bees

Yes, professors willing to pick up the phone and calling colleagues goes a long way.

I would just google some syllabi and see whose books you like and work out that way who you want to work with.

Yeah, Blyth is great.

McDermott likely off to USC. Good young assistant professors, though, like Jordan Branch who already is publishing in IO and other places.

Good research design skills are worth developing. So many papers demonstrate great quant skills but fall down based on research design flaws.

I'd pick USC as a school on the way up.

I wouldn't just look at programs for the sake of programs, but look at schools with more than one professor whose work you admire.

Why do you think political 'science' needs more mathematical rigor? I think it needs all kinds of different methodological rigor, but math is hardly the only game in town. Alas, we are all now unthinking KKV drones. All grad students should be made to read Patrick Thaddeus Jackson's book on Political Science and methods of inquiry.

Notre Dame has Appelby, who's good.

Ah, political theorists! You foolish but wonderful people! Is there someone's work there that you particularly admire? I would email them and pose the question. You never know the politics between programs and departments unless you're on the inside.

If you can find a fully-funded Masters program then why not, but most schools use Masters as cash-generators, I am afraid.

That's who I was thinking of. Pat James, Brian Rathbun etc. And adding faculty a lot recently which is a good sign of health.

Exactly! I seem to remember the People's Front of Judea had started an alternative site but for the life of me I can't remember what it was.

Kendra, if I may, I think you may be over-thinking this. You're clearly very smart and would be a very competitive applicant. Which Americanist political scientist do you most admire? Which sub-field? Go to the Annual Review of Political Science, pick out a few of the articles that sound most interesting to you in terms of your substantive interests and see if you could see yourself doing that kind of work in the future. My guess is that you'll find stuff that suits both your interests and your abilities.

Has that nest of vipers been spammed into extinction? Or have they all migrated somewhere else? Not that I recommend listening to anything people say there (unless you are a therapist and then please do!) but the job market wiki was good...