M.A. Thesis Advising
Logistics
I serve as faculty adviser to a limited number of students in the Committee on International Relations. Interested students should approach me well in advance of the February proposal deadline. Please sign up for my office hours, and bring at least a paragraph-long statement of your research question, your reasons for posing it, and preliminary thoughts on how to explore it.
On Puzzles
Most of the thesis advice we give rests on the puzzle metaphor. I, along with many other faculty, have found it incredibly useful in illuminating the process of selecting, formulating and framing a research question. Over the years, I have discovered, however, that students have a hard time "thinking with" the metaphor. To enable students to take full advantage of its implications for how to do research, I spell it out here in an applied way instead of presuming its mantra-like powers.
Tips on How to Prepare a Competitive Ph.D. Application
Why and How to Apply?
For a number of years, I have advised BA and MA students on whether and how to apply to PhD programs in political science/government. This document provides my answers to the most frequently asked questions.
How to Write a Compelling Statement of Purpose
Of all the parts of an application to a PhD program, the statement of purpose is the most difficult to assemble. Based on my work in graduate admissions, I lay out five rules that students should observe in order to avoid the errors applicants most commonly commit.