RESEARCH SEMINAR
Ekim Arbatli
2013 - 2014
MODULE 1
1. The scientific study of politics and history of the discipline
Ontology and epistemology in political science: What is politics? Is political science really a “science”? What is the scientific study of politics? The historical development of the discipline and main schools of thought.
Required reading:
*Marsh and Stoker, Introduction, pp. 1-23.
*Kramer, “Political Science as Science”, (in Weisberg), chapter 2, pp. 11-23.
*Almond, “Political Science: The History of the Discipline” (in Goodin and Klingemann), chapter 2, pp. 50-89.
(Total pages: 75)
2. Behavioralism
The rise of behavioralism in political science, the claim to a scientific approach, the main points of behavioralist thought, the critiques.
Required reading:
*Marsh and Stoker, chapter 1, pp. 23-41.
*Adcock, “Interpreting Behavioralism”, (in Adcock and Bevir), pp. 180-193.
*Easton, “Introduction: The Current Meaning of ‘Behavioralism’ in Political Science”, (in Charlesworth), pp. 1-25.
(Total pages: 58)
3. Rational choice
The rational choice theory, the interest-based approach to the study of politics, strengths and weaknesses of the rational choice approach, the critiques.
Required reading:
*Marsh and Stoker, chapter 2, pp. 42-59.
*McCubbins, Mathew D., and Michael F. Thies, "Rationality and the Foundations of Positive Political Theory", Leviathan, 19 (Autumn 1996), pp. 7-32.
*Text for analysis: Olson, Mancur, “Dictatorship, Democracy and Development”, American Political Science Review, 87 (1996), pp. 567-76.
(Total pages: 54)
4. Institutionalism
The rise of institutionalism, the institution-based approach to the study of politics, new institutionalism and its varieties, the critiques.
Required reading:
*Marsh and Stoker, chapter 3, pp. 60-79.
*Hall, Peter A. and Rosemary C. R. Taylor, “Political Science and Three New Institutionalisms”, Political Studies, 44:5 (December 1996), pp. 936-957.
*Text for analysis: Skocpol, Theda, “France, Russia, China: A Structural Analysis of Social Revolutions”, Comparative Studies in Society and History, 18:2 (April 1976), pp. 175-210.
(Total pages: 78)
5. Constructivism and interpretive theory
Constructivism and the study of ideas, the interpretive theory, the limits of the interpretative approach.
Required reading:
*Marsh and Stoker, chapter 4, pp. 80-98.
*Neufeld, Marc, "Interpretation and the "Science" of International Relations", Review of International Studies, 19:1 (January 1993), pp. 39-61.
*Text for analysis: Finnemore, Martha and Kathryn Sikkink, “International Norm Dynamics and Political Change, International Organization, 52:4 (September 1998), pp. 887-917.
(Total pages: 73)
6. Marxism and feminism
Marxism and feminism as theoretical approaches, the normative study of politics, debates in the discipline.
Required reading:
*Marsh and Stoker, chapters 6 and 7, pp. 114-155.
*Text for analysis (Marxism): Wallerstein, “The Rise and Demise of the Future Capitalist System: Concepts for Comparative Analysis”, pp. 1-37.
*Text for analysis (Feminism):Bryson, Valerie,“Marxism and feminism: can the ‘unhappy marriage’ be saved?”,Journal of Political Ideologies, 9:1 (February 2004), pp. 13-30.
(Total pages: 97)
MODULE 2
1. The fundamentals of research design
The basic concepts (variable, correlation, causation, hypothesis, theory, law) and the main steps of research design.
Required reading:
* The “language of research” section in the following website offers a good introduction to basic concepts of research:
2. Types of inference and constructing causal theories
Descriptive inference, causality and causal inference, estimating causal effects, rules for constructing causal theories.
Required reading:
*King, Keohane and Verba, pp. 75-114.
(Total pages: 40)
3. Selecting cases and observations
Number of inferences and observations, multicollinearity, selection bias, random selection, intentional selection of observations, case studies.
Required reading:
*King, Keohane and Verba, pp. 115-149.
(Total pages: 35)
4. Analytical errors to avoid
Measurement errors, omitted variable bias, including irrelevant variables, endogeneity problem.
Required reading:
*King, Keohane and Verba, pp. 150-207.
(Total pages: 58)
MODULE 3
1. Qualitative methods
Comparative historical analysis (critical junctures and path dependence), case studies, ethnography and participant observation, interviews, focus groups, content analysis.
2. Quantitative methods (week 1)
Correlation, causation, regression analysis, multiple regression.
3. Quantitative methods (week 2)
Logistic regression and ordinal regression.
4. Qualitative vs. quantitative methods: debates in the discipline
Evaluating the debates in the discipline, the choice of methods.
Reading:
*Mahoney, James and Goertz, Gary (2006). "A Tale of Two Cultures: Contrasting Quantitative and Qualitative Research", Political Analysis, Vol. 14, pp. 227-249.
MODULE 4
This module will be organized as an independent study period where each student will be expected to write a seminar paper based on the research design techniques they learned during the year.
REFERENCES
Adcock, Robert and Mark Bevir. Modern Political Science: Anglo-American Exchanges since 1880. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007.
Brady, Henry, David Collier, and Jason Seawright. Rethinking Social Inquiry: Diverse Tools, Shared Standards. Rowman and Littlefield, 2004.
Bryson, Valerie,“Marxism and feminism: can the "unhappy marriage" be saved?”,Journal of Political Ideologies, 9:1 (February 2004), pp. 13-30.
Charlesworth, James C. The Limits of Behavioralism in Political Science: A Symposium Sponsored by the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Philadelphia: American Academy of Political and Social, 1962.
Finnemore, Martha and Kathryn Sikkink, “International Norm Dynamics and Political Change, International Organization, 52:4 (September 1998), pp. 887-917.
George, Alexander, and Andrew Bennett. Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences. MIT Press, 2005.
Goodin, Robert E. and Hans-Dieter Klingemann. A New Handbook of Political Science. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Hall, Peter A. and Rosemary C. R. Taylor, “Political Science and Three New Institutionalisms”, Political Studies, 44:5 (December 1996), pp. 936-957.
King, Gary, Robert Keohane, and Sidney Verba. Designing Social Inquiry. Princeton University Press, 1994.
Mahoney, James, and Dietrich Rueschemeyer. Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences. Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Marsh, David and Gerry Stoker. Theory and methods in political science. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.
McCubbins, Mathew D., and Michael F. Thies, "Rationality and the Foundations of Positive Political Theory", Leviathan, 19 (Autumn 1996), pp. 7-32.
Neufeld, Marc, "Interpretation and the "Science" of International Relations", Review of International Studies, 19:1 (January 1993), pp. 39-61.
Olson, Mancur, “Dictatorship, Democracy and Development”, American Political Science Review, 87 (1996), pp. 567-76.
Ragin, Charles C. Redesigning Social Inquiry: Fuzzy Sets and Beyond. University of Chicago Press, 2008.
Skocpol, Theda, “France, Russia, China: A Structural Analysis of Social Revolutions”, Comparative Studies in Society and History, 18:2 (April 1976), pp. 175-210.
Wallerstein, Immanuel. The Capitalist World-Economy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Weisberg, Herbert F. Political Science: The Science of Politics. New York: Agathon Press, 1986.
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