Course Syllabus

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PLSC 10:  Scientific Study of Politics

Course Overview

CATEGORY INFORMATION
Credits 3
Prerequisites None
Delivery Web (Canvas, https://psu.instructure.com)
Dates See the Calendar.
Instructor See the Orientation module under the Modules tab.

Description

This course introduces students to the scientific study of politics and its role in advancing our understanding of politics. It covers essential elements of scientific reasoning, and introduces systematic approaches to studying politics through the lens of important puzzles and questions about international relations, comparative politics, and American politics. Students learn about data and data sources, as well as how to interpret data appearing in graphs and tables. The course consists of three parts. The first part of the course offers an overview of the elements of scientific inquiry including causal explanation, empirical verification, theories and hypotheses, and dependent and independent variables. The second part of the course examines dominant approaches to studying politics and gathering evidence including experiments, surveys, elite interviewing, archival research, the analysis of “big data”, and formal models. The final part of the course considers the benefits of scientific approaches. By the end of the course, students will understand what it means to “do” political science: i.e., to ask questions about political phenomena, form theories related to those questions, collect data, pick an approach to analyze the data, and draw inferences from the analysis.

Objectives

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Describe the steps in the scientific process.
  2. Identify the theory, central hypothesis, independent and dependent variables in a research project.
  3. Explain the essential features of and concepts in the six approaches used to study politics scientifically -- experiments, surveys, elite interviews, archival research, analysis of “big data,” and formal models  --  and provide an example of research using each approach. 
  4. Interpret tabular and graphical displays of data. 

Organization

This course is made up of 8 lessons spread out over the course of the semester.

For a typical lesson, you will complete the following activities and assignments:

  • Explore online course content (the lecture).
  • Read assigned readings.
  • Complete written and/or discussion assignments.
  • Complete a quiz.

Online Learning and Attendance

This course has been developed to promote asynchronous learning. The instructor and students do NOT meet on a designated day and time each week. For each lesson, there is a timeframe to complete all activities and assignments, and you may work at your own pace within that timeframe. However, you must adhere to the due dates outlined on the Calendar. (Due dates can also be viewed under the Syllabus tab.) You should log into the course daily to check for updates, review lessons, and participate in activities.

Texts and Other Materials

There are no texts required for this course.

Course Reserves

There are electronic resources on reserve for this course that can be accessed through the Penn State Libraries. To access your Course Reserves, please use the Library Resources tab in the course navigation menu. For any questions you may have about viewing or printing your Course Reserves, refer to the View and Print Electronic Course Reserves page at https://libraries.psu.edu/services/course-reserves/using-electronic-reserves/view-and-print-electronic-course-reserves.

Library Services

Penn State Libraries provides a wide variety of services and resources. To learn how to take advantage, refer to the Online Student Library Guide at http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/onlinestudentlibraryguide. This guide serves as your starting point for access to all that Penn State Libraries can offer you as an online student. Use this guide if you have questions on library services offered to you, how the library can help you, how to use the library, or what resources you can access via the library! The guide will connect you to important pages and resources within Penn State Libraries and save time from you searching for the information you need.

Grading

Final letter grades will be assigned based on the scale below.

Scale

LETTER
GRADE		 MINIMUM
PERCENT
A 94
A- 90
B+ 87
B 84
B- 80
C+ 77
C 70
D 60
F 0

Due Dates

All assignments are due by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the date indicated on the Calendar. (Due dates can be also be viewed under the Syllabus tab.) As a general rule, you will NOT be able to go back and make up missed assignments. It is your responsibility to keep up with your assignments. Students with an excused absence (hospitalization, jury duty, or family emergency) may be asked to produce proper documentation in order to make up graded work. All make-up work is at the discretion of the instructor.

Note on Late Assignments:  There are NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS.  All assignments must be turned in and completed on time.  In the case of an unforeseen occurrence you must contact your instructor BEFORE the assignment is due, if that is not possible the instructor must be contacted ASAP.

Assignments

Basic information about each assignment group is provided below. For detailed directions about an individual assignment, see the assignment information under the Modules tab.

You can expect meaningful feedback on assignments within one week of their due date.

