Directed Research Seminar in Theories and Methods of Political Science, Part II (Spring Semester)

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1 Syllabus Waseda University School of Political Science and Economics Global Leadership Fellows Program professor Marisa Kellam office SUBTITLE Directed Research Seminar in Theories and Methods of Political Science, Part II (Spring Semester) OVERVIEW This is the second part of a year-long seminar in theories and methods of political science, specifically designed for students in the Global Leadership Fellows Program. In Part II of the seminar, students will learn the elements of a well-designed research project and become familiar with research methods that are appropriate to different types of research questions. It will be conducted mostly as a research and writing workshop. Students will develop feasible proposals for the research that they will undertake when they write a senior thesis in their final year. OBJECTIVES * Students will develop practical skills in conducting political science research, including how to formulate research questions and how to develop and empirically test hypotheses. * Students will improve skills in academic writing and will have opportunities to receive feedback on work in progress from the instructor and their peers. Week Theme 1 Introduction to the Course Textbook 2 Explanations & Randomness Shiveley, Ch 1 Mlodinow, Ch Analyzing Politics Scientifically KKV, Ch 1 Shepsle, Pgs Research Questions Baglione, Ch Reviewing the Literature, Avoiding Plagiarism Baglione, Ch Theorizing About Politics Shepsle, Pgs Geddes, Ch 2 Baglione, Ch 5-6 Shively, Ch 2 7 Causality, Experiments Baglione, Ch 7 Shively, Ch 6 8 Observational Research, Case Selection Baglione, Ch 8 Geddes, Ch 3-4 Shively, Ch 7

2 9 Concepts and Measurement Shively, Ch Data Analysis Shively, Ch 5 11 Data Analysis Shively, Ch Data Analysis Shively, Ch Writing Baglione, Ch 9 14 Student Presentations 15 Student Presentations TEXTBOOKS Writing a Research Paper in Political Science, 3 rd Edition (2015) by Lisa A. Baglione. CQ Press The Craft of Political Research, 9 th Edition (2013), by W. Phillips Shively. Pearson. Paradigms and Sand Castles: Theory Building and Research Design in Comparative Politics (2003) by Barbara Geddes. University of Michigan Press. [Selected chapters] King, Gary, Robert O. Keohane, and Sidney Verba Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. Princeton University Press [Chapter 1: Analyzing Politics: Rationality, Behavior and Institutions, 2 nd edition (2010) by Kenneth A. Shepsle. W.W. Norton. [Selected pages] The Drunkard s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives (2008) by Lonard Mlodinow. Random House. [Selected chapters] EVALUATION 30% Various weekly assignments 50% Final research proposal & presentation 20% Participation NOTE This syllabus is tentative; the schedule and textbooks (but not the evaluation criteria) will likely change depending on students previous coursework, methodological skills, and research interests. An updated version will be distributed during the second week of class.

3 Syllabus Waseda University School of Political Science and Economics Global Leadership Fellows Program professor Marisa Kellam office SUBTITLE Directed Research Seminar in Theories and Methods of Political Science, Part I (Fall Semester) OVERVIEW This is the first part of a year-long seminar in theories and methods of political science, specifically designed for students in the Global Leadership Fellows Program. Part I is a reading seminar, which introduces students to some of the major concepts and theories in contemporary political science. The themes of the seminar have been selected not only for their academic importance, but also for their relevance to understanding American politics, and Japanese politics. The reading assignments combine classic/ representative literature with more recent research, and include several useful empirical applications in the US and Japan contexts. Thus, this part of the seminar aims to provide solid foundation and intellectual inspiration for students who are interested in pursuing their own original research in political science. It will be followed by Part II (in the Spring semester), which will focus more on research methods and guide students in developing feasible research proposals for the senior thesis. OBJECTIVES * Students will learn important concepts and theories in the discipline of political science. * Students will develop skills in critical reading and academic writing. Week Theme 1 Introduction to the Course 2 Democracy Schumpeter Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy, chs Dahl Polyarchy, Ch Electoral Competition Downs An Economic Theory of Democracy. Ch 1-3 & 8 Kohno Voter Turnout and Strategic Ticket-Splitting under Japan's New Electoral Rules. Asian Survet 37(5): Kohno, Masaru Electoral Origins of Japanese Socialists Stagnation. 30(1): Political Participation Green & Schwam-Baird Moblization, Participation, and American Democracy: A Retrospective and Postscript. Party Politics, online first. G. Bingham Powell. American Voter Turnout in Comparative Perspective APSR 80 (1986): Cox, Rosenbluth & Thies Moblization, Social Networks, and Turnout: Evidence

