Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
---|---|---|---|
2500259 Political Science and Public Management | OB | 2 | A |
2503778 International Relations | OB | 2 | A |
No necessary prerequesite required.
The course is intended as an introduction to all stages of research in Political Science and International Relations. The main purpose is to provide students with the tools to be able to both produce knowledge through original research and to critically evaluate research of political interest by other authors. Thus, the course covers all the aspects necessary to understand the logic of political research: the different ways of producing knowledge, the formulation of questions and tentative answers, the treatment of concepts, the collection of data and their analysis.
The main objectives of the course are:
1. The research question
The research question: What? Who? How? Why?
Tentative answers: the literature review and the development of the theoretical framework.
Hypotheses
2. Use and measurement of concepts
The organisation of the data: units, variables and observations, and the structure of the data matrix.
From concepts to variables: the process of operationalisation
Independent variables and dependent variables
Levels of measurement and types of variables
Measurement error: validity and reliability
3. Univariate descriptive analysis
Statistical description
Measures of centrality
Measures of dispersion
Graphical representations
4. Controlling for alternative explanations and research design
What should an explanation contain?
Causality: the relationship between variables
Methods of control: experiments and observations (statistical, comparative and case study methods)
Longitudinal and cross-sectional designs
5. Data generation and collection
Data sources for policy analysis
The standardised interview: the questionnaire
Qualitative interviewing: structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews
Other ways of generating data: participant observation, document use
6. Sampling and inference
Population and sample
Representativeness and generalisability
Type of sampling
The normal distribution and sampling distribution
Sampling error and confidence level
Sample size
Statistical inference
Significance level
7. Relationships among variables (1). Contingency table
Relationships between variables and hypothesis testing
Contingency tables: cells, columns, rows and marginals
Type of tables: total, row and column percentages
How to interpret tables?
Measures of the degree of association between variables
Hypothesis testing: the chi-square test (χ2)
8. Relationships between variables (2). Correlation and Difference of Means
Difference of means
Hypothesis testing: the t-test
Scatter plots
Correlation and Pearson's R
9. Relationships between variables (3). Simple Linear Regression
Simple linear regression
The regression line
The regression coefficient
The constant
The coefficient of determination or R2
10. Introduction to multivariate analysis
The teaching plan includes two types of sessions: theoretical and practical.
All sessions will be aimed at the assimilation of the course contents, which must be proven in the different continuous evaluable activities and in the exams.
The practical sessions will be aimed at carrying out computing tasks that put into practise the techniques studied during the course. In this sense, Excel and Jamovi software will be used so that students become familiar with their use and use them in the exercises and examinations that must be carried out throughout the academic year.
Some non-evaluable ‘collaborative learning’ sessions may also be performed during the course. Students may be required to complete some activities in order to join these sessions.
The content and order of the syllabus may vary slightly in the different groups of the course.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
---|---|---|---|
Type: Directed | |||
Exercises presentation | 15 | 0.6 | 2, 9, 10, 13, 11, 15, 18, 5, 7 |
Practical lessons with computer | 30 | 1.2 | 2, 9, 11, 15, 18, 12, 17, 5 |
Theoretical lessons | 60 | 2.4 | 2, 9, 10, 12, 5, 4 |
Type: Supervised | |||
Tutorials to support exercises elaboration | 30 | 1.2 | 9, 10, 12, 5, 4 |
Type: Autonomous | |||
Exercices | 60 | 2.4 | 2, 9, 8, 10, 16, 11, 3, 14, 15, 18, 12, 17, 5, 6, 4 |
Readings | 30 | 1.2 | 2, 9, 11, 15, 18, 17, 4, 7 |
Study | 60 | 2.4 | 2, 11, 3, 15, 18, 12, 5, 4 |
The final grade of the course will be the weighted average of the following three blocks:
1. January exam (35% of the final grade), on a date to be set by the Faculty.
2. June exam (35% of the final grade), on a date to be set by the faculty. In order to pass the course, a score of 4 or more must be obtained in the June exam.
3. Continuous evaluable activities (30% of the final grade). These are individual activities designed to check the achievement of knowledge.
During the course, there will be a maximum of 6 evaluable activities.
Important considerations:
1. This is a subject that –due to its content and evaluation– must be followed face-to-face in class. In order to be assessed, it is necessary to have taken more than half of the continuous evaluable activities, as well as to have taken the exams.
2. Taking the continuous evaluable activities implies having attended the corresponding session and handing it in personally. Continuous evaluable activities will not be taken outside the scheduled date.
3. Any case of plagiarism in evaluable activities or exams will imply the loss of the assessment rights as well as a failure in the overall subject, without the right to the recovery exam.
4. In accordance with article 117.2 of the UAB Academic Regulations, the assessment of repeating students may consist of a single synthesis test. Repeating students who wish to make use of this possibility should contact the teaching staff at the beginning of the academic year.
RECOVERY EXAM
- Those students who have followed the course (see point 1) and have obtained a minimum of 3 as a weighted average grade will have the right to take a recovery exam.
- The result of the recovery exam will be "Pass" / "Fail". In the case of "pass", this result will be recorded as a 5 in the final grade. In the case of being "not passed", the student will fail the course.
Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Final exams | 70% | 3 | 0.12 | 9, 11, 15, 18, 17 |
Practical examination | 30% | 12 | 0.48 | 1, 2, 9, 8, 10, 16, 13, 11, 3, 14, 18, 12, 17, 5, 6, 4, 7 |
A reference handbook for this subject is:
Pollock, Philip H. (2016) The Essentials of political analysis. New York: Sage. UAB Library (Ciències Socials-Planta 0): 303:32 Pol
Excel and Jamovi