Gain Personal and Professional Growth through Inspiring Conversations and Research

• Six Core Courses: HA7001 Theories of Public Policy or HA7888 Independent Studies, HA7002 Theories of Public Administration, HA7004 Quantitative Methods in Global Affairs, HA7005 Qualitative Research Methods, HA7006 Introduction to History of Political Thought, and ​HA7007 Theories of International Relations (18 Academic Units) 
• PhD Qualifying Examination and Conversion
• Thesis​
• Oral Examination

• ​Six Courses: HA7001 Theories of Public Policy or HA7888 Independent Studies, HA7002 Theories of Public Administration, HA7006 Introduction to History of Political Thought, HA7007 Theories of International Relations, HA7004 Quantitative Methods in Global Affairs, and HA7005 Qualitative Research Methods. 
• Other Degree Requirements
• PhD Qualifying Examination and Conversion
• Thesis​
• Oral Examination

Ph.D. students will have to submit and defend their thesis proposal as part of the Qualifying Examination (also known as the Confirmation Exercise). The Qualifying Examination should be completed within 18 months from start of candidature. The final completed thesis will be examined by a panel of internal and external examiners, after which, an oral examination will be held. Refer to the Timeline​ and Milestones for more instructions.

All students from Cohort 2020 and onwards are to take an Integrated Research Methods Course:

HX7001 Research Methods for Social Sciences (core)
This course will cover the fundamental research methods in social sciences. It will cover broadly the general methods shared by the different subjects, namely, Economics, Psychology, Public Policy & Global Affairs, and Sociology and some specific methods which are only particular to some of the subjects. Topics to be covered include (but not limited to), experimental design, field experiment, survey designs, interview, and secondary data analysis based on databases, literature review, ethics, and IRB application. 

The first half of the semester will be the methods shared by all 4 subjects in the school, and the second half of the semester the class will be divided into two groups: PPGA/Sociology, and Economics/Psychology where research methods unique to these subjects will be delved into deeper.

The following courses are offered by Public Policy and Global Affairs. Not all courses are offered in an academic year.   

HA7001 Theories of Public Policy (core)
This course addresses the theoretical underpinnings of public policy. It discusses the role of different theories in understanding public policy, including institutional theory, group theory, elite theory, system theory, rational theory, incrementalism theory, and public choice theory.

HA7002 Theories of Public Administration (subfield core)
This course discusses the intellectual development of public administration as a discipline. It will discuss the theory of bureaucracy, politics and public administration, theory of public management and theories of public organizations, postmodern theory, critical theory, public institutional theory, theories of governance, decision theory, and rational choice theory.

HA7006 Introduction to History of Political Thought (subfield core)
This course will introduce students to the political philosophies of the leading representatives of the history of political thought. Authors studied will include figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, Mill, and Marx. The course will consider the unique philosophical contributions of each author in the context of his historical situation, thus looking to clarify and articulate the relation between philosophy and political reality. Students will also, however, be encouraged to reflect upon the continuing practical relevance of the canonical texts, interrogating the conceptual material with respect to their potential application to the study of current political realities. Some of the issues which will be focused on include the nature of the human being, the status of individual rights, the foundation of state authority, and the meaning of such concepts as equality, freedom, and justice.

HA7007 Theories of International Relations (subfield core)
This course is a mandatory course for PhD students in PPGA. It aims to 1) acquaint students with knowledge of social science theories, 2) train students to gain in-depth understanding of mainstream IR theories: realism, liberalism, and social constructivism, 3) enable students to grasp the academic development of IR theories, and 4) teach students to apply various IR theories to explain global affairs, especially East Asian regional affairs.

HA7009 Selected Topics of Research Methods In Public Affairs
This course introduces students to qualitative and quantitative methods for collecting and analysing data in the social sciences. Practical skills of data collection and analysis will be illustrated based on faculty members' own research projects. The course is designed to prepare students to be independent researchers who have the ability to collect valid and reliable data and conduct data analysis to inform their own research.

