Week 1 (1/23/02-1/25/02)
Introduction and course overview
Week 2 (1/28/02-2/1/02)
What is science?
basic concepts: theories, hypotheses, variables
causal theory and inference
READING: THE
VALUE OF REASON 1999
READING: Science
Savvy Judges in Short Supply
READING: OOPS!
MY Pie Chart is Only Half-Baked
models
of science
Week 3 (2/4/02-2/8/02)
Why study politics scientifically?"
history and current status of discipline
READING: Popper. 1975.Excerpts:
OBJECTIVE KNOWLEDGE
Intelligence
Considered
Where's
the Merit in the SAT?
Judith Shulevitz 2/11/01 Academic
Warfare
Week 4 (2/11/02-2/15/02)
Current models of research
Qualitative Types of Research
READING: by Luntz, Frank, 1999. Focus
Group Research in American Politics
READING: Inside
Jihad U: The Education of a Holy Warrior
READING: Interview
With Will Foster
lecture
notes 2
research
proposal guidelines
Week 5 (2/18/02-2/22/02)
Political Use of Surveys and Polls example
Avoiding instrumentation and response set bias
Ten
Commandments of Polling
The Hazards
of Opinion Polling
READING: Statistics
Every Writer Should Know: Margin of Error
literature
review guidelines
Week 6 (2/25/02-3/1/02)
Research design I
case studies, experimental design, panel studies,validity threats
READING: Economic
Development: The Role of State and Local Government in Wisconsin
READING: Judith Wallerstein, 2000. RESOLUTE
ADVERSARY OF DIVORCE
Tynan, Tim. When
Mines Enter Minds
lecture
notes--research design
Week 7 (3/4/02-3/8/02)
Research design II
READING: Johnson and Joslyn, chap. 5, pps. 95-129
READING: Before
and After TANF: The Economic Well-being of Women Leaving Welfare by
Cancian, Maria, Haveman, Meyer, and Wolfe. 12/99.
READING: Nurture
Not Nature : Study Says Environment, Not Genetics, Determines Sense
of Humor. Christian Science Monitor, 4/2000.
REVISED RESEARCH PROPOSAL--due 3/20/02
SPRING BREAK--NO CLASSES 3/25/02-3/29/02
Week 10 (4/1/02-4/5/02)
Quantitative analysis: issues and concerns
the application of probability theory to political phenomena
READING: Johnson and Joslyn, chapter 11, pps. 263-289
lecture notes-quantitative analysis
Week 11 (4/8/02-4/12/02)
Nominal and ordinal level variable analysis
contingency table analysis
READING:Johnson and Joslyn, pps. 293-313, 342-350
Week 12 (4/15/02-4/19/02)
Interval level variable analysis I
correlation and scatterplots
READING: Johnson and Joslyn, pps. 314-334
Week 13 (4/22/02-4/26/02)
Independent work
Week 14 (4/29/02-5/3/02)
Independent work
Week 15 (5/6/02-5/10/02)
class presentations