Fall semester 2006, 2:00-4:40 T, SH 121
Instructor, Dr. Mike Sharp
Office:  SH 308; Ph. (918) 456-5511, x3530; E-Mail, sharp@nsuok.edu
Hours,  8:00-9:00 MWF, 9:30-11:00 TTh, 1:00 T, 3:30 W (BA), and by arrangement.

Required Text:

The primary text for this course is Political Science Research Methods by Johnson, Joslyn and Reynolds.  Other reading and research material will be integrated extensively into the reading assignments established by the primary text as reflected in the "Reading Assignments" below.
 

Course Objectives:

Scope and Methods of Political Science presents a general background of the methods used by political scientists in the empirical study of their discipline.  This background provides the knowledge necessary to conduct objective investigations of empirical phenomena on our own or to better understand and evaluate the research of others.
 

Writing Requirement:

There is no formal, comprehensive term/research paper requirement for this course.  Rather, there will be a series of weekly research/writing assignments, each designed to develop a particular concept or aspect of our methodological approach culminating in a final writing assignment which will incorporate all of the concepts developed throughout the course. All assignments are due as assigned, no assignments will be accepted late for credit, all assignments must be completed to receive a passing grade for the course.
 

Grading:

Grades will be determined from three exams given during the semester, the research/writing assignments and class participation/discussion.  Two of these exams will be given during the course of the semester; the final will be given on Tuesday, December 12 from 1:00-2:50.  All exams will be weighted equally and the research/writing assignment series will carry the weight of one exam.  Class participation/discussion  is expected and will be a factor in marginal cases.
 
 
 

Special Considerations:

If any member of the class feels that he/she has a disability and needs special considerations please advise the instructor of such disability at the first class attended.  If any student encounters particular difficulty with any aspect of the material being covered, he/she is encouraged to seek individual assistance from the instructor at the designated office hours listed above or by special appointment as arranged.
 

Reading Assignments

In addition to the text, selected reading assignments and research material will be taken from Congressional Quarterly's Weekly Report, National Journal and various professional journals and publications as appropriate.

Chapter 1  Introduction
             2  Studying Politics Scientifcally
             3  Research Design
             4  The Building Blocks of Social Scientific Research: Hypotheses, Concepts, and Variables
             5  Conducting a Literature Review
                      First Exam Review Guide

            6  The Building Blocks of Social Science Research: Measurement
            7  Making Empirical Observations: Direct and Indirect Observations
            8  Document Analysis: Using the Written Record
            9  Sampling
           10  Elite Interviewing and Survey Research
                      Second Exam Review Guide
          
           11  Univariate Data Analysis and Description Statistics
           12  Measuring Relationships and Testing Hypotheses: Bivariate Data Analysis
           13  Searching for Complete Explanations and Causal Knowledge: Multivariate Data Analysis
           14  The Research Report: An Annotated Example
                      Final Exam Review Guide

Selected supplemental readings and research material will be integrated into the general structure provided above.