Fall 2004

GOV 350K • Statistical Analysis in Political Science

Course Description

This course introduces basic concepts and methods of statistics. Unlike the typical elementary statistical courses you may have taken, the emphasis here will be on applications in political science. The objective of this course is to help students acquire the literacy for understanding political science literature based on the scientific approach, as well as to prepare interested students for more advanced methods courses. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability and probability distributions, sampling, sampling distribution, point estimation, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, contigency tables, correlation, and simple regression. Computing will be an integral part of this course. You will use SPSS to analyze data from Gallup Survey, General Science Survey, and/or National Election Study in homework assignments. In particular, you will be asked to replicate results reported in journal articles and book chapters. You are also encouraged to develop and work out your own research problems.

Grading Policy

Homework Assignments (5-7 sets): 30% In-Class or Take Home Midterm Exam: 30% In-Class Final Exam: 30% Instructor Discretion (Attendance, Participation, etc.): 10%

Texts

To be announced.

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