Political Science 310 Methods of Political Inference
Northwestern University Department of Political Science Spring 2015 Tues. & Thur. 11:00AM-12:20PM, Swift Hall 107
Instructor: Jordan Gans-Morse Office Hours: Wed. 12:30-2:30PM and by appointment Location: Scott Hall #203 Email: [email protected]
Teaching Assistants:
Rodrigo Barrenechea Office Hours: Tues. 2:00-4:00PM Location: Scott Hall #105 Email: [email protected]
Mauro Gilli Office Hours: Thurs. 2:00-3:00PM & 4:00-5:00PM Location: Scott Hall #106 Email: [email protected]
Sidra Hamidi Office Hours: Tues. 1:00-3:00PM Location: Scott Hall #228 Email: [email protected]
COURSE SUMMARY
Are democracies less likely to go to war with each other than with non-democracies? Do incumbents hold an electoral advantage against challengers? Does economic development cause authoritarian regimes to fall? To rigorously engage such questions, an understanding of social science methodology is essential.
This course will introduce you to the basics of research design and provide you with the methodological foundations for more advanced courses in Political Science. The course covers experimental, quantitative, and qualitative methods. Although this is not a course in statistics, we will consider some basic statistical concepts in order to become better consumers of quantitative approaches. Beyond your career at Northwestern, the course aims to develop a skill set with relevance not only to academic research but also to the business and public policy worlds.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Students are expected to complete all required readings prior to each lecture and to attend all lectures and discussion sections. If a student has a legitimate reason to miss a session (e.g., a religious holiday), please discuss this with the professor and TA at the beginning of the term. Doing the readings and reviewing the lecture slides without attending the lectures themselves will not sufficiently prepare you for the exams.
Evaluation in the course will be decided as follows:
Assignment #1: 15% Assignment #2: 15% Midterm: 25% Final: 35% Attendance and Participation: 10%
Assignment #1 will require you to write a short essay (2-3 double-spaced pages) identifying the key components of a research design in a reading to be assigned. This assignment will be due by noon on Friday, April 24. Assignment #2 will require you to write a short essay (2-3 double- spaced pages) critically assessing a provocative statement of your choosing by a politician, journalist, or other public figure using tools and concepts from this class. This assignment will be due by noon on Friday, May 29. Additional information about these assignments will be provided at a later date.
The midterm will be held on Thursday, April 30 during the regular lecture time. The final exam will be held on Monday, June 8 from 12:00-2:00PM.
Late assignments will be penalized, with the exception of documented cases of illness or family crisis. In such cases, a request must be made to the professor and TA prior to the assignment’s due date. Failure to turn in an assignment on time will result in a half-grade deduction per day late (i.e., an A becomes an A-).
RESEARCH STUDY PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENT
Students enrolled in this course are required to complete a research assignment that can include up to four hours of research study participation. These studies require that students set up an appointment to complete participation at a laboratory on campus (or via an on-line survey). Students will learn how studies are conducted and will receive a synopsis at the conclusion of the quarter describing the study’s goal, result, and relevance to the class. Students who prefer not to participate in research as a subject may opt for an alternative that entails reading any one chapter about political science research and writing a 5-page reaction paper. The typical chapter is about 20 pages and thus reading it and writing a 5-page paper should take approximately four hours.
During the first week of the quarter, students will receive an e-mail asking them whether they prefer study participation or the alternative assignment. The e-mail will also include details on how to complete either requirement. Failure to complete the requirement during the quarter will result in an incomplete. Failure to complete the requirement during the following quarter will result in a failing grade for the class. Note that if you are enrolled in multiple classes that require participation, you only need to satisfy the requirement one time. Also, if you already completed the requirement in another course in a previous quarter, you are excused from the requirement.
IN-CLASS ELECTRONICS POLICY
Please turn all phones off before the lecture. Note that this implies no texting as well as no calls. Laptops may be used for note taking only. Use of email, Facebook, or other activities unrelated to lecture is strictly prohibited and may result in a grade deduction.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Instructors are required by university policy to report violations of academic integrity standards to the Dean’s Office. A non-exhaustive list of behaviors that violate standards of academic integrity includes: cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, obtaining an unfair advantage, aiding and abetting dishonesty, falsification of records and official documents, and unauthorized access to computerized academic or administrative records or systems. Note that even unintentional plagiarism is still plagiarism. If you are unsure about whether to cite or how to cite a source, then confer with the professor or teaching assistant. Information about Northwestern’s academic integrity policies can be found at http://www.northwestern.edu/provost/students/integrity/.
