POL242Y1Y L5101

Research Methods for Specialists


Themes
This course introduces students to some of the most common methods used to gather and analyze evidence by researchers in the discipline of political science. Unlike other political science courses that focus on classic political themes such as democracy, statehood, institutions, and actors, this course emphasizes the techniques and methods used to explain how and why things happen in politics and provides students with a toolkit that allows them to conduct and analyze the results of their own research. Drawing on political examples when introducing concepts and techniques, the course emphasizes practice – including the choice of appropriate statistical procedures and the interpretation of results – over formal theory and mathematical proofs. As such, no prior background in mathematics is required. Themes covered in this course include: approaches to the study of political science, decision making in research design and appropriate methods of analysis.

Texts
Archer, Keith and Loleen Berdahl (2011) Explorations: Conducting Empirical Research in Canadian Political Science, 2nd Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Format and Requirements
This course is offered in a computer lab, exposing students to data and providing them with the means to conduct statistical analyses during class time. Most assignments involve the reporting of the results of original analyses following examples provided by the instructor. There is also a required presentation and a final term paper.

Prerequisites
A course in POL

Exclusions

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