Course List

This course presents basic issues in empirical research in the social sciences. Classes will alternate between discussion of readings on approaches to empirical research and applied weeks, where students will present successive iterations of their own research in-progress. The research design topics covered will be generating observable implications of theory; case selection; collection of large-n observational and archival data; narrative case study; experiments and natural experiments; elite interviews; and participant observation. The course is intended for students preparing for their second year paper, third year students writing a dissertation prospectus, or ABD students with an empirical project that is at a fairly early stage. First-year PhD students should consult with the instructor prior to enrolling in the course. Students who take both PSC 562 and 563 may use either, but not both, to satisfy the course requirements for the Comparative Politics field.