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Introduction to Political Analysis

POLS 2140 (3)

What makes the field of political science a science? What are the variety of research methods and tools for analysis employed by scholars? The goal of this course is to introduce students to the scientific process by political scientists. The interpretation and analysis of data is also essential for almost any career that a political science major might pursue. Lawyers and lobbyists, politicians and professors all need to be able to read and understand reports in which numerical summaries of data (i.e., statistics) are used as evidence to support an argument or point of view. These professionals need to ascertain whether these statistics are being used appropriately. In addition, many of these professionals need to do their own statistical analysis. This course introduces students to statistics and the scientific study of politics. Students will learn why statistics are useful, how to interpret a variety of statistics, how to analyze data to generate their own statistics, and how to tell whether their statistics support their own argument. Students will also learn how to apply the scientific research process to their own research questions by completing a research design project. (C)

{Fall, Spring}

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Prerequisites / Corequisites

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