Research methods in social and political science
A.A. 2021/2022
Obiettivi formativi
The aim of the course is to introduce students to the main quantitative and qualitative research approaches in sociology and political science. Good methods produce good research, regardless of whether they are qualitative or quantitative. Students will be able to do original empirical research on the various themes of the Master programme (political institutions, public policy, educational inequalities, cultural change, etc.) in a comparative and global perspective. More specifically, this course will prepare students to:
1)understand research articles and outputs that belong to different research traditions in sociology and political science.
2)foster the analysis of empirical data in other courses included in the program;
3)select the appropriate research method for their own thesis;
By the end of the course, students will have gained the following skills: an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative approaches in the social sciences; an understanding of the theoretical and epistemological underpinnings of quantitative and qualitative research; a general knowledge of a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods and an understanding of their relationship to particular types of research design.
1)understand research articles and outputs that belong to different research traditions in sociology and political science.
2)foster the analysis of empirical data in other courses included in the program;
3)select the appropriate research method for their own thesis;
By the end of the course, students will have gained the following skills: an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative approaches in the social sciences; an understanding of the theoretical and epistemological underpinnings of quantitative and qualitative research; a general knowledge of a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods and an understanding of their relationship to particular types of research design.
Risultati apprendimento attesi
By the end of the course, students will have gained the following skills: an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative approaches in the social sciences; an understanding of the theoretical and epistemological underpinnings of quantitative and qualitative research; a general knowledge of a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods and an understanding of their relationship to particular types of research design.
Periodo: Primo trimestre
Modalità di valutazione: Esame
Giudizio di valutazione: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Corso singolo
Questo insegnamento non può essere seguito come corso singolo. Puoi trovare gli insegnamenti disponibili consultando il catalogo corsi singoli.
Programma e organizzazione didattica
Edizione unica
Responsabile
Periodo
Primo trimestre
Programma
Modulo 1 - Il disegno della ricerca
· La ricerca scientifica nelle scienze sociali
· Teorie e test delle ipotesi
· Causalità e meccanismi causali
· Disegno e tecniche quantitative e qualitative
Modulo 2 - Analisi dei dati quantitativi
· Usare la statistica nelle scienze sociali: analisi descrittiva e inferenziale
· Tipi di variabili e loro proprietà
· Metodi di campionamento
· Statistica descrittiva monovariata: distribuzioni di frequenza, misure di tendenza centrale, di posizione e di variabilità
· Analisi descrittiva bivariate: confront di medie e proporzioni, tabelle a doppia entrata
· Misure di associazione bivariata
· Distribuzioni di probabilità, distribuzioni campionarie e la distribuzione normale
· Intervalli di confidenza per medie e proporzioni
· Test di significatività per l'analisi bivariate:: t-test per medie e proporzioni indipendenti, test del chi quadrato.
· Regressione lineare semplice
· Introduzione all'analisi multivariata
Modulo 3 - Metodi qualitativi
· Studi di caso
· Analisi storica comparata
· Process Tracing
· Analisi dei testi e dei discorsi
· Etnografia
· Interviste
· La ricerca scientifica nelle scienze sociali
· Teorie e test delle ipotesi
· Causalità e meccanismi causali
· Disegno e tecniche quantitative e qualitative
Modulo 2 - Analisi dei dati quantitativi
· Usare la statistica nelle scienze sociali: analisi descrittiva e inferenziale
· Tipi di variabili e loro proprietà
· Metodi di campionamento
· Statistica descrittiva monovariata: distribuzioni di frequenza, misure di tendenza centrale, di posizione e di variabilità
· Analisi descrittiva bivariate: confront di medie e proporzioni, tabelle a doppia entrata
· Misure di associazione bivariata
· Distribuzioni di probabilità, distribuzioni campionarie e la distribuzione normale
· Intervalli di confidenza per medie e proporzioni
· Test di significatività per l'analisi bivariate:: t-test per medie e proporzioni indipendenti, test del chi quadrato.
· Regressione lineare semplice
· Introduzione all'analisi multivariata
Modulo 3 - Metodi qualitativi
· Studi di caso
· Analisi storica comparata
· Process Tracing
· Analisi dei testi e dei discorsi
· Etnografia
· Interviste
Prerequisiti
Non ci sono particolari prerequisiti.
Metodi didattici
Insegnamento frontale
Esercitazioni
Esercitazioni
Materiale di riferimento
Modulo 1
King, G., Keohane, R. S., Verba, S. (2021), Designing Social Inquiry. Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. Second Edition, Princeton UP (chapters 1, 2, 3)
Angrist, J. D., Krueger, A. B. (2001), Instrumental Variables and the Search for Identification: From Supply and Demand to Natural Experiments, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 15, 4, pp. 69-85.
