Instructor Interview
Below, Prof. Chappell Lawson describes various aspects of how he taught 17.588 Field Seminar in Comparative Politics in the spring of 2024:
OCW: In a seminar, discussion inherently forms a crucial part of the learning experience. How were your seminar sessions set up?
Chappell Lawson: There was sometimes a brief overview lecture of 10–20 minutes at the beginning of the 2-hour class session to frame the issues and describe other topical material not assigned for that week. The rest was discussion, moderated by the instructor.
OCW: Why do you provide your students with a list of “Stylistic and Substantive Hints for Writing Papers”?
Chappell Lawson: If students don’t learn to write well, in an analytical style, they will fail as academics.
OCW: Can you speak to the historical value of the older readings you assign in this course, such as Aristotle’s writings from the first millennium BCE?
Chappell Lawson: It’s a terrible mistake to think of political science as something invented by Americans in the 1950s. Brilliant people—ancient Greeks, Chinese Legalists, South Asian political theorists, medieval Arab thinkers, Renaissance Europeans, and modern scholars from all over the world—have been asking and attempting to answer crucial questions about governance for almost as long as there have been states.
OCW: What would you like to share about teaching 17.588 that we haven’t yet addressed?
Chappell Lawson: The success of the class is all about the grad students, who have been a joy to teach.
Curriculum Information
Prerequisites
Instructor permission is required.
Requirements Satisfied
This course can be applied toward a Doctorate in Political Science, but it is not required.
Offered
About once a year
Assessment and Grading
Students’ grades were based on the following activities:
- Weekly required readings
- Class attendance and participation
- Six response papers over the course of the semester
Student Information
Enrollment
The number of students taking the class has ranged from 1 to 14 in recent years, with the average enrollment being 7–8.
Student Background
This class is designed for PhD students in political science, to help them prepare for their qualifying exams.
How Student Time Was Spent
During an average week, students were expected to spend 12 hours on the course, roughly divided as follows:
Lectures
- Met once per week for 2 hours per session; 13 sessions total; mandatory attendance.
Out of Class
- Outside of class, students completed the assigned readings and wrote response papers.
