POLS 2000: Introduction to Political Science
University of Georgia
Fall 2014
Instructor:
Dr. Brittany Bramlett
Baldwin Hall , 303A
bbram@uga.edu
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Office hours:
MWF 11:00am to 1:00pm
Class meets:
Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays, 10:10am to 11:00am, Baldwin Hall 305
Course description
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the research questions that political
scientists ask and to the ways they attempt to answer those questions. The course will
be divided into three parts. First, students will be introduced to the discipline and the
research process. Second, students will learn about the different, but overlapping
subfields within the political science discipline. Third, students will begin to
understand the research designs and methods used in the discipline. Throughout the
semester, students will have the opportunity to practice formulating politically relevant
research questions and hypotheses and think about the best way to test their
hypotheses.
Course objectives
Students will:
• Develop a working knowledge of the questions studied by political scientists
• Formulate research questions with their peers and individually
• Learn about the analytical tools and data used by political scientists
• Learn the course material by working independently and with a group
• Improve critical thinking and communication skills by considering the breadth of
scholarship produced by political scientists and the various research approaches
they use
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Instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus as needed.
Course texts
You are required to gain access to the two books listed below. They are available at the
campus bookstore.
1) Van Belle, Douglas A. 2012. A Novel Approach to Politics. 3rd Edition. Washington,
D.C.: CQ Press.
2) Shively, W. Phillips. 2012. The Craft of Political Research, 9th Edition. Pearson.
Other assigned readings will be made available to you via the ELearning Commons.
Assignments and grading
Participation (5%)
You are expected to participate in class and group discussions and activities.
Reading pop quizzes (20%)
These will happen. That much is certain.
Midterm exam (20%)
Anything from the assigned readings and discussed during class up to the first exam is
considered fair game to show up on the exam.
Final exam (25%)
This is a comprehensive final exam given during the final exam period. Anything from
the assigned readings and discussed in class during the semester is considered fair
game to show up on the exam.
Research design assignments & paper (20%)
You will work in groups of two students on two assignments, which will lead to a final
paper. You will work with your partner at all stages of this project, including the
presentation (see below). I will assign students to groups during the first few weeks of
the semester. For the first assignment, you will identify a research question and the
relevant concepts to measure. The second assignment will require a brief review of past
scholarship related to your research question and a clearly defined hypothesis of the
relationship between your variables. For the third and final assignment, you will
develop a research design. You will tell me how you and your partner plan to test your
hypothesis. You’ll receive feedback from peers and the professor at each stage.
Additional details will be available via ELearning Commons and provided throughout
the semester.
Class presentation (10%)
This will be an opportunity for you and your partner, at the end of the semester, to
present your work to your classmates. You will present your research question and
proposed process. A visual representation of your work is required. Groups will also
take questions from classmates. Additional details will be available via the ELearning
Commons and provided throughout the semester.
Administrative Items
ELearning
You can find additional reading assignments for our class via the ELearning Commons
(https://uga.view.usg.edu/). You should sign into the ELearning Commons using your
UGA MyId and password. If you are registered for the class, the course link should
show up on your ELearning Commons homepage. I may post additional documents
useful for your class, so you will want to check in throughout the semester.
Attendance policy
Class attendance is expected, but obviously, things come up. Open communication is
always appreciated and considered. However, I note when you are not in class, and this
factors into your participation grade. In addition, excessive absences may lead to
withdrawal from the course. The instructor may withdraw a student from the class if he
or she exceeds 6 unexcused absences.
Missed deadlines
If you have a conflict with a due date or will miss class repeatedly, please come talk to
me about it as soon as you know about it. This way we can work something out and
your grade will not suffer.
If you have an emergency conflict (i.e. personal, family or medical emergencies), you
should e-mail me within the week of the missed due date to discuss the timely
completion of the assignment. Documentation is required for make-up exams.
If you miss a deadline for a non-emergency, most assignments (NOT exams) can still be
completed and will be accepted for up to a week—but they will be penalized a letter
grade for every additional day late.
Disability Resource Center
If you anticipate needing classroom or exam accommodations due to the impact of a
disability or medical condition, you must register for services with the Disability
Resource Center.
Additional information can be found here: http://drc.uga.edu/
Withdrawal policy
Undergraduate students can only withdraw from four courses and receive a
withdrawal-passing (WP) grade while enrolled at the University. Students can drop any
class without penalty during the drop/add period at the beginning of every semester.
Dropped courses during the drop/add period do not qualify as withdrawals.
Instructors have the ability to withdraw a student from the class due to excessive
absences (see course attendance policy).
