Walker Library: Political Science: Free Lectures

Lectures--Research Methods

Political Science: Scope and Methods (M.I.T.) Introduction to a variety of empirical research methods used by political scientists. The primary aims are to make you a more sophisticated consumer of diverse empirical research and to allow you to conduct advanced independent work in your junior and senior years. This is not a course in data analysis. Rather, it is a course on how to approach political science research.
Quantitative Research in Political Science and Public Policy (M.I.T.) Rigorous introduction to statistics for political science. Topics include: basic mathematical tools used in social science modeling and statistics, probability theory, theory of estimation and inference, and statistical methods, especially differences of means and regression. Examples draw heavily from political science, but some problems come from other areas, such as labor economics.
Qualitative Research: Design and Methods (M.I.T.) Topics include: case studies, interviews, documentary evidence, participant observation, and survey research. The primary goal of this course is to assist students in preparing their (Masters and PhD) dissertation proposals.
Measuring Causal Effects in the Social Sciences (University of Copenhagen) The fundamental problem in identifying causal effects is a matter of research design and research strategy. This course discusses how they can be identified in the social sciences using quantitative data, and describes how this can help with the understanding of social mechanisms.
Methods of Policy Analysis (M.I.T.) This course provides an introduction to public policy analysis. It is designed for students who may be planning a career in public or non-profit sectors. The primary goal is to help students understand the implications of public policy for different pursuits. The class examines various approaches to policy analysis by considering the concepts, tools, and methods used in economics, political science, and other disciplines. Students apply and critique these approaches through case studies of current public policy problems.

Lectures--Political Theory

Introduction to Political Philosophy (Yale University) Political philosophy as seen through an examination of some of the major texts and thinkers of the Western political tradition. Focuses on broad themes central to understanding political life: the polis experience (Plato, Aristotle), the sovereign state (Machiavelli, Hobbes), constitutional government (Locke), and democracy (Rousseau, Tocqueville).
Introduction to Political Thought (M.I.T.) Examines major texts in the history of political thought and the questions they raise about the design of the political and social order. Thinkers include Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Marx, and Tocqueville.
American Political Thought (M.I.T.) From the colonial era to the present. Topics include the relationship between religion and politics, rights, federalism, national identity, republicanism versus liberalism, the relationship of subordinated groups to mainstream political discourse, and the role of ideas in politics.
Moral Foundations of Politics (Yale University) Explores the main answers to the question, "When do governments deserve our allegiance?" It starts with a survey of major political theories of the Enlightenment—Utilitarianism, Marxism, and the social contract tradition—through classical formulations, historical context, and contemporary debates relating to politics today.
Justice: A Journey in Moral Reasoning (Harvard University) Introduction to moral and political philosophy. Debates contemporary issues that raise philosophical questions—about individual rights and the claims of community, equality and inequality, morality and law. Topics include affirmative action, income distribution, and same-sex marriage, showing that even the most hotly contested issues of the day can be the subject of reasoned moral argument.
Feminist Thought (M.I.T.) Examines the development of feminist theory over time. Subjects include: suffrage and equality; radical feminism; psychoanalysis and feminism; theories of power; sexuality and gender; embodied knowledge; pornography; identities and global feminism; militarism; and the welfare state. Analyzes different ways of looking at power and political culture in modern societies, issues of race and class, poverty and welfare, sexuality and morality.
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Analyzes theories of gender and politics. Also discussed are gender issues in citizenship, the development of the welfare state, experiences of war and revolution, class formation, and the politics of sexuality.
Us vs. Them: Why People Polarise and How to Bring Them Together (Jesus College) This course will help you understand why and how polarisation happens. Critically, it will give you the skills to bridge those divides when they occur. It will help you to understand the often-hostile consequences of our natural human instincts to form groups. You’ll leave understanding your role in this phenomenon, and with a grasp of what you can do to master your own behaviour and how you can guide others to find common ground.

