Department of Political Science

https://bush.tamu.edu/pols/

Head: Guy D. Whitten

Graduate Advisor: Scott J. Cook

The Department of Political Science offers graduate study leading to the degrees of the Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Arts. The Doctor of Philosophy degree is appropriate for those who wish to pursue careers as research scholars in institutions of higher education. The Master of Arts curriculum is appropriate as preparation for more advanced work in political science.

Sub-fields in the Department

Students typically choose a Major from among the following sub-fields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, Public Policy/Public Administration. Students also choose a Minor from among the previously listed fields, plus Methods or Race, Ethnic, and Gender Politics.

There are several organized research programs within the department that encourage collaboration and dialogue across these sub-fields.

Political Science

POLS 601 Components of Political Inquiry

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Elements of empirical research design, techniques of data collection and data analysis. The evolution of political science as a scientific discipline. Required for political science majors. Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in STAT 303 or equivalent.

POLS 602 Quantitative Political Analysis

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Theory, techniques and applications of quantitative analysis in political science. Required for political science majors. Prerequisite: POLS 601 or equivalent.

POLS 603 Quantitative Political Analysis II

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Introduction to advanced applications of quantitative analysis in political science; critical evaluation of the use of several advanced statistical techniques in political analysis. Prerequisite: POLS 602 or equivalent.

POLS 604 Conceptualization and Theory in Political Analysis

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Exploration of the function of general theoretical assumptions in social scientific research and a critical analysis of some of the most influential general conceptualizations of political phenomena. Prerequisite: POLS 601 or equivalent.

POLS 606 Advanced Research Methods for Political Scientists

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Advanced techniques for specialized problems in empirical political analysis, including voter choice models, longitudinal data, elite interviewing, problems of formal theory and others. May be taken three times. Prerequisites: POLS 601 and POLS 602 or equivalents.

POLS 607 Advanced Research Methods for Political Scientists II

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Advanced techniques for specialized problems in empirical political analysis, including voter choice models, longitudinal data, elite interviewing, problems of formal theory and others. May be taken up to three times as content varies. Prerequisites: POLS 601 and POLS 602.

POLS 611 Seminar in Political Behavior

Credits 3. 3 Other Hours. Examination of forms of mass political behavior and the analytical frameworks used to understand them relevant to all subfields of political science; includes public opinion, vote choice, turnout, campaign contributions and participation in social movements and/or insurgencies.

POLS 612 Seminar in Political Institutions

Credits 3. 3 Other Hours. Examination of the design and consequences of political institutions; preference aggregation; externalities; collective action; principal-agent problems; commitment problems.

POLS 613 Political Science Research and Writing

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Focus on effectively writing political science research papers for peer-reviewed journals. Prerequisite: POLS 601 and POLS 602.

POLS 620 Comparative Political Systems

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Comparative study of national political systems; cross-national relationships and comparative analysis.

POLS 621 Theory and Method in Comparative Politics

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Introduction to methods for conducting research in comparative politics, including approaches to theory development and overcoming obstacles to comparative politics research. Prerequisites: Graduate classification or approval of instructor.

POLS 625 Seminar in Comparative Race and Ethnic Politics

Credits 3. 3 Other Hours. Significant themes in comparative study of race and ethnic politics; includes racial and ethnic identities, government and diversity, racial and ethnic violence, managing conflict. May be taken three times for credit. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.

POLS 626 Comparative Political Institutions

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Comparative study of political institutions in different areas of the world; includes form of government, elections, executives, legislatures, judiciaries; current theoretical and empirical debates in comparative politics about the outcomes produced by institutions. Prerequisites: POLS 601 and POLS 602, or approval of instructor.

POLS 627 Comparative Political Economy

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Seminar providing an overview of literature on political economy as developed and tested in comparative politics. Prerequisites: POLS 601 and POLS 602, or approval of instructor.

POLS 628 Comparative Public Policy

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Seminar in political science theories of public policy as developed and tested in comparative politics; worldwide topics with an emphasis on exploring theoretical frameworks across policy areas, public policy changes and differences across time and countries. Prerequisites: POLS 601 and POLS 602, or approval of instructor.

POLS 629 Comparative Political Behavior

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Comparative study of political behavior; includes prospective and retrospective voting, party competition, political knowledge and political attitudes; origins of this research field and current theoretical and empirical debates. Prerequisites: POLS 601 and POLS 602, or approval of instructor.

