So You’re on the Job Market, Part III: Coping (Repost)

This is an edited version of a post that appeared previously, and is the final installment of a three-part series on the academic job market. As always, helpful comments and suggestions are welcome. In two previous posts (see here and here) I’ve discussed some issues related to being on the political science job market. In the first installment I wrote about some basic organizational steps graduate students can take to prepare for being on the market. The second installment dealt with how graduate students can attempt to evaluate their prospects for getting a job. In this entry I’ll focus more Continue reading So You’re on the Job Market, Part III: Coping (Repost)

Poli Sci Fi

I am thrilled to share that my co-editor, Justin Vaughn, and I have just published the book, Poli Sci Fi, with Routledge. The collected works feature several different authors, including three other bloggers from the Quantitative Peace. The volume connects central research and themes of political science to science fiction films and TV shows (specific episodes). The target audience for the book is first or second year undergraduate students; a potential introductory course on political science could focus on understanding political science through science fiction (the book closely follows several introductory political science texts). Naturally, other audiences certainly can enjoy the book as well. Often, Continue reading Poli Sci Fi

So You’re on the Job Market, Part II: Expectations (Repost-ish)

Note: This is essentially a reposting of an earlier post from 2014. I have made a few minor tweaks to the original, but it’s more or less the same post. Anyone with different backgrounds or experience is welcome to share their advice in the comments section (provided it’s constructive).  In a previous post I outlined some of the steps graduate students can take to prepare for their time on the job market. I want to emphasize again that much of this really reflects my own set of experiences and training (i.e. three years applying for tenure track jobs at research Continue reading So You’re on the Job Market, Part II: Expectations (Repost-ish)

How Do U.S. Troop Deployments Affect Respect for Human Rights?

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Carla Martinez Machain. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Kansas State University. Can U.S. troops abroad improve respect for human rights? A recent conversation with a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who had deployed to Guinea as part of a series of U.S. military training exercises for military personnel in sub-Saharan Africa revealed that much of the training local troops receive involves human rights training, both theoretical and practical.  In a particularly amusing anecdote, he recounted going as far as having long conversations with local soldiers on why Continue reading How Do U.S. Troop Deployments Affect Respect for Human Rights?

So You’re on the Job Market, Part I: Preparation (Repost)

Editor’s Note: This is a reposting of a post I wrote up a couple of years ago. Given that we’re at the beginning of April, it seemed like it would be useful to rebroadcast potentially useful information for folks starting to think about the market in the fall. This is the first of three posts on the job market, and I’ll post the rest in the next couple of weeks. This year marked my third year on the political science/academic job market. In May of 2013 I was offered a post-doc at the University of Alabama, and this year I Continue reading So You’re on the Job Market, Part I: Preparation (Repost)