You are strongly encouraged to take issues of academic integrity seriously. Nearly 20 Northwestern students were suspended last year due to violations of academic integrity standards. Such violations can end up on your academic record and may become a red flag for employers and graduate schools.
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
All necessary accommodations will be made for students with disabilities. Please contact the professor at the beginning of the term so that we can work together with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities to make arrangements.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of the course, the aim is that you will have improved your ability to:
• Identify, describe, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of prominent methodological approaches to the study of Political Science; • Consume empirical research at a sophisticated level in preparation for upper-level Political Science courses; • Understand the key concepts used in applied statistical analysis; • Critically evaluate empirical statements by policymakers, journalists, business leaders, and others as you move forward in your career of choice.
COURSE MATERIALS
There is one required book for this course:
• Paul Kellstedt and Guy Whitten. 2009. The Fundamentals of Political Science Research. Cambridge University Press.
Other readings will be made available through Canvas. The following textbook, from which we will read excerpts, is recommended but not required:
• David Freedman, Robert Pisani, and Roger Purves. 2007. Statistics (4th ed.). New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Another helpful resource, which I will post on Canvas, is the Methodological Glossary compiled by Jason Seawright and David Collier for the book Rethinking Social Inquiry: Diverse Tools, Shared Standards, edited by Henry Brady and David Collier.
COURSE OVERVIEW
Week 1: Introduction & Overview of Political Science Tuesday, March 31 & Thursday, April 2
Key Themes:
• Overview of course • Importance of social science methods • Overview of political science as a discipline
Readings:
• Kellstedt and Whitten, Sections 1.1-1.4 • Charles Cameron, “What is Political Science?” in A Quantitative Tour of the Social Sciences, edited by Andrew Gelman and Jeronimo Cortina (Cambridge University Press, 2009) (Canvas) • Jacqueline Stevens, “Political Scientists are Lousy Forecasters,” The New York Times (June 23, 2012) (Canvas) • Optional: David H. Freedman, “Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science,” The Atlantic (October 4, 2010)
Week 2: Theories & Hypotheses Tuesday, April 7 & Thursday, April 9
Key Themes:
• Components of research process • Independent and dependent variables • Generating hypotheses • Types of empirical studies • Causality • Pitfalls to causal inference
Readings:
• Janet Johnson and H.T. Reynolds, Political Science Research Methods (Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press, 2012) o Chapter 4 (Canvas) • Kellstedt and Whitten, Chapter 3 • Gary King, Robert Keohane, and Sidney Verba, Designing Social Inquiry (Princeton University Press, 1994) o pp. 75-79, 82-85 (Canvas)
Week 3: Experimental Research Tuesday, April 14 & Thursday, April 16
Key Themes:
• Overview of experimental approaches • Types of experiments • Pros and cons of experiments • Examples of experimental research
Readings:
• Kellstedt and Whitten, Sections 4.1-4.2 • James Druckman, Donald Green, James Kuklinski, and Arthur Lupia, “The Growth and Development of Experimental Research in Political Science,” American Political Science Review 100, 4 (2006): 627-635 (Canvas) • Susan Hyde, “The Observer Effect in International Politics: Evidence from a Natural Experiment,” World Politics 60, 1 (2007): 37-63 (Canvas) • Sasha Issenberg, “Dept. of Experiments,” Politico (February 27, 2014) (Canvas)
Week 4½: Surveys, Samples, & A Little Bit of Statistics Tuesday, April 21; Thursday, April 23; & Tuesday April 28
Note: ASSIGNMENT #1 due by noon on Friday, April 24
Key Themes:
• Different types of variables • Measuring and operationalizing variables • Sampling and surveys • Basics of descriptive statistics • Introduction to hypothesis testing
Readings:
