Foundations of Quantitative Political Analysis

The course aims to develop students' understanding of quantitative methods in the social sciences, especially in political science. The course focuses primarily on developing students' skills in analyzing quantitative data; therefore, a significant part of the course is devoted to an introduction to statistics. The course is also complemented by a workshop devoted to basic applications of Python to statistical analysis.

Students will become familiar with the quantitative conceptualizations of social and political life, with their advantages and limitations. They will learn why it is worthwhile to learn the basics of statistics - why statistics is indispensable for describing social and political processes. Students will learn the basics of descriptive statistics: univariate analysis (central tendency, dispersion, shape of distribution) and bivariate analysis (correlation). They will also become familiar with the most elementary forms of data visualization, including histograms, box plots, violin plots, and scatter charts. During the workshops, students will learn how to use Python for statistical analysis. They will work with IPython. They will learn how to install Python, work with ipython notebooks, install Python libraries, write and run code. Data analysis will be done using NumPy, pandas, and Seaborn.

Book on research method:

Pyrczak F. & Oh D. M. (2018). Making sense of statistics : a conceptual overview (Seventh). Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

And selected chapters from:

Rich, R. C., Brians, C. L., Manheim, J. B., & Willnat, L. (2018). Empirical Political Analysis (9th ed.). London, England: Routledge.

Book on statistics:

Witte, R. S., & Witte, J. S. (20216). Statistics (11th ed.). Nashville, TN: John Wiley & Sons.

Book on statistical analysis in Python:

Navarro, D. and Weed, E. (2023). Learning Statistics with Python, https://ethanweed.github.io/pythonbook/landingpage.html

Upon completion, students will:

- Understand the specifics of using quantitative methods in political science (K_W01);

- independently find quantitative data on political processes (K_U05), present their own ideas on their analysis (K_U06), and present their own analysis of these data (K_U08);

- critically analyze media messages about political processes on the basis of quantitative data (K_U07);

- be able to use their skills in analyzing quantitative data for the purpose of actively participating in political life, following its processes, and properly exercising the profession of political scientist (K_K01, K_K02, K_K03).

40% of the final grade will be based on student activities (small projects, homework) in a discussion section. 20% of final grade will come from activities in a coding workshop. 40% of the final grade will be based on the final test score. The test must be passed by a student.

Students will be allowed two absences from the discussion section and one absence from the workshop.