Freedman, D. A. (1991), Statistical Models and Shoe Leather, Sociological Methodology, 21, pp. 291-313.
Modulo 2
Agresti, A. and Finlay, B. (2019) Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences, fifth edition, Pearson Global Edition (chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (except for 5.5), 6 (except for 6.5 and 6.6), 7 (only 7.1-7.3), 8 (except for 8.5-8.6), 9, 10.2-10.3).
Modulo 3
Gerring, John: "Definitions". In: John Gerring, Case Study Research: Principles and Practices, Second Edition (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2017).
Thelen, Kathleen and James Mahoney: "Comparative-historical analysis in contemporary political science". In: James Mahoney and Kathleen Thelen (eds), Advances in Comparative Historical Analysis (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2015).
Bennett, Andrew and Jeffrey T. Checkel: "Process Tracing: From philosophical roots to best practices". In: Andrew Bennett and Jeffrey T. Checkel (eds), Process Tracing: From Metaphor to Analytic Tool (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2015).
Milliken, Jennifer, "The Study of Discourse in International Relations: A Critique of Research and Methods," European Journal of International Relations 5/2 (1999): 225-254.
Kapiszewski, Diana, Lauren MacLean and Benjamin Read: "Site-intensive methods: ethnography and participant observation". In: Kapiszewski, Diana, Lauren MacLean and Benjamin Read, Field Research in Political Science: Practices and Principles (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2015).
Kapiszewski, Diana, Lauren MacLean and Benjamin Read: "Interviews, oral histories, and focus groups". In: Kapiszewski, Diana, Lauren MacLean and Benjamin Read, Field Research in Political Science: Practices and Principles (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2015).
King, G., Keohane, R. S., Verba, S. (2021), Designing Social Inquiry. Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. Second Edition, Princeton UP (chapters 1, 2, 3)
Angrist, J. D., Krueger, A. B. (2001), Instrumental Variables and the Search for Identification: From Supply and Demand to Natural Experiments, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 15, 4, pp. 69-85.
Freedman, D. A. (1991), Statistical Models and Shoe Leather, Sociological Methodology, 21, pp. 291-313.
Modulo 2
Agresti, A. and Finlay, B. (2019) Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences, fifth edition, Pearson Global Edition (chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (except for 5.5), 6 (except for 6.5 and 6.6), 7 (only 7.1-7.3), 8 (except for 8.5-8.6), 9, 10.2-10.3).
Modulo 3
Gerring, John: "Definitions". In: John Gerring, Case Study Research: Principles and Practices, Second Edition (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2017).
Thelen, Kathleen and James Mahoney: "Comparative-historical analysis in contemporary political science". In: James Mahoney and Kathleen Thelen (eds), Advances in Comparative Historical Analysis (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2015).
Bennett, Andrew and Jeffrey T. Checkel: "Process Tracing: From philosophical roots to best practices". In: Andrew Bennett and Jeffrey T. Checkel (eds), Process Tracing: From Metaphor to Analytic Tool (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2015).
Milliken, Jennifer, "The Study of Discourse in International Relations: A Critique of Research and Methods," European Journal of International Relations 5/2 (1999): 225-254.
Kapiszewski, Diana, Lauren MacLean and Benjamin Read: "Site-intensive methods: ethnography and participant observation". In: Kapiszewski, Diana, Lauren MacLean and Benjamin Read, Field Research in Political Science: Practices and Principles (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2015).
Kapiszewski, Diana, Lauren MacLean and Benjamin Read: "Interviews, oral histories, and focus groups". In: Kapiszewski, Diana, Lauren MacLean and Benjamin Read, Field Research in Political Science: Practices and Principles (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2015).
Modalità di verifica dell’apprendimento e criteri di valutazione
Compito scritto
SPS/04 - SCIENZA POLITICA - CFU: 3
SPS/07 - SOCIOLOGIA GENERALE - CFU: 3
SPS/09 - SOCIOLOGIA DEI PROCESSI ECONOMICI E DEL LAVORO - CFU: 3
SPS/07 - SOCIOLOGIA GENERALE - CFU: 3
SPS/09 - SOCIOLOGIA DEI PROCESSI ECONOMICI E DEL LAVORO - CFU: 3
Lezioni: 60 ore
Docente/i
Ricevimento:
Mercoledì h 9-12. Si possono prendere appuntamenti per altri orari scrivendo via mail.
Dipartimento di Scienze Sociali e Politiche - Stanza 5 primo piano (sopra il bar)
Ricevimento:
Giovedì, 16.00-18.00
Stanza 4, Primo piano, Via Conservatorio (solo durante il periodo delle lezioni). In altri periodi, su appuntamento.