Research Methods I (SPS 311)

2022 Fall
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Social & Political Sci.(SPS)
3
6/7 ECTS (for students admitted in the 2013-14 Academic Year or following years)
Fatih Serkant Adıgüzel serkant.adiguzel@sabanciuniv.edu,
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English
Undergraduate
SPS101 SPS102
Formal lecture,Interactive lecture,Recitation
Interactive,Communicative,Project based learning
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Programs\Type Required Core Elective Area Elective
Conflict Analysis & Resolution Minor *
Decision and Behavior Minor *
International Studies *
International Studies *
Political Science *
Political Science and International Relations *
Political Science and International Relations *
Political Science (Previous Name: Social and Political Sciences) *

CONTENT

Statistical reasoning and techniques used by social researchers to summarize data and test hypotheses. Topics include describing data collection, sampling measurement, distributions, cross-tabulations, scaling, probability,correlation/regression and non-parametric tests.

OBJECTIVE

This course is designed as an initiation into social science research. As an introduction, we focus on questions like, why bother with scientific thinking? What differentiates scientific thinking from its competitors? Where do concepts and theories come from? What is a variable, and how do we ensure that it accomplishes the tasks we hope it will accomplish? How does one find a research topic, design an inquiry, conduct the research, and present its findings? The course introduces various methods social scientists employ for their research and mainly focuses on quantitative data analysis methods. It gives the basic data science skills to analyze quantitative data.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

  • Formulate research questions and hypotheses.
  • Collect and use data for a specific research project.
  • Identify various research methods and develop a critical approach in evaluating methodology.
  • Develop quantitative methods and data analysis skills.

PROGRAMME OUTCOMES

1. Understand the world, their country, their society, as well as themselves and have awareness of ethical problems, social rights, values and responsibility to the self and to others. 3

2. Understand different disciplines from natural and social sciences to mathematics and art, and develop interdisciplinary approaches in thinking and practice. 4

3. Think critically, follow innovations and developments in science and technology, demonstrate personal and organizational entrepreneurship and engage in life-long learning in various subjects; have the ability to continue to educate him/herself. 5

4. Communicate effectively in Turkish and English by oral, written, graphical and technological means. 5

5. Take individual and team responsibility, function effectively and respectively as an individual and a member or a leader of a team; and have the skills to work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams. 2

1. Develop knowledge of theories, concepts, and research methods in humanities and social sciences. 5

2. Assess how global, national and regional developments affect society. 3

3. Know how to access and evaluate data from various sources of information. 5

1. Analyze global affairs from international relations and economics perspectives. 4

2. Demonstrate theoretical and practical knowledge of the international affairs. 3

3. Compete for increasing opportunities in careers within the newly emerging global institutions. 4

4. Evaluate the international political events and present their views and positions on international affairs with advanced oral and written skills. 5

1. To analyze national and global events from various social science perspectives. 4

2. To demonstrate theoretical and practical knowledge on political science and international relations and to state views and positions with advanced oral and written skills. 3

3. To compete for increasing career opportunities in national and global institutions. 4

4. To (be able to) understand and follow the changes in political behaviours, opinions and structures. 4

5. To gain the ability to make logical inferences on social and political issues based on comparative and historical knowledge. 5

1. Understand and follow changes in patterns of political behavior, ideas and structures. 4

2. Develop the ability to make logical inferences about social and political issues on the basis of comparative and historical knowledge. 5

ASSESSMENT METHODS and CRITERIA

  Percentage (%)
Final 20
Midterm 20
Assignment 24
Group Project 25
Other 11

RECOMENDED or REQUIRED READINGS

Textbook

Imai, K., & Williams, N. W. (2022). Quantitative Social Science: An Introduction in Tidyverse. Princeton University Press.
Readings

Bertrand, M., & Mullainathan, S. (2004). Are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A field experiment on labor market discrimination. American Economic Review, 94(4), 991-1013.
Gerber, A. S., Green, D. P., & Larimer, C. W. (2008). Social pressure and voter turnout: Evidence from a large-scale field experiment. American Political Science Review, 102(1), 33-48.
David Card and Alan Krueger (1994) “Minimum wages and employment: A case study of the fast-food industry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.” American Economic Review, 84(4), 772–793.
Malesky, E. J., Nguyen, C. V., & Tran, A. (2014). The impact of recentralization on public services: A difference-in-differences analysis of the abolition of elected councils in Vietnam. American Political Science Review, 108(1), 144-168.
Lyall, J., Blair, G., & Imai, K. (2013). Explaining support for combatants during wartime: A survey experiment in Afghanistan. American Political Science Review, 107(4), 679-705.
Blair, G., Imai, K., & Lyall, J. (2014). Comparing and combining list and endorsement experiments: Evidence from Afghanistan. American Journal of Political Science, 58(4), 1043-1063.
Todorov, A., Mandisodza, A. N., Goren, A., & Hall, C. C. (2005). Inferences of competence from faces predict election outcomes. Science, 308(5728), 1623-1626.
Mueller, H., & Rauh, C. (2018). Reading between the lines: Prediction of political violence using newspaper text. American Political Science Review, 112(2), 358-375.
Chattopadhyay, R., & Duflo, E. (2004). Women as policy makers: Evidence from a randomized policy experiment in India. Econometrica, 72(5), 1409-1443.
Svolik, M. W. (2020). When Polarization Trumps Civic Virtue: Partisan Conflict and the Subversion of Democracy by Incumbents. Quarterly Journal of Political Science, 15(1), 3-31.
Eggers, A. C., & Hainmueller, J. (2009). MPs for sale? Returns to office in postwar British politics. American Political Science Review, 103(4), 513-533.
Foos, F., & Bischof, D. (2022). Tabloid media campaigns and public opinion: Quasiexperimental evidence on Euroscepticism in England. American Political Science Review, 116(1), 19-37.
Adiguzel, F.S., Cansunar A., Corekcioglu G. (Forthcoming). Out of Sight, Out of Mind? Electoral Responses to the Proximity of Health Care, Journal of Politics
Franco, A., Malhotra, N., & Simonovits, G. (2015). Underreporting in political science survey experiments: Comparing questionnaires to published results. Political Analysis, 23(2), 306-312.
Ansell, B., & Samuels, D. (2010). Inequality and democratization: A contractarian approach. Comparative Political Studies, 43(12), 1543-1574.
Geddes, B. (1991). A game theoretic model of reform in Latin American democracies. American Political Science Review, 85(2), 371-392.
Osborne, M. J. (2004). An introduction to game theory. Oxford university press, Chapters 1 and 2