The mission of the Department of Political Science is to communicate the knowledge of political science as a scholarly discipline through education of undergraduate and  graduate students in the core principles and specialties of political science, to develop new knowledge in the field through critical research and scholastic inquiry, and to apply the knowledge of political science to serve the needs of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond.

We pride ourselves on providing excellent instruction to students, and we share your disappointment that Covid-19 has forced us to modify our approaches for less face-to-face interaction.  However, we are also excited about how the upcoming changes will help us engage with you in different and more effective ways.  We are committed to your success by creatively finding ways to use technology and meeting in person whenever possible.

Teaching great online courses and utilizing technology to improve instruction is not new to us.  We’re good at doing this.  We consistently present some of the highest-rated courses at UK, and we will continue to do so.  Our new reality presents challenges, but we will easily and effectively reach the same learning outcomes like always.  Likewise, though many discussions will happen online, we continue to be committed to strong out-of-class experiences, teaching, and mentorship.  Your success is important to us.  We will do everything possible to help you reach your goals.

Please take a moment to read more about our course offerings below.  We are confident that you will see evidence that our faculty have spent many hours thinking thoughtfully about how to present quality instruction in these difficult times.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to your instructor or me if you have any questions or concerns.

Clayton Thyne, Department Chair
clayton.thyne@uky.edu
859-396-6871

 

PS101-001, Steve Voss: This course will combine some of the best features of in-person and online instruction.  Each American Government topic will be divided up according to which portions are best delivered interactively in class and which accommodate student learning at their convenience by computer.  The in-person portion will be delivered to half the class at a time to lower the student-teacher ratio, thereby encouraging student participation.  (These sessions will be recorded, to the extent possible, for students who do not or cannot attend.). The remote portions will combine a mixture of recorded presentations — allowing students to learn at their own pace, pausing to take notes or study graphs/figures — and hands-on learning activities.

PS101-010, Rachel Blandau: This course will be taught entirely online via zoom/canvas. Students are expected to attend class via zoom at the days/times listed in the course schedule. Lectures will utilize zoom’s screen share and whiteboard functions, so the course will be nearly identical to an in-person course. Students can ask questions live or use the chat box, with group discussion activities taking place in smaller break-out rooms in zoom and on canvas. All office hours will be held via zoom at regularly scheduled times (or by appointment).

PS101-011, Matthew Cain: This course will be taught entirely online via zoom/canvas.  Students are expected to attend class via zoom at the days/times listed in the course schedule.  Lectures will utilize zoom’s screen share and whiteboard functions, so the course will be nearly identical to an in-person course.  Students can ask questions live or use the chat box, and they’ll work together in smaller break-out rooms in zoom to work through assignments.  All office hours will be held via zoom at regularly scheduled times (or by appointment).

PS101-012, Travis Taylor: This course will be live and synchronous via Zoom. Students and the instructor will meet at the scheduled class time in a Zoom meeting. The course will be conducted largely as it would be if it were held in person. The instructor will deliver a lecture, students can interact with the instructor live by asking questions or seeking clarification using Zoom's chat or raise hand functions, and students will work in teams using Zoom's breakout rooms to apply the course content to real-world problems. Student time (formerly known as office hours) will be held via Zoom at the appointed times (or by appointment).

PS 101-201, Kelly Grenier: This course will be held online through Canvas. Every week, students will access 1-2 prerecorded lectures 15-30 minute in length with embedded quizzes to highlight the main concepts. There are no textbooks or exams in this course. Instead, students will engage with primary and secondary sources including podcast, documentaries, and bestsellers from experts in the field to write a weekly 300-500 word reflections. The main project which we will work on throughout the semester is the term paper written over the significance of an amendment to the Constitution. Student hours are held on Wednesdays, Fridays, and by appointment over Zoom. 

PS210-001, Emily Bacchus: For Fall 2020, PS 210 will be taught remotely: through a mix of zoom and canvas.  Students are expected to attend lectures and in-class activities during regularly scheduled course hours, as indicated in the course schedule portion of the syllabus. Lectures will utilize zoom’s screen share and whiteboard functions, so the course will be nearly identical to an in-person course.  Students can ask questions live or use the chat box, and we will use zoom break-out rooms for small group, in-class activities.  Some class activities will also occur asynchronously through canvas, as indicated in the course schedule section of the syllabus. All office hours will be held via zoom at regularly scheduled times (or by appointment).

PS210-007, Tasnia Symoom: This course will be taught remotely via zoom. The students would attend their class on the scheduled day/time on zoom. This course is designed in a way that students will be able to interact with their peers and the instructor very easily via zoom and canvas. As a part of the course agenda, they would interact with each other through both discussion board in Canvas as a whole and breakout rooms in zoom as smaller groups. All office hours will be held via zoom at regularly scheduled times (or by appointment). Therefore, this class is very much similar to the traditional/in-person class.

PS210-201, Jennifer Flinchum: This course will be taught entirely online via Canvas.  Course content will be delivered through narrated PowerPoint lectures and assigned course readings.  Weekly assignments will be utilized to assess comprehension of materials.  There will be no scheduled course meeting but students will have the opportunity to meet with the instructor via Zoom individually or in groups.    

