Master of Arts in Political Science and International Relations
“The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough"
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia
What is MAPSIR?
Launched in the Fall of 2014, the Masters in Political Science and International Relations (MAPSIR) is the first world-class, graduate-level political science and international relations program taught in English in Kazakhstan. A wide array of courses is offered by an internationally recognized faculty drawn from Asia, North America, and Europe. The program is structured similar to top-rated Master’s programs in the universities in North America
Aim of the Program
● Provide students with information about the world, about the nature of international relations, and about the roles and responsibilities of states.
● Challenge students to think more critically about the world around them and the way in which it is governed.
● Encourage students to develop the ability to independently analyze problems and think creatively to find solutions.
● To prepare graduates with a solid foundation in the discipline of political science and international relations;
● To ensure that graduates can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of political theories, processes and institutions around the world;
● To provide graduates with the knowledge, skills, and abilities that will allow them to address fundamental political issues and to apply what they have learned to local, national, international and global governance problems.
● Challenge students to think more critically about the world around them and the way in which it is governed.
● Encourage students to develop the ability to independently analyze problems and think creatively to find solutions.
● To prepare graduates with a solid foundation in the discipline of political science and international relations;
● To ensure that graduates can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of political theories, processes and institutions around the world;
● To provide graduates with the knowledge, skills, and abilities that will allow them to address fundamental political issues and to apply what they have learned to local, national, international and global governance problems.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Critical Analysis and Original ResearchThe ability to review, analyze and critically assess the body of existing research and make original and insightful contributions to address complex analytical arguments;1
- Research Design for Political InquiryProficiency in designing innovative research projects addressing important political issues and using appropriate research methods to pursue them2
- Scholarly Writing in PSIRThe ability to write high quality, article-length manuscripts of publishable quality, on important topics of political science and international relations3
- Presenting ResearchThe ability to make effective oral presentations of their research4
- Government ChallengesProficiency to address local, national and international problems using political science approaches while pursuing government careers5
MAPSIR Courses
- Core coursesAdvanced Research I
Advanced Research II
Core Seminar in International Relations
Core Seminar in Comparative Politics
Core Seminar in Political Theory - ThesisThesis planning
Thesis research & writing
Thesis writing - ElectivesMaximum Likelihood Models
Experimental Political Science
Just War Theory
Immigration Theory
Issues in the Philosophy of Science
Hannah Arendt on Power, Violence, and Revolution
and more...
Course Descriptions
PLS 510 Advanced Research I
This course is designed to introduce you to quantitative methods in political science research. To this end, a series of relevant concepts and issues to quantitative methods will be taught and discussed. The thematic emphasis will be on (but not limited to) probability, statistical inferences, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. The goal of this course is to build a solid foundation in quantitative methods and techniques and to enable you to use the basic tools for your own research. You will be also asked to do a variety of exercises using a statistical package in order to enhance your ability to conduct your own analyses. Hands-on experiences as well as the principles of statistical reasoning will be emphasized.
PLS 511 Advanced Research II
This course provides the opportunity for you to learn the fundamentals of political science research, and as such, is a vital component of the MAPSIR program’s goal of your training to conduct significant original research in political science. This course will require a lot of reading, thinking, writing, and re-writing of your own ideas about how and why social scientists make choices while doing research: how and why they design their research projects the way they do, how they choose to conduct research, what kind of techniques they choose to use, what kind of evidence they accept and reject, and how they choose to present results of their research. It focuses on the elements of the choices made in the social science research process: research ideas, concepts, issues, and methods. It addresses philosophical questions concerning research design and methods, discusses political and ethical issues, applies practical matters of method and technique to a variety of topics. Thus, it aims to help you build the foundation in research skills that can be applied in an academic setting or a work environment. The outcome of this course is that you should understand the logic of inquiry, the scientific method as it relates to social science research, and should understand the process of research. At the end of the course you should be able to produce a literature review and basic research design to answer an original political science question.
PLS 540 Core Seminar in Comparative Politics
This course is meant to introduce graduate students to the field of Comparative Politics (CP), a diverse and core sub-field of Political Science. CP is both a methodological approach and a core set of concepts that are used together to create generalizable knowledge about politics in one or more countries. There are a number of ways that CP can be approached. It can use quantitative or qualitative data. It can focus on one country/region in comparative perspective, or tackle a large number of cases. It can center on rational choice, cultural, or structural explanations. It can look through the lenses of the state, institutions, society, or identity.