Please carefully review the policy in its entirety here:
http://www.reg.uga.edu/policies/withdrawals
UGA Culture of Honesty policy
The policy is in place to encourage academic honesty among students, faculty and other
members of the university community. You and I are responsible for knowing and
complying with the policy and procedures. Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism,
cheating and much more. It’s in your best interest to understand what constitutes
dishonest work, as defined by the University.
Please carefully review the policy in its entirety here: https://ovpi.uga.edu/academichonesty/academic-honesty-policy
Course Outline
PART 1. WHAT IS POLITICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH?
Week 1.
August 18, 20, & 22
Syllabus, Introduction to Political Science Research
Read: Shively Chapter 1
Van Belle Introduction and Chapter 1
Noel, Hans. 2010. “Ten Things that Political Scientists Know that
You Don’t.” The Forum 8, 3, Article 12.
Week 2.
August 25, 27, & 29
Hypotheses & Theories in Political Science
Read: Shively Chapter 2, pages 14 – 22
Van Belle Chapter 2 & 3
PART 2. WHAT DO POLITICAL SCIENTISTS STUDY?
Week 3.
September 1 (NO CLASS, LABOR DAY), 3, & 5
Rules of Government
Read: Van Belle Chapters 4 & 5
Ostrom, Elinor. 2000. “Collective Action and the Evolution of Social
Norms.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 14, 3, pages 137 – 158.
Week 4.
September 8, 10, & 12
Government Institutions
Read: Van Belle Chapters 6 & 7
Reynolds, Andrew. 2013. “Representation and Rights: The Impact
of LGBT Legislators in Comparative Perspective.” American Political
Science Review 107, 2, pages 259 – 274.
Week 5.
September 15, 17, & 19
Government Institutions (continued)
Read: Van Belle Chapters 8 & 9
Hollis-Brusky, Amanda. 2014, July 1. “How Supreme Court Justices
‘benchslapped’ each other in the Hobby Lobby Case” in The
Washing Post via Monkey Cage blog
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkeycage/wp/2014/07/01/how-supreme-court-justices-benchslappedeach-other-in-the-hobby-lobby-case/)
Week 6.
September 22, 24, & 26
Democratic Systems & the Media
Read: Van Belle Chapters 10 & 11
Evans, Heather K.; Cordova, Victoria; and Sipole, Savannah. 2014.
“Twitter Style: An Analysis of How House Candidates Used
Twitter in Their 2012 Campaigns.” PS: Political Science & Politics, 47,
2, pages 454 – 462.
Week 7.
September 29, October 1 & 3
International Politics
Read: Van Belle Chapters 12 & 13
Coggins, Bridget. 2011. “Friends in High Places: International
Politics and the Emergence of States from Secessionism.”
International Organization, 65, 3, pages 433 – 467.
Week 8.
October 6, 8, & 10
Political Culture
Read: Van Belle Chapters 14 & 15
Friday, October 10: MIDTERM EXAM
PART 3. HOW DO POLITICAL SCIENTISTS CONDUCT RESEARCH?
Week 9.
October 13, 15, & 17
Concept Dimensionality
Read: Shively Chapters 2 & 3
Week 10.
October 20, 22, & 24
Concept Measurement
Read: Shively Chapters 4 & 5
Week 11.
October 27, 29, & 31
Causality and Research Design
Read: Shively Chapter 6
Banks, Antoine J. and Valentino, Nicholas A. 2012. “Emotional
Substrates of White Racial Attitudes.” American Journal Political
Science, 56, 2, pages 286 – 297.
Monday, October 27: Research assignment 1 due
Friday, October 31: NO CLASS/FALL BREAK
Week 12.
November 3, 5, & 7
Selection Bias
Read: Shively Chapter 7
Geddes, Barbara. 1990. “How the Cases You Choose Affect the
Answers You Get: Selection Bias in Comparative Politics.” Political
Analaysis , 2, 1 pages 131 – 150.
Friday, November 7: Research assignment 2 due
Week 13.
November 10, 12, & 14
Measuring Relationships
Read: Shively Chapters 8 & 9
Week 14.
November 17, 19, & 21
Introduction to Inference
Read: Shively Chapter 9 & 10
Friday, November 21: Research assignment 3 due
Week 15.
November 24, 26, & 28
Thanksgiving Break
Week 16.
December 1, 3, & 5
Presentations
Week 17.
December 8 & 9
Presentations & review
Tuesday, December 9:
Week 18.
LAST CLASS, FRIDAY SCHEDULE
Finals period
Wednesday, December 17: FINAL EXAM, 8:00AM – 11:00AM
List of Due Dates
Midterm Exam – Friday, October 10
Final Exam – Wednesday, December 17
Research assignment 1 – Monday, October 27
Research assignment 2 – Friday, November 7
Research assignment 3 – Friday, November 21
Presentations – December 1, 3, 5 & 8
Pop quizzes – J