Lectures--American Politics

Introduction to American Politics (M.I.T.) An overview of U.S. politics and an introduction to the discipline of political science. It surveys the institutional foundations of U.S. politics, activities of political elites, organizations, and ordinary citizens. It also explores the application of general political science concepts and analytic frameworks to specific episodes and phenomena in U.S. politics.
Introduction to the American Political Process (M.I.T.) Basic institutions of American government, especially as established in the constitution, and with an introduction to currents of thought among social scientists about the workings of U.S. politics.
Democracy in America (M.I.T.) Examines functioning of democracy, how public views influence policy making, malapportionment, how well policy outcomes reflect public opinion, and reforms that might make democracy more responsive to the American public.
Basic Principles of Political Geography (Stanford) The basic principles of political geography; the “red and blue” map of the United States; different ways of mapping U.S. presidential elections; differences in voting behavior between national elections and state and local elections; electoral geography in selected foreign countries.
Making Public Policy (M.I.T.) Introductory course that explores policy and politics as a part of everyday life. Briefly covers policymaking framework, understanding ideology, and a quick overview of the American political system. The focus of the course is an in-depth examination of six policy issues: health care, gun control, the federal budget, immigration reform, same-sex marriage, and energy and climate change.
Global Student's Introduction to U.S. Law (University of Florida) Basic concepts and terminology about the U.S. legal system and about selected topics in the fields of constitutional law, criminal law, and contract law. Incorporates examples from legal systems around the world, highlighting similarities to and differences from the U.S. system.
Constitutional Law: Structures of Power and Individual Rights (M.I.T.) Examines American constitutional law in historical and modern context. It focuses closely on the constitutional text and Supreme Court case law exploring the allocation of decision-making authority among government institutions, including the distribution of power across the branches of the federal government and between the federal and state governments. The course also examines the guarantees of individual rights and liberties stemming from the due process, equal protection, and other clauses in the Bill of Rights and post Civil War amendments.
Geography of United States Elections (Stanford University) This map-intensive course will explore the geography of US elections (both past and present), and challenge the suggestion that we are simply divided into a Red America and Blue America. Its really much more complicated than that.
Conversations You Can't Have on Campus: Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Identity (M.I.T.) Explores these topics and more: What is race? What is ethnicity? How can communication and relationships between men and women be improved? What causes segregation in our society? How do stereotypes develop and why do they persist? How do an individual's racial, ethnic, and sexual identities form and develop?
Mass Incarceration in the United States (M.I.T.) This course covers the current state of incarceration in the United States and proposals for reform. Class materials include a mix of firsthand/media accounts of incarceration and social science literature on the causes and effects of high incarceration rates. Topics include race and the criminal legal system, collateral consequences of incarceration, public opinion about incarceration, and the behavior of recently elected "reform" prosecutors.
Race, Ethnicity, and American Politics (M.I.T.) This course explores the role of race and ethnicity in modern American politics. It focuses on social science approaches to measuring the effects of race, both at the individual level and more broadly. Topics include race and representation, measurement of racial and ethnic identities, voting rights and electoral districting, protest and other forms of political participation, and the meaning and measurement of racial attitudes.
American Elections (M.I.T.) This course provides an overview of electoral politics in the United States, covering presidential, congressional, state, and local elections. It covers the development of American elections over time, electoral rules and institutions, the macro-structural forces shaping electoral outcomes, the key organizations involved in elections (parties, etc.), candidates' calculations and campaign strategies, and the role of ordinary citizens in the electoral process, as well as potential reforms to the U.S. electoral system.
U.S. Political Institutions: Congress, Presidency, Courts, and Bureaucracy (Harvard) --How Congressmembers are influenced by their constituencies --What causes political polarization between Republicans and Democrats --How Congress’s structure limits progress on significant issues --How executive orders expand the powers of the presidency --Why presidents are less constrained in foreign policy than in domestic policy --How federal agencies promote and protect their programs --The influence of politics on Supreme Court decisions

