CORE CURRICULUM:
These courses form a foundational curriculum of political science theory, research, and teaching skills, and are required of all PSMS graduate students.
Advanced Overview of Political Science (PS 511) - Year 1 / Fall Term
An advanced overview of the four established fields of research in political science: American, Comparative, International Relations, and Political Theory, and faculty sub-areas of expertise.
Intro to Grad School: Skills for Scholarly Success (PS 590) - Year 1 / Fall Term
Welcomes students to the graduate environment and culture of academia. Designed for the first quarter of graduate study, this course focuses on developing essential skills for success in graduate level education, such as: how to read academic literature, note-taking and seminar norms, and understanding the prospectus requirement. Also teaches skills to navigate the often-competing demands on graduate students’ time, and develops the students’ academic toolkit which will serve them throughout their career.
Research Design for Politics and Policy (PS 594) - Year 1 / Winter Term
This course will introduce the logic of social science research and provide a brief overview of the various methods that are commonly used. The focus is on developing design skills that will help clarify research ideas, organize research design and research questions of interest to students.
Testing Theories in Political Science (PS 591) - Year 1 / Spring Term
Survey of the most common methods used to evaluate empirical questions in political science research and assess the adequacy of theories. The course prepares students to interpret, critique, design, and conduct social scientific analysis. It examines both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including case study, content analysis, interviewing, surveys, participant observation, field experiments, and statistical analysis.
How to Teach and Present Social Science Research (PS 589) - Year 2 / Fall Term
Focuses on the skills necessary for designing and teaching a political science course and delivering effective research presentations at conferences. Students will spend the first half of the course on teaching skills and the second half on building and workshopping presentations, emphasizing skills such as public speaking, building effective slideshows and other visuals, and communicating research to audiences with mixed levels of expertise.
SEMINARS:
In addition to the core, MSPS students are required to take two of the four seminar courses representing each of the primary subfields of political science: American Politics, International Relations, Comparative Politics, and Political Theory.
Seminar on American Political Institutions (PS 520)
Introduction to the field of American Politics, with a particular focus on American political institutions and their respective sub-fields within the discipline of political science.
Seminar in International Relations (PS 530)
This graduate seminar surveys the main theoretical and analytical approaches encountered in the study of international relations. Themes include the grand theoretical traditions of liberalism, realism, and radicalism; analytical and methodological perspectives, like behavioralism and rational choice theory; as well as the normative, critical, and postmodern challenges to the mainstream.
Comparative Political Institutions (PS 569)
Examines the performance, capabilities, and overall function of governments worldwide. Emphasis on advanced analyses of theories and concepts in comparative politics, with a particular focus on institutions of the state.
Political Theory and Governance (PS 585)
A survey of the intersection between political theory and governance that explores how political legitimacy might be understood. This class is a graduate-level introduction to these concepts that engages with a broad range of political theorists and approaches to offer the means of evaluating contemporary governance from a normative perspective.
AMERICAN POLITICS
The Presidency (PS 512)
Analysis of the institution, functions, and problems of the presidency. Special attention given to presidential elections, presidential powers, relations with media, presidential leadership. White House staff, executive-legislative relations, and the presidential role in domestic, economic, foreign policy making and execution.
Congress (PS 513)
Study of the structure, organization, powers and operations of Congress. Topics covered include: the evolution of Congress, congressional recruitment and elections, legislative functions, the membership, the leaders, the committee system, the rules and procedures, executive-legislative relations, pressure groups, lobbying, and reform.
Issues in Public Policy (PS 514)
A study of selected major policies and programs of governmental regulation and service. Emphasis is placed upon the formation, administration, and substantive content of policies in such areas as transportation, public utility regulation, medical care, civil rights, education, agriculture, natural resources, and antitrust laws and the preservation of competition.
Political Parties and Elections (PS 516)
An examination of political parties and elections in America. Covers such topics as: the changing role of party organizations, machine politics, electoral rules, candidate recruitment, the nomination process, campaign strategies and tactics, campaign finance, and electoral reform.
Interest Groups (PS 517)
This course analyzes the role of interest groups in the political process. Particular attention is given to why some interests are more successful at forming groups and influencing politics than others. The course also examines techniques used to lobby legislatures, the executive branch, and the courts.
Contemporary Political Protest in America (PS 518)
Analyzes the role of social movements in recent American history. The course blends theoretical readings with empirical research into specific movements. Movements considered include but are not limited to: civil rights, the new left, public interest reform, the freeze movement, the women's movement, the Christian Right, and the paramilitary/skinhead movement.
