Fall 2020 | POL 3085 Section 001: Quantitative Analysis in Political Science (17638)
- Instructor(s)
- Matt Eichinger (TA)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- Completely Online
- Class Attributes:
- UMNTC Liberal Education RequirementOnline Course
- Times and Locations:
- Regular Academic Session09/08/2020 - 12/16/2020Tue, Thu 08:15AM - 09:30AMOff CampusUMN REMOTE
- Enrollment Status:
- Open (55 of 60 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- POL 3085 teaches students how to study politics scientifically and introduces them to how to use quantitative analysis to answer political questions. The first part of the class covers how to formulate a theory (a possible answer to a question), specify testable hypotheses (what you would see if the theory is correct or incorrect), and set up a research design to test those hypotheses. In the second part of the class, we cover quantitative data analysis, beginning from preliminary statistical analysis to multivariate linear regression. There is no mathematical or statistical background required for this course. By the end of the class, students should be able to ask and answer political questions using quantitative data and fluently evaluate statistical analyses of political phenomena in the media and many academic articles.
- Class Notes:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?jlsumner+POL3085+Fall2020 This course is completely online in a synchronous format. The course will meet online at the scheduled times.
- Class Description:
- Political Science 3085 is an upper-level undergraduate course designed to introduce you to quantitative political analysis. Political scientists use statistics and data to explore a wide variety of questions and topics including voting behavior in the United States and other democracies, how democracy influences economic growth, and whether the American public is becoming more or less polarized. These are just a few of the many political questions that political scientists try to answer with quantitative analyses. This course will give you the tools to begin your own examination of these types of questions. This course focuses on issues of research design, hypothesis formation, causation, basic statistical techniques, and how to use computer software to manage data and perform these calculations. By the end of the semester, you will be able to develop testable research questions and hypotheses, design research to answer these questions and hypotheses, apply statistical techniques with quantitative data to answer these questions and hypotheses, present and explain your results using ordinary language, and consume and evaluate academic research and political news that use quantitative data.
- Who Should Take This Class?:
- This class is ideal for anyone interested in conducting quantitative research or evaluating quantitative research (note: 'reading the news' qualifies). It does not require you to be a "math person"* (* there is no such thing as a "math person") -- all mathematical backgrounds and perceived ability levels can thrive in this class.
- Grading:
Grades are based on points.
For Fall 2020, all work will be group-based. This serves a few purposes. First, collaborating in research projects is increasingly common in political science as a field, in large part because it allows people to bring their different strengths to the table to create a better end product than one person could alone. Second, it means no one necessarily needs to be operating at 100% effort all the time. This is a nice feature usually -- since life happens! -- but especially with the uncertainty of COVID-19, working in teams means that if anyone gets sick or has caretaker responsibilities, the person can take some time to take care of themselves while the team continues.
Each team will produce a final research project. Homework will also be team-based, and team members will have the opportunity to explain who did what part of the assignment. There will also be two exams that students will take independently.
10 points per homework (8 homeworks, lowest grade is dropped, 70 points total)
50 points for Midterm I
50 points for Midterm II
50 points for public presentation
50 points for final paper
30 points for lecture activities and preparation
- Exam Format:
- Midterms contain a mixture of multiple choice, fill in the blank, and short answer. All necessary formulas will be provided. Calculators are allowed.
- Class Format:
- In general: Each class is a mixture of lecture and small-group activities.For Fall 2020:Most lecture material will be in the form of recorded videos. During class time, students will meet in small groups (between 5-15 students) with Prof. Sumner to talk about the material, work through activities related to the lecture, ask questions, and so on. Teams will also have a biweekly check-in with Prof. Sumner to make sure they are staying on track with their projects and to get any help they need in moving forward.
