Last
updated: November 15, 2009
Political Theory and Research Design (POLS625)
Fall
2009
Professor
Misa Nishikawa
Location:
NQ210
Time:
Wed 6:30-9:10pm
Office:
NQ228
e-mail: mnishikawa@bsu.edu
Office hours: Tues 9:00am-9:30am, Wed: 6:00pm-6:30pm, Thu 9:00am-9:30am, Fri: 10:30am-11:30am and by appointment
GA’s office
hours: Wed 5:00-6:00 except the first Wednesday of each month (Location: NQ
G20)
The course is designed to introduce students to the scientific study of
politics with special emphasis given to the way in which professional political
and social scientists undertake their work. In particular, the course examines
how to conduct social science research. The greatest focus will be on the use
of computers to perform data analysis for the systematic testing of hypotheses.
Required
Texts and
1. Philip Pollock. 2009. The
Essentials of Political Analysis. Third edition.
2. Philip Pollock. 2009. An SPSS
Companion to Political Analysis. Third edition.
3. SPSS student version
* The Essentials, An SPSS Companion, and SPSS student version (software) are
bundled together.
4.
5. USB flash memory
6. Supplementary reading in the form of additional handouts and Internet
resources
Make-up
exams will not be given except in the case of
extreme circumstances. The student must be able to provide documentation that
the absence is unavoidable (e.g., illness, death in the family, observance of a
religious holiday) and make arrangements with me prior to the scheduled exam date. Exams will be based on material
covered in lectures or class discussions and from the required readings.
Paper
/Assignments
Students will be expected to
write a paper on research design. Students will also need to find their own
research question and describe how they will carry out their research. The use
of some basic statistics will also be required.
Students will also be given additional assignments. Please do not send your
assignments by using e-mail. Late work will be downgraded by 5 points each day
it is late. The paper/assignments will not be accepted beyond 5 business days
from the due date.
The grade is allocated in the following way:
|
Exam 1, 2, and 3 |
(20%,30%,10%) 60% |
|
Assignments |
5% |
|
Participation/Discussion |
5% |
|
Paper {Topic, Intro, Theory, Operationalization,
Descriptive Stats, (Preliminary results, Concl,
Final paper)} |
{2%,4%,4%,4%,4%,(12%)} 30% |
|
Total |
100% |
Grading
Scale: For all items in this class for which grades are assigned, the following
grading scale will be used:
|
A |
93.0-100% |
|
A- |
90.0-92.9% |
|
B+ |
85.0-89.9% |
|
B |
76.0-84.9% |
|
B- |
70.0-75.9% |
|
C+ |
65.0-69.9% |
|
C |
60.0-64.9% |
|
C- |
58.0-59.9% |
|
D+ |
55.0-57.9% |
|
D |
52.0-54.9% |
|
D- |
49.0-51.9% |
|
F |
-48.9 |
Participation in
class discussions is strongly encouraged. Of course, participation should be
constructive, and all comments should be relevant to the material being covered
in class. Students must do all of the readings prior to the class! Respect
should be shown for all other class members at all times.
Students are expected to attend class regularly,
arrive promptly and have a collegial demeanor. For the lab hours, students are
expected to use only appropriate software, which typically does not include the
internet or e-mail programs.
Students will be responsible for knowing any changes
made to the syllabus during class time whether they were in attendance or not.
The instructor’s lecture notes are not available to students; it is the
student’s responsibility to obtain class notes from a classmate, should class
be missed.
If
you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you
have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special
arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment
with me as soon as possible.
Academic
Honesty
Honesty,
trust, and personal responsibility are fundamental attributes of the university
community. Academic dishonesty by a student will not be tolerated, for it
threatens the foundation of an institution dedicated to the pursuit of
knowledge. To maintain its credibility and reputation, and to equitably
assign evaluations of scholastic and creative performance, Ball State
University is committed to maintaining a climate that upholds and values the
highest standards of academic integrity.
|
Week |
Date |
Topic |
|
|
Week 1 |
Aug 26 |
The Science in Social Science Statistics: Frequency I SPSS: Introduction Research Paper: Overview; Research
Question and Lit. Review |
KKV: Ch1 pp3-12* PA: Introduction SPSS: Getting Started, Ch1
(Introduction) |
|
Week 2 |
Sep 2 |
Research Design Stats: Frequency II Ethics Assignment 1 Due (In class/Group
assignment) Paper:
Topic and Bibliography Due |
KKV: Ch1 pp12- 32 Babbie: Ch 3 (The Ethics and
Politics of Social Research)* |
|
Week 3 |
Sep 9 |
Concepts SPSS: Recoding Assignment 2 Due (Frequency) Assignment 3 Due (Frequency) Assignment 4
Due In class (Recoding) |
PA: Ch1 SPSS: Ch3 (pp37-49) |
|
Week 4 |
Sep 16 |
Explanations and Hypotheses Statistics: Measuring and Describing
Variables Paper: Introduction Due Assignment 5
In class (Prisoner’s Dilemma) Assignment 6
In class (Levels of measurement) |
PA: Ch2 (pp26-29),
Ch3 (pp44-54), Ch6 (pp119-124) SPSS: Ch2 |
|
Week 5 |
Sep 23 |
Logic of Control, Experimental Studies Statistics: Normal distribution, Crosstab Assignment 7 Due (Standard deviation) Assignment 8 In class (Normal curve) Assignment 9 In class (SPSS, Excel: St.
Dev, Z) Assignment 10 inQsit
Exercise |
PA: Ch4 (pp72-81),
Ch5 (pp94-100), Ch6
(126-130) SPSS: Ch4
(pp57-59), Ch5 (pp87-91), |
|
Week 6 |
Sep 30 |
Scientific Inference Assignment 11 Due (Crosstab
1) Assignment 12 Due (Crosstab
2) Assignment 13 In class (Crosstab 3) |
KKV: Ch2, Ch3 |
|
Week 7 |
Oct 7 |
Exam 1 |
|
|
Week 8 |
Oct 14 |
Observations and Measurement Error Paper:
Theory/Hypothesis Due |
KKV: Ch4, Ch5 |
|
Week 9 |
Oct 21 |
Statistics: Hypothesis testing (Z, t,
Chi-square) Assignment 14 In class (Data for
research paper ) |
PA: Ch6
(pp130-138) Ch7 (Pp145-147, Chi-square) SPSS: Ch6 (One-sample
t-test) Ch7 (Chi-square) |
|
Week 10 |
Oct 28 |
Statistics: Measures of Association Paper: Operationalization
Due Assignment 15
Due (Z, t) Assignment 16
Due ( |
PA: Ch7 (Measures of Association) SPSS: Ch7 (Measures of Association) |
|
Week 11 |
Nov 4 |
Statistical Analysis III: Regression
Analysis Assignment 17 Due (Measures of Assoc) |
PA: Ch8 (Correlation and Regression) SPSS: Ch 8 (Correlation and Regression) |
|
Week 12 |
Nov 11 |
Statistical Analysis IV: Review Paper:
Descriptive Stats Due Assignment 18
Due (Correlation) Assignment 19 Due (Regression) |
|
|
Week 13 |
Nov 18 |
Exam 2
|
|
|
Week 14 |
Nov 25 |
No Class
(Thanksgiving) |
|
|
Week 15 |
Dec 2 |
Preparation for presentation
Assignment 20 Due (Test
results for research paper) |
|
|
Week 16 |
Dec 9 |
Exam 3 |
|
|
Week
17 |
Final exam period |
Paper Due Presentation |
|
Note: *=Handouts