Methods and Methodologies in Political Science

This course introduces basic methods in social science from a philosophy of science perspective. The emphasis is on understanding methods more than their application/use. Students learn how mainstream social scientific methods are often adopted from the natural sciences, but refined over time, to better study social science phenomena.

Knowledge - the student shall:

• understand the limits to social scientific approaches; and
• have knowledge of the central methods and methodologies tied to the study of Political Science

Skills - the student shall demonstrate the ability to:

• choose an appropriate method and methodology when examining any particular question in Political Science

4 hours of lecturing in the first half of the semester.