POL SCI 702-001Advanced Techniques of Political Science Research Instructor: Kyle Mcwagner (mcwagnek@uwm.edu) Meets: M 4:30pm-7:10pm This is a statistics and data analysis course. The purpose of this course is to:
A) Introduce students with basic statistical theory in both the frequentist and Bayesian framework.
B) Familiarize students to the General Linear Regression framework.
C) Provide students with experience and practice Coding in R and solving common data science problems.
Leaving this class, it is expected that students will be able to:
D) Assess and evaluate the vast majority of quantitative political science research.
E) Be able to identify and apply the correct statistical procedure to test the vast majority of hypotheses one might derive while pursuing their degree and in whatever work they chose to pursue after.
To accomplish these goals and tasks, students will have 15 weeks in which they will receive and
complete reading assignments, attend lectures, participate in worthwhile labs, and work on
various labs and class projects.
POL SCI 926-001Seminar in the Legislative Process Instructor: Hong Min Park (hmpark1@uwm.edu) Meets: W 4:30pm-7:10pm This course is a graduate seminar to study politics in the U.S. Congress. Thus, our goals
are both to gain an understanding of the major behavioral and institutional features of
the U.S. Congress and to scrutinize political science approaches to the study of
congressional politics. Ultimately, by the end of semester, we should be ready for
conducting original research on congressional politics.
POL SCI 952-001The Politics of Developing Nations: Democratization in Comparative Perspective Instructor: Natasha Sugiyama (sugiyamn@uwm.edu) Meets: R 6:30pm-9:10pm This course provides an overview of the literature in comparative politics on democratization. We will address longstanding conceptual questions including definitions of democracy, democratic transitions, quality of democracy, and democratic ‘backsliding.’ The seminar will also tackle debates related to the preconditions for democracy and as well as different accounts for democratic successes and failures.
Readings will draw on case studies from around the world, including Asia, Europe, Middle East, Latin America, and Russia. Throughout the semester we will examine a variety of analytic approaches and methodologies scholars employ in the subfield of comparative politics.
This course draws on several types of readings: classics in democratic theory as well as contemporary analysis of current political processes. Thus, we will read works that are varied in length and style. As the field of comparative politics includes scholarship that appears in full-length monographs, the syllabus includes some books to be read in their entirety. Other readings appear in the form of articles and book chapters.
POL SCI 960-001International Conflict Instructor: Uk Heo (heouk@uwm.edu) Meets: T 4:30pm-7:10pm In this class, we begin with discussions on rationality in international politics. After that, we review the international conflict literature in political science. In the process, we examine leading conflict theories (e.g., realism including balance of power vs. power transition and liberalism including democratic peace, trade-conflict nexus, and common international organization membership and international conflicts), their key variables, and research methods. We also explore new theories in defense economics, deterrence, democratic peace, civil war, and terrorism.