PS230-001, Daniel Morey: This course will follow a hybrid instruction model because of the large number of students make regular meetings impossible.  Background material will be presented online and follow a format similar to a regular lecture course.  Each student will attend class in-person (or online) once a week (on an assigned day) where the focus will be on answering questions, active learning exercises, applying course material to current events, and instruction on an individual research assignment.  All office hours will be held via zoom at regularly scheduled office hours (or by appointment).

PS230-007, Wais Mehrabi: This is an introductory course to the study of international relations. The goal of the course is to teach students basic concepts and theories that are useful for making sense of contemporary debates and challenges in international politics as well as basic methods and ethics of scientific inquiry. This course will be run as a lecture and discussion seminar where students will have the opportunities to interact with each other as course materials are discussed. Though students are expected to attend classes in person, they have the option to participate via zoom. All the office hours will be virtual via Zoom at regularly scheduled times or by appointment.

PS360-001, Peter Lynch: This course will largely be a traditional course.  Students are expected to show up to class in person, though students can also attend and participate via zoom if they're more comfortable with that format.  The course will be primarily lecture-based, although students will also have ample opportunities to interact with each other and discuss important topics about the law.  All office hours will be held via zoom at regularly scheduled times (or by appointment).

PS360-002, Alexander Denison: This course will largely be a traditional course.  Students are expected to show up to class in person, though students can also attend and participate via zoom if they’re more comfortable with that format.  The course will be a combination of lectures, discussion sessions and scheduled simulations. All office hours will be held via zoom at regularly scheduled times or by individual appointment. 

PS360-201, Travis Taylor: This course will be fully online and asynchronous. Students will not meet at an appointed class time, but will still have full access to the instructor during student time (formerly known as office hours), which will be held via Zoom at the appointed times (or by appointment). The material will be presented via course readings, which will be reinforced using recorded lectures. Students will apply the course material to real-world problems in short written assignments, which will be graded by the instructor.

PS363-002, Jennifer Fransen: This course will be taught entirely online through zoom/canvas. Students are expected to attend class on the days and times listed in the course catalog.  Lecture will be over zoom and when necessary will utilize screen sharing.  Students will be able to ask questions live or in the chat option in zoom.  This course will be nearly identical to in person instruction.  All office hours will be held via zoom at regular scheduled times or by appointment.

PS372-001, Trey (Robert) Wood: This course will follow a traditional class format. Students will be expected to show up in person for in-class instruction, but a virtual option will be provided through either Zoom or Echo 360 based on classroom assignment. The course will be lecture based with opportunities for individual and small group work in the form of practice problems to reinforce and provide examples of lecture material. All office hours will be regularly scheduled and held through Zoom (or by appointment).

PS372-201, Jiacheng (Jacob) Liu: This course will be completely online via Canvas and Zoom. Students are expected to read the textbook, watch videos and finish their assignments on a weekly basis.  Students make work at their own pace as long as they meet assignment/exam deadlines. Videos posted on Canvas cover both course materials and homework questions. Zoom will be utilized for office hours, so students will have ample ability to communicate live with the instructor. Students will take the Midterm and Final exams on Canvas.

PS391-001, Jillienne Haglund: This course will be taught entirely online via Zoom and Canvas. Students will view prerecorded video lectures through Canvas and attend live discussion via Zoom at the days/times listed in the course schedule. The course will also utilize various multimedia resources, such as videos and podcasts related to course topics. During the live Zoom discussions, students can ask questions or use the chat box feature. Students will also work together in small groups on activities using the break-out rooms feature in Zoom. All office hours will be held via Zoom at regularly scheduled times, or by appointment.  

PS391-002, Bryce Beschorner: This course will largely be a traditional course, although zoom will be utilized. Students are expected to show up to class in person, though students can also attend and participate via zoom if they’re more comfortable with that format. The course will primarily feature discussion and group work, and students are expected to be able to interact with each other, either in person or online via zoom. All office hours will be held via zoom at regularly scheduled times (or by appointment).

PS391-003, William (Chip) O’Connell: This class will largely follow a traditional format with students attending in-person lectures.  Students will also be able to watch livestream of lectures via zoom during scheduled class time or recorded versions of lectures that will be posted shortly after the scheduled class time. Students attending in-person and livestreamed lectures will have the opportunity to discuss material during class.  Students will also participate in a Canvas discussion board where they discuss the causes, outcomes, severity, etc. of civil conflict. All assignments will be turned in online through Canvas, and office hours will be held virtually through Zoom.

PS391-201, Victoria Beall: This course will be taught entirely online via Canvas. All lectures, quizzes, and other materials for the course will be made available on Canvas. There is no attendance requirement. Students will be able to access course materials, including lectures, at their own pace each week on Canvas. Students will be expected to engage with their fellow classmates and the instructor via online discussion boards. Students will be able to post questions about course materials and topics we cover on an additional discussion board where the instructor will answer all questions but other students will be able to engage as well. Although there is no formal class attendance requirement, students will have the opportunity to meet with their fellow classmates and the instructor once a week via zoom where students can discuss class material live with the instructor and among themselves. For one on one meetings with the instructor, office hours will be held via zoom twice a week (or by appointment).

