Looking for advice - Undergrad student

[esotericish]

So you guys are saying I need to do some research and narrow down -- currently I'm heavily leaning towards IR or CP.

 

But what I am confused about is this -

 

When applying to the PhD program, we already need to know not only what sub-field we are interested in, but also exactly what topic and region we want to research and do the dissertation on?

 

You should definitely know what subfield, and then have some general research questions you're interested in. The way to figure that out is to do research so you can get a grasp on the literature. My undergrad thesis really helped me figure that out, and then my MA gave me more nuanced interests.

[gr22]

So you guys are saying I need to do some research and narrow down -- currently I'm heavily leaning towards IR or CP.

 

But what I am confused about is this -

 

When applying to the PhD program, we already need to know not only what sub-field we are interested in, but also exactly what topic and region we want to research and do the dissertation on?

 

In addition -- if anyone can recommend me MUST READ books/articles in the fields of IR and CP so I can get a true sense of what direction I want to head, that'd be great.

Yale has reading lists for their field exams posted here which may be useful: http://politicalscience.yale.edu/academics/graduate-program/field-readings-lists-requirements-and-exams

Based on a quick look at their comparative list, I didn't see anything by O'Donnell...I would certainly recommend reading some of his work as well.

The Annual Reviews can also be a good way to get a quick introduction to a topic, while also getting a list of frequently cited articles in that area to add to your reading list: http://www.annualreviews.org/loi/polisci

The Oxford Handbooks can also be a good way to see what kinds of questions people in a particular field are asking (I know there's one for Comparative, not sure about IR)

You might also look up syllabi for intro comparative/IR courses at the graduate level and see what they're reading. 

[deleteacct]

Getting a lot of great books added to my list, thanks. Hopefully must-read articles in the IR and CP fields will be posted as well, ones that I can access.

 

 

Thanks for all the great info so far everyone!

[irfannooruddin]

You are a student in one of the best poli sci departments in the country. Your advisors are the people who should be answering these questions. Trust them.