- Workload:
- 2 Exams8 Homework Problem Sets1 Final Poster Presentation1 8-12 Page Final Paper
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/17638/1209
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 25 June 2020
Fall 2020 | POL 3085 Section 002: Quantitative Analysis in Political Science (17639)
- Instructor(s)
- Matt Eichinger (TA)
- Class Component:
- Discussion
- Credits:
- 4 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- Completely Online
- Class Attributes:
- UMNTC Liberal Education RequirementOnline Course
- Times and Locations:
- Regular Academic Session09/08/2020 - 12/16/2020Thu 10:10AM - 11:00AMOff CampusUMN REMOTE
- Enrollment Status:
- Open (27 of 30 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- POL 3085 teaches students how to study politics scientifically and introduces them to how to use quantitative analysis to answer political questions. The first part of the class covers how to formulate a theory (a possible answer to a question), specify testable hypotheses (what you would see if the theory is correct or incorrect), and set up a research design to test those hypotheses. In the second part of the class, we cover quantitative data analysis, beginning from preliminary statistical analysis to multivariate linear regression. There is no mathematical or statistical background required for this course. By the end of the class, students should be able to ask and answer political questions using quantitative data and fluently evaluate statistical analyses of political phenomena in the media and many academic articles.
- Class Notes:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?jlsumner+POL3085+Fall2020 This course is completely online in a synchronous format. The course will meet online at the scheduled times.
- Class Description:
- Political Science 3085 is an upper-level undergraduate course designed to introduce you to quantitative political analysis. Political scientists use statistics and data to explore a wide variety of questions and topics including voting behavior in the United States and other democracies, how democracy influences economic growth, and whether the American public is becoming more or less polarized. These are just a few of the many political questions that political scientists try to answer with quantitative analyses. This course will give you the tools to begin your own examination of these types of questions. This course focuses on issues of research design, hypothesis formation, causation, basic statistical techniques, and how to use computer software to manage data and perform these calculations. By the end of the semester, you will be able to develop testable research questions and hypotheses, design research to answer these questions and hypotheses, apply statistical techniques with quantitative data to answer these questions and hypotheses, present and explain your results using ordinary language, and consume and evaluate academic research and political news that use quantitative data.
- Who Should Take This Class?:
- This class is ideal for anyone interested in conducting quantitative research or evaluating quantitative research (note: 'reading the news' qualifies). It does not require you to be a "math person"* (* there is no such thing as a "math person") -- all mathematical backgrounds and perceived ability levels can thrive in this class.
- Grading:
Grades are based on points.
For Fall 2020, all work will be group-based. This serves a few purposes. First, collaborating in research projects is increasingly common in political science as a field, in large part because it allows people to bring their different strengths to the table to create a better end product than one person could alone. Second, it means no one necessarily needs to be operating at 100% effort all the time. This is a nice feature usually -- since life happens! -- but especially with the uncertainty of COVID-19, working in teams means that if anyone gets sick or has caretaker responsibilities, the person can take some time to take care of themselves while the team continues.
Each team will produce a final research project. Homework will also be team-based, and team members will have the opportunity to explain who did what part of the assignment. There will also be two exams that students will take independently.
10 points per homework (8 homeworks, lowest grade is dropped, 70 points total)
50 points for Midterm I
50 points for Midterm II
50 points for public presentation
50 points for final paper
30 points for lecture activities and preparation
- Exam Format:
- Midterms contain a mixture of multiple choice, fill in the blank, and short answer. All necessary formulas will be provided. Calculators are allowed.
- Class Format:
- In general: Each class is a mixture of lecture and small-group activities.For Fall 2020:Most lecture material will be in the form of recorded videos. During class time, students will meet in small groups (between 5-15 students) with Prof. Sumner to talk about the material, work through activities related to the lecture, ask questions, and so on. Teams will also have a biweekly check-in with Prof. Sumner to make sure they are staying on track with their projects and to get any help they need in moving forward.
