Students will learn how to use the Internet for empirical political research, with an emphasis on quantitative data and analytic tools available to researchers studying politics online and offline.
Athena Title
Web Analytics for Pol Research
Non-Traditional Format
This course will be taught 95% or more online.
Prerequisite
POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1101H or POLS 1101S
Semester Course Offered
Offered summer semester every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon the successful completion of this course, students should understand how websites are constructed and populated with information.
Upon the successful completion of this course, students should understand how to reconceptualize information pulled from online sources as data.
Upon the successful completion of this course, students should understand how to analyze online data using appropriate tools and methods.
Upon the successful completion of this course, students should understand how to evaluate online activity as an opportunity for empirical political science research.
Upon the successful completion of this course, students should understand how to compose a research paper that uses the tools covered in the class to answer a political science question.
Topical Outline
There are a variety of topics instructors of this course could cover depending on their strengths and their preferences toward the training offered to undergraduate students. The course can be broken up into thirds where: the first third of the course focuses on background about the Internet, online networking, and online political behavior; the second third of the course focuses on data collection, management, and analysis; and the final third of the course focuses on specialized tools for conducting Internet-based research. Such specialized topics can include, but are not limited to, web-scraping, text analysis, network analysis, and introductory machine learning.
Week 1: Introduction to Online Research
Week 2 and 3: The Internet, Online Networks, and Websites
Week 4 and 5: Thinking of Online Activity as Measurable Behavior
Week 6 and 7: Collecting, Managing, and Analyzing Data
Week 9: Online Survey Research
Week 10: Online Experimental Research
Week 11 and 12: Web-Scraping
Week 13 and 14: Online Network Analysis
Week 15: Presenting Research Results
Institutional Competencies
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