Lectures--International Politics

Introduction to Comparative Politics (M.I.T.) Examines why democracy emerges and survives in some countries rather than in others; how political institutions affect economic development; and how American politics compares to that of other countries.
European Politics (M.I.T.) This course examines similarities and differences in politics and political economy in Britain, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. In particular, the course focuses on the structure of political power within the state, and on important institutions that form the link between state and society, especially political parties and interest organizations.
International Relations Theory (M.I.T.) This seminar provides an overview of the field of international relations. Each week, a different approach to explaining international relations will be examined. Surveys the major concepts and theories in the field.
American Foreign Policy: Past, Present, and Future (M.I.T.) Covers the history of American foreign policy since 1914, current policy questions, and the future of U.S. Policy. Focuses on policy evaluation.
21st Century American Foreign Policy (Duke University) Gain more understanding of what U.S. foreign policy is, who makes it, why is it the way it is, and how it affects the rest of the world.
Causes and Prevention of War (M.I.T.) Course goal is to discover and assess the means to prevent or control war. Topics include the dilemmas, misperceptions, crimes and blunders that caused wars of the past; the origins of these and other war-causes; the possible causes of wars of the future; and possible means to prevent such wars, including short-term policy steps and more utopian schemes.
Riots, Rebellions, Revolutions (M.I.T.) Examines different types of violent political conflict. It compares and contrasts several social science approaches (psychological, sociological, and political) and analyzes their ability to explain variation in outbreak, duration and outcome of conflict. Incidents such as riots in the U.S. during the 1960's, riots in India, the Yugoslav wars, and the Russian Revolution, as well as current international events are discussed.
Warlords, Terrorists, and Militias: Theorizing on Violent Non-State Actors (M.I.T.) General overview of the recent political science literature on violent non-state actors. Its aim is to examine why non-state actors (such as warlords, terrorists, militias, etc.) resort to violence, what means and tactics they use, and what can be done to counter that violence.
Understanding Terrorism and the Terrorist Threat (University of Maryland) Explores questions relating to the who, what and how of terrorism studies by introducing students to cutting edge research and the experts investigating these topics.
Cyberpolitics in International Relations: Theory, Methods, Policy (M.I.T.) Focuses on cyberspace and its implications for private and public, sub-national, national, and international actors and entities.
Understanding Europe: Why It Matters and What It Can Offer You (HEC Paris) Structured upon some basic yet critical questions about the EU’s purpose and legitimacy : why does the EU exist? How does it work? What can it offer you? Analyzes the European public sphere by focusing on its main actors, the role European citizens play in influencing Europe, the Union’s powers.
Globalization (M.I.T.) Explores changes in the international economy and their effects on domestic politics, economy, and society. Is globalization really a new phenomenon? Is it irreversible? What are effects on wages and inequality, on social safety nets, on production, and innovation? How does it affect relations between developed countries and developing countries? How globalization affects democracy?
Human Rights: At Home and Abroad (M.I.T.) The course introduces students to the key theoretical debates in the field including the historical origin and character of the modern idea of human rights, the debate between universality and cultural relativism, between civil and human rights, between individual and community, and the historically contentious relationship between the West and the Rest in matters of sovereignty and human rights, drawing on real life examples from current affairs.
Contemporary China: The People's Republic, Taiwan, and Hong Kong (Harvard) Using case studies from the Harvard Business School, this course will cover the contemporary Chinese scene by focusing on five main themes in China’s development: agriculture, entrepreneurship, education, environment, and literature.
Understanding Korean Politics (Yonsei Univ) This course will select six most outstanding issues in contemporary Korean politics and will engage in an in-depth, interactive inquiry of those issue. They include Korean politics in history, institutional setting of Korean politics, and dynamics of political culture in Korea, profiles of political leadership, myth and reality of the developmental state and the Korean economic miracle, and debates on Korean unification. The course will expose students to contending theories and empirical reality at first hand.
International Relations of East Asia (M.I.T.) Introduces and analyzes the international relations of East Asia. With four great powers, three nuclear weapons states, and two of the world's largest economies, East Asia is one of the most dynamic and consequential regions in world politics. Course examines the sources of conflict and cooperation in both periods, assessing competing explanations for key events in East Asia's international relations.
Introduction to Latin American Studies (M.I.T.) Interdisciplinary introduction to contemporary Latin America. Uses films, literature, popular press accounts, and scholarly research. Topics include: economic development, ethnic and racial identity, religion, revolution, democracy, transitional justice, and the rule of law.
Israel: History, Politics, Culture, and Identity (M.I.T.) Provides a basic understanding of modern Israeli history, politics, culture and identity through lectures, discussions and projects. Topics include: ideational, institutional and material foundations of the state of Israel; Israeli national identity, Israeli society, economy, and foreign and security policies.
Working in a Global Economy (M.I.T.) Introduces the main debates about the "new" global economy and their implications for practice and policy. Experts from academia and business will share their findings about, and direct experiences with, different aspects of globalization.
Modern World: Global History since 1760 (U of Virginia) Survey of modern world history, from a global perspective, beginning with the economic and political revolutions of the late 18th century and ending with contemporary conditions. This is a ‘big picture’ course that also uses a ‘zoom lens,’ to bring some places and lives into close-up focus. Topics include: culture, politics, warfare, anthropology, plenty of economics – and much more.
Global Diplomacy: Diplomacy in the Modern World (U of London)

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Political Science: Free Lectures

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Lectures--Research Methods

Lectures--Political Theory

Lectures--American Politics

Lectures--International Politics