POLI 300 Quantitative Analysis in Political
Science [4 credits]
The primary objective of this course is to help students
understand and evaluate the kind of quantitative information presented
in
tables, graphs, and statistics in political science textbooks and
articles and
commonly invoked in debates concerning public affairs and public policy. It also helps develop students’ own research
skills. It focuses particularly on
survey research on public opinion and voting behavior. Prerequisite:
POLI 100 and a Math
Placement sufficient for MATH 100. Note: not open to
students who
have taken POLI 302. This
course is taught every Fall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Announcements:
Topics #12 and #13 will be covered during the two weeks following
Thanksgiving
and Topic #14 will not be
covered at all.
The Final Exam is scheduled for Friday, December 17, 1:00-3:00 PM, in PUP 208. Please see
me in advance if this time presents a real problem for you.
Problem Set #12B may be turned in any time through Tuesday, December
21, 5:00 PM (end of the final exam period). Guide to the Final Exam [updated for
Fall 2010]
For those who want it, there will be a review session on Tuesday,
December 14, at 2:00 in PUP 208 to go over questions on the Second Test
and to address any other review questions.
Two grading corrections with respect to Tests 2:
If you answered (C) to M-C Q#9, one
point has been added to your score and your grade has been increased by
0.16 of a grade point.
If you answered “3” to Blue Book
Q#1(d), present your exam book to me (at the final exam or elsewhere)
and I will add one point to your score (and 0.16 to your grade).
Grades on Final Exam and Course
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Syllabus
[HTML] [PDF]
Bulletin
Board (Q & A)
Guide to the Final Exam
POLI 300 Introduction [PPT]
Information on Undergraduate Research &
Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) and Undergraduate Research Awards
Senator Coburn's Amendment to Eliminate
the NSF Political "Science" Program
Class Handouts
#1 Survey
Research [PowerPoint]
#2
Random Sampling
[PowerPoint]
#3
Variables
[PowerPoint]
#4 Measuring Variables
[Power Point]
#5 Frequency Tables,
Bar
Graphs, and Histograms [PowerPoint]
#6
Measures of Central Tendency (Averages)
[PowerPoint]
#7 Measures of
Dispersion [PowerPoint]
#8 Standard Scores and
the
Normal Distribution [PowerPoint]
#9 Relationships
Between
Variables and Measures of
Association
[PowerPoint]
#10
Crosstabulations [PowerPoint]
#11
Scattergrams
[PowerPoint]
#12
Table
Percentages and Association Between Variables [PowerPoint]
#13
Regression and
Correlation [PowerPoint]
#14 Spurious
Association, Causal Relationships, and Multivariate Analysis
Data and SPSS
UMBC
OIT Computer Labs Campus Locations
SETUPS:
ANES
1972-2008 [Handout #1A]
SETUPS:
ANES 1972-2008
Codebook [Handout #1B]
Data
Analysis Using SETUPS
and SPSS [Handout #1C]
Using
SETUPS 1972-2008
ANES Data with SPSS [Handout #1D]
SPSS
Screen Shots (PowerPoint)
SETUPS 2004
(On-Line Data Analysis)
Harvard-MIT Data Center's Guide to SPSS
Student Political Attitudes Survey
Student Survey
Questionnaire [Fall 2010]
Student
Survey Data [Fall 2010] (PDF)
Student
Survey Data [Fall 2010] (SPSS file)
Student
Survey Data [Fall 2010] (Excel file)
Student
Survey Tabulations (PowerPoint)
Cumulative Student
Survey
(plus ANES) Charts (PowerPoint)
Other PowerPoint Slides
Trends in Party Support/Red
States, Blue States [PPT]
Vote
for Black Presidential Candidate? [PPT]
Problem Sets
Problem
Set
#1A: Introduction to SPSS
Problem
Set
#1B: Question Design
Problem
Set
#2:
Sampling
Problem
Set
#3A:
Identifying Variables
Problem
Set
