SCHOOL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Mission Statement

The School of Political Science and International Affairs offers students a comprehensive set of courses dealing with the political environment of the 21st Century. The School's primary focus is to provide students with analytical, reasoning, and problem solving skills through the study of international, comparative, and domestic institutions in governance and of political systems and processes. The Master of Political Science and International Affairs aims to provide students with the knowledge and perspectives needed to function effectively and responsibly in public service, the private sector, and the non-governmental sector and as agents for change in society. The breadth and flexibility of the curriculum enables students to better understand the interplay between international and regional politics, as well as the socioeconomic issues that influence the transformations taking place in Armenia, in its government, and in the region. The School's approach is multi-disciplinary with strong emphasis placed upon providing students with a comprehensive understanding of democratic governance at the local, national, and international levels.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the general University admission requirements explained in the Admissions Section of this catalog, students wishing to enroll in the Master of Political Science and International Affairs program must have a four/five-year undergraduate degree, high scores in TOEFL exam, competitive quantitative GRE scores, high undergraduate GPAs, excellent letters of recommendation, and concise and informative personal statements. In addition, work and volunteer experience is taken into consideration. The School reserves the right to conduct interviews with applicants.

Graduation requirements

To graduate with a Master of Political Science and International Affairs, students must complete 80 credit hours of coursework, including either a Master's Essay or a Policy Internship Project in the final two quarters of study. Both the Essay and Internship Project carry 6 units of academic credit. All course units in the School, unless otherwise indicated, represent either four or two hours of class attendance per week by the student. Students must also complete a course on Environmental Science.

Full-time students must carry at least 12 credit units per quarter. Part-time students must develop an approved three-year program of study with the Dean during the student's first Quarter of study at AUA.

While the majority of students complete all school requirements in two years, the maximum period for completion is three academic years for both full-time and part-time students. Degree candidacy will automatically lapse after this period and students will not be awarded a diploma.

A course load of more than 16 credit units or less than 10 credit units requires prior approval from the Dean of the School. All required courses, except the Master's Essay and Policy Internship Project, must be taken on a letter grade basis. A cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher is required for the granting of the degree.

The MA Curriculum

Students are provided with "total immersion" in western political science methods and theory. Students are introduced also to an educational approach based on merit and student-centered learning modeled on graduate education in the United States.

The curriculum is comprised of courses in the following subfields of the discipline: Political theory and methods, international politics, public administration, public policy, and economics. Multiple courses are offered in each of these fields throughout the students' two years of study. All courses have a strong emphasis on comparative analyses and on bringing practical applications of theory into the classroom. The curriculum is divided into first and second year studies, with some courses requiring prerequisites.

Each student must complete a capstone experience of their choice, either the Master's Essay or the Policy Internship Project . The goal of the Masters Essay is to provide students with the opportunity to reflect on the learning through their course work and present a comprehensive study on a particular topic or policy area. The Policy Internship Project offers students the opportunity to participate in the functions of a government or non-governmental agency and to write a policy paper. All submissions follow the guidelines provided in the "Guidelines for Master's Essays and Policy Internship Projects" and the "Political Science Stylebook for Term Papers, Master's Essays, and Internship Policy Papers." Students present their papers in an open forum at the end of their final quarters of study.

Students are eligible for enrolment in PS700 (Policy Internship Project) or PS702 (Master's Essay) only if the following requirements have been met: (1) Completion of a minimum of 70 PS units (not including course on Environmental Science) by the end of the 2011 Winter Quarter; (2) Transcripts include no outstanding “Incomplete" grades by the start of the 2011 Spring Quarter, and; (3) A minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA is obtained through the end of the 2011 Winter Quarter.

M.A. Courses

The primary objective of the PSIA curriculum is to provide students with competency in the following areas: (1) understanding of government institutions and economics in Armenia, the region, and internationally, (2) understanding of political participants, structures and processes in democratic decision-making, (3) understanding of public administration, (4) understanding of international relations, and (5) understanding of social science research methodologies and policy analysis. PSIA students are instilled with the understanding that these competencies provide them with the tools needed to become problem solvers and agents for change. Ethics and professional practice are emphasized in all courses. These objectives are achieved through the successful completion of a required set of courses, some of which include more than one competency. Learning outcomes are assessed in coursework through tests, group projects, term papers, oral presentations, simulations, and class assignments and are specified in course syllabi.

First Year Courses

PS500 Western Political Thought (4 units)

This course is an introduction to Western Political Thought from a historical perspective. It covers all the essential ideas that since early Greeks to the twentieth century have shaped the political process and institutionalization of governance in Europe and the United States.

