POLITICAL SCIENCE

Direct inquires to: Graduate Chair, (215) 204-1469, 433 Gladfelter Hall, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122.

Graduate Faculty

Aryeh Botwinick, Professor, Ph.D., Princeton University; Richard E. Deeg, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Barbara Ferman, Professor, Ph.D., Brandeis University; Geoffrey Herrera, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., Princeton University; Robin Kolodny, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University; Lynn H. Miller, Professor, Ph.D., Princeton University; Gary Mucciaroni, Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison; James Rogers, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University; Joseph Schwartz, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Harvard University; Benedict Stavis, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Columbia University; Sandra Suarez, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., Yale University; Conrad J. Weiler, Jr., Associate Professor, Ph.D., Syracuse University, J.D., Temple University.

General Statement

The Department of Political Science offers graduate work leading to the Master of Arts and the Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The M.A. program provides training in the broad field of political science. It is intended to provide the background necessary for continued graduate study leading to the Ph.D., as well as to prepare students for careers in public service, teaching at the secondary school and community college levels, and for positions in not-for-profit and private sector firms. The aim of the Ph.D. program is to produce university teachers and scholars, and to meet the increasing demand of government and quasi-public institutions for highly qualified experts in the field.

Areas of Study

The Department offers opportunities for study and research in American politics and in international studies.

Application Deadlines

Applications must be received for the fall semester by May 1, and for the spring semester by December 1.

Financial Aid

The Department offers a number of teaching assistantships, each of which carries a stipend and full waiver of tuition and fees, as well as a number of graduate fellowships and tuition scholarships. The deadline for applications for financial aid is February 1.

Master of Arts

The Master of Arts program can be terminal or nonterminal. Students who expect to apply later for the Ph.D. program should indicate this in their M.A. applications.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must hold the B.A. or B.S. degree, with either a major in political science or preparation in the social sciences sufficient for pursuing graduate work. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a minimum GPA of 3.3 in their major. All students must submit scores from the general Graduate Record Examination (GRE), with a minimum score of 500 on the verbal and 500 on the quantitative. Two letters of recommendation are required. International students are required to take the TOEFL and score 250 on the computer-based version (CBT) (600 on the paper-based version) or higher on the test. Applicants are encouraged to submit scores from the GRE social science subject test and a research paper or other academic writing sample. An interview is optional.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete ten courses and pass written comprehensive examinations in two fields. A total of 30 credits is required for the M.A. degree. The courses required of all candidates are PS 400, PS 401, PS 410, and either PS 440 or PS 460. The M.A. degree must be completed within three years of matriculation.

Doctor of Philosophy

Admission Requirements

Applicants must ordinarily hold an M.A. degree in political science or be nearing the completion of an M.A. degree. Their cumulative graduate GPA should be 3.5 or higher. All students must submit scores from the general Graduate Record Examination, with a minimum 500 on the verbal and 500 on the quantitative. At least two letters of recommendation are required. A writing sample from the candidate's M.A. work is required also. International students are required to take the TOEFL and score 250 on the computer-based version (CBT) (600 on the paper-based version) or higher on the test.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 56 credits, which include six required courses, mastery of two fields of study (American politics and international studies), and dissertation research. Students must pass a written preliminary examination in three fields, followed by an oral final examination. After submitting an acceptable dissertation, students must pass an oral dissertation defense.

The courses required of all candidates for the degree are PS 400, 401, 404, 405, 480, and 900. The Ph.D. degree must be completed within seven years of matriculation.

Course Descriptions -Political Science

400. Symposium in Political Science. (3 s.h.)

Required of all M.A. candidates. Development of political science as a field; analyzes issues in philosophy of social science; examines key concepts and approaches to major fields in political science.

401. Political Statistics I. (3 s.h.)

Required of all M.A. candidates. Introductory applied social statistics. Topics covered include descriptive measures, elementary probability theory, hypothesis testing, and correlation and regression analysis.

404. Teaching Methods. (1 s.h.)

Required of all Ph.D. candidates. Offered once each year, normally in the fall semester. No student will be awarded financial assistance for a second year without having successfully completed this course.

405. Qualitative Research Methods.(3 s.h.)

Required of all Ph.D. candidates. Examination of some of the major qualitative research approaches in political science-case studies, comparative historical, institutional, community power studies, etc. Teaches the basic methods and reasoning procedures necessary for doing advanced research in political science.

410. The Role of Government in American Society (core seminar). (3 s.h.)

Analysis of the Federalist papers and the works of De Tocqueville, Jefferson, Jackson, Calhoun, Sumner, Schattschneider, Croly, Reich, Greenstein, and others. Emphasis on readings, discussion, short papers, and examination.

412. American Presidency. (3 s.h.)

An examination of the persuasion and command powers as well as the policy process of the American Presidency. Special attention is given to what the Constitution, the statutes, and the courts say about Presidential power and the President's role in domestic and foreign policy outcomes.

414. Legislative Behavior. (3 s.h.)

Analysis and research on legislatures, legislators, and the legislative process at national, state, and local levels. Focus on legislative decision-making.

417. Public Law. (3 s.h.)

Advanced study and research in the American constitutional system and recent Constitutional development.

418. Civil Rights and Liberties. (3 s.h.)

Advanced study and research in American Civil Rights and Liberties with emphasis on recent developments.

421. The American Party System. (3 s.h.)

Study and research in selected phases of the American Party system.

427. Urban Politics. (3 s.h.)

Core seminar in urban politics. Introduces the major schools of thought that have structured urban inquiry including: power elite, pluralist, Marxist and political economy. Examines underlying assumptions of each school of thought and respective analyses of power, in particular how power is structured; where it is located; and how it is used. Examines the implications of these various perspectives for urban politics, policy, governance, and ultimately, democracy.

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