This course is a research colloquium in which students initiates, develop, and present independent work related to government, politics and the state. The diversity of projects undertaken by students emphasizes the breadth of concerns related to government, law, and politics, identifying emerging scholarly interests and concerns. Student design research projects in conjunction with faculty instructors and report regularly on progress to the seminar. The final research paper will demonstrate the student's familiarity with relevant literature in the subfield, competence in research, research methods, writing and analysis, and mastery of basic concepts in the discipline. In addition, the course will integrate the various sub-fields of the discipline through the examination of current research.