Termine
| wöchentlich | Mittwoch | 08:15 - 09:45 | 12.10.2026 - 29.01.2027 | C 14.027 Seminarraum |
Studienplankontext
Wiederholungstermin: : Keine selbständige Anmeldung zum Wiederholungstermin möglich. info_outline
Mittwoch, 24.03.2027, 10:15, room C HS 3, C HS 4
Präsenzklausur
Organisatorisches
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Die Anmeldung endete am 12.10.2026 um 23:59 Uhr.
Sie werden in dieser Veranstaltung automatisch an-/abgemeldet, wenn Sie sich in einer der folgenden Veranstaltungen an-/abmelden:
Introduction: Methods and Techniques of Political Science - A (Mathis Brinkmann),
Introduction: Methods and Techniques of Political Science - B (Mathis Brinkmann)
Personen
Inhaltliches
How do we know what we claim to know about politics? Whether political scientists ask why democracies emerge, why some states raise more revenue than others, or whether a public policy achieves its goals, the credibility of their answers depends less on the sophistication of their data analysis than on the design of their research. Research design determines which questions can be answered, which evidence is needed to answer them, and how much confidence we can place in the conclusions. This lecture provides an introduction to the methods and techniques of empirical political science, broadly defined to include comparative politics, international relations, political economy, and public policy. Part I lays the fundamentals: what distinguishes scientific research from other ways of knowing, which types of research and research questions exist, what role theory plays, how abstract concepts are translated into observable measures, and what it means to make a causal claim. Part II introduces quantitative designs for causal inference, from experiments to large-N observational studies. Part III turns to qualitative research: small-N comparisons, comparative historical analysis, single-case studies and process tracing, and Bayesian reasoning as a framework for weighing qualitative evidence. Part IV brings these strands together by discussing how different designs can be combined and how research results should be communicated.
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. Formulate well-structured research questions by distinguishing normative from positive research goals, and identifying whether a project aims at description, prediction, explanation, theory-testing, or theory-generation.
2. Explain and critically apply the concept of causality using counterfactual reasoning, and articulate the "fundamental problem of causal inference" that underlies all empirical social science.
3. Conceptualize and operationalize abstract political science concepts into valid, measurable variables, while recognizing common pitfalls (conceptual stretching, measurement error, contested concepts).
4. Evaluate and select appropriate research designs (experimental, large-N observational, small-N comparative, single-case) based on their respective strengths, weaknesses, and suitability for a given research question and state of theoretical knowledge.
5. Critically assess published political science research by identifying threats to validity (selection bias, confounding, reversed causality), judging the strength of causal claims, and distinguishing association from genuine explanation.
Students are expected to attend the lecture regularly and to read the required texts before each session. Sessions include short interactive exercises that only work if participants have done the reading and are ready to contribute.
Questions that should guide students in their engagement with the assigned material include:
• Which problem of research design does the text address?
• Which concepts and distinctions does it introduce?
• What does the text recommend, and under which conditions do its recommendations apply?
• Which research questions can be answered with the designs discussed, and which cannot?
• How would you apply the text's advice to a research project of your own?
Psychological research shows that the persistent use of electronic devices and social media lowers peoples' attention span, distracts them, overwhelms them with information without furthering their understanding, creates stress and fosters anxiety. Therefore, students are strongly advised to refrain from the use of electronic devices, including phones, tablets, and laptops, during the lecture. Instead, students are encouraged to print the assigned material and take notes by hand. Working with printed material enables most people to read faster and to better grasp the structure of the text they are dealing with. Handwriting moreover helps people to better memorize lecture contents. Outsourcing these tasks to AI reliably leads to the deskilling of students. A “Social Media & AI” folder included under the Materials tab on MyStudy contains research articles backing these claims.
For an accessible introduction to the effect of AI use on human cognition and student performance please check out this interview with cognitive psychologist Christian Stöcker: https://share.deutschlandradio.de/dlf-audiothek-audio-teilen.html?audio_id=dira_13D8DCDEBFFA11F17119B883034C2FA0
The syllabus – available from the Materials tab – includes a description of the lecture's content and sessions, as well as the list of required readings.
Evaluation
Weitere Informationen zur Lehrevaluation: https://www.leuphana.de/lehre/qualitaetsmanagement/evaluation/lehrveranstaltungsevaluation.html