1. Recent courses
GOVT 201 Introduction to American Politics. This course provides a broad overview of the American political system by exploring key values and value tensions, institutions, political behavior, and representation.
GOVT 301 Research Methods. This is a course in research design (i.e., how to set up and carry out a research project). It also includes a 3-4 week module on introductory statistics and statistical computing.
GOVT 302 Quantitative Methods. This course trains students in how to use ordinary least squares regression and also maximum likelihood estimation for limited dependent variables.
GOVT 351 Bureaucracy. This course explores how government agencies and bureaucrats, along with their non-governmental partners, manage and implement policy, use a variety of tools, and navigate challenging organizational and political environments.
GOVT 455 / PUBP 514 Education Policy and Politics. This research seminar explores major policy developments and politial controversies that orbit K-12 education in the United States. The 455 course number is for undergraduates and the 514 course number is for W&M Master's in Public Policy students.
PUBP 609 Applied Ethics. This is a required course in the W&M Master's in Public Policy Program. It examines how ethical considerations are part of all dimensions of the policy process, including how people define problems, design and implement proposed policy solutions, gather data, and analyze the impacts of public policy.
PUBP 610 Policy Research Seminar. This required course in the W&M Master's in Public Policy Program involves student research teams working with a real client in the policy word to answer an important question of interest to the client.
2. Resources for students and teachers
Video: Writing about Diagrams, Figures, Tables, and Images. In this video, I discuss strategies for how to incorporate visual elements into papers so authors can help their readers make the most of that valuable content.
Video: Doing Literature Reviews. In this video discussion, I speak with W&M Swem Librarian Mary Oberlies about how to do an effective literature review for a research project.
Video: Tips for Doing Research Interviews. This brief video includes a "big 6" list of items to consider for incorporating personal interviews into your research projects. I created this video for my PUBP 610 students, but the advice carries over to many other contexts.
Video: Tips for Working with Undergraduate Research Assistants. This video was geared toward my PUBP 610 course, but the advice is relevant for anyone who might be supervising undergraduate assistants working on a research project.
Opportunities for undergraduates to publish their original research.
Sally Roever and Paul Manna. 2005. Could you explain my grade? The administrative and pedagogical virtues of grading sheets. PS: Political Science and Politics 39(2): 317-320.