Professor Wattier's POL 360 Course Syllabus Fall 2008

Online Course Syllabus available at:  http://campus.murraystate.edu/academic/faculty/mark.wattier/

Department: Government, Law, and International Affairs

Course Number: POL 360   Credit Hours: 3   Semester: Fall, 2008

I. Title: Principles and Methods of Research

II. Instructor: Mark J. Wattier

Office: FH-5A-9              

Office Phone:  270.809.2695

E-mail: Mark.Wattier@MurrayState.edu 

     Office hours:

III. Class location and meeting times: 2:00 - 3:15 Tu - Th in FH-407. 

IV. Catalog description: An introduction to basic research principles and methods designed to enable students to understand the critical and scientific methodologies their discipline uses to discover knowledge and ascertain its validity.      

V. Purpose: Political Science 360 reviews the fundamental aspects of the empirical research process.

VI. Course objectives: This course has the following learning objectives:

  1. To provide each student a general understanding of the procedures of empirical research.
  2. To provide students with knowledge of how the choices involved in research affect the "results" of that research.
  3. To teach students to design empirical research and to judge the merits of research proposals. 
  4. To provide students a working knowledge of the uses and limitations of statistics.
  5. To provide students sufficient knowledge of research methods so that they may understand the "empirical" literature of their discipline.  

VII. Course outline  

8/21:  Course Introduction

8/26 & 28:  The First Measured Century (VHS), a PBS program that reviews the historical context in which the discipline of political science moved toward an empirical social science.  This program answers, to some extent, the "so what" question--why students of politics should study research methods.      

I. Overview of the Research Process: 9/2 & 4

Read:

Visit:  For support of undergraduate research projects MuSU's Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity     

II. Literature Review:  9/9 & 11 

Read: 

Suggested Readings: 

III. Concepts and Hypotheses:  9/16 & 18

Lecture Notes:

Read: 

Suggested Readings:

 

IV. Measurement: 9/23 & 25 

Read: 

 Suggested Readings:

 

9/30: First Examination

Article for Discussion Questions:  Kim, S. (2002). Participative Management and Job Satisfaction: Lessons for Management Leadership. Public Administration Review, 62(2), 231-241.  abstract

V. Research Design and Sampling:  10/2 & 7 & 9

Lecture Notes:

Read: 

Suggested Readings:

VI. Mass and Elite Opinion

A.  Survey Research: 10/14 & 16   

Read: 

Suggested Reading:  

·         Merkle, Daniel M.  The Polls--Review: The National Issues Convention Deliberative Poll. [PDF] Public Opinion Quarterly, 1996, 60(4), 588 - 619. 

Visit:  

VII. Aggregate and Comparative:  10/21 & 23  

Read: 

Suggested Readings:  

·          

·         Cho, Wendy K. Tam and Brian J. Gaines.  The Limits of Ecological Inference: The Case of Split-Ticket Voting.  American Journal of Political Science, 2004, 48(1), 152-171. 

·          

·         Burden, Barry C. and David C. Kimball.  A New Approach to the Study of Ticket Splitting.  American Political Science Review, 1998, 92(3), 533-544. 

10/28: Second Examination 

Article for Discussion Questions:  Mead, Lawrence M.  State Political Culture and Welfare Reform. [PDF] Policy Studies Journal, 2004, 32(2), 271-296.      

 

Microsoft Excel Data File  

Microsoft Excel add-ins for statistical analysis:

 

 

VIII. Data Preparation and Processing:  10/30

Read: Manheim et al., Chap. 14 

Visit: 

http://www.r-project.org/  

11/4:  Election Day (Classes Dismissed)

IX. Univariate Analysis:  11/6 & 11

Read: 

Visit: 

 

X. Hypothesis Testing (11/13) and Bivariate Analysis (11/18 & 20):

Read: 

 

Suggested Readings: 

·  Review Degrees of Freedom at Wikipedia

·  Pages 194-204, "The Pearson r," [PDF] in Dean J. Champion. 1970. Basic Statistics for Social Research. Scranton, PA:  Chandler.  See Chapter 3, "Correlation Analysis," [PDF] in Sam K. Kachigan. 1982. Multivariate Statistical Analysis. New York:  Radius Press.  Also visit Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient at Wikipedia.

·         Pages 210-213, "Guttman's

  Coefficient of Predictability, Lambda," [PDF] in Champion (1970).

·         Pages 219-224, "Goodman and Kruskal's Gamma," [PDF] in Champion (1970).

