This course is an intermediate level statistics course concentrating on linear and multivariate statistics. The first six weeks will be devoted to bivariate regression (including matrix algebra); the balance of the semester covers multiple regression and other applications of the general multivariate model, including logistic regression, dummy variables, causal models, and multivariate statistical methods.
During the first part of the course students learn to develop good hypotheses, make valid causal inferences, operational concepts, and use the comparative method. The second section of the course introduces students to mechanisms that can be used to "tell the story" of political causation. The third section of the course covers quantitative topics such as central tendency and variation, measures of association, and regression analysis. In order to show the relevance and applicability of the different techniques, real examples will be used whenever possible. A portion of each day will be spent learning how to conduct research on the internet, with an emphasis on searching databases. By the end of the course students will have been exposed to the basic tools necessary to begin conducting, understanding, and critiquing political research. While I do not expect all students to go on to careers in research, the skills developed in this course will allow them to be better consumers of political information.