POLS 630 International Politics

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Survey of international politics; security politics, the development of nations, international law, organization and integration.

POLS 631 Conflict Studies

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. The study of international conflict, especially factors pertaining to the causes of war. Prerequisite: Graduate classification or approval of instructor.

POLS 633 Seminar in Foreign and Security Policy

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Selected aspects of the formation and conduct of foreign and defense policy. May be taken for credit up to three times as content varies.

POLS 634 International Institutions

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Current theoretical and empirical debates in the field of international institutions; includes the value and limitations for understanding the creation, design, behavior, change and impact of international institutions in world politics. Prerequisite: POLS 630.

POLS 635 International Political Economy

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. The study of international political economy, focusing on the economic and political causes and consequences of international trade, foreign direct investment, capital mobility, exchange rate, monetary policy, migration, and development. Prerequisite: Graduate classification or approval of instructor.

POLS 640 Public Administration and Public Policy

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Overview of the literature on public administration and public policy; attention to links between bureaucracy, democracy and policy outcomes; introduction to the political side of bureaucracy; overview of political science theory on the public policy process. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.

POLS 641 Seminar in Public Administration

Credits 3. 3 Other Hours. Literature and research problems of a selected aspect of public administration. May be taken three times.

POLS 642 Seminar in Public Policy

Credits 3. 3 Other Hours. Literature and research problems of a selected aspect of public policy. May be taken three times.

POLS 643 Theory and Practice of Public Administration

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Theory, process and structure of management in the public sector. Internal management and behavior in federal, state or local agencies in a political setting.

POLS 644 Seminar in Politics of Race, Ethnicity and Public Policy

Credits 3. 3 Other Hours. Examines race, ethnicity, and public policy; emphasizes how policy process considers race and ethnicity, and differential impact of policy on racial groups. May be taken three times for credit. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.

POLS 645 Politics, Policy and Administration

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Relationship of politics and administration with reference to the influence of administration and bureaucracy, legislative bodies, parties, interest groups and other forces in the formation and execution of public policy in various levels of, primarily, American government.

POLS 646 Public Policy Theory

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Major theories and classifications of public policies, and general explanations of policy formation and impact; recent research testing major theories.

POLS 650 Normative Political Theory

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of the most influential approaches, concepts and political arguments of classical and contemporary political theory. May be taken for credit up to three times as content varies.

POLS 654 Seminar in Theories of Political Legitimacy, Order and Obligation

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Intensive examination of contending theories of political authority, obligation and justice. May be taken up to three times for credit as content varies. Prerequisites: Graduate classification and approval of instructor.

POLS 658 American Public Policy

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Theoretically-driven survey of political science research on public policy in the United States; examination of how key institutions of American government affect public policy formation and implementation. Prerequisites: Graduate classification or approval of instructor.

POLS 659 Federalism and Multi-Level Governance

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Introducing theories of federalism and multi-level governance; application to multiple countries with special reference to the United States; how multi-level governments affect policy outcomes. Prerequisites: Graduate classification or approval of instructor.

POLS 660 Gateway Seminar in the Politics of Race and Ethnicity

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Overview of the race and ethnicity literature in four different subfields: comparative politics, international relations, American politics, and public administration/policy; emphasis on four themes across the subfields: identity participation (including non traditional participation such as violence), representation, and institutions/structure.

POLS 661 Diversity in Politics

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Major theories and research questions related to the political representation of historically marginalized groups in the U.S. and abroad; including political participation, recruitment, elections and appointment to government posts. Prerequisites: Graduate classification or permission of instructor.

POLS 662 Policy, Institutions and Representation

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Origins of political identity; how identity affects policy preferences, policy-making venues and specific policy domains. Prerequisites: Graduate classification or approval of instructor.

POLS 670 American Politics

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Survey of selected segments of the literature on American politics; includes an introduction to core theories and controversies in the study of both American political institutions and American mass political behavior. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.

POLS 671 American Political Behavior

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. An introduction to core theories and controversies about American mass political behavior; topics include public opinion, political culture, political socialization, party identification and political participation. May be taken for credit up to three times as content varies.

POLS 672 American Political Institutions

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Exploration of the major issues and controversies in the study of American political institutions; topics include executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, as well as formal organizations such as parties and interest groups. May be taken for credit up to three times as content varies. Prerequisite: POLS 670 or approval of instructor.

