NU PoliSci | Graduate Program in Political Science


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The Graduate Program in Political Science Northwestern University, 2000-2001 Northwestern University is one of the most distinguished private universities in the United States. It has a full and part-time faculty of more than 2,500 members. The total annual student enrollment on the combined campuses is about 14,000, excluding evening and summer students. The Graduate School has some 3,500 students in more than eighty departments and programs pursuing degrees throughout the University. The Department of Political Science, which is located in Scott Hall on the Evanston Campus, has one of the most honored programs in the University. The Graduate Program Areas of Concentration The Faculty Recent Graduate Course Offerings Requirements for the Master's and Doctoral Degrees University Resources and Facilities Admissions and Financial Aid The Department of Political Science at Northwestern University offers a course of study leading to masters and doctoral degrees. The emphasis of the program is on the training of scholars who will be engaged in academic work as teachers and researchers. Most students who complete the doctorate teach in four year colleges and universities, though some of our graduates obtain positions in government service or in the private sector. Admission to the doctoral program is highly selective. The target size for each entering class is twelve students, chosen from a large pool of applicants. The total resident graduate student body rarely exceeds sixty-five and normally includes a sizeable proportion of international students. This small number of students allows close contact between faculty and students. Almost all graduate courses are seminars with five to fifteen students. The course of study is flexible. There are only three required courses. The majority of courses are selected by the student in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and, later, a faculty adviser chosen by the student. These courses are chosen in part to prepare the student for qualifying examinations, generally taken in the fall quarter of the third year, in a major field and one minor field; students qualify in a second minor by taking the required number of courses. The department offers six major fields that correspond to the research strengths of the department faculty: American Politics, Political Economy, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Methodology, and Political Theory. Students may select their minors from one of these six areas or they may develop minors tailored to their special interests. Students are encouraged to take courses in other social science departments and may take their non-examined minor in another discipline. Back to the top.
Back to the top. Areas of Concentration *American Politics* The American politics field involves study of the workings of American political institutions and processes, using a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches. At Northwestern, particular areas of strength are rational choice modeling of political decision-making, political communication, law and politics, individual behavior, social movements and collective action. Faculty members approach their work from a variety of theoretical points of view, including political economy, democratic theory, political psychology, and the role of law in structuring political outcomes. Research methods include qualitative approaches such as interviewing, participant observation, and archival research as well as quantitative data collection and analysis, experimentation, and formal modeling. *Comparative Politics* Comparative politics at Northwestern has a national reputation for area expertise in Western Europe, the Pacific Basin, and Latin America. We have a critical mass of scholars working on these areas, enabling Northwestern to provide depth to its area studies training. Another strength is its political economy focus, as many of the faculty work at the interface between politics and economics and between domestic politics and international relations. Another feature of comparative politics is its methodological diversity. While some scholars work in the tradition of historical method, others use formal methodology in their research. This combination of commonality and diversity distinguishes the comparative faculty at Northwestern, one of the finest in the country. *International Relations* International relations at Northwestern is distinctive in its ambition to promote close and critical attention to the philosophical and historical warrants of contemporary international relations theory. The faculty values historical and geographical expertise and encourages students to acquire such expertise and bring it to bear on the discussion of theoretical statements. Faculty places strong emphasis on evaluating contemporary theory through the analysis of its philosophical and often ideological origins. Among the recognized sub-fields of International Relations, the department is particularly strong in International Relations Theory, International Political Economy, and International Law and Organization. The International Relations faculty enjoys good ties with International Law scholars at Northwestern's School of Law, and participates fully in the development of the International Studies Program and the Center for International and Comparative Studies. *Methodology* Methods at Northwestern comprises two related areas: statistical methods and positive political theory. Students have the opportunity to take classes in both but specialize in only one. The statistical methods training runs from elementary probability theory through regression analysis and more advanced topics such as nonlinear estimation. Positive political theory classes include game theory, social choice and voting theory and the topics classes dealing with particular issues (eg comparative institutional analysis, formal political economy). In addition to courses offered and faculty within the department, various members of the business school and economics departments are working in the field and offer additional teaching and research resources. *Political Theory* Political Theory faculty at Northwestern specialize in classical and contemporary democratic political theory (Anglo-American and Continental), feminist theory and cultural studies. We have good working relations with the Department of Philosophy, which has major strengths in contemporary Continental philosophy. The program is at this moment in the process of expanding. Prospective students should inquire about the latest changes in political theory offerings. *Political Economy* Political economy cuts across the other concentrations and shares faculty with American politics, comparative politics, methods and formal theory, and international relations... The major research interests of the political economy faculty lie in three areas: (1) development theory and policy; (2) labor unions, business associations and policy formation in advanced industrial societies; (3) international political economy.
