Research Methods for Political Science
Module Code: PO3600 (2012–13)
Module Name: Research Methods for Political Science
- ECTS Weighting: 10
- Semester/Term Taught: Michaelmas + Hilary Term
- Contact Hours: 2 lectures per week; 1 tutorial per fortnight
- Module Personnel: Lecturer - Professor Koji Kagotani
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
- Critically analyse existing political science and social science research on the basis of the research methods employed.
- Specify appropriate research questions in political science and construct effective research design strategies to answer these questions.
- Analyse quantitative data to uncover relationships between theoretically relevant variables.
- Effectively use statistical methods to conduct political science research.
- Effectively employ Excel and R, two statistical software packages, to conduct political science research.
Module Learning Aims
In this module, students study how to conduct their own research. This is the preparation for the dissertation in PO4600: Research Seminar in Political Science.
Module Content
This course explores a variety of both qualitative and quantitative social science research to develop the skills for explaining causal mechanism in political phenomena. Especially, the class focuses on the logic of scientific inference and the basics of game theory to examine political phenomena theoretically (Michaelmas Term). This course also explores the uses and abuses of statistical reasoning in social and political studies. Students learn the basic rules of data analysis and the logic of statistical inference (Hilary Term). The class covers various topics such as political polling, social experiments, electoral forecasting, and policy analysis by doing such work themselves.
Recommended Reading List
Moore, D.S., and McCabe, G.P. 2003. Introduction to the Practice of Statistics. 4th edition.
Shively, W.P. 2002. The Craft of Political Research. 5th ed. Prentice Hall.
Assessment Details
4 homeworks in the Michaelmas Term (20%)
4 homeworks in Hilary Term (20%)
1 essay with statistical analysis (10%)
End of year Exam (50%)
1 x 3-hour examination