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.
