10. Quantitative Political Analysis
This course will provide students with useful tools for undertaking
empirical research in political science and will help them to become informed
consumers of quantitative political analysis. The course will first consider
the general theoretical concepts underlying empirical research, including the
nature of causality, the structure and content of theories, and the formulation
and testing of competing hypotheses. The course will then employ these concepts
to develop several quantitative approaches to political analysis. Students will
be introduced to two statistical methods frequently used by political
scientists, contingency tables and linear regression. By learning to
systematically analyze political data, students will gain the ability to better
conduct and evaluate empirical research in both its quantitative and
qualitative forms.
Serves as the prerequisite to the major. Because of the large overlap in
material covered, no student may receive credit for more than one of the
courses Government 10, Economics 10, Geography 10, Mathematics 10, Psychology
10, Social Sciences 10, or Sociology 15 except by special petition. Dist:
QDS.
17. Bureaucratic and Organizational Behavior
(Identical to PBPL17)
This course considers explanations of the structure and behavior of public
and private bureaucracies and of voluntary groups taken from theories grounded
on rational calculations compared with those grounded on social values.
Materials are taken primarily from American and Western European governmental
and industrial experience, but some attention is paid to bureaucracies and
organizations in developing countries. Students will conduct field research on
Dartmouth or Hanover/Norwich administrative offices or voluntary groups.
Dist: SOC.
18. The Theory of Choice & Introductory
Political Game Theory (Formerly Introduction to Game Theory)
This course is an introduction to game theory with an emphasis on political
science applications. Particular attention will be paid to the use of
game theory in international relations, legislative politics, and the study of
public goods. Game theory allows for formal representations of behaviors
and is used to study strategic interactions and how individuals and groups of
individuals make decisions. Game theory is a standard tool is social
analysis, and Government 18 will focus on the theory of choice, normal form
games, and extensive form games. Prerequisite: Math 3 or the equivalent.
Dist: QDS
19. Topics in Political Analysis
This course will enable regular or visiting faculty members to examine
political topics not treated in the established curriculum. Subjects may
therefore vary each time the course is offered. Dist: Varies.
Advanced Political Analysis (formerly Advanced Statistical Methods for
Political Research)
This course introduces mathematical and statistical models in the social
sciences beyond the level of bivariate regression. Topics to be covered
include multivariate regression, selection bias, discrete choice, maximum
likelihood models, multi-level modeling, and experiments. We will use
these models to study voter turnout, elections, bargaining in legislatures,
public opinion, political tolerance, the causes and duration of wars, gender
bias in employment, educational testing, poverty and income, and a host of
other topics. Students will write a paper of original research using some
of the methods covered in class. Prerequisite: Government 10,
Economics 10, Geography 10, Mathematics 10, Psychology 10, Social Sciences 10,
or equivalent Dist: QDS
Advanced Game Theory
This course is a continuation of Government 18, Introduction to Game
Theory. It will build on the material covered in the prior course and
will cover Bayesian games, dynamic game of incomplete information, and repeated
games. The emphasis in Government 19 will continue to be political
science applications. (Note: the prerequisite for this course is
Government 18 or permission of the instructor.) Dist: QDS.
Research Design and Qualitative Analysis
Perhaps it is counterintuitive, but the most important part of any research
project is completed before a scholar delves into the archives, compiles a
dataset or sends an experiment out into the field. First, a researcher must
identify an important question and design a creative and compelling means of
answering it. This course is dedicated toward two complementary ends,
instruction in qualitative methods and research design. It will begin by
providing students with an introduction to the tools and techniques, strengths
and limitations of qualitative methods. It then explores how to craft research
designs to provide the greatest explanatory leverage and how to communicate
most effectively with the intended audience. Somewhat unlike a traditional
political analysis course, this class is best thought of as a practicum for
those actively engaged in the research process. The course is ideal for those
contemplating writing a thesis or a similar project since students will
concentrate on one substantive topic for the duration of the term. However, it
will benefit anyone interested in methodology and the intricacies of research
in political science. Topics include: hypothesis generation, concept formation
and measurement, case study design and selection, multi-methodological design,
archival research and writing for the social sciences.
What If? Counterfactuals in Life, Literature and Science
Counterfactuals are commonly used as rhetorical strategies, mechanisms for
working through problems and benchmarks for assessment and evaluation. In
science they help researchers build and test theories. Psychologists use
counterfactuals to probe how the mind works. In literature, they have been used
since the time of Homer to provide the context for narratives and poetry. For
many scholars they nevertheless remain a highly suspect form of speculation.
For others they are an essential component of any causal claim because the
statement X causes Y assumes, ceteris paribus, that in the absence of X ,Y will
not occur. We will examine the diverse uses of counterfactuals, the various
objections that have been raised about them, and methods for conducting
counterfactual experiments in diverse disciplines. As a class, we will design
and conduct our own counterfactual experiment. Dist: SOC.
|
