POL S 488 A: Honors Thesis Design

University of Washington Department of Political Science 

Honors Thesis Design (POLS 488), Autumn 2024

Professor Scott Lemieux

Email: slemieux@uw.edu 

Office hours: Tuesdays 2-3 pm, 114 Gowen Hall  

and by appointment via Zoom 

Zoom meeting room: https://washington.zoom.us/j/3054322933

Course Description 

 This course provides you with the building blocks to construct a successful honors thesis. The topics and readings provide guidelines and examples for each element of your project. In parallel with each topic and assigned reading, you will be reading and researching your own sources that apply to your thesis project.  By the end of Autumn Quarter, you will, step by step, have produced a complete research design and will have begun the research and writing process for your thesis. During Winter Quarter, you will complete and defend your honors thesis.  

 

Building a community to support your research and writing is important. Your honors cohort, this class, and the faculty and students of the department are all part of your research and writing community.   Research and writing are daily practices. Attaining excellence in research is no different than attaining excellence in piano, ballet, basketball, or soccer. Work on an element of your project every day. In addition to assigned readings, plan to dedicate at minimum 30 minutes to one hour each day, at least five days a week, to your thesis project. Some days will include many hours of intensive work, but that is no substitute for your daily practice.  

Course Requirements 

Weekly thesis assignments (40%) 

 You will complete assignments every week for the first eight weeks of the quarter.  Assignments are generally to be submitted via Canvas by midnight on the day of the presentation, usually Thursday.  (5% each).

The only exceptions to this schedule are:

The Week 1 assignment, which will be due at 5 PM on Monday, September 30.

The Week 6 assignment, which will be due at midnight on Tuesday, October 28.

 

Workshop presentations and participation (30%)  

 You will present your assignment for a class workshop twice during the quarter as noted in the Course Schedule (10%), comment on presentations throughout the quarter (5%), present your full research design to the class at the end of the quarter (10%), and discuss assigned material throughout the quarter (5%). 

Complete research design (30%) 

 The first draft of your research design is due via Canvas on Wednesday, November 22^nd. You will submit  a complete written research design via Canvas on Mionday, December 9^th.  

Honors thesis contract and grading 

 

Your signed honors thesis contract with adviser and second reader due via Canvas by Wednesday,  November 8^th. 

Deadline extensions are permitted in emergencies or extenuating circumstances with permission of the professor. Communicate proactively.  

Also, make sure you are familiar with the norms of academic honesty.

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Course Materials 

 We will read one outstanding research monograph in the field of political science that exemplifies strong research design and methodology, five honors theses from past cohorts, and short selections from texts on research design and methodology.  

 

The monograph is Rebecca U. Thorpe, The American Warfare State (University of Chicago Press, 2014.) An free electronic edition of the book is available through UW Libraries. For students who prefer to have their own copy, it is also available for purchase at the UW Bookstore and through other online vendors in both paper and electronic formats.

 

All other course materials are available through Canvas or full-text online via UW Libraries E-Journals and E-books.

Additional Course Information 

Diversity Statement 

 The Department of Political Science recognizes and affirms the University of Washington’s mission to  “value and honor diverse experiences and perspectives, strive to create welcoming and respectful learning  environments, and promote access, opportunity and justice for all.” We expect every member of this  community to contribute toward cultivating an inclusive and respectful culture throughout our  classrooms, work environments, and campus events. 

Disability Resources 

 If you would like to request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disability  Resources for Students). If you have a letter from DRS indicating you have a disability that requires  academic accommodations, please present the letter to me so that we can discuss the accommodations you  may need for class. 

Religious Accommodation 

 Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or  significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s  policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious  Accommodations Policy. 

Academic Integrity 

 Students at the University of Washington (UW) are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic conduct, professional honesty, and personal integrity. Plagiarism, cheating, and other misconduct are violations of the University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-120). 

Covid Information 

 We will follow UW guidance for classes. FAQs about COVID-19 and UW Policy can be found here.

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Course Schedule 

 The following course schedule indicates the topic, required readings, and assignments for each class. 

WEEK ONE 

1. Thursday, September 26

 

Special guest: Tamara Sollinger, Academic Counselor, Department of political science

 

Thesis Writing 

Honors Guide, 2023-24. Emailed at the end of spring quarter. 

 

. 

 

YOUR THESIS ASSIGNMENT: Name the first faculty member you will approach to discuss your research. Make an appointment, and report the date and time on Canvas. Reaching out is the first step to finding a thesis adviser. In addition, in preparation for next week, begin your literature review, using Academic Search Complete.  Submit this to Canvas by 5 PM on Monday, September 30.

WEEK TWO 

 

 

Tuesday, October 1

 

Topic and Question 

 

Thorpe, The American Warfare State: Acknowledgements, Chapter 1 (pp. 1-23.)

 

Throughout the quarter we will examine a successful political science monograph that uses both quantitative and qualitative data to support a clear and important theory.

