Course Description
Political behavior is a diverse field that employs a variety of methods for understanding the attitudes, opinions, actions, and inactions of individuals in society. This course will equip students with the tools to measure human behavior, design and implement public opinion surveys and experiments in political science and beyond.
Athena Title
Analyzing Political Behavior
Prerequisite
POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1101S or POLS 1105H
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
By the conclusion of this course, students will: 1) Understand a variety of measurement strategies used in behavioral research. 2) Understand the different sampling strategies used in behavioral research and when each is most/least appropriate for their research. 3) Know how to collect, manage, and analyze survey data. 4) Understand the variety of ways in which experimentation can be employed in social science research. 5) Work with a team of classmates to develop and implement an original opinion survey.
Topical Outline
Week 1: Introduction to behavioral analysis Weeks 2 and 3: Measuring political behavior (will also be covered on a weekly basis) Weeks 4 and 5: Designing survey research Weeks 6 and 7: Collecting, managing, and analyzing survey data Week 9: Experimental research: Logic of causal inference Week 10: Laboratory experiments Week 11: Survey experiments Week 12: Field experiments Week 13: “Natural experiments” Weeks 14 and 15: Presenting results of behavioral analyses
Syllabus