POLS 237 - Research Methods for Political Science

CR: 3
Prerequisite: POLS 159. This course is designed for political science majors. The focus is an introduction to the ideas, methods, and techniques
that political scientists use to test their hypotheses and generate new research. The goal of the class is to give
students a baseline understanding of 1) how to read existing works critically and to understand the methodology
and results of existing social science work and 2) give students the basic skills and knowledge to begin their
own research projects. The class will introduce students to both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
Students will also become familiar with the most popular programs and tools (like STATA, R, Qualtrics) and
learn the basics of using them.