This document provides an overview of key concepts in political science research methods. It discusses asking "why" questions to understand political phenomena, comparing countries to explain differences, and analyzing cases using qualitative and quantitative methods. Key terms explained include variance, units of analysis, concepts, hypotheses testing, correlation vs. causation, and qualitative vs. quantitative research. The goals of theory, hypotheses, and the general characteristics of scientific inquiry are also outlined.

1. POL 302
Spring 2019

5.  Based on simple
questions:
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?

6.  Question: Why did the Lincoln
assassination occur?
 Possible Answers:
 JohnWilkes’ Booth personal hatred of Lincoln?
 Part of larger plot to revive Confederacy?
 Some other reason?

9. GENERAL QUESTION
 Why do countries
go to war?
SPECIFIC QUESTION
 Why did Britain support
U.S. involvement in the
IraqWar?

11.  How do countries vary?
 Diversity leads to “Why?” questions
 Why do countries choose to allow their citizens
to freely participate in elections?
 Why do countries have a presidential or
parliamentary system of government?

12.  Value in explaining differences
 Qualitative Analysis
 Historical or narrative accounts
 Quantitative Analysis
 Use of numbers, statistics, etc.

13.  What is variance?
 What are units of analysis?

15.  Usually looking at individual countries
 Civil Conflict: Hutus andTutsis in Rwanda
These groups were
arguing over level of
“Rwandan-ness” or
national identity.

16. German Bundestag
Ellen
Johnson
Sirleaf,
Former
President of
Liberia

18.  #1: Description
 #2: Classification
 #3: HypothesisTesting
 #4: Prediction

20.  What are concepts?
 Examples: Freedom, Democracy, Development
 Features of Good Concepts:
 #1: Clarity and Coherence
 #2: Consistency
 #3: Usefulness

23.  What causes what? What effect?
 Variables – Change between cases
 Two Methods to Understand Cases:
 Most-Similar-Systems (MSS)
 Most-Different-Systems (MDS)

26.  What varies between the cases?
 Your College Choice

34. THEORY
 General explanations of
how and why the world
works
 EmpiricalTheories
 Observation
 Evidence
 NormativeTheories
 Values
 Judgments
HYPOTHESES
 Proposed explanations for
why something occurs
 Testable Statement

35. CORRELATION
 Association between two
variables
 Example:
 Stress Level
 Time of Semester
 How might these be related
or associated with one
another?
CAUSATION
 One variable causes
another
 Example:
 Study Habits
 Exam Grades in POL 302
 Which variable causes the
other?

36. QUALITATIVE
 Historical accounts
QUANTITATIVE
 Numbers and statistics
One of
Anne
Frank’s
diary
entries

37. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
 #1: Goal is Inference
 #2: Procedures are Public
 #3: Conclusions Uncertain
 #4: Content is Method

38.  #1: Many Observable Implications
 #3: ConcreteTheory – Precise Ideas