GV900-7-FY: POLITICAL EXPLANATION
Year: 2013/14
Department: Government
Essex credit: 30
ECTS credit: 15
Available to Study Abroad / Exchange Students: Yes
| Module is taught during the following terms |
| Autumn |  | Spring | | Summer | |
Module Description
The purpose of this module is twofold. The first is to introduce post-graduate students to concepts of research design, qualitative inference and measurement. The second portion of the module covers the quantitative tools and techniques used in a large percentage of research conduced in public policy and political science. We will begin slowly, discussing summary statistics and basic data presentation. The pace quickens as I discuss probability and hypothesis testing, correlation, confidence intervals, and finally, single and multi variable regression analysis. Advanced topics such as estimators appropriate for nominal and ordinal dependent variables also will be introduced. The good news is that as the work becomes more challenging, the relevance of the techniques to modern social science research becomes more apparent.
As a primary learning outcome, students will become familiar with the Stata statistics package and command line batch routines for data and statistical analysis. My goal is to make it comfortable enough with the software that they can analyze their own data and begin having fun with their own research projects!
Learning & Teaching Methods
3 hour lecture/lab sessions
Assessment
60 per cent Coursework Mark, 40 per cent Exam Mark
Coursework:
2 assignments plus 3 hour examination
Exam Duration and Period
3:00 hour exam during Summer Examination period.
Other information
Compulsory for:
MA course in Government other than Ideology and Discourse Analysis, Political Theory and Politics
Compulsory for:
MA programs in Government other than Ideology and Discourse Analysis and Political Theory.
Bibliography
- Berry, William and Mitchell Sanders. 2000. Understanding Multivariate Research: A Primer for Beginning Social Scientists. New York: Westview Press.
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Geddes, Barbara. 2003. Paradigms and Sand Castles: Theory Building and Research Design in Comparative Politics (Analytical Perspectives on Politics) (Paperback). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
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King, Gary, Robert O. Keohane and Sidney Verba. 1994. Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. Princeton University Press.
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Lewis-Beck, Michael. 1980. Applied Regression: An Introduction. Thousand Oaks: Sage University Press (Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences Series #22).
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