POLS 503 Professor Rebecca J. Hannagan
Scope and Methods 406 Zulauf Hall – 753-9675
Spring 2008 Email: rhannaga@niu.edu
Office Hours: M 12:30 – 1:45 pm
W 4:00 – 5:30 pm and by appt.
I.
Introduction
This second semester of the scope and methods sequence is an extension of what was covered in 502 (planning and executing a research project). As a political scientist in training, you are expected to understand the research process not only for completion of your dissertation, but to pursue your research agenda as a scholar beyond graduate school. Understanding the theoretical underpinnings and methods employed in political science research serves another practical purpose beyond executing research, however. As a political scientist you should have a general knowledge such that you can read the journals and attend professional conferences and have something to say about other scholar’s work – even if it is outside your area of expertise.
II.
Required
The reading load is heavy (but that is life in grad school!). I am asking you to buy four books that will be available at the campus bookstore and VCB.
David Silbergh, Doing Dissertations in Politics: A Student Guide (Routledge Press, 2001)
Stephen Van Evera, Guide
to Methods for Students of Political Science (
Richard Bernstein, The Restructuring of Social and Political Theory (U. of Pennsylvania Press, 1976)
Mark Lichbach, Is
Rational Choice Theory All of Social Science?
(
You will also be responsible for a number of articles and book chapters that will be available from me and via J-STOR.
III.
Course
Requirements
Class participation is essential and will figure into
your final grade. I expect everyone to
have read the readings prior to class and be ready to discuss them in
class. 15% of your grade.
During the “Philosophical Foundations” section of the course
you will be responsible for writing a short reaction paper (2 pages)
that is a critical analysis of the week’s readings. There are eight class periods where we will
cover philosophical foundations and you are required to write five reaction
papers. 30% of your grade.
Eight times during the semester there will be a topic for debate
that will serve to focus a portion of the discussion. Students will be assigned to present
alternative arguments to the rest of the class.
Everyone will join in the discussion of the debate topic once both sides
have presented their cases. 10% of your grade.
Since the focus of the scope and methods sequence is to
prepare you as a scholar, and because I aim at a practical approach to this
course, you will be responsible for scheduling two meetings with me outside of
class time to discuss your progress on your starred papers or dissertation
prospectus or dissertation. If you are
revising seminar papers in preparation for the MA or preparing your
dissertation prospectus for the PhD, I want to see drafts and/or outlines from
you twice during the semester. If this
is something you are struggling with, we can also take this time to come up
with a game plan. 15% of your grade.
There will be a take-home final exam that will
simulate a comprehensive exam due to me no later than 6:00 pm on April 30. 30% of
your grade.
General note about grades: I do not accept late work. There are no extensions granted under any circumstances. If you turn in any assignment late, you will receive a 0 on that assignment. Reaction papers are due at the beginning of class. If you are absent on a day you are assigned to debate, you will receive an 0 for that assignment and there is no way to make it up. If you never substantively contribute to class discussion, you will receive an F in participation.
Academic Dishonesty: The maintenance of academic honesty and integrity is of vital concern to the Department of Political Science and the University community. Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty shall be subject to both academic and disciplinary sanctions. If I find that you have plagiarized your academic work, you will receive an F on the assignment and fail the course – no exceptions. In addition, if I suspect academic dishonesty your name will be turned over to the Director of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Political Science Department who will make a determination as to further disciplinary action which may include academic probation or expulsion.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following: cheating, fabrication and falsification, plagiarism, and misrepresentation to avoid academic work.
IV.
Weekly
Topics and Assignments
January 16: Intro
The Research Process
January 23: Doing Research/Review of POLS 502
Read: Silbergh, Chs. 1-2 (pp. 1-49) and Chs. 5-9 (pp. 89-180)
Van Evera, Ch. 1-2 (pp. 1-88)
January 30: The Dissertation/Dissertation Prospectus
Read: Silbergh, Chs. 3-4 (pp. 50-88)
Shaun Bowler. Guidelines for the Dissertation Prospectus:
The Philosophical
Foundations of Political Science Research
February 6: The Behavioralist/Positivist Perspective
Read: Bernstein, Part I (pp. 3-54).
Yanow, Dvora. 2005. “In the House of “Science,” There are Many Rooms: Perestroika
and the “Science Studies”
Turn.” In Perestroika! The Raucous Rebellion in Political
Science. Kristen Renwick Monroe ed.
Debate: Just look at all of the advances made by
science and you’ll know that the only way to understand human behavior
is to study it scientifically.
February 13: Contemporary Positivist Approaches: Rational Choice
Read: Peter Ordeshook. 1986. Game Theory and Political Theory.
Lichbach, Chs. 1-4 (pp. 3-69).
Debate: Political scientists lose track of politics
when they draw too heavily from outside the field, such as economics.
February 20: Contemporary Positivist Approaches: Political Psychology
Read: John Sullivan, Wendy Rahn, and Thomas Rudolph. 2002. “The Contours of Political
Psychology: Situating Research on Political Information Processing.” In James
Kuklinski ed. Thinking
About Political Psychology.
Press.
Huddy, and Robert Jervis eds.
Debate: Psychology is appropriate for modeling and
explaining political behavior because it accounts for non-instrumental actions
such as values, expectations and norms (instead of purely strategic and self-interested
actions as economic models do).
February 27: Open Day for Professional Development – workshop conference papers, practice
March 5: Revisions of Positivist Methodology
Read: Thomas
Kuhn. 1970. The
Structure of Scientific Revolutions 2nd ed.
Terence Ball. 1976. “From Paradigms to Research Programs: Toward a Post-Kuhnian
Political Science.” AJPS 20:
151-177. JSTOR
Debate: These guys might well say something to the
natural sciences, but they don’t make much sense for political science.
March 12: Spring Break
March 19: The Interpretivist and Phenomenological Perspectives I
Read: Berstein, Part II (pp. 57-114).
Lichbach, Ch. 5 (pp. 73-98).
No debate this week! Regular seminar format.
March 26: The Interpretivist and Phenomenological Perspectives II
Read: Berstein, Part III (pp. 117-169).
James Farr. 1982. “Historical Concepts in Political Science: The Case of ‘Revolution’”
AJPS
26: 688-708. JSTOR
Debate: Interpretivists have hit the nail on the
head. Since humans are
self-interpreting, it’s imperative that we study them using an interpretive
method.
April 2: Moving Beyond Interpretivism to Critical Theory
Read: Bernstein, Part IV (pp. 173-236).
Debate: Political scientists need to improve society,
not simply understand it.
April 9: The Dialectical Perspective
Read: Johan
Galtung. 1977. “Positivism and Dialectics: A Comparison.” Essays
in
Methodology.
Shlomo
Avineri. 1968. The
Social and Political Thought of Karl Marx.
Debate: Marxism is dead and therefore need not be
studied.
April 16: Contemporary Alternatives
Read: Dana Villa. 1992. “Postmodernism and the Public Sphere.” APSR 86: 712-721.
JSTOR
Jennifer Ring. 1987.
“Toward a Feminist Epistemology.”
AJPS 31: 753-772. JSTOR
Debate: These contemporary approaches are just
fads. They contribute little to our
understanding of human behavior beyond what more traditional approaches offer.
April 23: Wrap-up Philosophical Foundations/Pick-up final exams
Read: Lichbach, Chs. 9-10 (pp. 151-214).
No debate this week! Regular seminar format.
April 30: Final Exam due at 6:00 pm