This field studies the formal and informal rules, practices, and regularities at both the domestic and international level that guide and constrain political choices and activities. It is concerned with the emergence, dynamics, and consequences of institutions in both authoritarian and non-authoritarian regimes. This focus includes constitutional design and how the organization of legislatures, parties, judiciaries, markets and other social structures shape relationships between individuals and states, and in turn, the factors shaping the emergence and evolution of those institutions.
First Field
Coursework
- POLSCI 715 Core in Political Institutions
- 3 additional courses from the Political Institutions course listing
Qualifying Procedure
You will take a written examination at the end of your second year. This examination will assess whether or not you have attained a firm command of the literature in the field. The qualifying procedure will not normally include an oral element, but the examination committee may, at its discretion, administer an oral examination to a student whose written examination the committee deems is in need of an oral defense.
Preliminary Examination
Each student who passes the qualifying procedure in Political Institutions is required to submit and present for defense before a committee of faculty in that field an original, plausibly publishable research paper on a relevant topic. This must be submitted no later than the end of the first semester of the third year of graduate study. The committee administering the preliminary examination may pass you with distinction on the basis of both your performance in the qualifying procedure and in your paper presentation and defense.
Second Field
Coursework
- POLSCI 715 Core in Political Institutions
- 3 additional courses from the Political Institutions course listing
Year of Study | Typical Student Activities |
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Year 1 |
Summer, pre-matriculation
Fall
Spring
|
Year 2 |
Fall and Spring
Summer
|
Year 3 |
Fall
Spring
|
Year 4 |
|
Year 5 |
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