MVZb2038 Introduction to Political Analysis

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2021
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
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
Timetable
Wed 10:00–11:40 P51 Posluchárna V. Čermáka
Prerequisites
! MVZ238 Introduction to Pol. Analysis && !NOW( MVZ238 Introduction to Pol. Analysis )
None.
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
there are 46 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course aims to achieve that 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.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, you should 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.
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 James H. Pollock III (CQ Press, 2011)
  • Kellstedt, Paul M. and Guy D. Whitten. The Fundamentals of Political Science Research. 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.
Assessment methods
Class participation 10% Homework assignments 40% Midterm exam 20% Final exam 30%
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught each semester.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2021, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2021/MVZb2038