Back to the top. The Faculty, by Areas of Concentration *American Politics* Jonathan D. Casper -- Dennis Chong -- Patricia Conley -- H. Paul Friesema -- Jerry Goldman -- Susan Herbst -- Kenneth Janda -- Benjamin I. Page -- Wesley G. Skogan *Comparative Politics* Edward Gibson -- Michael Hanchard -- Joachim Kersten -- Will Reno -- Amy Searight -- Peter Swenson -- Kathleen Thelen -- Michael Wallerstein -- Jeffrey Winters -- Meredith Woo-Cumings *Methodology* David Austen-Smith -- Michael Herron -- Kenneth Shotts *International Relations* Michael Loriaux -- Tong Whan Park -- Yael Wolinsky -- Meredith Woo-Cumings *Political Economy* Michael Hanchard -- Michael Loriaux -- Will Reno -- Reuel Rogers -- Ben Ross Schneider -- Amy Searight -- Peter Swenson -- Kathleen Thelen -- Michael Wallerstein -- Jeffrey Winters -- Meredith Woo-Cumings *Political Theory* Bonnie Honig -- Sara Monoson -- Miguel Vatter -- Linda M.G. Zerilli Joint Appointments Fay Lomax Cook, School of Education and Social Policy; Daniel Diermeier, Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences, Graduate School of Management; Tim Feddersen, Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences, Graduate School of Management ; Andrew Koppelman, School of Law; Roger Myerson, Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences, Graduate School of Management; Charles Ragin Department of Sociology; Victor G. Rosenblum School of Law; Akbar Virmani, Program of African Studies
Back to the top. Recent Graduate Course Offerings
American Politics American Political Institutions and Behavior Public Opinion and Voting Behavior Political Participation and Collective Action Public Opinion, the Mass Media, and Democracy Interest Groups The Presidency Legislatures Political Parties Law, Trial Courts and Politics Appellate Courts and Policy Making Law/Politics/Public Policy Constitutional Politics: Development and Analysis Urban Politics American Politics Workshop Methodology Elementary Statistics Linear Models Advanced Topics in Econometrics Historical Methods in the Study of Politics Introduction to Positive Political Theory Social Choice and Voting Theory Game Theory International Politics International Relations Theory US Foreign Policy International Organization		Political Theory Introduction to Political Theory Concepts in Democratic Theory Afro-American Political Thought Democracy: Ancient and Modern Sexuality and Politics Ancient Political Thought Citizenship and Pluralism Language and Politics Moral Dilemmas Issues in Contemporary Feminist Theory and Politics Comparative Politics Introduction to Comparative Politics Contemporary Topics in Comparative Politics Democratization Modern Africa New Nations Comparative Racial Politics Comparative Political Parties Political Economy of Preindustrial Societies Political Economy of Industrial Societies Political Economy Introduction to Political Economy: Theory and Method Political Economy of Preindustrial Societies Political Economy of Industrial Societies International Political Economy American Political Economy Formal Political Economy
University Resources and Facilities Libraries Northwestern University maintains an extensive library system to support its programs of study and research. This system includes the University Library and a number of special libraries on the Evanston and Chicago campuses. The holdings of the libraries constitute a collection of more than 3,400,000 volumes, 1,753,000 microforms, and 32,000 currently received journals and other serial publications. Because of the quality and extent of its holdings, the Northwestern University library system ranks among the most prestigious university library collections in the nation. Computing Facilities The Information Technology Department offers a broad spectrum of computer resources and services to support research and instruction at Northwestern. A campus-wide fiber optic network ties central file and computer servers to local area networks and stand-alone computers. Microcomputer clusters of Macintosh and IBM-compatible systems are available to students. The Political Science Department also maintains a computer lab of networked microcomputers and printers connected to central computers and e-mail servers. Institute For Policy Research The Institute For Policy Research was established in 1968 to promote interdisciplinary urban policy research and training. The center attempts to coordinate scholarly activities in all schools and departments concerned with urban and public policy issues. Its aim is to help bridge the gap between social science and social policy. More than seventy Northwestern University faculty members from over eighteen disciplines are affiliated with the center. They participate in colloquia, seminars, and interdisciplinary research projects. A major thrust of current center research is social welfare policy, which encompasses mental health, crime, housing, education, unemployment, and the family. Other research areas include information policy and governance; legal and political processes and social change; race, ethnicity, and the new immigrants; urban economic development; and family policy and social change. Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (MMSS) The MMSS Program is designed to help students develop advanced skills in developing and testing mathematical models in the social sciences. The program is staffed by faculty from a variety of schools and departments, including political science, sociology, mathematics, psychology, anthropology, economics, and the school of management. The MMSS graduate program is open only to students who are pursuing a Ph.D. and provides the possibility of an M.S. as well as the Ph.D. Students admitted to the MMSS program are also sometimes eligible for financial aid through teaching assistantships in MMSS. For students with modeling interests, MMSS provides an important complement to training offered in political science. Program of African Studies The Program of African Studies, the first such program in the United States, was founded in 1948. It coordinates the course offerings and research activities of a number of faculty members and graduate students. Primary areas of research include African Islamic studies, African urban studies, women in development, rural development, and management and technology. The program continues its function as a systematic guide to the study of African peoples, cultures, and development. The Program in International Studies The Program for