Methodology Courses
Please find below a list of graduate courses in Methodology offered by the department since the Autumn 2000 quarter.
30200. Political Economy of Public Policy (=PubPol 308). A survey of formal political analysis on game theory, collective action, the Arrow problems, and elections. D. Snidal. Autumn 2000. Autumn 2004. Autumn 2005.
30500. Introduction to Data Analysis. This course is an introduction to the research methods practiced by quantitative political scientists. The first part lays out the enterprise of empirical research: the structure and content of theories, the formulation of testable hypotheses, the logic of empirical tests, and the consideration of competing hypotheses. The second part considers the implementation of empirical research: the potential barriers to valid inferences, the strengths and limitations of research designs, and empirical representations of theoretical constructs. The final part provides hands-on experience with the two kinds of analyses most frequently performed by quantitative political researchers: contingency tables and regression. M. Dawson. Autumn 2000. Autumn 2001. Autumn 2002. C. Cohen. Autumn 2003. M. Hansen. Winter 2005. E. Oliver. Autumn 2005.
30600. Introduction to Statistics. This course will provide an introduction to statistical concepts useful for social scientists. We will begin with an examination of basic statistical concepts and move to an introduction of general regression models and their use in subjecting theoretical claims to empirical tests. We will discuss representation of data, hypothesis testing, and bivariate and multivariate least squares regression. This course will have a decidedly different approach than typical statistics courses. I intend to emphasize intuitive understanding and practical application of statistical tools and to develop students' ability to choose and employ the appropriate tool for particular research questions. Weekly data assignments form the core of this course. M. Harris-Lacewell. Winter 2004.
30700. Introduction to Linear Models. PQ: PS 301. An introduction to the general linear regression model, the most widely used inferential tool in quantitative social science. The course first considers the model and its statistical properties. It then considers generalizations of the model that deal with problems caused by violations of its assumptions. Topics include the general linear model, hypothesis testing, nonlinearities in variables, interactions, diagnostics, heteroscedastic residuals, autocorrelated residuals, lagged variables, qualitative dependent variables, measurement error, interdependent sets of equations and graphic display of data and regression models. M. Hansen. Spring 2001.
30700. Introduction to Linear Models. This course will provide an examination of statistical methods employed in political science. We will begin with an introduction to general regression models and their use in subjecting theoretical claims to empirical tests. We will discuss the least squares regression model, the assumptions that underlie it, the problems that arise from violating these assumptions, and ways we can restore the ability to draw valid inferences from least squares models. This course will have a decidedly different approach than typical statistics courses. I intend to emphasize intuitive understanding and practical application of statistical tools and to develop students' ability to choose and employ the appropriate tool for particular research questions. Topics to be covered include: multicollinearity, non-linearity and non-additivity, autocorrelation, heteroskadasticity, logit, probit, experimental methods, simultaneous equations, and structural equations. M. Harris-Lacewell. J. Grynaviski. Spring 2002. Spring 2003. Spring 2004. Spring 2005. J. Grynaviski. Spring 2006.
30800. Game Theory. This course introduces concepts of game theory, that is, the mathematical study of interdependent decisions, and some basic instances of its uses in political science. Its goal is to present the basic solution concepts most widely used in the literature (rationalizability, Nash equilibrium, sub-game perfect equilibrium and perfect Bayesian equilibrium, core) in a way that requires little, if any, previous mathematical background. L. Medina. Spring 2001. Autumn 2001. Winter 2002. Winter 2003. Spring 2004.
33300. Interpretative Methods in the Social Sciences. This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to interpretive methods in the social sciences. Students will learn to "read" texts and images while also becoming familiar with contemporary thinking about interpretation, narrative, ethnography, and social construction. Among the methods we shall explore are: semiotics, hermeneutics, ordinary language theory, and discourse analysis. L. Wedeen. Spring 2001. Spring 2004. Winter 2006.
43100. Maximum Likelihood. The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the estimation and interpretation of maximum likelihood, a statistical method which permits a close linkage of deductive theory and empirical estimation. Among the problems considered in this course include: models of dichotomous choice, such as turnout and vote choice; models of limited categorical data, such as those for multi-party elections and survey responses; models for counts of uncorrelated events, such as executive orders and bookburnings; models for duration, such as the length of parliamentary coalitions or the tenure of bureaucracies; models for compositional data, such as allocation of time by bureaucrats to task and district vote shares; and models for latent variables, such as for predispositions. The emphasis in this course will be on the extraction of information about political and social phenomena, not upon properties of estimators. J. Brehm. Winter 2003. Autumn 2005.
43500. Applied Bayesian Statistics for Political Scientists. This course provides an introduction to the applications of Bayesian statistics to political science. We begin with a discussion of the theoretical foundations of Bayesian methods. From these foundations we develop univariate (e.g. the mean), simple multivariate (e.g. both the mean and variance), and more complicated multivariate (e.g. regression) models. Advanced topics may include Bayesian treatments of general linear models, hierarchical models, and models of missing data. Emphasis will of course be placed on the development of competency with tools to implement these methods. J. Grynaviski. Spring 2003.
43700. Comparative Historical Analysis. This graduate seminar critically considers the theoretical impact and methodological rigor of Comparative Historical Analysis in political science and sociology. Studies in this tradition employ a variety of research methods and address a wide array of political and sociological questions. Yet its practitioners are united by a commitment to offering historically grounded explanations of large-scale and substantively important outcomes. In the first few weeks of the course, we consider how and whether such historically specific arguments advance the quest for broad causal generalization in the social sciences. In the remainder, we read and critically assess major works on contentious politics, the state, political parties, and democratization. Students will be strongly encouraged throughout the quarter to draw lessons for their own dissertation research designs. D. Slater. Spring 2006.
47300. Complexity. J. Padgett. Winter 2002.
49900. Historiography. (=HIST 69900) The aim of the course is to introduce the major theoretical approaches used by professional historians and locate the unique role of the historical discipline within the social sciences and humanities. Students would be expected to gain a critical understanding of different schools of history (Annales, the new social and cultural histories, etc.), of historic methods and approaches to studying history (oral, economic, ethnographic, etc.), and of theories and theorists relevant to historians. W. Sewell, P. Duara. Spring 2006.
50900. Comparative Case Study Method. This course will examine the core epistemological and methodological issues surrounding the case study method. J. Mearsheimer, R. Pape. Spring 2001.
50900. Comparative Case Study Method. This course will examine the core epistemological and methodological issues surrounding the case study method. J. Mearsheimer. Spring 2002. Winter 2004.
51010. Special Topics: Political Methodology. The purpose of this course is to cover a number of topics useful for graduate study in Political Science that were beyond the scope of the quarter-long linear models classThe course will be roughly divided into three parts. Part I is a brief introduction to maximum likelihood methods with applications to the linear model and models with dichotomous dependent variables (logit and probit). Part II of the course is basic time-series analysis. Part III covers basic pooled time-series and cross-section methods. Students are expected to have taken Introduction to Linear Models or its equivalent. J. Grynaviski. Spring 2005.
57200. Social Networks. This seminar explores the sociological utility of the network as a unit of analysis. How do the patterns of social ties in which individuals are embedded differentially affect their ability to cope with crises, their decisions to move or change jobs, their eagerness to adopt new attitudes and behaviors? The seminar group will consider (a) how the network differs from other units of analysis, (b) structural properties of networks, consequences of flows (or content) in network ties, and (d) dynamics of those ties. J. Padgett. Autumn 2001. Autumn 2003. Autumn 2004. Spring 2006.