POLS 673 Seminar in Gender and Politics in Comparative Perspective

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Seminar in political science theories of gender and politics as developed and tested in comparative politics; worldwide topics with an emphasis on representation of women in democratic regimes. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.

POLS 674 Seminar in Race, Ethnicity and American Politics

Credits 3. 3 Other Hours. This seminar examines social science theories of race, ethnicity and politics in the United States; highlights the political behavior of Latinos, African-Americans, and Asian Americans. May be taken three times for credit. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.

POLS 675 Seminar in American Political Processes and Behavior

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Relevant literature and research problems of selected aspects of mass political behavior in the United States; emphasis on original student research. May be taken for credit up to three times as content varies. Prerequisites: Approval of instructor.

POLS 681 Seminar

Credit 1. 1 Lecture Hour. Topics of interest to political scientists with emphasis on professional norms, opportunities and teaching strategies. Prerequisite: Approval of graduate advisor.

POLS 685 Directed Studies

Credits 1 to 6. 1 to 6 Other Hours. Individual instruction in selected fields of political science. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

POLS 689 Special Topics in...

Credits 1 to 4. 1 to 4 Lecture Hours. Selected topics in an identified area of political science or public policy. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

POLS 691 Research

Credits 1 to 23. 1 to 23 Other Hours. Thesis research. Credit will be given only upon acceptance of completed thesis. Prerequisite: Approval of graduate advisor.

Bond, Jon R, Professor
Political Science
PHD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1978

Chupp, Jesse, Lecturer
Political Science
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2012

Clark, William, Professor
Political Science
PHD, Rutgers University, 1994

Clifford, Scott, Associate Professor
Political Science
PHD, Florida State University, 2013

Cook, Scott J, Associate Professor
Political Science
PHD, University of Pittsburgh, 2014

Crisman-Cox, Casey, Assistant Professor
Political Science
PHD, University of Rochester, 2016

Dyer, Megan K, Lecturer
Political Science
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2017

Escobar-Lemmon, Maria, Professor
Political Science
PHD, The University of Arizona, 2000

Fuhrmann, Matthew C, Professor
Political Science
PHD, University of Georgia, 2008

Goidel, Robert, Professor
Political Science
PHD, University of Kentucky, 1993

HAYDON, MATTHEW, Instructional Assistant Professor
Political Science
PHD, University of Utah, 2022

Harmel, Robert, Professor
Political Science
PHD, Northwestern University, 1977

Horz, Carlo, Assistant Professor
Political Science
PHD, New York University, 2017

Jo, Hyeran, Associate Professor
Political Science
PHD, University of Michigan, 2008

Kellstedt, Paul M, Professor
Political Science
PHD, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 1996

Kent, Charles, Instructional Professor
Political Science
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2005

Li, Quan, Professor
Political Science
PHD, Florida State University, 1998

Lim, Phaik S, Senior Lecturer
Political Science
PHD, University of Houston, 2003

Lipsmeyer, Christine S, Professor
Political Science
PHD, Vanderbilt University, 1999

Malis, Matthew, Assistant Professor
Political Science
PHD, New York University, 2022

Nederman, Cary J, Professor
Political Science
PHD, York University, 1983

Ogden, Benjamin G, Assistant Professor
Political Science
PHD, Boston University, 2016

Pacek, Alexander C, Professor
Political Science
PHD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1991

Pathakis, Kristy, Assistant Professor
Political Science
PHD, University of California, San Diego, 2020

Robertson, John D, Professor
Political Science
PHD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1979

Roblyer, Dwight A, Instructional Associate Professor
Political Science
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2009

Rogers, James R, Associate Professor
Political Science
PHD, The University of Iowa, 1994

Simpson, Hannah, Assistant Professor
Political Science
JD, Harvard Law School, 2009
PHD, New York University, 2017

Smith, Jason M, Lecturer
Political Science
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2009

Tarar, Ahmer S, Associate Professor
Political Science
PHD, University of Rochester, 2003

Taylor, Michelle M, Professor
Political Science
PHD, Rice University, 1990

Von Vacano, Diego A, Professor
Political Science
PHD, Princeton University, 2003

Whitten, Guy D, Professor
Political Science
PHD, University of Rochester, 1994