This course is an introduction to research methods for political science majors. It serves two main purposes. First, this course introduces research design and the myriad methodologies employed by scholars as they engage in debates within the political science community and beyond. This course will cover many aspects of research design, but will focus primarily on the ability to ask good questions and to craft research plans to best answer those questions. Second, the course is an introduction to some of the major debates within political science. The course equips students with the tools to understand and conduct research in political science in upper-level electives.
This course is an introduction to research methods for political science majors. It serves two main purposes. First, this course introduces research design and the myriad methodologies employed by scholars as they engage in debates within the political science community and beyond. This course will cover many aspects of research design, but will focus primarily on the ability to ask good questions and to craft research plans to best answer those questions. Second, the course is an introduction to some of the major debates within political science. The course equips students with the tools to understand and conduct research in political science in upper-level electives.
This course is an introduction to research methods for political science majors. It serves two main purposes. First, this course introduces research design and the myriad methodologies employed by scholars as they engage in debates within the political science community and beyond. This course will cover many aspects of research design, but will focus primarily on the ability to ask good questions and to craft research plans to best answer those questions. Second, the course is an introduction to some of the major debates within political science. The course equips students with the tools to understand and conduct research in political science in upper-level electives.
This course is an introduction to research methods for political science majors. It serves two main purposes. First, this course introduces research design and the myriad methodologies employed by scholars as they engage in debates within the political science community and beyond. This course will cover many aspects of research design, but will focus primarily on the ability to ask good questions and to craft research plans to best answer those questions. Second, the course is an introduction to some of the major debates within political science. The course equips students with the tools to understand and conduct research in political science in upper-level electives.
This course is an introduction to the field of political science for American Politics, Policy and Strategy majors. It serves two main purposes. First, this course is an introduction to research design and the myriad methodologies employed by scholars as they engage in debates within the political science community. The course will cover many aspects of research design but will focus primarily on the ability to ask good questions and to craft research plans to best answer those questions. Second, it is an introduction to some of the major debates within the subfields of American politics, policy, and strategy.
This course is an introduction to the methods and techniques of research in contemporary political science. It is designed to improve students? ability to think critically about politics. This course differs from many other courses in its emphasis building critical thinking skills rather than mastering specific facts and theories. The most important of these skills are inference and causal reasoning. Rather than simply accepting ?expert? answers to fundamental questions of political life, students will learn how to critically evaluate previous answers offered by others. Much of this course is devoted to practical exercises in which cadets put various research methods to work to answer important questions relevant to the field of political science. The course covers the philosophy of science, experimental method in the social sciences, quantitative analysis, and survey research.
This course is an introduction to the methods and techniques of research in contemporary political science. It is designed to improve students? ability to think critically about politics. More than in other courses, the emphasis in this course is on building critical thinking skills rather than mastering specific facts and theories relevant to specific topics. The most important of these skills are inference and causal reasoning. Rather than simply accepting the answers of "experts" to fundamental questions of political life, students will learn how to critically evaluate previous answers offered by others. Much of this course is devoted to practical exercises in which cadets put various research methods to work to answer important questions relevant to the field of political science. The course covers the experimental method in the social sciences, quantitative analysis, case study research, surveys and interviewing, and the use of history as a source of data.
This course is an introduction to the scientific method as well as to the experimental and case study methodologies used in contemporary political science. Arguments considered in the course pertain to: international relations, American politics, comparative politics and political economy. The course considers the philosophy of science issues associated with the sources of knowledge as argued by the classical epistemologies of rationalism and empiricism as well as more contemporary interpretations. The course emphasizes the requirements of logical causal analysis and argumentation. The comparative advantages and constraints of inductive and deductive reasoning are also considered. The course analyzes the case study and quantitative methods of analysis in their own right and as means of developing and testing theories. Research design issues are emphasized to sharpen creative skills at linking deductive theory formulation, empirical testing and theory elaboration. Extensive practical experience is given in constructing and evaluating contemporary arguments in political science. The course includes computer laboratory exercises using computer spreadsheet applications.