PS505 Political Science Methodology (4 units)

Introduction to research methods in political science covering the overall logic and theory of empirical research and the major quantitative and qualitative data collection methodologies and policy evaluation.

PS510 Comparative Political Systems (4 units)

Comparative analysis of political elites, governmental institutions, and political processes in selected industrial, developing and socialist countries. A representative sampling of countries would include the United States, Britain, France, Germany, India, Saudi Arabia, China, Egypt, Iran, Mexico, Russia, Syria and Israel.

PS520 International Relations in Theory and Practice (4 units)

Theories and issues in contemporary world politics and diplomacy, foreign policy formulations, strategic problems, international organizations, international peace and security.

PS530 Theories of Democracy (4 units)

Central concepts in contemporary democratic theory including the core problems of macro democracies and the normative functions and basic requirements of the theories for contemporary practice in modern nation-states.

PS538 Ethnicity, Geopolitics and International Law in Transcaucasia (4 units)

Analysis of the complex relationships among current regional conflicts and ethnicity, geopolitics, and international law and factors and participants in the development and potential for conflict resolution.

PS540 Macro Economics (4 units)

An intensive course in macroeconomic analysis that studies the performance of the national economy and the global economy.

PS550 Introduction to Public Administration (4 units)

The role and scope of bureaucracy in the modern state; examination of issues in the formulation and implementation of public policy; planning, programming, and decision-making in the bureaucratic policy-making process.

PS600 Public Policy and Analysis (4 units)

The analysis of administrative processes in political systems with emphasis on bureaucratic roles and functions, bureaucratic ethics, problem-solving, and social responsibility.

PS615 Policy Making and Public Opinion Formation (4 units)

Bringing the public into successful policy formation and implementation processes and the functions of public opinion in democratic states, focusing on political participation in public policy formation in selected countries.

PS646 Contemporary Foreign Relations (4 units)

Recent events, forces, and conditions in the international political system as they relate to the foreign policies of the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Second Year Courses

PS610 Public Finance and Budgeting (4 units)

A survey of public finance and budgeting systems in selected Western states with emphasis on the processes of planning, programming, appropriation, taxation, and modeling.

PS620 Public Personnel Administration (4 units)

An examination of the basic concepts and techniques of management of government employees with special emphasis on problems of recruitment, selection, position classification, promotion, training, motivation, performance evaluation, career development, leadership, and patronage.

PS626 Politics and Administration in Transition Countries (4 units)

This is a survey course that will examine politics and administration in the countries of the former Soviet Union, Eastern and Central Europe under the communist rule and will focus on their transition to market economy, pluralistic political systems, and sometimes to new statehood. Although the discussion will cover both the history and national characteristics of the region, the emphasis will be on changing institutional patterns that these countries undergo during their post-communist transitions.

PS630 Organizational Behavior (4 units)

Consideration of general theories and concepts of organization and bureaucratic behavior, strategies for control, stability, and change in modern state systems. This course is designed for graduate students with the expectation that they will expand their knowledge of those areas of organization life that deal with human relations and organizational psychology. The course will highlight how this knowledge will assist administrators in more effectively dealing with others in public and private organizations.

PS543 Micro Economics (4 units)

This course covers the essential microeconomic principles and applies them to public decisions. It covers the key principles of microeconomics, such as supply, demand, and market processes and provides extensive coverage of topics that concern public sector decisions.

PS660 International Law and Human Rights (2 units)

This course is a survey of the origins and principles of international law, its historical development and utilization in inter-state relations. It examines the sources of international law and the role of the precedent (which is particularly important for students from countries like Armenia, where the Anglo-Saxon legal tradition of precedent is irrelevant).

PS693 Survey and Polling Methods (4 units, prerequisite PS 505)

Provides students with the tools and skills required to conduct survey research, including hypothesis development, sample design, questionnaire construction, administration of interviews, and statistical analysis employing SPSS. Students participate in group survey projects.

PS688 Seminar on Armenian Government and Legislative Processes (4 units)

Analysis of the structures and processes of the Armenian Government at the central and local levels and legislative processes in Armenia. Emphasis on how the various branches of governance interact with each other in policy making processes within the framework of democratic theory and practice.

PS537 Sustainable Development (4 units)

The purpose of this course is to develop general understanding of what sustainable development is and how this concept is incorporated in policy-making. Three basic blocks of the concept are presented step by step: economic development, social change and conservation of environment.

