USESED003 Methodology of Political Sciences

Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Summer 2019
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Michal Kuděla (lecturer)
Mgr. Michal Kuděla (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Institute of Central European Studies – Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Prerequisites
Expert knowledge:
Students are able to name and define basic methods used in politology, to explain their main aspects and the areas of application. They know the basic terminology and the principles of scientific work and research.
Expert Skills:
Students are able to apply adequate methodological processes in politological research, to critically evaluate professional literature on the given topic, to identify and to evaluate key variables in the research.
General Competency:
Students are able to proces a professional text on a particular topic independently and to apply selected theories, using an adequate methodological process. They are also able to analyze a selected topic, to determine its main aspects and to find and use adequate specialized literature.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the subject is to familiarize students with the main methods and theoretical approaches used in political science. In the introductory part of the subject, students are presented with basic terminology, the principles of scientific work and research, and with the principles of processing professional text. The following part of the subject deals with the analysis of particular methodological approaches and options. In the seminars, students are presented with conrete examples of using selected methods which they learn to apply independently in the course of individual and group assignments and find the areas of their application.
Syllabus
  • 1. Basic terms used in a research process.
    2. Methodology in relation to politological theories.
    3. The principles of creating and verifying hypotheses.
    4. Causality in social sciences.
    5. A professional text in political science and the ethics in social sciences.
    6. Qualitative research.
    7. Historical method.
    8. Comparative method.
    9. Behavioralism.
    10. Functional theory.
    11. The theory of rational choice.
    12. The application of statistical methods in politology.
Literature
    required literature
  • HALPERIN, S. - HEATH, O. Political Research. Methods and Practical Skills. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. info
  • VAN EVERA, S. Guide to Methods for Students of Political Science. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1997. info
    recommended literature
  • BOX-STEFFENSMEIER, J. M. - BRADY, H. E. - COLLIER, D. (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Political Methodology. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. info
  • COLLIER, D. - GERRING, J. (eds.). Concepts and Method in Social Science. Tradition of Giovanni Sartori. New York: Routledge, 2009. info
  • DELLA PORTA, D. - KEATING, M. (eds.). Approaches and Methodologies in the Social Science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008. info
  • GEORGE, A. - BENNETT, A. Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2005. info
  • BAILEY, K. D. Typologies and Taxonomies. An Introduction to Classification Techniques. Thousand Oaks & London & New Delhi: SAGE Publica, 1994. info
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
Teacher's information
Exam requirements: seminar paper, methodological assignments, oral exam.
The course is also listed under the following terms Winter 2016, Summer 2018.
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