PLS 550 Core Seminar in International Relations
This course provides students with a firm foundation of IR and preparations for advanced studies in upper-level seminars. As a subfield, International Relations concerns itself with explaining the behavior of international actors, including states and international organizations. As the seminar covers a wide range of topics, the reading list will be extensive. Students must be prepared to contribute to in-class discussions. The course is structured in three parts: theoretical foundations of IR; a thematic survey of IR theories; and IR research methods. Students will be familiarized with key concepts and assumptions of IR and critically examine real-world policies using different perspectives and theories.
Elective graduate courses include:
Maximum Likelihood Models
Experimental Political Science
Just War Theory
Immigration Theory
Issues in the Philosophy of Science
Hannah Arendt on Power, Violence, and Revolution
Politics and Governance of the Russian Federation
Comparative Democratization
Text Analysis and Political Communication in the Information Age
Political Polarization in Democracies
State Capacity and State-building
Varieties of Federalism
Political Violence
The Politics of Immigration Control
Comparative Political Parties
Comparative Electoral System
The Politics of Arms in International Relations
International Security and Conflict
International Organization
Environmental Politics
Politics of International Finance
International Relations of Eurasia
Negotiation, Cooperation and Strategy
This course is designed to introduce you to quantitative methods in political science research. To this end, a series of relevant concepts and issues to quantitative methods will be taught and discussed. The thematic emphasis will be on (but not limited to) probability, statistical inferences, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. The goal of this course is to build a solid foundation in quantitative methods and techniques and to enable you to use the basic tools for your own research. You will be also asked to do a variety of exercises using a statistical package in order to enhance your ability to conduct your own analyses. Hands-on experiences as well as the principles of statistical reasoning will be emphasized.
PLS 511 Advanced Research II
This course provides the opportunity for you to learn the fundamentals of political science research, and as such, is a vital component of the MAPSIR program’s goal of your training to conduct significant original research in political science. This course will require a lot of reading, thinking, writing, and re-writing of your own ideas about how and why social scientists make choices while doing research: how and why they design their research projects the way they do, how they choose to conduct research, what kind of techniques they choose to use, what kind of evidence they accept and reject, and how they choose to present results of their research. It focuses on the elements of the choices made in the social science research process: research ideas, concepts, issues, and methods. It addresses philosophical questions concerning research design and methods, discusses political and ethical issues, applies practical matters of method and technique to a variety of topics. Thus, it aims to help you build the foundation in research skills that can be applied in an academic setting or a work environment. The outcome of this course is that you should understand the logic of inquiry, the scientific method as it relates to social science research, and should understand the process of research. At the end of the course you should be able to produce a literature review and basic research design to answer an original political science question.
PLS 540 Core Seminar in Comparative Politics
This course is meant to introduce graduate students to the field of Comparative Politics (CP), a diverse and core sub-field of Political Science. CP is both a methodological approach and a core set of concepts that are used together to create generalizable knowledge about politics in one or more countries. There are a number of ways that CP can be approached. It can use quantitative or qualitative data. It can focus on one country/region in comparative perspective, or tackle a large number of cases. It can center on rational choice, cultural, or structural explanations. It can look through the lenses of the state, institutions, society, or identity.
PLS 550 Core Seminar in International Relations
This course provides students with a firm foundation of IR and preparations for advanced studies in upper-level seminars. As a subfield, International Relations concerns itself with explaining the behavior of international actors, including states and international organizations. As the seminar covers a wide range of topics, the reading list will be extensive. Students must be prepared to contribute to in-class discussions. The course is structured in three parts: theoretical foundations of IR; a thematic survey of IR theories; and IR research methods. Students will be familiarized with key concepts and assumptions of IR and critically examine real-world policies using different perspectives and theories.
Elective graduate courses include:
Maximum Likelihood Models
Experimental Political Science
Just War Theory
Immigration Theory
Issues in the Philosophy of Science
Hannah Arendt on Power, Violence, and Revolution
Politics and Governance of the Russian Federation
Comparative Democratization
Text Analysis and Political Communication in the Information Age
Political Polarization in Democracies
State Capacity and State-building
Varieties of Federalism
Political Violence
The Politics of Immigration Control
Comparative Political Parties
Comparative Electoral System
The Politics of Arms in International Relations
International Security and Conflict
International Organization
Environmental Politics
Politics of International Finance
International Relations of Eurasia
Negotiation, Cooperation and Strategy
What is after MAPSIR?
Alumna of MAPSIR pursue further education or careers in top local and international organizations
- PhD StudiesPostgraduate studies in world-class universities globally
- IndustryPublic sector
Legal services
Non-governmental organizations
United Nations
International organizations - PositionsResearcher
Lecturer
Policy analyst
Public affairs specialist
International business analyst
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