Political Reform (PS 519)
Examines the concerns that drive the demand for political reform in America, and how specific reform proposals may affect the political system. The first part of the course focuses on a variety of proposals to open up the electoral system and to improve representation. The second part examines various reforms that are designed to make the government work more effectively and efficiently.
The Supreme Court and American Politics (PS 521)
Uses selective case law in order to explore the place of the Supreme Court in America's constitutional structure and its interpretation of the relationship between the branches of federal government. Examines the way the Court forms and shapes policy through constitutional interpretation, and the way political forces and influences shape Court practices, judicial selection, and the decision-making process.
Constitutional Law (PS 522)
A study of the way in which the Supreme Court has shaped and influenced governmental structure and political power. Special attention is given to judicial decisions in the areas of federalism, separation of powers, the commerce clause, and the authority of the presidency.
Civil Liberties (PS 523)
A study of Supreme Court decisions that affect individual rights and liberties. Areas of concentration include, but are not limited to, freedom of speech and press, religious liberty, criminal justice, racial justice, gender justice, and the right to privacy.
Law, Politics, and Society (PS 524)
Examines connection between law and the society which creates and enforces it. Law will be studied from bottom up rather than top down. Emphasis placed on what law is, how people use law, including whether access to law is equal, and how the state exercises power through law.
Women and the Law (PS 525)
Examines the relationship between women and the law. The first half of the course considers several theories of women's equality. During the second half of the course students will apply these theories to a variety of problems in gender justice. Substantive issues covered may include: sexual harassment, abortion, fetal protection policies, and pornography.
The Politics of the News (PS 526)
Explores the role of the news media in political life and the political and economic forces shaping the news. Examines the purposes and functions of mass media in a democracy, the legal and economic structure of the American media, and the journalistic practices and communications strategies that contribute to news coverage of politics.
The Politics of Public Opinion (PS 527)
Course provides students with solid foundations for understanding the nature and evaluating the role of public opinion in American democracy. It will also teach students how to interpret public opinion polls intelligently. Specific topics covered will include how "public opinion" has been defined historically and in contemporary discourse; the various influences that shape peoples' values, beliefs, and attitudes about politics; the methods that pollsters and survey researchers use to measure public opinion and problems with those methods; and the content of Americans' views on controversial political issues.
The Politics of Law and Order (PS 528)
As American crime control policies have become increasingly punitive, the criminal justice system has expanded in size and scope, crime control has become increasingly federalized, and record numbers of Americans have been incarcerated. Class explores what is political about crime control and why American crime policy takes on a particularly punitive cast. In particular, carefully examines the social construction of the crime problem: how popular beliefs about criminals and the causes of crime interact with the media and the political system to create a style of crime policy that is uniquely American.
American Immigration Politics & Policy (PS 529)
Exploration of American immigration politics over time and into the current era.
State and Local Politics (PS 531)
Intensive examination of the role of the states and cities in the federal system. The course pays particular attention to the importance of political culture in shaping state politics and power relationships between the different levels and branches of government. Oregon's political experiences are used as example and for comparison.
Disasters and Public Policy (PS 535)
The political, administrative, and public policy issues surrounding major and catastrophic risks and disasters including both natural (earthquakes, pandemics, asteroids) and man-made (climate change, nuclear weapons, bio-terrorism) events.
Politics of Inequality in the United States (PS 576)
Examines three themes: 1) How and why did economic inequality explode in the U.S. in recent decades? This level of inequality is not inevitable. We look to American politics for answers. 2) How does economic inequality intersect with other forms of inequality (e.g., gender, race, and place)? and 3) What is to be done? Students will draw from their personal experiences with inequality via exercises and assignments.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Comparative Public Policy (PS 515)
Introduction to theories, methods, and cases in comparative public policy. Emphasis on policy learning and applied comparative policy analysis. Unique and shared characteristics of policies in different countries or regions. Topics may include welfare and environmental policy.
World Politics (PS 541)
This course introduces students to the various levels of analysis used in explaining world political events. Examined are a number of conceptual elements of world politics, e.g., power, interdependence, integration, and levels of analysis, as well as certain substantive elements, e.g., international law and organization. Contrasts are drawn between power seeking and order-seeking behaviors of nation states.
Contemporary Theories of World Politics (PS 542)
Surveys concepts and arguments from various theoretical traditions in international relations. Topics are drawn from the ongoing debate between the realist and liberal schools of thought, as well as the challenges posed by radical, normative, and critical international relations theory. Theories will be examined mainly for their insights on issues of war and peace.
Resolving International Conflicts (PS 543)
A seminar that explores different kinds of international disputes and actual conflicts in order to identify and assess theories, analytical frameworks, and methods of conflict resolution, management, and prevention. Emphasis is on understanding the roots of conflicts and techniques that may be appropriate to different levels and dimensions of conflict.