ASSIGNMENT
GROUP		 %
Activities 30
Discussions 10
Quizzes 20
Paper 20
Final Exam 20
Total 100

Assignments

 Basic information about each assignment group is provided below.  For detailed directions about an individual assignment, see the assignment information under the Modules tab.

You can expect meaningful feedback on assignments within one week of their due date.

 

Exercises: Reaction, Analysis & Interpretation (290 points; 30% of final grade)

You will complete 14 exercises ranging in value from five to 50 points. These exercises are designed to help you explore different ways for studying politics scientifically. Over the course of the semester, you will investigate and react to different data sources; examine and interpret data; prepare for conducting an interview; undertake basic coding of data; respond to ethical issues that arise in research; and much more. Often these exercises are extensions of activities that are introduced in the lectures. Specific instructions for each exercise are available through the course site.

 

Discussion Posts (80 points; 10% of final grade)

You will participate in five discussions.  In four of these discussions, you will be responding or reacting to the exercises or discussion comments posted by your classmates.  Specific instructions for the posts – e.g, what you need to post and whether and to whom you must respond – are available through the course site. The posts – each worth 10 points – will be graded using the criteria below.  All posts must adhere to the “discussion guidelines.” 

Points

Evaluation

Grading Criteria

9-10

Excellent

Statements and comments are accurate, relevant, and
original. They teach us something new or lead us to consider an issue brought up in the readings or assignments. The entries are well written and show depth of thinking and consideration of the topic.  The statements/comments stimulate additional thinking and discussion about the issues perhaps drawing on direct experience or outside resources.

7-8

Strong

The statements/comments lack at least one of the qualities
above, but show above average thinking about the issues.

5-6

Satisfactory

The statements/comments lack two or three of the above qualities.  For example, they may be well written and accurate, but simply repeat what is already presented in the readings or show little depth of thought or analysis.

3-4

Developing

The statements/comments present little or no new information to further the discussion. The issue(s) being raised may be unclear.   Still, the statements/comments may be useful to building social presence and collegiality and show some engagement with the material relevant to the discussion topic. 

1-2

Minimal

The statements/comments add little value to the discussion.
They are off-topic, inaccurate, unprofessional in tone, or too brief to be of help in furthering our collective thinking and understanding.

0

Unacceptable

Question/comments are absent

 

Discussion Guidelines

These guidelines are intended to help you participate in the discussions as if you were speaking in an in-person classroom.  Communicating in writing is often a bit more challenging than communicating orally, in-person.

·         Your statements/comments should be courteous and appropriate for a professional setting. 

·         Be respectful of others.  Not everyone comes from the same background or shares the same values.  Relatedly, you may disagree with the statements/comments made by others.  Your goal should never be to convince anyone that you are right and others are wrong.  Rather, your goal should be to convey your ideas as clearly as you can.

·         Tone and intent are not always clear in electronic communication.  If you have any doubts about the tone of what you are posting, read it aloud and consider whether it “sounds” as you’d want it to if you were speaking in-person to others. 

·         Making a joke or being ironic can be a great way to break the ice in a discussion but you need to be sure that your intent is clear.  If you wish to convey a humorous tone in your statement/comment, add a note such as “just kidding” or include an emoticon.  Do not use slang or profanity.

·         If a discussion post strikes you as inappropriate or offensive, alert your instructor.  Often, the author of the statement/comment may not realize how the message “sounds.”  Addressing issues like this can be learning opportunities and are best handled by the instructor. 

·         The instructor has the right to remove any inappropriate or offensive message.  Any student who posts an inappropriate or offensive statement/comment will be blocked from participating in the discussion and will receive a zero for that assignment.

·         Student behavior in discussions and throughout the course must be consistent with Penn State’s student code of conduct (http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/conduct/).

 

 

Quizzes (60 points; 20% of final grade)

You will complete six, 10 point quizzes.  The quizzes include material in the lesson lectures, the assigned reading, and the exercises you complete.   They are intended to test your reading comprehension and your understanding of the concepts and ideas covered in each lesson.  All quizzes follow a short-answer format.  The best responses will succinctly and clearly address the question posed.

