POLS 209: Course
Schedule, Spring 2011
|
Week/Date |
Topic |
Preparatory Readings |
Activity |
|
|
1/19 |
Introductory Lecture and Lab Session |
No readings |
Discussion of Course Plan and Policies;
Introduction to the Computer Lab |
|
|
1/24 |
Read:Wikipedia “The Scientific Method”;
|
Lecture and Discussion |
||
|
1/26 |
Career Center Presentation |
No Readings |
Discuss Career Planning for Political Science Majors |
|
|
1/31 |
Read: Alan Zuckerman, “What We Mean
When We Call Political Science a Science”, Chapter 6 of Doing Political Science, Westview,
1991. Click here. |
Lecture and Discussion |
||
|
2/2 |
Examples of
Political Science Research |
Read:
Richard Fenno, “U.S. House Members and Their
Constituencies”, American Political
Science Review, 71 (Sept. 1977) 883-917 (JSTOR) |
Class Discussion of the Three Articles |
|
|
2/7 |
Read: Johnson and Reynolds, Political Science Research Methods,
2008, Congressional Quarterly Press, 6th Edition, Chapter 3. Click here. |
Lecture and Discussion |
||
|
2/9 |
The Research Process (continued) |
Read: Ellis
and Levy, 2008 |
Lecture and Discussion; First Paper Due |
|
|
2/14 |
Read:
Pollack (Essentials), Chapter 1,
Chapter 2 |
Lecture and Discussion |
||
|
2/16 |
Introduction to STATA |
Read:
Pollack (STATA), Chapter 1. |
Lab Session* |
|
|
2/21 |
Descriptive Data Analysis in STATA |
Read:
Pollack (Essentials), reread
Chapter 2 (30-43) |
Lab Session |
|
|
2/23 |
Proposing
Explanations, Framing Hypotheses, and Making Comparisons |
Read:
Pollack (Essentials), Chapter 3 |
Lecture and Discussion |
|
|
2/28 |
Read:
Pollack (Essentials), Chapter 4 |
Lecture and Discussion |
||
|
3/2 |
Examples of Experimental Designs |
Read:
Nelson, Clawson, and Oxley, “Media Framing of a Civil Liberties Conflict and
Its Effect on Tolerance, American
Political Science Review, 91 (Sept. 1997) 567-83. (JSTOR) Read:
Gerber and Green, The Effects of Canvassing, Telephone Calls, and Direct Mail
on Voter Turnout: A Field Experiment, American
Political Science Review, 94 (Sept. 2000) 653-63. (JSTOR) |
Class Discussion of the Two Articles |
|
|
3/7 |
Research Design and the Logic of Control: Observational
Studies |
Read:
Pollack (Essentials), reread
Chapter 4 |
Lecture and Discussion |
|
|
3/9 |
Making Controlled Comparisons |
Read:
Pollack (STATA), Chapters 4 and 5 |
Lab Session; Second
Paper Due |
|
|
3/14-3/18 |
Spring Break |
|||
|
3/21 |
Read:
Pollack (Essentials), Chapter 6 |
Lecture and Discussion |
||
|
3/23 |
Sampling and Inference (continued) |
Read:
Pollack (STATA), Chapter 6 |
Lab Session |
|
|
3/28 |
Read:
Pollack (Essentials), Chapter 7 |
Lecture and Discussion |
||
|
3/30 |
Chi-Square and Measures of Association |
Read:
Pollack (STATA), Chapter 7 |
Lab Session |
|
|
4/4 |
Read:
Pollack (Essentials), Chapter 8 |
Lecture and Discussion; Research Proposal Due |
||
|
4/6 |
Correlation and Linear Regression (continued) |
Read:
Pollack (STATA), Chapter 8 |
Lab Session |
|
|
4/11 |
Correlation and Linear Regression with Dummy Variables |
Read:
Pollack (Essentials), Chapter 8,
Dummy Variable Regression |
Lecture and Discussion |
|
|
4/13 |
Correlation and Linear Regression with Dummy Variables
(continued) |
Read:
Pollack (STATA), Chapter 9 |
Lab Session |
|
|
4/18 |
Read:
Pollack (Essentials), Chapter 9 |
Lecture and Discussion |
||
|
4/20 |
Logistic Regression (continued) |
Read:
Pollack (STATA), Chapter 10 |
Lab Session |
|
|
4/25 |
Doing Your Own Analysis |
Read:
Pollack (STATA), Chapter 11 |
Lab Session- devoted to assisting students with projects. |
|
|
4/27 |
Doing Your Own Analysis (continued) |
No Readings |
Lab Session- devoted to assisting students with projects. |
|
|
5/2 |
Wrapping it all up. |
No Readings |
Discussion; Final
Research Paper Due |
|
*Note: All lab sessions will require that you bring the Pollack
STATA book.
Return to POLS 209
Objectives and Format
Return to POLS
209 Index