   

 

 11/27:  Thanksgiving (Classes Dismissed)

 

 

 

XI. Correlation and Regression: 11/25 & 12/2 & 4

Read: 

·         Manheim et al., chap. 18 

 

Suggested Readings:

 

 

Critique of “Dog Study” Due:  12/4

Leonard A. Jason, Kathleen McCoy, David Blanco, and Edwin S. Zolik. 1989.  Decreasing Dog Litter:  Behavioral Consultation to Help a Community Group. In R. D. Bingham and C. L. Felbinger. Evaluation in Practice. New York:  Longman. 

Third Examination:  12/10 starting at 1:30 a.m.

Article for Discussion Questions:  Kim, S. (2002). Participative Management and Job Satisfaction: Lessons for Management Leadership. Public Administration Review, 62(2), 231-241.  abstract

 

 

 

VIII. Instructional activities: We shall study research methods in multiple ways, including but not limited to lectures, class discussions, research articles, assigned readings, and web sites.

IX. Field and clinical experiences: None.

X. Resources: Course resources include an instructor with over twenty-nine years experience, a web site created to complement this course, microcomputer labs, an excellent book, and--most importantly-- students ready, willing, and able to learn.

XI. Grading procedures:  The final course grade is based on the points accumulated according to the following scale:  

387 - 430

A

344 - 386

B

301 - 343

C

258 - 300

D

000 - 257

E

Examinations (300 total points):  This course has three 100-point examinations. Each examination will have two sections: (1) 50 objective questions and (2) discussion questions worth a total of 50 points.  The objective questions will come from the assigned readings, lectures, and lecture notes.  The discussion questions will come from Figure 23.1, "A Checklist for Evaluating Empirical Research" (Manheim et al., pp. 403-404) and be based on selected articles linked to the online course syllabus.  If you miss an examination (see dates in the course syllabus), its make-up must be arranged in consultation with the instructor.  If you miss the make-up examination, a score of zero will be assigned the missed examination. 

Required Critique Paper (100 points):  Each student is required to write a critique of:  

Leonard A. Jason, Kathleen McCoy, David Blanco, and Edwin S. Zolik. 1989.  Decreasing Dog Litter:  Behavioral Consultation to Help a Community Group. In R. D. Bingham and C. L. Felbinger. Evaluation in Practice. New York:  Longman. 

This critique should diagnose its problems in terms of Donald T. Campbell's threats to internal validity and offer a revised design to correct its problems.  Typed papers are required.  A recommended minimum length is ten type-written pages (excluding the following pages from the page count--title page, references, and appendices). The critique of the dog study is due on Thursday, December 4, during class. Late papers will be penalized 15 points each day the paper is late. The critique must be your own work (see Statement on Plagiarism [PDF]) and be well written (see The Write Stuff [PDF]). It must have a title page.

Class participation (Extra Points!): Prior to each class read each assignment carefully and, to the best of your ability, be prepared to discuss the assignment in class. Class preparation is important because the subject of this course requires detailed study. A single reading of an assignment will not normally prepare you sufficiently for class discussion. Several readings of the assignments may be necessary. By class participation I mean both asking and answering questions grounded in each lecture topic. I sincerely welcome and wish to encourage your participation in class discussions. Class participation counts as extra points; it can only help your grade.  Class participation is worth five points for each "impressive" act of participation.  Class attendance is surely a necessary condition for class participation; however, class attendance without participation does not earn class participation credit.  An "impressive" act is one that demonstrates careful study of the assigned reading material.  "Impressive, most impressive," young Skywalker!     

XII. Attendance policy (30 total points):  Students are expected to attend class. Students are expected to affix their signatures to a sign-in sheet.  If you miss a class for a reason covered by MuSU's attendance policy (see 2007-2009 Undergraduate Bulletin, pp. 9 - 10), please write a note that clearly explains the absence on the next day's sign-in sheet.  

 

 

 

XIII. Textbook: This course one required textbook, Empirical Political Analysis:  Research Methods in Political Science (7th ed.), Jarol B. Manheim, Richard C. Rich, Lars Willnat, and Craig Brians.  Other assignments are posted on this web site as PDF files (Portable Document Format). 

XIV. Prerequisites: junior standing.

XV. Academic Honesty policy:  The Academic Honesty policy, as adopted by the Board of Regents, February 14, 1975, is incorporated into this syllabus (see 2007-2009 Undergraduate Bulletin, p. 9). 

XVI. Students with Disabilities:  Students with bona fide disabilities should inform me privately and appropriate arrangements will be made.

XVII. Cell Phones:  Please turn off cell phones when class begins. *

 

 

 

Murray State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability or veteran status in employment, student admissions, financial aid, student employment and placement or the provision of services and provides, upon request, reasonable accommodation including auxiliary aids and services necessary to afford individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in all programs and activities.