Course description:  This course introduces political economy, the study of how political power shapes economic institutions and outcomes, and how economic forces in turn shape politics and society.  We begin with foundational questions, including: What is a state, and what is a market?  How do states enable, discipline, or depend on markets, and when do markets themselves exercise power?  We then turn to enduring normative and empirical debates about whether markets are an efficient or fair way to organize resources in society, for whom, and under what conditions.  What alternative arrangements have been proposed or implemented?  The course surveys major theoretical traditions in political economy—including liberalism, neoclassical economics, Marxism, sociological approaches, and neo-institutionalism—and examines contemporary transformations such as economic development, globalization, and technological change.  Throughout, we consider whether these shifts have strengthened or undermined institutional arrangements that attempt to reconcile economic efficiency with social inequality.

Course description:  This course explores the development and politics of social policy in the United States, focusing on how the country addresses (or fails to address) the risks people face over their lives. Students examine the structure of the American welfare state—including social insurance, social assistance, and tax-based benefits—alongside the political processes that shape policy design and outcomes.  The course analyzes how institutions, elites, public opinion, and media interact to influence which policies are adopted and how they evolve. It also considers emerging social risks, state-level experimentation, and moments of expanded social provision (such as during crises), asking why such support is often temporary.  Overall, the class aims to build a deeper understanding of how U.S. social policy works and its broader political and economic implications.

Course description:  This subject introduces the academic study of American politics and the discipline of political science more generally.  We cover a range of substantive topics, including the cultural and constitutional foundations of American politics; its institutional structures, such as Congress and the presidency; the activities of strategic political elites; the political behavior of ordinary American citizens; and contemporary debates over such important issues as money in politics, partisan polarization, racism, and immigration. These topics will be examined using a variety of theoretical and empirical frameworks, with particular emphasis on the advantages and limitations of analyzing political actors as rational and strategic decision-makers.  This being a communication-intensive HASS subject, written assignments of various lengths are an integral part of the learning process, and we will be working closely with a writing advisor from Writing, Rhetoric and Professional Communication (WRAP). 

Course description:  This is the first course in a four-course sequence on quantitative political methodology.  Political methodology is a growing subfield of political science which deals with the development and application of statistical methods to problems in political science and public policy.  By the end of the sequence, students will be capable of understanding and confidently applying a variety of statistical methods and research designs that are essential for political science and public policy research.  This first course provides a graduate-level introduction to regression models, along with the basic principles of probability and statistics which are essential for understanding how regression works.  Regression models are routinely used in political science, policy research, and other disciplines in social science.  The principles learned in this course also provide a foundation for the general understanding of quantitative political methodology.

Course Description:  China’s urbanization over the last three decades has been unprecedented in human history – 260 million migrants have moved to cities supporting rapid economic growth, while also creating huge opportunities for the real estate market. Over the next 30 years, an additional 300 million Chinese are likely to move to cities. This unprecedented wave of urbanization has not only changed the lives of hundreds of millions, but significantly modified the world’s political, economic, and environmental landscapes. This graduate research seminar will focus on the fundamental mechanisms and key policy issues of urban development, real estate markets, and sustainability in China. It is geared towards students who are interested in China’s urban economy and real estate market. This seminar poses three questions: 1) With the liberalization of China’s land and real estate markets since the 1980s, how can we better understand the incentives and location choices of firms and households, the developers’ response to demand and regulation, and the aggregate consequences of such individual choices on real estate market dynamics, housing affordability, urban land use and spatial growth patterns? 2) Along other key dimensions of sustainable urbanization, e.g., transportation, energy and environment, local public finance and urban inequality, what are the tensions, discontinuities and potential threats to sustainability? Have politicians and their policies succeeded or failed in addressing such challenges? 3) What differentiates China from other countries in their equivalent urbanizing historical periods? What may China’s experience offer for the rest of the world?

Description:  The Teaching Development Fellows Network (TDFN) is a professional development and leadership opportunity for graduate students who are interested in improving their teaching while promoting pedagogical development and discussion among their peers. Fellows organize and direct department-based events. They also develop resources aimed at developing TA’s teaching skills in their home department with support from TLL and an interdisciplinary network of fellows.  The Teaching Development Fellows Network is designed to improve TA teaching, benefiting the Institute on several levels: Fellows benefit departments by providing specialized training for TAs with oversight from TLL. Fellows benefit the graduate student community by acting as teaching mentors, organizing collaborative learning communities, and providing a connection to other programs. Fellows benefit undergraduates by providing resources and training to new TAs, improving their ability to help undergraduates succeed. Fellows benefit themselves through academic and pedagogical professional development by continuing a reflective teaching practice, designing original workshops, and working in a collaborative and interdisciplinary network.

Description:   The Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program (KTCP) is an interactive workshop series intended for late-program graduate students and postdocs interested in academic careers or developing skills to support their teaching at MIT.  KTCP consists of eight practice-based workshops in a single semester. By participating in these workshops, you will learn evidence-based teaching techniques grounded in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Topics include: constructing a syllabus, designing a course, preparing a lesson plan, assessing and providing feedback to students, creating an effective and welcoming classroom climate. Participants will actively practice these teaching skills through microteaching workshops, in which they will receive individual feedback from peers and teaching experts.