Data Analysis and Methods for Political Science

Catalog description

This course introduces students to quantitative and qualitative methods used by political scientists and security specialists in the study of social and political phenomena. Students will learn the logical structure of political analysis, and the quantitative measures used to supplement and support these logical structures. Overall the course draws on the fundamentals of statistics: Namely the ability to describe data samples and draw inferences about the populations from which they were drawn. It should also improve one’s ability to read data, interpret data, and judge others’ claims about data. After students learn these skills, they will apply them to a prepared data set. The emphasis of this course is on "hands-on" experience. Students approaching this subject for the first time will "learn by doing" this type of analysis.