MVZn5092 Introduction to research design and analysis

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2024

The course is not taught in Autumn 2024

Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Taught in person.
Teacher(s)
Zuzana Ringlerová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Zuzana Ringlerová, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites
! MVZ492 Introduction to research && ! NOW ( MVZ492 Introduction to research ) && (! MVZ238 Introduction to Pol. Analysis ) && (! MVZb2038 Introduction to Pol. Analysis )
None. Students who have already taken MVZ238 are not allowed to take this course.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 11 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/11, only registered: 0/11
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 11 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course aims to achieve that the students are able to do the following:
Understand basic research-design concepts such as variable, hypothesis, causality etc.
Explain how political scientists generate knowledge, including discussion of research designs.
Manage data in Stata statistical software, quantitatively analyze data and interpret the analysis.
Write a proposal of a research proposal for your own research project.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to do the following:
Understand basic research-design concepts such as variable, hypothesis, causality etc.
Explain how political scientists generate knowledge, including discussion of research designs.
Manage data in Stata statistical software, quantitatively analyze data and interpret the analysis.
Write a proposal of a research proposal for your own research project.
Syllabus
  • Course outline: 1) Introduction to the course. Seeing the world as a political scientist.
  • 2) Establishing causal relationships: How do we know that there is a causal relationship?
  • 3) Research design. What are the strategies to investigate causal relationships? Learning practical skills: Introduction to Stata
  • 4) Measurement. How do we measure concepts of interest? Developing analytical skills: Descriptive statistics.
  • 5) Learning practical skills: Transforming variables and labeling variables.
  • 6) Learning practical skills: Making comparisons.
  • 7) Midterm exam.
  • 8) Learning practical skills: Making controlled comparisons.
  • 9) Learning about the population from a sample: Statistical inference. Learning practical skills: Comparison of means.
  • 10) Reading week.
  • 11) Learning practical skills: Chi-Square for cross-tabulation and correlation.
  • 12) Linear regression.
  • 13) Learning practical skills: Linear regression.
Literature
    required literature
  • A Stata Companion to Political Analysis by Philip H. Pollock III (CQ Press, 2011)
  • The Fundamentals of Political Science Research by Paul M. Kellstedt and Guy D. Whitten. 2013. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Teaching methods
In this course, you will be learning new knowledge and skills in multiple ways:
You will learn theoretical concepts from lectures and from the assigned readings.
You will learn data-analysis skills in seminars.
You will reinforce the practical skills by working on the homework assignments.
You will apply your knowledge and skills in writing your own research proposal.
Assessment methods
Class participation 10%
Homework assignments 35%
Midterm exam 15%
Final exam 20%
Research proposal 20%
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
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