perspective

Status
A
Activity
SEM
Section number integer
301
Title (text only)
Borders and Boundaries in International and Comparative Perspective
Term
2024C
Syllabus URL
Subject area
PSCI
Section number only
301
Section ID
PSCI5400301
Course number integer
5400
Meeting times
W 3:30 PM-6:29 PM
Level
graduate
Instructors
Beth Ann Simmons
Description
This research seminar is designed for graduate students and advanced undergraduates. It explores the meaning and consequences of borders and boundaries in international relations. How do borders, border regions, and border activities speak to national encounters with neighbors and the rest of the world? How do international borders influence war and peace between states? How do they affect international trade and development? When and how are international borders “securitized,” and how does this affect the flow of goods, people, and illicit activities around and across the border? How do states cooperate across international borders? While this course is designed primarily as a seminar in international relations, we will examine the meaning and function of boundary-making between states from multiple perspectives. Borders, border regions and border crossings have multiple significance as designations of state authority, security buffers, expressions of social meaning and opportunities for economic integration. As a seminar designed primarily to stimulate research ideas, this course will be concerned with historical and current problems relating to international borders around the world. We will concentrate on formulating interesting research questions, bringing data to bear on specific hypotheses, becoming familiar with data sources, and designing our own research. All assignments are related to developing research skills; there are no in-class exams.
Course number only
5400
Use local description
No

PSCI5200 - Political Behavior & Public Opinion

Status
A
Activity
SEM
Section number integer
301
Title (text only)
Political Behavior & Public Opinion
Term
2024C
Syllabus URL
Subject area
PSCI
Section number only
301
Section ID
PSCI5200301
Course number integer
5200
Meeting times
T 8:30 AM-11:29 AM
Level
graduate
Instructors
Matthew Levendusky
Description
This course is designed to give advanced undergraduates and graduate students exposure to the literature on political behavior in American politics (the course is part of the departments graduate sequence in American politics). The course will cover both the classics of public opinion and political behavior from the Columbia, Michigan, and Rochester schools, as well as more current topics and debates in the literature. Topics include (but are not limited to) the early voting studies, the role of partisanship and polarization, the nature and origins of ideology, mass-elite interactions, heuristics and low information rationality, the nature of the survey response, campaign and media effects, framing effects, and the role of institutions in structuring behavior. Undergraduates are welcome in the class, but they should know that the class assumes familiarity with quantitative approaches to studying politics, and they should speak to the instructor before enrolling.
Course number only
5200
Use local description
No

PSCI4997 - Political Science Honors

Status
A
Activity
SEM
Section number integer
301
Title (text only)
Political Science Honors
Term
2024C
Subject area
PSCI
Section number only
301
Section ID
PSCI4997301
Course number integer
4997
Meeting times
T 12:00 PM-2:59 PM
Level
undergraduate
Instructors
Bess Davis
Description
This is a mandatory seminar for all students planning to submit an honors thesis for the purpose of possibly earning distinction in Political Science upon graduation. The course is aimed at helping students identify a useful and feasible research question, become familiar with the relevant literatures and debates pertaining to that question, develop a basic understanding of what might constitute "good" and "original" research in different subfields, and set up a plan for conducting and presenting the research. The course is also aimed at building a community of like-minded student researchers, which can complement and enrich the honor student's individual experience of working one-on-one with a dedicated faculty thesis advisor. Students apply in the spring of their junior year for admissions to the honors program and enrollment in PSCI497.
Course number only
4997
Use local description
No

PSCI4993 - The Politics of the War on Drugs and the Opioid Epidemic: Street Crime and Suite Crime

Status
A
Activity
SEM
Section number integer
301
Title (text only)
The Politics of the War on Drugs and the Opioid Epidemic: Street Crime and Suite Crime
Term
2024C
Syllabus URL
Subject area
PSCI
Section number only
301
Section ID
PSCI4993301
Course number integer
4993
Meeting times
W 12:00 PM-2:59 PM
Level
undergraduate
Instructors
Marie Gottschalk
Description
Consult the department for detailed descriptions or if you think the course could count toward a subfield other than American Politics. More than one course may be taken in a given semester.
Course number only
4993
Use local description
No

PSCI4897 - Andrea Mitchell Center Undergraduate Research Seminar

Status
A
Activity
SEM
Section number integer
301
Title (text only)
Andrea Mitchell Center Undergraduate Research Seminar
Term
2024C
Subject area
PSCI
Section number only
301
Section ID
PSCI4897301
Course number integer
4897
Meeting times
M 5:15 PM-8:14 PM
Level
undergraduate
Instructors
Jeffrey E. Green
Description
The course is intended for Andrea Mitchell Centre Undergraduate Fellows to present their research ideas, share with the class progress on their ongoing projects, and receive constructive feedback from fellow students and the course instructor.
Course number only
4897
Use local description
No

PSCI4203 - The Future of Conservatism and the GOP: Radicalization, Renewal or Replacement (SNF Paideia Course)

Status
X
Activity
SEM
Section number integer
301
Title (text only)
The Future of Conservatism and the GOP: Radicalization, Renewal or Replacement (SNF Paideia Course)
Term
2024C
Subject area
PSCI
Section number only
301
Section ID
PSCI4203301
Course number integer
4203
Meeting times
CANCELED
Level
undergraduate
Instructors
Deirdre Martinez
Description
Students will explore both the roots and the evolution of conservative thought by engaging with readings and directly with the prominent leaders on the right. As this is election season we'll devote time to election news and results and consider the implications for the Republican Party.
Course number only
4203
Use local description
No

PSCI4200 - Political Psychology

Status
A
Activity
SEM
Section number integer
301
Title (text only)
Political Psychology
Term
2024C
Subject area
PSCI
Section number only
301
Section ID
PSCI4200301
Course number integer
4200
Meeting times
W 1:45 PM-4:44 PM
Level
undergraduate
Instructors
Michele Francine Margolis
Description
How do campaign advertisements influence voters' perceptions and behavior? What roles do emotions play in politics? Do we all harbor some measure of racism, sexism, or homophobia, and what role do these stereotypes play in political behavior? How and why do ideologies form, and how does partisanship influence the way that voters understand the political world? How do people perceive threat, and what are the psychological consequences of terrorism? These questions, and many others, are the province of political psychology, an interdisciplinary field that uses experimental methods and theoretical ideas from psychology as tools to examine the world of politics. In this course, we will explore the role of human thought, emotion, and behavior in politics and examine the psychological origins of citizens' political beliefs and actions from a variety of perspectives. Most of the readings emphasize politics in the United States, though the field itself speaks to every aspect of political science.
Course number only
4200
Use local description
No