Universität Wien

210109 UE M2: UE Research Methods for Political Science (2018S)

8.00 ECTS (4.00 SWS), SPL 21 - Politikwissenschaft
Continuous assessment of course work

A registration via u:space during the registration phase is required. Late registrations are NOT possible.
Students who miss the first lesson without prior notification will lose their seat in the course.

Follow the principles of good scientific practice.

The course instructor may invite students to an oral exam about the student’s written contributions in the course. Plagiarized contributions have the consequence that the course won’t be graded (instead the course will be marked with an ‘X’ in the transcript of records).

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 35 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 07.03. 13:00 - 16:00 Class Room 3 ZID UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 2H-O1-25
  • Wednesday 14.03. 13:00 - 16:00 Class Room 3 ZID UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 2H-O1-25
  • Wednesday 21.03. 13:00 - 16:00 Class Room 3 ZID UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 2H-O1-25
  • Wednesday 11.04. 13:00 - 16:00 Class Room 3 ZID UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 2H-O1-25
  • Wednesday 18.04. 13:00 - 16:00 Class Room 3 ZID UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 2H-O1-25
  • Wednesday 25.04. 13:00 - 16:00 Class Room 3 ZID UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 2H-O1-25
  • Wednesday 02.05. 13:00 - 16:00 Class Room 3 ZID UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 2H-O1-25
  • Wednesday 09.05. 13:00 - 16:00 Class Room 3 ZID UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 2H-O1-25
  • Wednesday 16.05. 13:00 - 16:00 Class Room 3 ZID UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 2H-O1-25
  • Wednesday 23.05. 13:00 - 16:00 Class Room 3 ZID UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 2H-O1-25
  • Wednesday 30.05. 13:00 - 16:00 Class Room 3 ZID UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 2H-O1-25
  • Wednesday 06.06. 13:00 - 16:00 Class Room 3 ZID UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 2H-O1-25
  • Wednesday 13.06. 13:00 - 16:00 Class Room 3 ZID UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 2H-O1-25
  • Wednesday 20.06. 13:00 - 16:00 Class Room 3 ZID UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 2H-O1-25
  • Wednesday 27.06. 13:00 - 16:00 Class Room 3 ZID UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 2H-O1-25

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This seminar provides students with the knowledge on research design and quantitative methods to enable them to write an MA thesis. We discuss the major steps in the development of a research design: formulation of a research question, literature review, concepts and measurement, theory building, derivation of hypotheses, case selection, and the empirical analysis. About half of the sessions deal with the theoretical foundations of the research design (RD) using examples from the political science literature. The empirical analyzes are carried out in lab sessions using Stata.

Assessment and permitted materials

In addition to attendance in class, there are four major assignments: a term paper to be submitted until 15 August 2018 (50%), participation in class (10%), written assignments based on the readings (20%), and lab session exercises (20%).

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Students can only pass if certain minimal requirements (attendance, 50% of weekly assignments and lab session exercises submitted in time, and submission of term paper in time) are fulfilled.
Written assignments and lab session exercises contain question on the readings and materials discussed in class. In their term paper, students should show their ability to answer their own research questions using a quantitative research design. The assessment is based on the following criteria: does the paper contain a proper research question? Is there a comprehensive review of the existing literature? Are there hypotheses based on a coherent theoretical framework to answer the research question? Are there convincing arguments for the case selection and the chosen measurement approaches? Is the empirical analysis well executed and the results properly explained? Finally, does the paper fit the formal requirements (consistent font, citation style, no typos, …)?

Examination topics

for details see the syllabus in class

Reading list

Kellstedt, Paul M. and Whitten, Guy D. (2013) The Fundamentals of Political Science Research. 2. Auflage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
King, Gary, Keohane, Robert Owen and Verba, Sidney (1994) Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. Princeton, Princeton University Press.
Kohler, Ulrich and Kreuter, Frauke (2012) Data Analysis using Stata. College Station, Texas, Stata Press.
Gschwend, Thomas and Schimmelfennig, Frank (eds.) (2007) Research Design in Political Science, Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:38