Resources for Learning Political Analysis
We feature resources to support teaching and learning political science research merthods with The Essentials of Political Analysis and the Companions to Political Analysis.
Featured resources update weekly to track typical fall, spring, and summer teaching patterns.
THIS WEEK'S THEME: Research Design, Research Ethics, and Evidence of CausationOverview: This week focuses on designing ethical research and establishing causation. Students will learn about experimental and observational designs and use software to simulate experimental setups and analyze causal relationships.
- Watch streaming lectures for introduction to main ideas
- Read Chapter 6 in The Essentials of Political Analysis, 7th Ed. (or Chapter 4 in Essentials, 6th Ed.)
- Read Chapter 6 in Stata Companion, 5th Ed.; R Companion, 3rd Ed.; Excel Companion, 1st Ed.; or SPSS Companion, 7th Ed. (or N/A in SPSS Companion, 6th Ed.)
- Review terms for 5 minutes
- Practice with software, see tutorials for Stata |
R | Excel |
SPSS
- Textbooks feature learning objectives, term glossaries, and chapter exercises.
- Resources for instructors: presentations, demo. code, quiz questions, solutions manuals (available via Sage Publications)
NEXT WEEK'S THEME: Making Controlled ComparisonsOverview: Students will explore techniques for controlling rival explanations and interpreting controlled comparisons. They will practice using statistical software to create and analyze control tables, identifying patterns and relationships.
- Watch streaming lectures for introduction to main ideas
- Read Chapter 7 in The Essentials of Political Analysis, 7th Ed. (or Chapter 5 in Essentials, 6th Ed.)
- Read Chapter 7 in Stata Companion, 5th Ed.; R Companion, 3rd Ed.; Excel Companion, 1st Ed.; or SPSS Companion, 7th Ed. (or Chapter 5 in SPSS Companion, 6th Ed.)
- Review terms for 5 minutes
- Practice with software, see tutorials for Stata |
R | Excel |
SPSS
- Textbooks feature learning objectives, term glossaries, and chapter exercises.
- Resources for instructors: presentations, demo. code, quiz questions, solutions manuals (available via Sage Publications)
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