#3B:
Levels of Measurement
Problem
Set
#4: Measuring Variables
Problem
Set
#5A:
Frequency Distributions
Problem
Set
#5B: SPSS Frequencies
Problem
Set
#5C: Frequency Bar Graphs and
Histograms [Attachment A]
Problem
Set #6: Measures of
Central Tendency
Problem
Set #7: Measures of
Dispersion [Charts]
Problem
Set
#9:
Specifying Relationships Between Variables
Problem
Set #10: Crosstabulations
Problem
Set #11: Scattergrams Data:
Text
Excel SPSS [also with SETUPS/ANES data]
Problem
Set #12A: Table Percentages
[XTABS for
Q1 and Q2] [XTABS Q3]
Problem
Set
#12B: SPSS Table Percentages
Problem
Set
#13: Correlation and Regression
Problem Set #14A: Spurious
Association and Confounding Effects
Problem Set #14B: Control
Tables
Problem Set #14C: SPSS
Control Tables
Problem Sets: Answers & Discussion
Problem
Set #1B: A&D
Problem
Set
#2: A&D
Problem Set
#3A: A&D
Problem Set #3B:
A&D
Problem
Set #4:
A&D
Problem Set
#5A: A&D
Problem
Set
#5B: A&D
Problem Set
#5C: A&D [PPT]
Problem
Set #6:
A&D
Problem
Set #7:
A&D [PPT]
Problem
Set #9:
A&D
Problem Set
#10: A&D [PPT]
Problem Set
#11: A&D [PPT]
Problem Set
#12A: A&D
Problem Set
#13: A&D
Other Data Used in Class
Ann Landers' Survey on Parenthood
Party ID Pie Charts
Historical
Presidential Approval
Bush Approval (Gallup)
Bush Approval By Party ID
(Gallup)
Bush Approval, All Polls (01/01-01/07)
Bush
Approval, All Polls (01/01-08/04)
Bush Approval, All
Polls (01/04-08/07)
On-Line Statistical Demonstrations
Statistical
"Applets"
The
Normal Curve: The 68% / 95% / 99.7% Rule
The
Normal Curve
Normal Distributions
Probability
and the Normal Distribution
Research Randomizer
Political Science Blogs/Websites
Political Arithmetick:
Where Numbers and Politics Meet (Prof. Charles Franklin, U.
Wisconsin)
Fruits and Votes (Prof. Matthew
Shugart, UC San Diego)
Political Science Weblog
(Prof. Henry Farrell, George Washington U.)
Prof. Josep Colomer's Weekly Blog
(U. Pompeu Fabra, Spain)
Polysigh
Real Clear Politics
PollingReports.com
Polling and Survey Research
Gallup Organization
The Roper Center for Public
Opinion Research
National
Election Pool
American National
Elections Studies (ANES)
Inter-university Consortium for
Political Research (ICPSR)
Census Bureau
Statistical Abstract of
the
U.S.
Current Population
Survey
General Social Survey
(GSS)
Panel Study of Income Dynamics
National Crime Victimization Survey
(Bureau of Justice Statistics)
National Crime
Victimization Survey (ICPSR)
National Opinion Research Center
(NORC)
National Science Foundation
Pew Research Center for the People and
the Press
British
Election Studies
Canadian
Election Studies
Historical Data Processing
Hollerith
1890 Census Tabulator
Hollerith Code
Punch Card
Presidential Elections (mostly 2004)
Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S.
Presidential Elections
Electoral Vote
Predictor 2004
Election
Projection: 2004 Edition
Electoral
College: Meta-Analysis of State Polls
USA
Today/CNN/Gallup Poll
Washington
Post Tracking Poll
Presidential Trial
Heats: A Daily Time Series (James Stimson, UNCH)
2004
Presidential Electoral Collge Predictions
Race 2004.net
Electoral
College Calculator
General Links
Instructor's
Homepage (bio, research, other courses, etc.)
UMBC Political Science
Department
American Political Science Association
Edward Tufte -- Visual Display of
Quantitative Information
Media and Current Events
Washington Post
On Politics
New York Times on the
Web (requires free registration)
The Times (London)
The Guardian (UK)
CNN All Politics
BBC World Service
C-SPAN
Resources
for Political Science Research on Voting and Elections (for
POLI 325)
Resources
for Research on Presidential Elections (for POLI 423)
