Dissertation Writing Workshop for students in all empirical subfields. Students working on all phases of their dissertations, from prospectus to post field work writing and post-research article preparation, are welcome.
The goal of this yearlong course is to provide a forum in which students propose, develop, and complete a research project that produces a journal-length paper of publishable quality. This paper will typically serve as students' second-year M.A. essay, and the course is intended as a complement to that requirement. This course is primarily oriented towards second-year Ph.D. students in any subfield (students in other years may participate with the professors’ consent). The course meets regularly during parts of the fall semester and irregularly during the spring semester. In the first few weeks of the course, we discuss the process of moving from research topic to research question; and we survey published articles by recent Ph.D. students/assistant professors, focusing on the structure and nature of the writing and presentation as well the quality of the argument and evidence. We then move to students’ research proposals for the rest of the fall semester. During the spring semester, students meet individually with the course instructors and their advisors, develop and revise drafts of their papers, and present their work at a department “APSA-style” conference. In order to complete the course and receive credit, students must complete the requirements for both semesters.
Most countries in the world now hold some form of electoral process, yet these elections vary widely in the degree to which they are democratic. Central questions in the junior seminar include the following: How and why do elections matter? Can they lead to democracy in very undemocratic settings? How well do theories of elections in democratic countries explain elections in politically volatile environments? What is different about elections in countries that are not already democratic? How has the international emphasis on elections influenced the global spread of elections? How do international actors influence elections and democratization? What are the long-term consequences of electoralism, and what does this mean for democratization? What does the US turn away from democracy mean for elections around the world? This seminar will explore these questions by examining literature within comparative politics and international relations. Although the assigned readings contain some introductory pieces, the majority of the reading is more contemporary work from leading scholars in political science and the course should not be considered an introduction to the study of democracy or elections.
Intro to IR and Intro to Comparative are recommended as preparation.
Why are some post-communist countries more politically and economically successful than others? What underlies the many conflicts in this region? What can
happen in the future, and what can we learn from the East European experience? This course is designed to help you answer these and similar questions. Topics include state-socialism and its collapse, the emergence of ethnic politics, the transitions to democracy and market economics, entry into NATO and the European Union, the migrant crisis, democratic backsliding, and the role of Russia.
For more than sixty years, the European Union has represented the world’s most advanced experiment in governance beyond the nation-state. More recently, however, this experiment has become mired in financial turbulence and growing social protest, and for the first time faces the withdrawal of a member. This course takes a broad view of the promise as well as the challenges of European integration. It looks at the EU’s institutional components, the events leading to the single currency in the 1990s, enlargement eastward into the post-socialist world, and the major crises that have been challenging Europe since 2008: the financial crisis, the rise of populism, and Brexit. These topics allow us to assess Europe’s ability to craft adequate responses to the challenges posed by economic transformation, terrorism, multiculturalism, and worldwide financial interdependence, and to come to a better understanding of the EU’s current and future role on the world stage.
Instructor: Matthew Stenberg
In this course, we will read contemporary political and social theory focused on major challenges of the political present: climate change, rising authoritarianism, democracy on the ropes, extreme socio-economic inequality and precarity, and (perhaps) the damages wrought by the Coronavirus pandemic. We will focus on questions of approach and epistemology as well as the specifics of the arguments. Among possible thinkers we will read are Partha Chatterjee, Enzo Traverso, Andre Singer, Achin Vanaik, Eva von Redecker, Jedidiah Purdy, Levitsky and Ziblatt, Alyssa Battistoni, Wolfgang Streeck and Martin Saar. However, this list is due to change between now (April 2020) and September.
Students are expected to have some background in critical theory.
Students may enroll now but if the course is over-subscribed at the first session I will ask all students to write a brief application statement, with no priority given to pre-enrolled students. The seminar will be limited to 15.
PS 375 is a two-credit course designed for first-time Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs). The course seeks to introduce students to practical teaching methods and to foster discussion about effective pedagogy. It also focuses on professional development, in particular on developing skills that are closely related to effective teaching such as presentation skills. The course features student presentations on selected pedagogical topics, panels on key issues related to teaching and to professional development, and discussion of weekly assignments in relation to challenges encountered by GSIs in the course of their teaching.
This is a specialized course devoted to contemporary politics, economic development, and social issues in Russia. Students will learn about Russia’s political and economic history, social development, and current challenges. Russia’s relations with the other post-Soviet states are also studied in detail. The course is an in-depth overview of the geopolitical, cultural, and other factors that shape Russia’s behavior on the international arena, with an emphasis on Russia’s ideology, institutions, and leadership. The course provides knowledge on Russia’s influence and conflicts in such regions as the Caucasus, Central Asia, Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and especially North America (with a strong focus on U.S.-Russia relations). In addition to political and social issues, the course analyzes energy geopolitics, climate change, cyber-security, and other urgent aspects that involve Russia.
Students who took PS 129B or 141A "Russian Politics" with Professor Fish cannot take this course due to the substantial similarity in course content.
Instructor: Dr. Ekaterina "Kate" Svyatets (Svyatets@yahoo.com)
Subfield: Comparative Politics
This course is a seminar which can be taken for 0- 2 units, Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory with the following course description:
A forum for the presentation and discussion of research in progress by graduate students. To receive credit for the course, the student will participate fully, including, as asked, either making a presentation of work in progress or serving as lead discussant for another student's work. Appropriate works-in-progress include (but are not limited to) a paper in preparation for submission to a journal, a dissertation prospectus (including early drafts), a dissertation chapter, or a job market paper. Anyone working on theory is welcome.
Please see click on the link below for more information regrarding MIRTH
http://polisci.berkeley.edu/research-and-teaching/lectures-colloquia/monday-international-relations-thoughts-series-mirth