 

 Paper (80 points; 20% of final grade)

You will complete a paper that describes and compares how two of the approaches we study this semester could be used to address a single research question. A detailed description of the paper is available at the end of the syllabus. Portions of the paper are due throughout the semester. This will provide you with early feedback that can be incorporated into your final paper. The completed paper will run about six double-spaced pages.

 

Final Exam (60 points; 20% of final grade)

You will complete a final exam during finals week. The exam, which is cumulative, will include material from the lesson lectures, the assigned reading, and the exercises you complete. The exam will follow a short-answer format (like the quizzes), and may also include multiple-choice and true/false questions.

Final Paper Assignment:  Using Two Approaches to Study a Political Phenomenon

Political scientists seek to understand political phenomena using a number of different research approaches that are consistent with the scientific method. Over the course of the semester we will discuss the steps and activities that comprise the scientific method, and we’ll identify the key features of six approaches to studying politics systematically.  To demonstrate your understanding of the material you will write a research design paper that applies this knowledge to a research question about politics that you select.  You are required to choose two approaches covered during the course of the semester and explain how you would propose to study your question.  The overall goal for the research design paper is not only to present how the approaches would answer the proposed question, but also to clearly articulate how the specific approaches are appropriate and advantageous to answer the question.  You will be graded on how well you demonstrate mastery of the approaches in applying them to your research-design study.  Obviously there are advantages and disadvantages to each approach, and you will need to make an argument that explains how the approaches you choose would clearly answer the question should the work actually be carried out.  

Your paper should not exceed six double-spaced pages. 

Portions of the paper are due throughout the semester.  This will provide you with early feedback that can be incorporated into your final paper.

      1. Lesson 4: Complete Part I.  An electronic copy must be uploaded to Canvas (Final Paper Part 1).
      2. Lesson 6a: Complete Part 2.  An electronic copy must be uploaded to Canvas (Final Paper Part 2).
      3. Lesson 7b: Complete Part 3. Upload your final paper to Canvas (Final Paper Part 3). 

Part 1. Introduction:  This should be in the form of an introduction to the paper.

      • Identify and present a research question about politics that interests you.  This question should be explanatory in nature, beginning with how, why, or what. You may develop a question on your own or select a question from a list of options I provide. If you’d like to use your own question, I strongly recommend that you run your ideas by me in advance of completing this part of the assignment.
      • Explain in a few sentences why this is an important question to answer. (If a family member or co-worker asked you about your final paper topic, what would you say to explain why your question is relevant, interesting, and worthwhile to study?)
      • Offer a theory that provides a potential answer to your question. Be sure to explain the logic or causal mechanism underlying your theory. Remember your theory should express a causal relationship between two concepts: “I argue X causes Y because ___________.” Identify the concepts linked by your theory.
      • Identify potential measures of your concepts.
      • This section should be approximately one or two pages long.

 

Part 2. Introduction and First Approach:  Revise your introduction based on the comments you received on Part 1.  Select one of the research approaches we will study this semester– experiments, survey analysis, elite interviews, archival research, analysis of big data, and formal models – and explain why you expect that it is a useful strategy for gathering evidence to test hypotheses that follow from your theory.  Below are the general guidelines for this section that apply to all approaches.  Specific expectations for each research approach appear at the end of the document. 

      1. Provide a definition of the approach and explain its essential features as if you were writing your paper for someone who doesn’t know anything about these approaches.
      2. Present the primary hypothesis (or hypotheses) that follows from your theory, explicitly identifying the independent and dependent variables and the nature of the expected relationship between them.
      3. Explain how you would use the selected approach to test your hypothesis.
      4. Explain the type of data you would use to engage in hypothesis testing following this approach. You should identify a data source and give a short description about what it is.  The data, of course, will depend on the approach you choose.  For instance, if you are proposing to use an experimental research design, you will (likely) be generating your own data.  If this is the case, briefly discuss what will be in your data.  If you are using archival data, for instance, discuss what data sources you will use and what they contain. 
      5. Explain the advantages of this approach and why it is an appropriate one in light of the question you are investigating. Explain any limitations to this approach in answering your question. 
      6. This section should be approximately two to three pages long.

 

Part 3. Final Complete paper:  Revise Parts 1 and 2 based on the comments you received on these sections.  Repeat Part 2 by selecting a second approach. Note: The specific form of your hypothesis may be different for the two approaches you choose, depending on the kind of data you need to use with each approach.

