Quantitative Political Analysis

Catalog description

Data analysis and statistical applications in political research, including data processing; inferential statistics; contingency analysis; correlation and regression; multivariate analysis. PL SC 309 Quantitative Political Analysis (3)This course introduces students to the basic statistical techniques used to study politics quantitatively. It can be taken by itself or as the second course in a two course sequence with PL SC 308. It is required for all Liberal Arts Fellows. Students in 309 learn about developing questions suited to empirical research; constructing hypotheses; measuring political concepts; and conducting basic univariate and multivariate analyses. The course includes sections on the basic principles of probability, sampling, and statistical inference so that students can understand and implement statistical techniques for describing and explaining political phenomena. There is also extensive coverage of the use and application of various statistical techniques. Exercises both in and out of class will require students to engage with and apply various social science concepts, and to undertake quantitative analyses of political and policy-relevant data.