- Workload:
- 2 Exams8 Homework Problem Sets1 Final Poster Presentation1 8-12 Page Final Paper
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/17639/1209
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 25 June 2020
Fall 2020 | POL 3085 Section 003: Quantitative Analysis in Political Science (17640)
- Instructor(s)
- Matt Eichinger (TA)
- Class Component:
- Discussion
- Credits:
- 4 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- Completely Online
- Class Attributes:
- UMNTC Liberal Education RequirementOnline Course
- Times and Locations:
- Regular Academic Session09/08/2020 - 12/16/2020Thu 11:15AM - 12:05PMOff CampusUMN REMOTE
- Enrollment Status:
- Open (28 of 30 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- POL 3085 teaches students how to study politics scientifically and introduces them to how to use quantitative analysis to answer political questions. The first part of the class covers how to formulate a theory (a possible answer to a question), specify testable hypotheses (what you would see if the theory is correct or incorrect), and set up a research design to test those hypotheses. In the second part of the class, we cover quantitative data analysis, beginning from preliminary statistical analysis to multivariate linear regression. There is no mathematical or statistical background required for this course. By the end of the class, students should be able to ask and answer political questions using quantitative data and fluently evaluate statistical analyses of political phenomena in the media and many academic articles.
- Class Notes:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?jlsumner+POL3085+Fall2020 This course is completely online in a synchronous format. The course will meet online at the scheduled times.
- Class Description:
- Political Science 3085 is an upper-level undergraduate course designed to introduce you to quantitative political analysis. Political scientists use statistics and data to explore a wide variety of questions and topics including voting behavior in the United States and other democracies, how democracy influences economic growth, and whether the American public is becoming more or less polarized. These are just a few of the many political questions that political scientists try to answer with quantitative analyses. This course will give you the tools to begin your own examination of these types of questions. This course focuses on issues of research design, hypothesis formation, causation, basic statistical techniques, and how to use computer software to manage data and perform these calculations. By the end of the semester, you will be able to develop testable research questions and hypotheses, design research to answer these questions and hypotheses, apply statistical techniques with quantitative data to answer these questions and hypotheses, present and explain your results using ordinary language, and consume and evaluate academic research and political news that use quantitative data.
- Who Should Take This Class?:
- This class is ideal for anyone interested in conducting quantitative research or evaluating quantitative research (note: 'reading the news' qualifies). It does not require you to be a "math person"* (* there is no such thing as a "math person") -- all mathematical backgrounds and perceived ability levels can thrive in this class.
- Grading:
Grades are based on points.
For Fall 2020, all work will be group-based. This serves a few purposes. First, collaborating in research projects is increasingly common in political science as a field, in large part because it allows people to bring their different strengths to the table to create a better end product than one person could alone. Second, it means no one necessarily needs to be operating at 100% effort all the time. This is a nice feature usually -- since life happens! -- but especially with the uncertainty of COVID-19, working in teams means that if anyone gets sick or has caretaker responsibilities, the person can take some time to take care of themselves while the team continues.
Each team will produce a final research project. Homework will also be team-based, and team members will have the opportunity to explain who did what part of the assignment. There will also be two exams that students will take independently.
10 points per homework (8 homeworks, lowest grade is dropped, 70 points total)
50 points for Midterm I
50 points for Midterm II
50 points for public presentation
50 points for final paper
30 points for lecture activities and preparation
- Exam Format:
- Midterms contain a mixture of multiple choice, fill in the blank, and short answer. All necessary formulas will be provided. Calculators are allowed.
- Class Format:
- In general: Each class is a mixture of lecture and small-group activities.For Fall 2020:Most lecture material will be in the form of recorded videos. During class time, students will meet in small groups (between 5-15 students) with Prof. Sumner to talk about the material, work through activities related to the lecture, ask questions, and so on. Teams will also have a biweekly check-in with Prof. Sumner to make sure they are staying on track with their projects and to get any help they need in moving forward.
- Workload:
- 2 Exams8 Homework Problem Sets1 Final Poster Presentation1 8-12 Page Final Paper
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/17640/1209
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 25 June 2020
ClassInfo Links - Fall 2020 Political Science Classes
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