B6165 - RESEARCH METHODS

Learning outcomes

The course introduces students to graduate levels tools to analyze empirically political and social phenomena and design data driven policies. At the end of the course students will be able to: a) examine the pros and cons of the main data collection designs; b) explore quantitative data and interpret empirical results; c) analyze quantitative datasets resorting to statistical software; d) define a research problem, formulate research questions, collect data, test research hypotheses empirically, draw conclusions, and communicate research results.

Course contents

Results of statistical analysis drawing on quantitative data are at the base of research articles and books in social and political sciences, but also, they are common in the news and media, from election pools to news on tourism, criminality, migration fluxes. They lie foundations for policy design and governmental resolutions. Being able to properly understand and critically assess (the quality of) results of quantitative statistical analysis is crucial for social scientists, but also, for members of a society.

The course explores the foundations and process of social science research and familiarizes students with basic techniques and principles of statistical reasoning. Operationally, students will be trained in data analysis methods to carry out quantitative research, understanding the most suited approach to answer feasible, important, and relevant research questions, given the data available and the collection design. Importantly, they will learn the pros and cons of each approach, so to develop a critical perspective in communicating research results.

Each week, the course comprises a lecture introducing a topic/statistical tool, and a lab/seminar showing its practical application. Labs foster a learning-by-doing approach and introduce students to the use of the statistical software Stata; students are invited to formulate a research question of their choice, and they will learn to explore secondary data, apply different analytical tools, and visualize results to facilitate their communication. Detailed instructions are provided in-class, and students are expected to finalize the task either at the end of the lab or at home before the end of the week. Seminars will be held by invited speakers, professors and researchers will show students the application to their research of the statistical methods they master.

There are no formal prerequisites for this course. Basic knowledge of descriptive statistics and a basic background in the use of the statistical software (like Stata, SPSS, R) are helpful but not formally required.

The syllabus with the detailed calendar of lectures, Stata labs, and seminars, will be posted on Virtuale before the start of the course.

Please remember to enroll before the start of the lectures on https://virtuale.unibo.it/

Readings/Bibliography

Available as ebook on SBA Almastart

Corbetta, P. (2003). Social research: Theory, methods and techniques. London: SAGE

Hanneman, R. A, Kposowa, A. J, Riddle, M. D. (2013) Basic Statistics for Social Research. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Agresti, A., Franklin, C. A, Klingenberg, H. (2018). Statistics: the art and science of learning from data. Englan: Pearson.

Teaching methods

The course comprises lectures, Stata labs, and seminars with invited speakers.

Assessment methods

The final grade will be assigned as follows:

• 40%: assignments submitted after the weekly labs (only if all assignments are submitted)
• 60%: final exam, comprising multiple choice questions, open questions with short essays, data analysis exercises, and Stata outputs that students have to comment and interpret

Attendance is strongly encouraged but not compulsory. Students who do not submit all the assignments will be evaluated only on the base of the final exam.

When students repeat the exam, only the last grade earned is counted. Please notice that, according to the University regulations, a passing-grade can be refused only once.

Teaching tools

Students should bring their laptop to the lectures. If this is not possible, let the instructor know as soon as possible.

Before the start of the course, students are expected to: - enroll on the course Virtuale space https://virtuale.unibo.it/

- Download the software Stata https://www.unibo.it/en/services-and-opportunities/studying-and-beyond/discounts-for-computer-tablet-and-software-1/stata-se-campus-licence

- Register on the European Social Survey website https://ess-search.nsd.no/

Office hours

See the website of Francesca Zanasi