Department of PSIR/Undergraduate Programs and Courses

School of Sciences and Humanities

Department of Political Science and International Relations

The Department of Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) offers a wide variety of courses aimed at studying political societies in Kazakhstan and around the world. A BA in PSIR provides you with a solid foundation for graduate study in the social sciences, and can prepare you for careers in such fields as public administration, social science research and data analysis, non-profit and international organizations, and diplomacy.

Click here, if you would like to learn more about the program and the admission requirments.

Political Science

The Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) program offers a unique blend of required courses that give students an overview of international politics, domestic political structures, and the historical thought that led to the development of modern politics. This is combined with two courses in research that expose students to research skills that can be used in understanding the world around them. The remainder of the program is a flexible mix of courses that are offered on a regular basis that allows students the opportunity to explore topics that are of most interest to them.

The strength of the program is in the large number of scholars who are experts in the areas of Central Asia and its neighborhood as well as strong emphasis on international relations. The specialized training in political science is rounded out by the overall BA curriculum in SSH which ensures that our students take a mix of mathematics, science, history, philosophy, and other classes to give them a well-rounded liberal arts education.

On successful completion of the program, PSIR graduates will be able to:

Knowledge: Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of core substantive areas of political societies, important contemporary political problems, and of key theoretical traditions in political science. Students are expected to accurately employ the central concepts in political science (state actors, political communities, power, legitimacy, coercion, democracy, etc.).
Methods and Ethics: Acquire essential knowledge and skills in the ethical application of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, for example, statistical analysis, survey design, program evaluation, interviews, policy analysis, content analysis, and ethnography.
Engaging with Scholarship: Understand, evaluate, and engage with empirical and theoretical findings concerning social practices, institutions, and structures – including the methods that are used, the assumptions that are embedded in the analysis, and the conclusions that are drawn.
Practicing Political Science: Critically apply political science methods, theories, and perspectives to analyze political dynamics, actors, institutions, and structures. Students are expected to identify political problems using a political science lens, critically evaluate the effectiveness of state and non-state interventions, and apply evidence to justify alternative strategies.
Self-Directed Learning: Demonstrate the ability to conduct politically informed research projects, beginning from the formation of a research question, progressing to the gathering and analysis of qualitative or quantitative data, and, using the insights of political science theory, generating a persuasive and socially important finding or conclusion.

PLS 100: Introduction to the Politics of Central Asia
The course will introduce key concepts and theories in political science that will be useful for the study of Kazakhstani and Central Asian politics such as the state structure and legal and political systems. In particular, we will discuss the different aspects of contemporary politics such as institution-building, political economy, gender and religion, civil society dynamics, etc. The course will pay a special attention to the Soviet legacies to better understand the transition to independence and the countries’ institutional and nation-building processes. At the end of the class, students will be able to make a critical judgment on the evolution of Kazakhstani and Central Asian politics since independence and analyze current dynamics. The course will also propose a comparative perspective to highlight similar and different socio-political realities of Central Asian countries. The course will take the form of lectures but we will also dedicate the last 50 minutes of class time to discussions and/or exercises in small groups.

PLS 101: Introduction to Political Science
This course introduces the students to the main concepts and themes in political science. It does so by addressing the following questions: what politics is, how to study it, how to analyze political processes and outcomes, how to compare various political regimes, government institutions and procedures, and how to reach conclusions about which political developments and policies are good for Kazakhstan and the world as a whole.

PLS 120: Introduction to Political Theory
This course will give an overview of the main questions addressed in contemporary political theory and the best answers given to those questions. It will provide you with the background and skills needed to understand contemporary debates on issues such as liberal equality, citizenship, multiculturalism and feminism.

PLS 140: Introduction to Comparative Politics
This course introduces students to the field of Comparative Politics. It aims to provide students with factual knowledge about the political systems, processes and development of major countries including the US, UK, France, Russia, Iran, China and Mexico. Country studies will introduce students to important themes of Comparative Politics such as nationalism, institutional design, political economy and culture, etc. which will be used to analyze modern political strategies and pitfalls.

PLS 150: Introduction to International Relations
This course introduces students to the Political Science subfield of International Relations. The focus will be on major global issues that characterized contemporary international relations including globalization, international law, trade, underdevelopment, terrorism, and the environment. While there is a theoretical element to this course, our primary objective will be understanding these global issues as a precursor to other courses in International Relations.

PLS 210: Political Science Research Methods
This course aims to introduce students to the foundations of research design in political science. You will learn what kind of knowledge one can research in political science, how to come up with good empirical research questions, why a good theory is important, and how to plan an investigation of your research questions using different methods. Everything you will learn about how to write up a research design you will implement in your main assignment, which is writing a full-body research proposal. Besides the written work, you will also have two presentations briefly explaining the main points of your research proposal to your colleagues.

