Ajay Verghese
Associate Professor of Political Science
- Office
- Munroe Hall 302
- Tel
- (802) 443-3096
- averghese@middlebury.edu
- Office Hours
- Tuesday and Thursday 11:00 - 12:30 and by appt.
Ajay Verghese is an Associate Professor of Political Science. He received his Ph.D. in 2013 from The George Washington University, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University.
His research interests include Indian politics, ethnic violence, historical legacies, religion, and methodology. His first book, The Colonial Origins of Ethnic Violence in India, was published by Stanford University Press in 2016, and his articles have been published in Modern Asian Studies, Terrorism and Political Violence, Journal of Development Studies, Politics & Society, Politics and Religion, Sociological Theory, and The Journal of Historical Political Economy.
He received the Ted Jelen Award from the Religion and Politics APSA section, and an honorable mention for the Award for Concept Analysis in Political Science from IPSA. He is currently working on his second project, which examines Hinduism and politics in India, and has been funded by the Fulbright Program, American Institute of Indian Studies, and the Woodrow Wilson Center.
Courses Taught
IPEC 0700
Upcoming
Intl.Pol.&Economics SR. Thesis
Course Description
Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Terms Taught
PSCI 0103
Upcoming
Intro to Comparative Politics
Course Description
Introduction to Comparative Politics
This course offers an introduction to the comparative study of political systems and to the logic of comparative inquiry. How are different political systems created and organized? How and why do they change? Why are some democratic and others authoritarian? Why are some rich and others poor? Other topics covered in this course include nationalism and political ideologies, forms of representation, the relationship between state institutions and civil society, and globalization. The goal in this course is to use comparative methods to analyze questions of state institutions -- how they arise, change, and generate different economic, social, and political outcomes. 3 hrs. lect. disc. (Comparative Politics)
Terms Taught
Requirements
PSCI 0213
Current
QualitativeMethods in Poli Sci
Course Description
Qualitative Methods in Political Science
This seminar offers a broad introduction to qualitative methodology with a focus on comparative methods for the analysis of a relatively small number of cases (small-n). This course will enable students to create and critique qualitative research designs in political science. The course focuses on recent methodological writings and includes several substantive examples from various subfields. Topics covered include causal inference, case studies, cross-case comparison, typological theory, case selection, process tracing, counterfactual analysis, and set theory. We will also discuss approaches to multi-method research and the use of mixed methods in political science. 3 hrs. lect. (Methods)
Terms Taught
Requirements
PSCI 0256
Politics of India
Course Description
Politics of India
This course provides students with an introduction to the history and politics of India, one of the most diverse, populous (home to more than one-seventh of the world’s population), and important developing countries in the modern world. This course proceeds chronologically, beginning with ancient Indian (South Asian) civilization, the Mughal Empire of the medieval period, the British colonial experience, Independence, Partition, and contemporary politics, including rising development, as well as the growth of Hindu nationalism. (Comparative Politics) 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
PSCI 0275
Current
Comp Politics of Religion
Course Description
Comparative Politics of Religion
This course provides students with an introduction to the study of religion in political science. The course is divided into four sections. The first section provides a theoretical background to religion and its study in political science. The second section discusses long-standing debates over the concept of ‘secularization.’ The third section examines the study of religion and democracy, with a special focus on the non-western case of India. The final section explores the effect of religion on political violence, with empirical examples from around the world. The last class explores the future of the study of religion in political science. (Comparative Politics) 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
PSCI 0450
Ethnic Conflict
Course Description
Ethnic Conflict
Experts regard ethnic divides as causing everything from nationalist violence to democratic breakdown to economic stagnation. In this course we will engage the most prominent recent and classic research into the relationship between ethnicity, conflict, and peace. Readings will include leading works in a wide variety of theoretical and empirical traditions, including comparative political science, rational choice, comparative history, sociology, and anthropology. Empirical material includes cases from many parts of the world. 3 hrs. sem. (Comparative Politics)
Terms Taught
Requirements
PSCI 0471
Upcoming
Secularization Theory
Course Description
Are the Gods Dead? Secularization Theory Worldwide
This course is structured around one of our most distinguished but contested social science theories: secularization, or the thesis that modernization weakens religion. In this course, we will read classic and contemporary versions of the secularization thesis from various social science disciplines, evaluate whether secularization has occurred in a number of cases around the world, and consider whether this theory deserves to still hold a central place in social science.
Terms Taught
Requirements
PSCI 0500
Upcoming
Independent Project
Course Description
Independent Projects
A program of independent work designed to meet the individual needs of advanced students. (Approval required)
Terms Taught
PSCI 0700
Upcoming
Honors Thesis
Course Description
Honors Thesis
(Approval required)
Terms Taught