This graduate program provides strong substantive and methodological training in political science and promotes close working relationships between faculty and students. Students choose from a curriculum of five fields: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, and methodology. Students may also develop an open field that can include coursework in other disciplines. Enrollment in the Ph.D. program is selective and limited in order to encourage collaborative work between faculty and students, both in research and teaching, to prepare students for academic careers in political science and other areas. The program has a strong placement record, with graduates working in a range of institutions from top-tier research universities to liberal arts colleges, as well as positions in government and political consulting. The program also offers numerous opportunities for students to pursue independent and collaborative research, as well as the funding to do so.
When do nations go to war What affects trade and immigration patterns Which counter-terrorism strategies work Is the enemy of my enemy truly my friend How does war affect leaders, public opinion and elections These are just some of the critical international politics questions that faculty scholars and students contemplate and research at UC Davis. Traditionally, international politics focused exclusively on the influence of the international system on the behavior of states. While arguments about the democratic peace theory have clearly challenged that approach, our perspective focuses on the intersection of domestic and international politics, examining international conflict, international cooperation and international political economy. We employ numerous analytical approaches, including rational choice, network analysis, political psychology, and prospect theory. Faculty members frequently co-publish with graduate students, and also work closely with other subfields. Our research employs a variety of empirical methods, including statistical analyses, mathematical models, computational models, experiments and case studies. Our goal is to ask questions that have relevance for the global future, re-examine answers from the international relations past, and to examine them creatively and rigorously.
