MVZn4003 Quantitative methods introduction

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2020
Extent and Intensity
2/1/0. 8 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Petr Kaniok, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Lukáš Lehotský, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. Mgr. Petr Ocelík, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Ivan Bielik (seminar tutor)
Ing. Mgr. Adriana Ilavská, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Tereza Stašáková (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Petr Kaniok, 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
Timetable
Tue 14:00–15:40 U32
Prerequisites
No prerequisites
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course aims to introduce students to the basics of quantitative analysis in order to allow them to better understand this rich part of political science. In addition, the course aims to provide students with basic knowledge that will allow them to further develop their quantitative skills in other courses as well as in independent projects.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to do the following:
- Understand basic concepts in the area of research design, such as variable, hypothesis, causality, etc.
- Explain basic types of research design and evaluate their advantages and disadvantages
- Understand basic types of bivariate analysis and the basics of linear regression
- Independently do these basic types of quantitative analysis and correctly interpret the analysis.
- Display basic knowledge in the area of philosophy of science and research ethics. Outcomes on the general level include the students' ability to independently specify and solve complex problems of IR using appropriate theoretical, conceptual and methodologic apparatus, analyse key dimensions of international relations (security, economic, energetic, legal, and societal), and apply research methodology in the realm of international relations in expert activities both in public and corporate spheres.
Syllabus
  • 1) Introduction. How do political scientists view the world?
  • 2) What is a variable? What is a causality? How to establish causal relationships?
  • 3) Research design. What strategies can be used to establish causal relationships? Introducting the statistical software.
  • 4) Measurement levels. How do scientists measure what they want to study? Descriptive statistics.
  • 5) Making inferencis from a sample on the population.
  • 6) Midterm exam.
  • 7) Testing hypotheses and the t-test.
  • 8) Cross-tabulation tables. Measures of association - Chi-square.
  • 9) Korelace.
  • 10) Linear regression.
  • 11) Linear regression continued.
  • 12) Philosophy of science, ontology, epistemology. Research ethics.
  • 13) Data collection.
Literature
    required literature
  • KELLSTEDT, Paul M. and Guy D. WHITTEN. The fundamentals of political science research. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013, xxiv, 316. ISBN 9781107621664. info
    recommended literature
  • POLLOCK, Philip H. The essentials of political analysis. 4th ed. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2012, xvii, 256. ISBN 9781608716869. info
  • SMITH, Woollcott. The cartoon guide to statistics. Illustrated by Larry Gonick. 1st HarperPerennial ed. New York: HarperPerennial, 1993, 230 s. ISBN 0062731025. info
Teaching methods
In this course, students will acquire skills and knowledge in the following ways:
- theoretical knowledge will be acquired from the required literature and in lectures.
- practical skills will be acquired in seminars and from educational videos.
- theoretical and practical knowledge and skills will be reinforced in homework assignments.
Assessment methods
The final grade will be made up of the following:
- homework assignments 20%
- midterm exam 30%
- final exam 50%
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2019, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2020, recent)
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