Topic for Fall 2012: Non-State Actors in Global Politics
In the 21st century, non-state actors play an increasing role in international politics. In this seminar, students will examine the role of non-state actors, including international organizations, NGOs, transnational corporations, global terror groups, and transnational criminal groups, in order to assess the ways in which they challenge and complement the actions of states. As part of the course, students will write a term paper on the role and impact of one non-state actor in global politics.

Topic for Winter 2013: American Politics
The first part of the seminar will be devoted to an overview of the scope and methods of political science research. During the balance of the term, students will design and produce individual research projects on topics of their choice. Projects must be descriptive or explanatory rather than prescriptive. Ideally, students entering this seminar should have some background in the topic they wish to study.

Topic for Spring 2013: Classic Works in Comparative Politics
Students will be introduced to some classic as well as recent notable works in the sub-field of comparative politics. Readings and discussions will be geared toward two broad goals: First, to give students the opportunity to engage substantively with some of the landmark works in the sub-field; and second, to help students develop their own senior experience projects in the form of a substantive research paper. “Comparative Politics” is a very broad sub-field and some readings will be selected based on students’ thematic or regional interests. Students who pre-register for the course by the beginning of the academic year will be given the opportunity to help select some of the course readings.