PS607 Conflict Resolution (2 units)

Analyses of causes of and approaches to managing and resolving conflict in the international context. Examination of the theory and practice of international negotiations and mediation. Focus on three primary conflict stages: conflict prevention, conflict management and post conflict peace building.

PS655 Politics of the Islamic World (4 units)

An interdisciplinary survey of politics in the Arab East, Turkey, and Iran with emphasis on Middle Eastern factors, institutions, and processes since World War 2. Examination of problems of sociopolitical change, the role of Islam, international influences, and inter-state relations in the region.

PS700 Policy Internship Project (6 units)

PS702 Master's Essay (6 units)

PS691 Special Topic Seminar: International Policy Issues

PS692 Special Topic Seminar: Domestic Policy Issues

PS694 Special Topic Seminar: Public Administration

PS695 Special Topic Seminar: Political Theory and Methodology

PS699 Independent Study

FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, 2009-2011

DOUGLAS H. SHUMAVON, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
Interim Dean
Interim Director, Turpanjian Center for Policy Analysis
Professor Emeritus, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

SYUZANNA VASILYAN, Ph.D., Ghent University, Belgium
Assistant Professor

ARTHUR DRAMPIAN , Ph.D., Moscow State University, M.A., Brandeis University
Adjunct Senior Lecturer
Deputy Chief of Party, USAID, PA Government Services Inc.

CHRISTOPHER FOREMAN , Ph.D., Harvard University
Visiting Fulbright Professor
Professor and Director, Social Policy Program, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland

DONALD E. FULLER , Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
Professor Emeritus
Senior Lecturer, Political Science, Anglo-American College, Prague, Czech Republic

VACHE GABRIELYAN , Ph.D., Rutgers University
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Deputy Chairman, Central Bank of the ROA

VAHRAM GHUSHCHYAN , Ph.D., University of Colorado at Boulder
Visiting Assistant Professor

VAHRAM TER-MATEVOSYAN, Ph.D., Institute of Oriental Studies, NAS of Armenia
Visiting Lecturer
Professor, Yerevan State University

THERESA KHOROZYAN , M.A., Essex University
Visiting Lecturer
Senior Program Manager, USAID Civic Advocacy Support Program (CASP), Counterpart International

ROCHELLE EVE PARKS-YANCY , Ph.D., Rutgers University
Visiting Fulbright Professor
Assistant Professor, Texas Southern University

The majority of the graduates of the School of Political Science and International Affairs are working in international organizations, in diplomatic missions, and in educational and research institutes. The following partial listing of workplaces provides a snapshot of the School's graduates and their employment:

• USAID Armenia Legislative Strengthening Program
• USAID Local Government Assistance Program
• USAID Earthquake Zone Recovery Program
• USAID Commercial Law and Economic Regulation Program
• USAID Civic Advocacy Support Program
• USAID Micro Enterprise Development Initiative
• US Embassy Project Harmony
• ROA Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• ROA National Assembly of Armenia (Parliament)
• ROA Ministry of Finance and Economy
• ROA Ministry of Justice
• United Nations/Armenia
• United Nations Development Fund/Armenia
• European Union's TEMPUS/TACIS
• Armenian General Benevolent Union
• Armenian Center for National and International Studies
• Radio Free Liberty/Radio Liberty
• Armenian Embassy in Egypt
• American Embassy in Armenia
• Embassy of Turkmenistan in Armenia
• Embassy of India in Armenia
• Embassy of Armenia in London
• British Council in Armenia
• Council of Europe
• Armenian Institute of Tourism
• BearingPoint/Barents Group
• Center for Regional Development/Transparency International
• Catholic Relief Services
• Eurasia Foundation
• International Research Exchanges Board
• Japonica Intersectoral
• Open Society Institute
• World Bank
• Yerevan State University

Formal Affiliations

The Graduate School of Political Science and International Affairs and the Turpanjian Center for Policy Analysis became a full member of the Network of Institutions and School of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe in 2005. TCPA is a member of the Transition Policy Network, a consortium of research institutes in Eastern Europe and the CIS that collaborate on policy reform projects. TCPA and PSIA have a formal working relationship with the Armenian International Policy Group, a think tank based in Washington, DC, founded by economists from the World Bank and the IMF. PSIA has a close working relationship with the Caucasus Research Resource Center, administered by the Eurasia Foundation and funded by the Carnegie Corporation, with Professor Vache Gabrielyan serving as an Advisory Council member.

2010-2011 PSIA Student Handbook