- Format: All sessions will be virtual, 1-3 pm live from the LAITS studio in Mezes Hall on UT-Austin’s campus.
- Dates: May 17 – May 21 2021
- Times: 1 PM – 3 PM CST
Click on a day to view a recording of the session
Monday (5/17): Introductions; Amy Liu and Mike Findley discuss fieldwork and experiments in the field. Examples from ethnic and language politics and the politics of foreign aid and development.
Tuesday: Zach Elkins and Alison Craig discuss diffusion, statistical methods for analyzing networks, and approaches visualizing data, with applications to the diffusion of constitutions and law in Latin America and elsewhere.
Wednesday: Scott Wolford and Terry Chapman introduce game theory as a method of analyzing strategic interactions in politics. They discuss various applications, including how to “out game” your friends and enemies.
Thursday: Stephen Jessee, Bethany Albertson, and Hannah Walker discuss the fundamental challenges of causal inference, experiments as a solution, and Professor Walker’s experiments in the field examining what motivates racial minorities to turn out to vote.
Friday (5/21): Eric McDaniel, Zeynep Somer-Topcu (Director of Graduate Studies), and Dan Brinks (Department Chair and former Director of Graduate Studies) on what to think about when applying to grad school, funding for Ph.D., and what to look for in a department. We’ll wrap up with some concluding remarks and plans for the future.