Preliminary Schedule

Note regarding the Fenno and Oliver readings. These two readings will only be available on reserve, due to acquisition problems. Two copies of each are on reserve.

Additional readings or additional copies of reserve readings may be made available throughout the semester. They will be found on reserve at the Littauer library.

February 3

Introduction Course overview.

Feb. 10

Inference and causality.

Half a page research suggestions with regards to an article given first week are due at 9 a.m. in professors' King's and Martin's mailboxes.

1. Gary King; Robert O. Keohane; and Sidney Verba (hereafter KKV). 1995. Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research, Princeton University Press, chps. 1-3.
2. W. Phillips Shively (ed) (hereafter Shively). 1984. The Research Process in Political Science, F. E. Peacock Press, chp. 1.
3. Recommended: Paul Holland. 1986. ``Statistics and Causal Inference,'' with comments and rejoinder. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 81, 396 (December): 945-70.

Feb. 17

Holiday

Feb. 24

What to observe.

Bring two copies of an article to class.

1. KKV, chp. 4;
2. Hoover, Donovan, chp. 1-3
3. Shively, chp. 4.
4. Recommended: Geddes, "How the Cases You Choose Affect the Answers You Get," Political Analysis 2 (1990): 131-52.

March 3

What to avoid.

Two copies of methodological critique of an article you were given due.

1. KKV, chp. 5.
2. Shively, chp. 5.
3. Hoover, Donovan, chp. 4-6.
4. Recommended: George and McKeown. 1985. ``Case Studies and Theories of Organizational Decision Making,''Advances in Information Processing in Organizations, vol. 2: 21-58.

March 10

Increasing Observable Implications.

Responses to a critique of your article due.

1. KKV, chp. 6.
2. Richard Fenno. 1978. Homestyle: House Members in Their Districts, Little, Brown and Co., Appendix.
3. Clifford Geertz. 1973. ``Thick Description: Toward and Interpretive Theory of Culture,'' in Gertz, The Interpretation of Cultures, Basic Books: 3-30.
4. Recommended: David Dessler. 1991. "Beyond Correlations: A Causal Theory of War,"International Studies Quarterly, vol. 35, n 3: 337-355; Eckstein. 1975. ``Case Study and Theory in Political Science''. The Handbook of Political Science, Vol. 1 Addison-Wesley: 79-138; Kohli, Atul. 1987. The State and Poverty in India. Cambridge University Press.

March 17

The Context of Discovery.

One page proposal of final research project due.

1. Jack Oliver. 1991. The Incomplete Guide to the Art of Discovery, Columbia University Press. chps. 1-5;
2. Pauline Rosenau. 1990. ``Once again into the fray: International Relations Confronts the Humanities,'' Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 19, 1 (Spring): 83-110.

March 24

Spring break

March 31

Framing: how to ask questions.

Short research project reports due.

1. Robert Putnam. 1995. "Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital," Journal of Democracy, 6, 1: 65-78.

April 7

Examples.

Three page proposals of research project due. Case studies:

1. Helen Milner. 1988. "Trading Places: Industries for Free Trade," World Politics, 40, 3: 350-376.
2. Shively, chp. 6.
3. Lisa Martin. 1993. "Credibility, Costs, and Institutions: Cooperation on Economic Sanctions," World Politics, 45, 3: 406-432.

Survey research:

1. Andrew Gelman and Gary King. "Why Are American Presidential Election Campaign Polls So Variable When Votes Are So Predictable?", British Journal of Political Science, 23 (1993): 409-451.

April 14, 21, 28

Class presentations