4 from Japan. World Politics 50(3): Wong et al Asian American Political Participation. Russell Sage Foundation: Ch 1. 5 Elections & Representation Manin, Przeworski, and Stokes Elections and representation. In Democracy, Accountability, and Representation.. Ch. 1 Pempel Uncommon Democracies: The One-Party Dominant Regimes, introduction and conclusion. McElwain, Kenneth Mori Manipulating Electoral Rules to Manufacture Single- Party Dominance. AJPS 52(1): Political Parties Aldrich, John Why Parties? A Second Look. University of Chicago Press. Ch. 1-2 Krauss & Pekkanen The Rise and Fall of Japan s Liberal Democratic Party. Journal of Asian Studies 69(1): Scheiner Pipelines of Pork - Japanese politics and a model of local opposition party failure Comparative Political Studies 38 (7): Political Institutions Federalist Papers #10, #51 Japan s Constitution Powell Elections as Instruments of Democracy: Majoritarian and Proportional Visions. Chapters Policy-Making Tsebelis Decision-Making in Political Systems: Veto Players in Presidentialism, Parliamentarism, Multicameralism, and Multipartyism. BJPS 25(3): Krehbiel Pivotal Politics: A Theory of U.S. Lawmaking. Chapter 2 Thies, Michael F. and Yanai, Yuki, Divided Parliaments and Lawmaking: Japan s Twisted Diet (August 14, 2012). Available at SSRN: 9 Collective Action Olson. The Logic of Collective Action. Ch 1. Cameron Distributional Coalitions and Other Sources of Economic Stagnation: On Olson s Rise and Decline of Nations.. International Organization 42(4): Economic Policy Johnson, Chalmers A MITI and the Japanese Miracle. Chapters 1-2 Bartels, Larry Unequal Democracy. Chapters 1-2. Gilens & Page Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens. Perspectives on Politics 12(3): Welfare Policy Esping-Anderson The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Introduction. Alesina & Glaeser Fighting Poverty in the US and Europe: A World of Difference. Intro & Conclusion. Pontusson, Jonas The American Welfare State in Comparative Perspective: Reflections on Alberto Alesina and Edward L. Glaeser. Perspectives on Politics 4(2): Estévez-Abe Welfare and Capitalism in Postward Japan. Intro & Ch.1 12 Social Capital Putnam. Making Democray Work, Ch 1 & 4 Tsai, Lily Solidary Groups, Informal Accountability, and Local Public Goods Provision in Rural China. APSR 101 (2): Veszteg, Funaki & Tanaka The Impact of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami on Social Capital in Japan: Trust before and after the Disaster. International Political Science Review: Culture Huntington, Samuel The Clash of Civilizations. Foreign Affairs. Inglehart & Baker Modernization, cultural change, and the persistence of traditional values. American Sociological Review 65(1): Lipset American Exceptionalism Japanese Uniqueness In American

5 Exceptionalism: A Double-Edged Sword. 14 Change Richardson, Bradley M., and Dennis Patterson "Political Traditions and Political Change: The Significance of Postwar Japanese Politics for Political Science". Annual Review of Political Science 4: Rosenbluth and Thies Japan Transformed: Political Change and Economic Restructuring. Chapters 1, Reflections on the course TEXTBOOKS There is no textbook. Reading assignments consist of scholarly articles and book chapters. EVALUATION 50% Weekly response papers: each week students must submit a short (appx. 500 words) critical response to the readings. A good response paper will include a one-paragraph summary of the main contributions, a one-paragraph critique of the limitations of the readings, and two questions raised by the readings that you would like to discuss in the seminar. 30% Final Exam: This will be a take-home exam, distributed in week 14 and due at the start of class in week % Participation: the educational value of the seminar largely depends on the quality of class participation and student engagement. It is essential that students complete the readings prior to the session in which the readings are assigned, attend all sessions, and speak up in class! NOTE This syllabus is tentative. The final version will be distributed in class.