Graduate Seminar in American Politics II
This MIT OpenCourseWare seminar is the second half of a two-course sequence preparing graduate students in political science for their general examination in American politics. The focus here shifts from the first course's broader survey to American political institutions specifically, covering Congress, the presidency, courts, and bureaucracy. The course provides a syllabus and an extensive reading list drawn from major empirical and theoretical work in the field, chosen not to be comprehensive but to introduce the debates that define the subfield. Materials are aimed at doctoral-level students already familiar with basic methods and theory, so expect dense political science scholarship rather than introductory lectures. There are no video lectures; the course consists of the reading schedule and seminar structure MIT used to run the class, useful for anyone studying independently for a comprehensive exam in American politics or building a graduate-level reading list on political institutions.