POS 3510 - Research Methods

3 cr

This course provides students with a broad understanding of how research is conducted in the discipline of Political Science. Students will become aware of a wide array of research tools available to address questions in the study of politics and government. More importantly, they will learn how to select the appropriate research tools based on the nature of the research question being addressed. The course begins with the study of how to frame research questions, formulate hypotheses, and then test hypotheses. Next, we explore the nature of data (quantitative and qualitative) and approaches in the rigorous collection of data. We also review many existing data sources for secondary analysis. Lastly, the course discusses the application of basic data analysis methods in the interpretation of data, from univariate descriptive statistics to logistic regression.
Prerequisite: MAT 2021 .
Spring, odd years