PLS 211: Quantitative Methods
Credible and competent decisions are based on statistical and strategic thinking. In this course statistical thinking abilities (identifying appropriate statistical techniques, computing required statistics, and interpreting the results) are balanced with well-developed strategic thinking skills. Within this general framework, students will study the theoretical foundations of quantitative methods and learn the applied techniques, through the use of Microsoft Excel.

PLS 315: Political Game Theory
Game Theory is the study of strategic interactions. It is a collection of techniques designed to model strategic interactions and formulate predicted outcomes. This class outlines this analytical method as it is used in social science, where it is particularly prominent in the fields of political science, international relations, economics, and public policy.

PLS 330: Politics and Governance of Eurasia
The Politics and Governance of Eurasia will be a comparative analysis of political institutions and public policy in the former Soviet countries of Eurasia. We will assess the political legacies of the Soviet system, address the challenges of current governance, and construct a comparative framework for explaining the different outcomes post-Soviet countries have experienced. Primary focus will be on Kazakhstan and neighboring countries.

PLS 370 Introduction to International Law
This is a survey course that focuses on interactions among the primary entities in the international system; namely, states, transnational/international actors, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations as governed by international law.

PLS 370: Politics, Law, and Society
This course examines how law intersects with politics and society; how, when, and why law works or fails to work in regulating social behavior, exercising social control, resolving disputes, and creating social change in Kazakhstan and countries around the world.

PLS 355: European Union - Institutions and Policies
European Union: Institutions and Policies is a 300-level undergraduate course whose core objective is to introduce students to one of the most advanced instances of regional integration, the European Union (EU). Students will get a chance to learn about the governance structure of the EU and its unique institutions and policies with the objective of applying that knowledge to the Kazakh experience of regional integration within the Eurasian Economic Union. Right from its inception, the Union attracted the attention of scholars from both Comparative Politics (CP) and International Relations (IR). In grappling to understand the nature of the emerging polity, the academic community appears divided on the question whether the EU’s sui generis nature necessitates the establishment of a distinct discipline or whether the established cannons of CP and IR are suitable for the subject matter. This course acknowledges that the uniqueness of the EU requires at least a paradigmatic shift within the existing disciplines of IR and CP. Undoubtedly, the EU project at the same time: a) shook the traditional analytical framework used by CP for assessing the political systems of nation-states because it drastically altered the domestic political game from a hierarchical ordering to a multi-level governance structure and b) challenged the IR’s foremost assumptions of sovereignty and autonomy. The course begins with an exploration of key historical developments in the European integration processes. It then proceeds to studying the political system of the European Union by examining in details its key institutions and their prerogatives and functions. We will cover the European Council, the Council of Ministers, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Court of Justice of the EU. The last section of topics is dedicated to examining the policy-making process and key policy areas such as the Single Market regulatory policies, the Economic and Monetary policies, foreign policy.

PLS 422: Just War Theory
Notwithstanding the development of supra-national structures of authority, such as the United Nations, war remains an inescapable reality of the international community. Despite the horrors involve in armed conflicts, philosophers and legal scholars believe that this sad reality can be constrained by ethical principles. The aim of this class is to examine the moral norms that should circumscribe war. It focuses more specifically on the moral conditions under which the use of violence is permitted (jus ad bellum), the ones that should regulate the conduct of a war (jus in bello) as well as principles that should lead to a just peace (jus post bellum). Moreover, this class will study the contemporary ethical issues that have arisen since the beginning of the 21st Century which are associated with the War on Terror and the development of technologies, such as drones and armed robot.

PLS 458: International Organizations
This course focuses on research in the area of international cooperation and international institutions. We will focus on how international organizations (IOs) institutionalize cooperation at the international level, including their creation, internal dynamics, and complicated relationship with state behavior in areas such as security, political economy, environment, and human rights. The first half of the course will focus on the theories of international cooperation (or lack thereof) and address questions such as: how do we define IOs; why do states create and join IOs; when and which issues are taken to IOs; what mechanisms can IOs use to influence state behavior; and do they achieve their stated goals. The second half of the course examines major IOs such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. We conclude the course with a brief discussion on the future of international cooperation.

PLS 445: Political Violence
This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the various ways in which violence relates to the conduct of politics. Accordingly, this course will cover a range of topics such as (1) the formation of nation-states, (2) state failure, (3) civil wars and regional conflicts, (4) insurgency and counterinsurgency, (5) terrorism in the contemporary era, (6) military interventions, (7) civil society and state-initiated crackdowns, (8) ethnic conflict, (9) and genocide. In terms of assessment, since this is an upper level undergraduate course, I prefer writing assignments (several memos based on weekly readings), a research paper, and an oral presentation in class. I would like to cap enrollment in this course at approximately 24-28 students.