National Security Strategy: Regional Perspectives (PS 544)
Focuses on the regional contexts that influence U.S. national security strategy and the multifaceted reasons security polices succeed or fail in each region of the world. Critical analysis applied to major social, cultural, political, economic, military, technological, and historical issues that shape formation of regional security strategy, and to strategic assessments of U.S. security policies as perceived from other regions' perspectives.
American Foreign Policy (PS 545)
Contemporary foreign relations of the United States; objectives, world, and domestic factors affecting American foreign policy; governmental institutions concerned with development and execution of foreign policy; major issues and problems.
National and International Security Policy (PS 546)
A comparison of national and international security systems, strategies, and policies. Emphasis will be on the current issues arising in these security systems and on the problems that arise when their needs conflict. Particular emphasis will be placed on contending theories of national and international security.
International Organization (PS 547)
The nature and extent of the organization of interaction among nations. Focus on the United Nations, but illustrations and generalization from a wide range of regional and functional organizations including the specialized agencies. Emphasis on the processes of communication, interaction, and negotiation within the organizational environment.
International Law (PS 548)
Introduction to public international law. Particular emphasis is placed on the interplay of politics and law in the international system. Types of law, sources of law, law creating agencies, law applying agencies are considered. Contemporary substantive issues in international law will be discussed.
International Environmental Politics and Law (PS 549)
Explores various environmental problems and issue areas that exist between and among nation-states. There will be an exploration of the political difficulties that impede solutions and the various pathways that may lead to environmental cooperation. There will also be a focus on the international legal regimes and international institutions designed to regulate environmental problems.
The European Union (PS 552)
Focuses on how the EU has evolved since its beginnings in the 1950s, on its present-day organization and functions, and on how the member countries interact with one another in making EU policies for jointly regulating their internal economies and societies as well as their external policies, i.e., how the EU members also try to manage their relations with the rest of the world.
Power Transitions: Past, Present, and Future (PS 553)
Uses power transition theory to examine what elements contribute to global war. Creates a foundation for understanding why nations fight, when they fight, the outcome of wars, and the relationship between global and regional conflicts. Also explores the continuum of peaceful interactions at the global level, and how and when the next series of upheavals will occur in the international system.
International Political Economy (PS 554)
A study of the contending theories of international political economy: power and interdependence, Regime Theory, dependency, integration, and functionalism, as well as the ideologies of political economy-the liberal, national, and Marxist perspectives. Also considered are the politics of trade, aid, and investment.
Politics of Economic Reform in Emerging Market Countries (PS 555)
Explores the process of economic reform in a comparative and international setting by focusing on emerging market countries (e.g., Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Poland, Turkey, and Thailand). Designed to give a more in-depth analysis of reform policies for the students.
Advanced Political Economy (PS 556)
This readings seminar provides a review of the literature in theories and selected issues in international political economy.
Political and Economic Decision Making (PS 559)
Examines the philosophical and conceptual assumptions embodied in alternative decision-making theories in the fields of economics and politics. Designed to show students the differences in individual and collective decision-making processes and the technical and social challenges faced in decision-making processes in the marketplace and the realm of politics. Examples cover local, national, and international policy topics.
Political Development in Modern Turkey (PS 560)
Designed to provide students with an in-depth study of political development literature with a focus on modern Turkey. Examines how modern Turkish republic emerged from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire and evaluates stages of political development during the first, second, and third republic. Finally, assesses the implications of Turkey's new geopolitics (since the end of the Cold War) on Turkish political and economic development in a global perspective.
International Relations of the Middle East (PS 562)
Examination of the external dimension of Middle East politics; the role of the great powers; brief analysis of the British and French roles since 1945; extended analysis of American and Soviet/Russian policy in the Middle East. Special attention will be given to new patterns of international relations in the Middle East in the post- Cold War, post-Gulf War era.
Politics of Russia (PS 565)
An in-depth exploration of Russian politics, history, and culture. Begins with a focus on history, and thus considers the beginnings of the Russian Empire across the centuries. Then examines the rise and fall of communism, with a particular focus on Lenin and Stalin. The final segment of the course focuses on modern Russian politics, with a particular emphasis on the strategies and success of Vladimir Putin.
Politics of China (PS 566)
A survey of the historical, institutional, and social roots of contemporary politics in China as well as a consideration of several public policy areas.
International Politics of East Asia (PS 568)
Examination of the foreign policy motives, objectives, and systems of the major East Asian states: China, Japan, and Korea. Attention is paid in particular to the political economy of regional and extra-regional relationships.
