Universität Wien

210112 UE M2: Research Methods for Political Science (2021S)

(engl.)

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

Die Lehre wird im SoSe 2021 zu Beginn voraussichtlich digital stattfinden. Je nach Lage wird auf hybride oder Vor-Ort-Lehre umgestellt. Die Lehrenden werden die konkrete Organisationsform und Lehrmethodik auf ufind und Moodle bekannt geben, wobei auch mit kurzfristigen Änderungen gerechnet werden muss.

Eine Anmeldung über u:space innerhalb der Anmeldephase ist erforderlich! Eine nachträgliche Anmeldung ist NICHT möglich.
Studierende, die der ersten Einheit unentschuldigt fern bleiben, verlieren ihren Platz in der Lehrveranstaltung.

Achten Sie auf die Einhaltung der Standards guter wissenschaftlicher Praxis und die korrekte Anwendung der Techniken wissenschaftlichen Arbeitens und Schreibens.
Plagiierte und erschlichene Teilleistungen führen zur Nichtbewertung der Lehrveranstaltung (Eintragung eines 'X' im Sammelzeugnis).
Die Lehrveranstaltungsleitung kann Studierende zu einem notenrelevanten Gespräch über erbrachte Teilleistungen einladen.

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

!IMPORTANT! The class will take place ONLINE on TUESDAYS 9-12am. The link to the online classroom will be available via Moodle.

The dates listed here are only relevant if in-person meetings become possible; in this case, we will hold *non-mandatory* office hours during the Thursday timeslots to provide help with Stata-related questions.

  • Thursday 11.03. 13:15 - 16:15 Seminarraum 6 UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 OG01 2H-O1-33
  • Thursday 18.03. 13:15 - 16:15 Seminarraum 6 UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 OG01 2H-O1-33
  • Thursday 25.03. 13:15 - 16:15 Seminarraum 6 UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 OG01 2H-O1-33
  • Thursday 15.04. 13:15 - 16:15 Seminarraum 6 UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 OG01 2H-O1-33
  • Thursday 22.04. 13:15 - 16:15 Seminarraum 6 UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 OG01 2H-O1-33
  • Thursday 29.04. 13:15 - 16:15 Seminarraum 6 UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 OG01 2H-O1-33
  • Thursday 06.05. 13:15 - 16:15 Seminarraum 6 UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 OG01 2H-O1-33
  • Thursday 20.05. 13:15 - 16:15 Seminarraum 6 UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 OG01 2H-O1-33
  • Thursday 27.05. 13:15 - 16:15 Seminarraum 6 UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 OG01 2H-O1-33
  • Thursday 10.06. 13:15 - 16:15 Seminarraum 6 UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 OG01 2H-O1-33
  • Thursday 17.06. 13:15 - 16:15 Seminarraum 6 UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 OG01 2H-O1-33
  • Thursday 24.06. 13:15 - 16:15 Seminarraum 6 UniCampus Hof 7 Eingang 7.1 OG01 2H-O1-33

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

!IMPORTANT! The class will take place ONLINE on TUESDAYS 9-12am. The link to the online classroom will be available via Moodle.

The dates listed here are only relevant if in-person meetings become possible; in this case, we will hold non-mandatory office hours during the Thursday timeslots to provide help with Stata-related questions.
The course provides students with the knowledge of quantitative research approaches and methods that are necessary for researching and writing an MA thesis. This course is important because you will learn how to conduct research, particularly within the social science field.

The course deals with the development of a research design. For this purpose all key concepts and steps of the research design are discussed: formulation of a research question, literature review, theory, hypothesis definition and testing, concept definitions and operationalization, case selection and empirical verification.

Some of the questions that will be discussed include the following: How do I find a research question? How to formulate a research question? What elements should a quantitative research design include? How can a research question be adequately justified theoretically?

The seminar also discusses statistical methods that are useful for answering the research question and to verify the hypotheses formulated. The empirical analyses are carried out using Stata.

NOTE! Stata needs to be purchased for your home computer. The licence costs 15 € and the programme can be downloaded here: https://academic.softwareone.com//UniWien_Studierende. Obtaining Stata is an essential requirement of this course.

Learning Outcomes
Assuming that you have read the material and participated regularly in class, the seminar will:
- sharpen your ability to produce original research in social science while developing skills in designing and conducting research studies, collecting and analysing data, drawing appropriate conclusions based on statistical results, and writing up scientific reports;
- help you choosing your MA thesis research question, collecting data and evidence, drawing conclusions and writing up your thesis;
- help you in analysing quantitative data and interpreting your results using Stata, a common statistical analysis programme used in the social sciences;
- develop your capacity for critically evaluating scientific evidence that is communicated in academic journals, the popular press, and other outlets such as reports from government agencies, non-profit organizations, and corporations.

Assessment and permitted materials

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

The final grade is made up of:
- assignments (40%),
- research outline (10%),
- final paper (40%),
- class worksheets (10%).
Only 2 class absences are allowed.
Students will be assessed based on their ability to formulate and implement a research question as well as on their knowledge of key quantitative skills.

Examination topics

Reading list

Kellstedt, P. M. and Whitten, G. D. (2018) The Fundamentals of Political Science Research, Cambridge University Press.

M. Mehmetoglu and T.G. Jakobsen (2016) Applied Statistics Using Stata: A Guide for the Social Sciences, Sage Publishing

Bailey, Michael A (2016) Real Stats: Using Econometrics for Political Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press.

These three books are essential for the course, especially the volume by Kellstedt & Whitten. The books are on hold at the library. Please make sure you get a hold of these books in the first weeks of the course. It might make sense to purchase the Kellstedt and Whitten book yourself, but this is not a requirement.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Th 14.11.2024 00:15