Thematic Pathways
Our program offers a variety of courses that span in multiple sub-fields. Some of the subfields that our faculty specialize in include political economy, the politics of development, gender and sexuality, political sociology, social policy, electoral studies, the politics of race and ethnicity, and political philosophy. Some of the methods that faculty use include statistical analysis, interview analysis, ethnography, textual analysis, and policy analysis. In addition to a research focus on Kazakhstan, our professors' research is international in scope: Central Asia, the African continent, South Korea, Russia, to name a few.

For students interested in Applied Political Science
● Introduction to Political Science
● Quantitative Methods in Political Science
● Qualitative Methods in Political Science
● Experimental Political Science

For students interested in International Development
● International Organizations
● The politics of Sub-Saharan Africa
● Politics of Development
● United Nations

For students interested in Gender/Race/Class
● Nationalism and Multi-Ethnic Governance
● Memory Politics in East Asia
● The Politics of Immigration Control
● Feminist Political Theory
● Visual Politics

For students interested in Central Asia and Eurasia
● Introduction to the Politics of Central Asia
● Post-Soviet Public Policy
● International Relations of Eurasia
● Politics and Governance of Eurasia
● Political Islam in Eurasia

For students interested in Political Philosophy
● Major Political Thinkers: Machiavelli
● Ancient Political Theory
● Anarchy
● Just war Theory
● Immigration Theory
● Hannah Arendt on Power, Violence, and Revolution

Skills Pathways
In addition to a variety of sub-fields, our program helps students gain marketable skills.

Quantitative and Statistical Skills
● Quantitative Methods in Political Science
● Experimental Political Science
● Maximum Likelihood Models

Research Skills
● Qualitative Methods in Political Science
● Independent Research
● Text Analysis and Political Communication in the Information Age
● Research Practicum in PSIR

Critical Thinking about Contemporary Issues
● Political Violence
● Comparative Democratization
● Environmental Politics
● Politics of International Finance
● Negotiation, Cooperation and Strategy
● International Conflict Processes
● Politics of China

Students cannot declare PSIR as a major until the end of their 2nd semester. In their first year, students take general SSH courses for which they have the prerequisites, including History of Kazakhstan, and SSH 150 (Writing). In order to declare as a PSIR major, they must pass two of these following courses with a grade of “C“ or above by the end of their second semester at the SSH:
1. PLS 120 Introduction to Political Theory
2.PLS 140 Introduction to Comparative Politics
3.PLS 150 Introduction to International Relations
In addition, the students MUST satisfy the GPA requirement of a minimum of 2.75 after two academic semesters. Having met these qualifications, the 1st year students are ranked according to the sum of their differential between their grades in the two above-mentioned courses with the average grade in each course, and top 80 of them are allowed to declare their major in Political Science and International Relations. If a student has taken the three above-mentioned courses, only the two highest grades will be used for the ranking. Students who are tied at the 80th position will be separated by their overall GPA. If a tie still persists after this stage, all students concerned will be allowed to declare their major in Political Science and International Relations.
For example: if a student received 90% in PLS 120, which had an average grade of 70, and 90% in PLS 140, which had an average grade of 60, the sum of their differential would be 90/70 + 90/60 = 2.786, and this score would be entered in the ranking. Please note that the passing grade for PLS 120, PLS 140 and PLS 150 courses is "C-".

If a second year student plans to major in Political Science and International Relations, he/she must pass the three following courses with a grade of “C“ or above by the end of the Fall semester of his/her second year:
1. PLS 120 Introduction to Political Theory
2. PLS 140 Introduction to Comparative Politics
3. PLS 150 Introduction to International Relations

Moreover, this student MUST satisfy the GPA requirement of a minimum of 2.75. Having met these qualifications, students are ranked according to the sum of their differential between their grades in the three above-mentioned courses with the average grade in each course, and top 10 of them are allowed to declare their major in Political Science and International Relations. Students who are tied at the 10th position will be separated by their overall GPA. If a tie still persists after this stage, all students concerned will be allowed to declare their major in Political Science and International Relations. These concerned students can apply for admission into the program at the end of the Fall semester.
Additional seats may be provided to second year students meeting the requirements before the start of their third year in the eventuality of 2nd year Political Science and International Relations majors withdrawing from the program or if less than 10 second year students have been admitted to the major at the end of the previous Fall semester. If this is the case, students who wish to declare their major in Political Science and International Relations and who are meeting the minimal requirements will be ranked according to the above-mentioned ranking formula and will be granted admission to the major depending on the number of available seats.
For example: if 8 second year students have been admitted to the major at the end of the Fall semester and 5 second year major students are withdrawing from the program during their second year, the Department will accept up to 7 additional majors who are meeting the minimal requirements according to the above-mentioned ranking formula. On the other hand, if 10 second year students have been admitted to the major at the end of the Fall semester and no second year major students are withdrawing from the program during their second year, the Department will not accept new majors.