Theories of Comparative Politics (PS 570)
Examines the evolution of the theories and methods of comparative politics, addressing both the recent history of the discipline and the current state of its practices. Topics include: the behavioral revolution, political development, the role of state, the new institutionalism, and the state-in-society approaches.
Gender and Politics: A Comparative Perspective (PS 571)
Examination of the role, progress, behavior, and power of women in politics using a comparative lens. Topics include the representation of women in government, the problems confronting female candidates, the behavior of women officeholders, and the gender gap in politics. Examines women in western democracies, as well as in communist states and developing nations. Individual countries are used as case studies.
Democratization and Authoritarianism in the Middle East and North Africa (PS 572)
Introduction to theoretical, empirical, and methodological debates in the comparative and international relations of the Middle East. Examination of contemporary political, economic, and social topics, including institutions and regimes, political economy, women and politics, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and regional and international affairs.
Government and Politics of Arab North Africa (PS 573)
Examines the domestic and international politics of Arab North Africa, including Morocco, the Moroccan/Western Sahara, Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. Topics include the history of the region, political regimes and authoritarianism, the Arab spring, women’s rights, and U.S.-Maghrebi relations.
Democracy and Development in Latin America (PS 574)
Examines issues of democracy and development in Latin America. It addresses such topics as the role of history, political culture, political leadership, political institutions, the state, the military, civil society, social classes, level of socio-economic development, and their relationship to the possibilities of success or failure for democracy in Latin America. The course examines specific cases such as Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, and Uruguay.
Comparative Politics and Elections (PS 575)
Parties and elections are crucial elements of governance in countries around the world. But while these institutions are omnipresent, there are differences in the power and behavior of political parties as well as in the function and outcome of legislative electoral systems. In this course, we examine those differences with a focus on representation, party survival, and electoral behavior, and perform in-depth case studies of elections in such countries as Germany, Russia, Japan, and Brazil.
Global Food Politics and Policy (PS 577)
Politics and policy of food production and consumption in both rich and poor nations. Review of competing policy arguments across issues relating to food security, markets and market access, and the environment and public health.
Comparative Democratic Institutions (PS 578)
Examines differences in how democratic governments are structured across the globe and what these differences mean for governing. Explores differences both among and between presidential, parliamentary, and semi-presidential political systems. Examines federal and unitary political structures, and the role of supreme courts. Field trip to observe alternative democratic system.
Transitions to Democracy (PS 579)
Comparative analysis of political systems which have experienced a transition from an authoritarian to a democratic regime. Attention is given to the conditions supportive of democratic transition and to the problems of maintaining democratic stability.
POLITICAL THEORY
Democratic Theory (PS 581)
Critical examination of the principles of democratic politics, including important statements in the history of political thought and contemporary political theory. Issues discussed include participation, deliberation, electoral competition, constitutionalism, and the challenges of democratic legitimacy in the context of US institutions and increasing globalization.
Liberalism and Its Critics (PS 582)
Critical examination of the theory and practice of liberalism as an ongoing tradition. The basic elements of liberalism are identified and discussed and criticisms of the liberal tradition, as offered by communitarians, classical republicans, feminists, and postmodernists, are examined. Liberal responses to these criticisms are also explored.
Justice in the Modern World (PS 583)
Critical analysis of the nature and meaning of social justice. Special attention is given to liberal theories of justice, questions of distributive justice, justice and the rule of law, inter-generational justice, and political alternatives to the liberal vision of social justice.
American Political Thought: 1600 to 1820 (PS 586)
The development from 1600 to 1820 of American political thought about government and its proper relation to the individual and society. Specific topics considered include the English background; the colonial mind; ideas informing the revolution; the creation of the Constitution; and the ratification debates; the Jeffersonian and Hamiltonian conflict; John Marshall and the expansion of national power. Attention given to bringing to the surface the fundamental, often inarticulate, patterns, and presuppositions of American thought about political things.
American Political Culture: 1820 to the Present (PS 587)
The development from 1820 to the present of American political thought about government and its proper relation to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness. Topics considered include democratization and the Jacksonian period, slavery, and the nature of the Union, Social Darwinism and industrialization, the progressive period, the coming of the welfare state, and contemporary concerns. Attention given to bringing to the surface the fundamental, often inarticulate, patterns, and presuppositions of American thought about political things.
Philosophy of the Social Sciences (PS 593)
An analysis of the practical challenges and competing approaches to the practice of social science, especially political science. Subjects considered include the aims of social science, concepts and description, causality, rationality, macro and micro explanations, interpretation, and postmodernism.