Doing Political Science Professor Anna Harvey
V53.0800 Department of Politics
Spring 2000 715 Broadway, Rm. 435A
Monday, Wednesday 3:30-4:45 998-3709; anna.harvey@nyu.edu
Teaching assistant: Matt Golder Office hours: W, 5-6:30
242-0861
This course is intended to provide a hands-on introduction to the methodology of political science. Each semester the course will focus on two important research questions in the discipline of political science. This semester, these two questions are "Why do people vote?" and "Why are some individuals partisans?" In the first part of the course, students will analyze different theoretical approaches to these research questions through a combination of lectures and small-group discussions. During this part of the course, students will write several brief research proposals which propose empirical tests of competing theoretical hypotheses. In the second part of the course, students learn how to conduct empirical tests. Through a combination of lectures and lab sessions, students learn basic statistical methods, including the use of a statistical software package. At the conclusion of this part of the course, students test their hypotheses about one of the research questions and submit their results in the form of an original research report.
Course requirements include weekly short research proposals and homework assignments (30%), a statistics exam (30%), and a final research paper (40%). More detailed information on course requirements will be distributed in class.
Late policy: All students are required to anticipate some small probability that an unforeseen occurrence may interfere with their completion of required coursework, and to plan accordingly. Consonant with this policy, late work will be accepted only in cases of severe hardship (e.g., when accompanied by a doctor's note). Given the weekly nature of assignments (typically distributed on Wednesdays and collected on Mondays), this policy also implies the necessity of consistent attendance at scheduled class meetings.
The following required books have been ordered through the NYU Bookstore:
Lawrence C. Hamilton, Statistics With Stata 5 (1998)
Edward Tufte, Data Analysis for Politics and Policy (1974)
A required course packet is also available for purchase at New University Copy on Waverly.
Week 1: Introduction
January 19 Introduction
Week 2: Policy Rewards
January 24
January 26
Readings: Anthony Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy (1957), Chapters 1-3, pp. 207-210, 244-247
Week 3: Intrinsic Rewards
January 31
February 2
Readings: Anthony Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy, Chapter 14
Angus Campbell et al, The American Voter (1960), Chapter 5
Week 4: Extrinsic Rewards
February 7
February 9
Readings: Steven J. Rosenstone et al, Mobilization, Participation, and Democracy in America (1993), Chapters 1-3
Week 5: Policy Rewards
February 14
February 16
Readings: Anthony Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy, Chapter 7
Week 6: Intrinsic Rewards
February 21 HOLIDAY
February 23
Readings: Campbell et al, The American Voter (1960), Chapters 6-7
Week 7: Extrinsic Rewards
February 28
March 1
Readings: Russell Hardin, One For All (1996), Chapters 1-3
Week 8: Sample Distributions
March 6
March 8
Readings: Hamilton, Chaps 1-2
SPRING BREAK
Week 9: Population and Sampling Distributions
March 20
March 22 LAB 1
Readings: Hamilton, Chaps 3-4
Week 10: Hypothesis testing with means
March 27
March 29
Readings: Tufte, Chaps 1-2
Week 11: Fitting a line
April 3
April 5 LAB 2
Readings: Tufte, pp. 65-72
Hamilton, pp. 129-133
Week 12: Simple OLS regression
April 10
April 12 (lab reserved until 4:20 if necessary)
Readings: Tufte, pp. 73-102
Week 13: Multiple OLS regression
April 17 LAB 3 (until 4:20)
April 19
Readings: Tufte, pp. 135-148
Hamilton, pp. 133-154
Week 14: Exam
April 24 Review
April 26 Exam
Week 15: Conclusion
May 1 Conclusion/Presentations