 

After reading the acknowledgements, consider and be prepared to discuss the following question:  What roles did Thorpe’s advisors, other professors, and fellow students play? Keep in mind that this  cohort, this class, and this department are your communities. Be intentional about building and  maintaining your research and writing community.  

 

Thorpe’s introductory chapter is an excellent overview of the same tasks you’ll undertake on a smaller scale  in your research design and honors thesis. It’s a great outline of what we’ll be doing this quarter.  Pay careful attention to what Thorpe does in this chapter. She 1) explains why her topic is  important and its roots (in this case) in American political and constitutional history, 2) locates her argument in the literature, 3) introduces the motivating puzzle, 4) clearly states the outcome of interest (dependent variable), 5) articulates her hypothesis, including causal  relationships and causal mechanisms, 6) identifies alternative hypotheses, 7) explains her case  selection, data, concepts, and measures, and 8) explains how she generated and tests her  hypothesis. Note that the chapter concludes with a clear roadmap to the rest of the book.  

 

Dimiter Toshkov, Research Design in Political Science (Palgrave Macmillan 2016), “Normative vs.  Positive,” pp. 24-28; and “Choosing a Topic,” pp. 44-54. Canvas. 

The first excerpt from Toshkov provides a starting point for considering the differences between normative and positive approaches to political science. Political theory theses deal more with philosophical arguments for and against particular normative propositions than with empirical or causal claims. The second excerpt has some useful advice for identifying a topic and honing it to a question or puzzle that can be addressed with scholarly research. 

 

3. Thursday, October 3

 

Workshop 

Special guest: Yulenni Venegas-Lopez, Director, POLS/JSIS/LSJ/GWSS Writing Center

 

        Caden Schepps, “Geopolitics on a Jersey: Gazprom’s Sponsorship of FC Schalke 04 and its Soft Power Implications.” Canvas. Used by permission.

 

        Trisha Binwade, “NPT’s Framework for Peaceful Nuclear Energy Cooperation.” Canvas. Used by permission.

Alison McQueen, “Anatomy of an Essay in Political Thought,” Stanford University. Full-text online. 

 

 

YOUR THESIS ASSIGNMENT: a) On Canvas, submit a one-paragraph statement of your topic. Make a clear statement of the issue or outcome of interest. If you’re taking a positivist approach, name the dependent variable that you seek to explain.

1. b) Include a short preliminary bibliography of three scholarly sources that you think are potentially relevant and useful.
2. c) Regardless of whether your project is positivist or normative in orientation, identify an example of each approach to your topic. You may generate your own examples or cite examples from the existing literature. Be prepared to discuss your topic, introduce one scholarly source on your topic, and compare positivist and normative approaches.  Bring your laptop in order to work with a partner in class on developing your bibliographies. 

WORKSHOP PRESENTERS: Group 1

 

WEEK THREE 

4. Tuesday, October 8  

Thorpe, The American Warfare State, Chapter 2 (pp. 24-46.).

Thorpe uses this chapter to locate her research puzzle in historical analysis. How does this history help to illuminate the importance and the context of her research question? Take note of how the “process tracing” of historical development occurs throughout the rest of the book.

 

Kathryn Karcher, “Welfare Policies in the United States Reinforce Sexism, Racism, and Classism” Honors thesis. Used by permission. Canvas. 

 

5. Thursday, October 10 

 

Workshop 

Dimitar Toshkov, “Research Design,” in David Marsh, Gerry Stoker, and Vivian Lowndes, eds. Theory  and Methods in Political Science (Palgrave Macmillan 2018), pp. 219-236. Canvas. 

YOUR THESIS ASSIGNMENT: If you are doing a primarily empirical project, identify the key causal factor(s) of interest (independent variable) that explain(s) your outcome of interest. For primarily normative theses, identify your core theoretical claim. Cite at least one relevant and useful scholarly source.  

WORKSHOP PRESENTERS: Group 2  

WEEK FOUR 

6. Tuesday, October 15

 

Thorpe, The American Warfare State Ch. 3 (pp. 47-66.)

 

Thorpe begins to present the empirical support for her thesis in more detail. What kind of data does she use? How does it relate to her theory? Is it convincing? How does the data address alternative explanations?

 

Matt Ryan, “The Comparative Method,” in Marsh, et al., eds., Theory and Methods in Political Science, “Mill’s Methods,” pp. 274-279. Canvas. Pay attention to how variation provides analyticl  leverage.  

 

 

Mika LaVaque-Monty, “Some Notes on Writing Political Theory,” University of Michigan. Canvas. LaVaque-Monty addresses how to approach counter-arguments in normative writing. 

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7. Thursday, October 17 

 

Workshop 

 

Yulenni I. Venegas-Lopez, “Respeta mí Existencia o Espera Resistencia: Mobilization and Political Participation of the Latino Immigrant Rights Movement Under Threat.” Honors thesis. Used by permission. Canvas.

YOUR THESIS ASSIGNMENT: Identify at least one alternative argument to your own. Cite the relevant literature. How will you address or refute the claims of the alternative argument? For normative theses, identify possible objections to your claim. 