HA7010 Qualitative Methods for Public Affairs
The purpose of this course is to prepare students as an independent researcher not only to understand the philosophy of qualitative, non-statistical social science research, but also to design methods of qualitative research.

HA7011 Quantitative Methods for Public Affairs I
This course aims to advance students' understanding of basic concepts of descriptive and inferential statistics. Based on data-based exercises and practices, this course will help students understand quantitative journal articles that use statistics as a written language for communication.

HA7012 Quantitative Methods for Public Affairs II
This course is prepared for those who complete HA9011 and desire advanced knowledge of statistics. For those who want to finish their dissertation with advanced statistical analysis, this course is a must. HA9011 ends with multivariate linear regression. HA9012 will expand the discussion of linear regression in the first couple of weeks. In the following weeks, the instructor will move to non-linear regression when dependent variables are not continuous in nature.

HA7107 Policy Evaluation
Policy evaluation constitutes a key element of contemporary policymaking and refers to a comprehensive, often multi-year study of program/policy function and outcomes. This course will expose students to the complexity and scope of policy evaluation and the methods of policy and program evaluation. The social, political, and ethical contexts of evaluation will also be covered in the class. Throughout the semester, we will look at evaluation examples that have been conducted on public issues, programs, and policies to demonstrate key points. 

HA7108 Selected Topics In Health Care and Ageing
This course aims to develop students' understanding of key concepts, principles and theories of health care and ageing that are essential for health-related policy analysis and pursuing careers in the health care field. In addition, it aims to develop students' reflective capacity and enable them to link theory to practice through examining case studies in different countries. It covers hot topics such as COVID-19 and crisis leadership, medical tourism, digital health, and healthy aging.

HA7208 ASEAN’s Institutional Evolution: History, Functions, and Roles 
This seminar aims to offer students the in-depth, comprehensive knowledge and analyses of potentials, strengths, and limitations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Through class discussions, students will learn history, characteristics, and functions of ASEAN from the material and ideational perspectives. With these knowledge, students will gain an ability to analyze the ASEAN’s utility (potentials and limitations) and raison d'être by employing not only International Relations (IR) theories, but also theories in other fields (e.g. psychology, sociology, history).

HA7209 Regional Integration in Europe
This course introduces you to the politics and policies of European integration. By taking this course, you will learn about the historical motivations that led to the emergence of the European Union (and which alternative models were considered), the design and structure of European institutions (and how they have evolved over time), the core policy areas regulated at the EU level (and why some are outside of the formal EU institutional framework), as well as extant theories that attempt to capture these complex and multilevel interactions. 

HA7210 Quantitative Methods In International Relations (IR)
This course is a research seminar in quantitative approaches to international relations. We will learn how to use R in the first few class meetings. Then we will cover relevant scholarly articles to study the recent development in the field of international relations. It covers a wide range of topics and methodologies, which helps students to find and develop their research project.

HA7211 Crisis Diplomacy
This course is an applied seminar for students aspiring to careers in foreign affairs. Through a series of simulations, discussions and lectures, you will become acquainted with the practice of statecraft and diplomacy on a practical level. From the perspective of policymakers, we will tackle several of the most pressing issues in contemporary international security, ranging from traditional security issues like inter-state and civil war, nuclear proliferation, and the rise of great powers to more non-traditional, newer issues like terrorism, climate change, and “human security.”  Students will explore the intricacies, challenges, and possibilities of diplomacy during international crises through an active learning approach using simulations. Any student interested in pursuing a career in statecraft and diplomacy would benefit from this class.

HA7212 China and Global Governance
This course examines interactions between the rise of China and the changing international political economy over the past four decades, which has witnessed substantial transformations in globalization and technological innovation. It focuses on three inter-connected themes: 
1) the rising China and its domestic and diplomatic dimensions;