  • In addition to the following the guidelines for Part 2, assess the relative merits across the two approaches in terms of what you would expect to learn about the answer to your research question.

Approach-Specific Guidelines 

Experiments:

  • Explain why the specific experimental approach (lab, field, survey) is appropriate to address your research question and test your hypotheses.
  • List specific steps you will need to carry out in order to carry out the experiment (might find it useful to do this graphically by way of a flow chart or something similar). Examples of steps include identifying a random sample of participants, gaining IRB approval, dividing the sample into treatment and control)
  • Discuss internal and external validity with your experiment. Bes sure to make clear how confident you will be in establishing a causal relationship between your treatment and the outcome indicators. 
  • Explain how you will assess the treatment effect.
  • Describe any ethical issues that will arise.

Surveys:

  • What type of survey will you use? Explain why it is appropriate for your research question.
  • How will you obtain a scientific sample? What data will you use?  If you decide to write your own survey provide a list of questions you will ask your respondents.    What are the variables in the data that you will examine?  How many respondents, approximately, do you expect to have in your sample?
  • Describe the specific error types that may be associated with this survey.
  • What is the margin of error in your survey? What type of bias will be introduced into the survey given the error type?
  • What do you expect to learn from using a survey?
  • Discuss the external and internal validity of this approach.

Elite Interviewing:

  • Why does your research question lend itself to using this technique? Put another way, what type of information do you hope to glean from these interviews?
  • Discuss the process you would go through to use this technique (examples include IRB approval, drafting a cover letter, drafting an interview protocol, etc.)
  • Identify at least 5 specific people you would seek an interview with or describe the roles these people play if there are not names available (which of these options you choose will depend on the population of elites you wish to interview). Why would they help you answer the question you are researching?
  • What questions will you ask? Give at least 5 specific examples including a grand tour question.
  • How will you think about developing a codebook from the transcripts? What would your dependent and independent variables be?
  • Any ethical issues to consider?

Archival research:

  • Identify the specific archive(s) you will use to collect your data. Describe: a) who maintains or generates the archive and b) what data is available in the archive. Discuss why this archive is important to you.
  • If you would use text data from the archive, what keywords would be in your search and how would you use the data to generate your variables? For example, if you are measuring ‘tone’ in media articles what keywords are you looking for?) What variables will you be coding? 
  • If you would use numeric data from an archive, explain how the variable(s) you found are measured and how they would be used as evidence to test your hypothesis.
  • Describe what your dataset would look like.
  • What do you hope to learn using this approach?

Big Data:

  • Identify what data source(s) you would use. Would you need to combine datasets?  What characterizes this as ‘big’ data?
  • Describe, if appropriate, how this data source displays aspects of the three V’s (volume, variety and velocity) that we discussed.
  • What technical challenges will you face using these data sources?
  • Any specific skills you would need as a researcher to use this approach?
  • What do you hope to learn using this approach?
  • Any ethical issues associated with this approach?

Formal Models:

  • What type of strategic interaction are you trying to model?
  • What ‘game’ will you use as the basis for the formal model you are developing (i.e. a derivative of the Prisoner’s dilemma, dictator game, agenda setting, spatial model, etc.). Is it a simultaneous move game or sequential?  Is it repeated over time or is it one-shot?  Why would this matter for your actors’ preferences?
  • Identify the actors, actions, preferences and payoffs for each participant.
  • What are you expectations for the outcome in the model? Will it have a Nash equilibrium?
  • Does either player have a dominant strategy?
  • What predictions are you hoping to make from this game?
  • What lessons do you hope to learn from modeling this strategic interaction?

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University Emergency Procedure

In the event of a University-wide emergency, the course may be subject to changes. Exigent circumstances may require alternative delivery methods, class materials, and interactions with the instructor and/or classmates. In addition, there may be revisions to grading policies and the Calendar, including assignments and their due dates.

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Syllabus Subject to Change

The class will likely adhere to the information outlined in this Syllabus and the Calendar, but adjustments may be made based on what actually transpires during the semester. Remaining in the course after reading this Syllabus will signal that you accept the possibility of changes and responsibility for being aware of them.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due