WORKSHOP PRESENTERS Group 3

WEEK FIVE 

8. Tuesday, October 22, 2024 

 

Thorpe, The American Warfare State, Ch. 4. Thorpe begins to present the empirical support for her thesis in more detail. Once again, we can ask what kind of data does she use? How does it relate to her theory? Is it convincing?

 

Louise H. Kidder, et al., Research Methods in Social Relations (New York: Holt Reinhart and Winston,  1986), “Measurement: From Abstract Concepts to Concrete Representations,” pp. 40-41. Canvas.

9. Thursday, October 24

Workshop 

 

Vladimir Bejdo, "On the International Supervision of Militant Democracy: Political Party Bans and the European Court of Human Rights." Honors Thesis. Used by Permission. Canvas.

 

YOUR THESIS ASSIGNMENT: Select a core concept (it could be the key IV or the DV). Articulate in theoretical terms what this concept is. Cite the relevant literature. Specify how you will move from concept to variable to indicator. For normative theses, discuss how the most important works on your topic define key concepts. 

WORKSHOP PRESENTERS Group 4  

WEEK SIX 

 

10. Tuesday, October 29  

 

Thorpe, The American Warfare State Ch. 5-6 (pp. 93-106.) Thorpe gets to the heart of her theory explaining a critical change in American political development. Pay particular attention to her development of explanatory, dependent, and control variables.

 

Workshop 

 

YOUR THESIS ASSIGNMENT: How many cases do you plan to study? How do your cases vary? (Keep in mind that variation provides analytical leverage.) Describe and justify your case selection. 

WORKSHOP PRESENTERS Group 1   

 

 

 

11. Thursday, October 31

No class meeting.

WEEK SEVEN  

12. Tuesday, November 5 

 

Thorpe, The American Warfare State Ch. 7-8 (pp. 127-178.) Thorpe explores further implications of the historical break she argues occurred during and after World War II. Take careful note of her use of both empirical analysis and descriptive data to support her claims.

 

Note: Honors thesis contract with adviser and second reader due to Canvas by November 8, 2023. 

13. Thursday, November 7 

Workshop 

Matt Ryan, “The Comparative Method,” in Marsh et al., eds., Theory and Methods in Political Science, “Within-case Analysis,” pp. 285-287. Canvas. 

YOUR THESIS ASSIGNMENT: Regardless of the number of cases in your research design, sketch a brief description of a single case. There are many ways to use case studies alone or in the context of a mixed-methods design. What can you learn in your project by examining one or more cases? Cite at least one relevant and useful scholarly source. 

WORKSHOP PRESENTERS Groups 2, 3  

 

WEEK EIGHT 

14. Tuesday, November 14. Thorpe, The American Warfare State, conclusion.

 A thesis benefits enormously from a well-executed conclusion that summarizes your project and makes the importance of the question clear to the reader. Consider how well Thorpe summarizes the most important parts of her argument, and the extent to which she raises questions for future research.

 

 

Optional: Peter John, “Quantitative Methods,” “Testing and Reporting Models,” pp. 265-268. Canvas. 

15. Thursday, November 16 

Workshop 

Miguel Mariscal, “Demographics, Partisanship, and Competitiveness: Poll Closures in the Wake of Shelby,” Honors thesis. Used by permission. Canvas. 

YOUR THESIS ASSIGNMENT: Where does the analytical leverage come from in your design to enable you to make an argument?  

WORKSHOP PRESENTERS Group 4 

 

WEEK NINE 

16. Tuesday, November 19 

Toshkov, Research Design in Political Science, “Causal Inference,” pp. 160-164; “Structuring Research” and “Ethics” pp. 331-340 Canvas. 

Nguyen, Ly, Sample Research Design. Used By Permission. Canvas. 

 Undergraduate Research Symposium Information 

Thursday, November 21, 2023 

First draft of research design due via Canvas 

FULL PRESENTATIONS Group 1  

We will discuss the format for your research design throughout the quarter. The following are elements that  most research designs include:  

Topic (why is it important) 

Motivating Question or Puzzle (clear statement of what you intend to explain/outcome of interest) Literature Review (major existing arguments, including alternative arguments) 

Hypothesis (what you think you’ll find, even though you might be wrong)  

Concepts, Measures, and Data Sources (primary and/or secondary)  

Case Selection (how many cases will you have and how and why did you select them) Basis for Hypothesis Generation or Testing (where your analytical leverage comes from) Implications (anticipated relevance to policy, understanding of other cases, etc.)  

Full Bibliography 

WEEK TEN  

18. Tuesday, November 26 

FULL PRESENTATIONS GROUP 2, 2 of Group 3  

WEEK ELEVEN 

20. Tuesday, December 3

 

FULL PRESENTATIONS All remaining students.  

21. Thursday, December 5

 

No class meeting 

Revise research design 

 

Research Design Due via Canvas Monday December 9 at 6 PM.