PS410-001, Betul Demirkaya: This course will be taught entirely online via zoom/canvas.  Students are expected to attend class via zoom at the days/times listed in the course schedule.  Lectures will utilize zoom’s screen share and whiteboard functions, so the course will be nearly identical to an in-person course.  Students can ask questions live or use the chat box, and they’ll work together in smaller break-out rooms in zoom to work through assignments. We will also use the discussion board feature on canvas to facilitate participation. All office hours will be held via zoom at regularly scheduled times (or by appointment). The students will be able to connect to the zoom meetings and office hours via phone. 

PS430-001, Horace Bartilow: This course will be taught entirely online via zoom/canvas.  Students are expected to attend class via zoom at the days/times listed in the course schedule and keep up with current events related to US foreign policy by reading the Washington Post and New York Times and others on a daily (Monday - Friday) basis. Lectures will utilize zoom’s screen share, so the course will be nearly identical to an in-person course.  Students can ask questions live or use the chat box.  The lecture style will be interactive where students will be called upon to apply current US foreign Policy issues to the theories covered in the course. All office hours will be held via zoom at regularly scheduled times (or by appointment).

PS436-001, Jillienne Haglund: This course will be taught entirely online via Zoom and Canvas. Students will view prerecorded video lectures through Canvas and attend live discussion via Zoom at the days/times listed in the course schedule. The course will also utilize various multimedia resources, such as videos and podcasts related to course topics. During the live Zoom discussions, students can ask questions or use the chat box feature. Students will also work together in small groups on activities using the break-out rooms feature in Zoom. All office hours will be held via Zoom at regularly scheduled times, or by appointment.  

PS461-001, Justin Wedeking: If nothing changes, this course will be a traditional course.  Students are expected to show up to class in person. If, however, circumstances change and there is a change in guidance from the University, then there may be alternatives though which students can also attend and participate via zoom if they’re more comfortable with that format.  The course is heavily dependent on reading the course material and engaging in discussions with it.  This course will primarily be run as a discussion seminar, and students will have opportunities to engage in collective discussions.  All office hours will be held via zoom at regularly scheduled times (or by appointment).

PS463G-002, Travis Taylor: This course will be live and synchronous via Zoom. Students and the instructor will meet at the scheduled class time in a Zoom meeting. The course will be conducted largely as it would be if it were held in person. The instructor will deliver a lecture, students can interact with the instructor live by asking questions or seeking clarification using Zoom's chat or raise hand functions, and students will work in teams using Zoom's breakout rooms to apply the course content to real-world problems. Student time (formerly known as office hours) will be held via Zoom at the appointed times (or by appointment).

PS472-001, Stephen Voss: This course will be a traditional, in-person course to the fullest extent allowed by university rules and public-health guidelines.  It combines two very different subject matters: elections & voting behavior (usually studied with rigorous scientific methods) and campaigning (which changes rapidly and does not offer such a copious literature). The former topic represents the majority of the course and the required readings.  Most class meetings will probe that material in person, although leaving time to discuss the latest campaign events and link them to course topics.  To cover campaigning, Prof. Voss is cooperating with a nationwide group of professors who are lining up featured speakers of renown for Zoom sessions.  Certain in-person meetings will be cancelled to compensate for the time students will spend participating in or watching those sessions, but when and how many will depend on the consortium’s success at securing guest speakers.

PS480-001, Horace Bartilow: This course will be taught entirely online via zoom/canvas.  Students are expected to attend class via zoom at the days/times listed in the course schedule and keep up with current public policy debates about the role of government in the economy. These debates center around hot-button election-year issues such as the US health care system and the COVID19 pandemic,  privatization,  and social security by reading the Washington Post and New York Times and others on a daily (Monday - Friday) basis. Lectures will utilize zoom’s screen share, so the course will be nearly identical to an in-person course.  Students can ask questions live or use the chat box.  The lecture style will be interactive where students will be called upon to apply current public policy issues to the theories covered in the course. All office hours will be held via zoom at regularly scheduled times (or by appointment).

PS484-001, Richard Waterman: This course will largely be taught exclusively online. Students are expected to participate via zoom during the normal class hours, Tuesday and Thursday from 2:00-3:15 PM. The course will primarily be run as a discussion seminar, and students will have ample opportunities to interact with each other as we discuss the material.  All office hours will be held via zoom at regularly scheduled times (or by appointment).

PS490-001, Clayton Thyne: This course will largely be a traditional course.  Students are expected to show up to class in person, though students can also attend and participate via zoom if they’re more comfortable with that format.  The course will primarily be run as a discussion seminar, and students will have ample opportunities to interact with each other as we discuss the material and peer-review each others’ work.  All office hours will be held via zoom at regularly scheduled times (or by appointment).