• Janet Johnson and H.T. Reynolds, Political Science Research Methods (Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press, 2012) o pp. 354-376 (Canvas) • David Freedman, Robert Pisani, and Roger Purves, Statistics (New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2007) o Chapter 19 (Canvas) • Janet Johnson and H.T. Reynolds, Political Science Research Methods (Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press, 2012) o Chapter 12 (Canvas) • Recommended: Kellstadt & Whitten, Chapters 5-6
Week 5: MIDTERM Thursday, April 30
Week 6: Quantitative Research Tuesday, May 5 & Thursday May 7
Key Themes:
• Overview of quantitative approaches • Bivariate relationships • Intro to regression analysis • Pros and cons of quantitative research • Examples of quantitative research
Readings:
• Kellstedt and Whitten, Sections 4.3-4.4 • David Freedman, Robert Pisani, and Roger Purves, Statistics (New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2007) o Chapters 2, 8, and 12 (Canvas) • Alberto Alesina and Edward Glaeser, Fighting Poverty in the US and Europe (Oxford Press, 2004) o Chapter 4: “Political Institutions and Redistribution” (Canvas) • Charles Duhigg, “How Companies Learn Your Secrets,” New York Times Magazine (February 16, 2012) (Canvas) • Recommended: Kellstedt and Whitten, Chapters 7-8
Week 7: Qualitative Research Tuesday, May 12 & Thursday, May 14
Key Themes:
• Overview of qualitative approaches • Case studies and process tracing • Method of agreement and difference • Pros and cons of qualitative research • Examples of qualitative research
Readings:
• Gary King, Robert Keohane, and Sidney Verba, Designing Social Inquiry (Princeton University Press, 1994) o pp. 3-7 (Canvas) • James Mahoney and Gary Goertz, “A Tale of Two Cultures: Contrasting Quantitative and Qualitative Research,” Political Analysis 14, 3 (2006): 227-249 (Canvas) • Theda Skocpol, States and Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia, and China (Cambridge University Press, 1979) o pp. 1-5, 33-42 • Christopher Gibson and Michael Woolcock, “Empowerment, Deliberative Development, and Local-Level Politics in Indonesia: Participatory Projects as a Source of Countervailing Power,” Studies in Comparative International Development 43, 2 (2008): 151-180
Week 8: Cutting-Edge Research Approaches Tuesday, May 19 & Thursday, May 21
Key Themes:
• Multi-method approaches • Advanced causal techniques • Big data
Readings:
• Sidney Tarrow, “Bridging the Quantitative-Qualitative Divide” in Henry Brady and David Collier, eds., Rethinking Social Inquiry: Diverse Tools, Shared Standards (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004) (Canvas) • Vijayendra Rao and Michael Woolcock,“Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches in Program Evaluation,” in Francois Bourguignon and Luiz Pereira da Silva, eds., The Impact of Economic Policies on Poverty and Income Distribution: Evaluation Techniques and Tools (World Bank and Oxford University Press, 2004) (Canvas) • Gary King, Jennifer Pan, and Margaret E. Roberts, “How Censorship in China Allows Government Criticism but Silences Collective Expression,” American Political Science Review 107, 2 (2013): 326-343 (Canvas) • Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, “How Racist Are We? Ask Google,” The New York Times (June 9, 2012) (Canvas)
Week 9: Getting Your Own Research Started/Political Science & Public Policy Tuesday, May 26 & Thursday, May 28
Key Themes:
• Tips for conducting research • Impact evaluation for improving public policy • Contentious debates in political science
Readings:
• Janet Johnson and H.T. Reynolds, Political Science Research Methods (Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press, 2012) o Chapter 3 (Canvas) • William Savedoff et al, “When Will We Ever Learn? Improving Lives Through Impact Evaluation” (Washington, DC: Center for Global Development, 2006) o Executive Summary • Jonathan Cohn, “Irrational Exuberance,” The New Republic (October 25, 1999) • Robert Bates, “Area Studies and the Discipline: A Useful Controversy?” PS: Political Science and Politics 30, 2 (1997): 166-169 • Jason Horowitz, “Russia Experts See Thinning Ranks’ Effect on U.S. Policy,” The New York Times (March 6, 2014)
FRIDAY, MAY 29: ASSIGNMENT #1 DUE BY NOON
MONDAY, JUNE 8, 12:00-2:00PM: FINAL EXAM