International Studies, in operation since 1986, is an interdisciplinary body involving faculty from most schools in the University. The program interprets "international studies" broadly, including area and comparative studies as well as international relations. The program sponsors and supports research seminars for faculty and graduate students as well as visiting faculty and post-doctoral fellows. Research seminars and workshops include a continuing Seminar on Critical Methodologies and the Roundtable on Political Economy. They have dealt with topics as varied as the current trend toward liberalization and privatization in the Third World, reforms in post-communist societies, AIDS in Africa, models of industrial development in East Asia, the relationships between economic and social structures and political systems in Latin America, politics and the media, and the political economy of labor in Western Europe. The program also administers one of the largest undergraduate majors in university, with teaching faculty drawn from several departments. Program on Communication, Media and Public Opinion This IPR Program brings together numerous faculty members from several schools and departments, including the nationally renowned Medill School of Journalism and the School of Speech. The program has sponsored research on such topics as race and the media, and holds regular seminars and colloquia for students and faculty on communications and public opinion research. The Law and Social Science Program The Law and Social Science Program brings together an interdisciplinary group of faculty and students from social science departments, the law school, and research staff from the American Bar Foundation for seminars and colloquia on law-related subjects. Back to the top.
Requirements for the Master's and Doctoral Degrees The department admits only a very limited number of students who seek a Master of Arts degree as their final degree. This degree is awarded in all of the department's program areas. The Master of Arts degree also is awarded for partial completion of the Ph.D. program. The minimum requirement for the degree of Master of Arts is three full quarters of courses approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and a Master's paper. The following courses must be included in all students' programs: * A one-quarter course Introduction to Probability and Statistics and one quarter of Linear Models, unless the student is exempt, due to major, or a demonstrated proficiency in statistics based on previous course work. In addition to the requirements for the master's degree, candidates for the doctoral degree must complete all of the following requirements: 1. Preparation of a major scholarly paper, which is due the first day of the spring quarter of the second year. 3. Language competence necessitated by research requirements. 4. Pass both oral and written qualifying examinations. The written qualifying examination includes questions on the student's major field and one minor field. A two-hour oral examination probes the general and specific competence of the candidate as a political scientist. These examinations are offered in the fall quarter and are ordinarily taken in the third year of graduate study at Northwestern. In some cases, particularly when students have a master's degree from another university, the examinations may be taken in the second year. In this instance, and in other exceptional circumstances qualifying exams can be taken in spring quarter. 5. In preparation for research on the dissertation, students prepare and defend a dissertation research design the quarter after they have passed their qualifying examinations. 6. Ph.D. candidates prepare a dissertation and successfully defend it in a final oral examination. Ordinarily, the fourth and perhaps fifth years of study are devoted to preparation of the dissertation. 7. Teaching experience, as a teaching assistant in an undergraduate course, unless the student has had prior teaching experience at the college level. Back to the top.
Admissions and Financial Aid Students interested in applying for graduate study in political science should fill out the application request form on the Graduate School's website. The following materials are required to complete the application: the application form, application fee, GRE scores, letters of recommendation from at least two former instructors, transcripts of all previous college and graduate work, a statement of purpose, and a writing sample. Foreign applicants must also submit a TOEFL score. Foreign students who are interested in a Teaching Assistantship in their second year, must receive a score of 50 or above on the TSE. The University offers fellowships, covering tuition and a living stipend, and tuition scholarships to incoming graduate students. Most advanced graduate students are supported by teaching assistantships that cover tuition and a stipend. Advanced graduate students are also supported by a variety of research assistantships. Such assistantships may be funded by external grants to individual faculty as well as by the Institute for Policy Research and the American Bar Foundation. Students are admitted to begin study only in the fall quarter. Prospective students wishing to apply for financial aid must complete their application by January 15 in order to receive full consideration. The Graduate School will not permit the department to process the application until virtually all materials listed above are received; thus, students applying for financial aid should insure that all materials are in by January 15. It is the policy of Northwestern University not to discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, handicap, or veteran status. Also in matters of admissions, employment, housing, services, educational programs or activities it operates, in accordance with civil rights legislation and University commitment. Any alleged violation of this policy or questions regarding the law with respect to nondiscrimination should be directed to the Director of Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Disability Services, 720 University Place, Evanston, Illinois 60208-1146, phone 847-491-7458; Office of the Provost, Rebecca Crown Center, Evanston, Illinois 60208-1101, phone 847-491-5117. Northwestern University reserves the right to change, without any notice, any statement in this bulletin concerning, but not limited to, rules, policies, tuition, fees, curricula, and courses. Back to the top.