Political Methodology is a basic component of modern Political Science. The OSU field in Political Methodology includes a wide variety of courses and related programs.
Faculty: Janet Box-Steffensmeier, Bear Braumoeller, Ted Hopf, Luke Keele, Marcus Kurtz, Corrine McConnaughy, Kathleen McGraw, William Minozzi, Tom Nelson, Irfan Nooruddin, Craig Volden, Herb Weisberg, Alexander Wendt, and Jack Wright.
The statistical methodology courses that are offered on a yearly basis:
Quality Methodology Courses:
Courses in Research Design:
Additional advanced statistical courses that are offered:
There are also several excellent statistical methods courses taught in the OSU Departments of Statistics, Economics, Sociology, and Psychology.
Additionally, there are several related programs at OSU:
As of January 2007, graduate students can take Political Methodology as their major field, along with American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, or Political Theory as their minor. Graduate students taking a minor in Political Methodology either can focus exclusively on statistical modeling or can take a combination of courses in statistical modeling, research design, and/or a special topics area. Additionally, students can take a joint minor in Political Methodology and Formal Theory. Political Methodology can also be taken jointly with Formal Theory as a major.
Recent Placements:
The field is comprised of the following sub-fields:
The statistical procedures for testing the explanatory power of theories. Normal courses: PS786, PS787, PS867.
The considerations involved in properly designing research studies. Normal courses: PS789, PS805, a course in questionnaire construction, a course in qualitative methods, and/or Statistics 651.
Considerations of causality, induction, case selection, and level of explanation. Typical courses include PS769, PS790.
An exam area may be constructed around such topics as Econometrics, Survey Research, Qualitative Methods, Experimental Methods, and others. Students considering a Topics sub-field will be expected to work closely with a faculty advisor in constructing an appropriate course sequence.
Both majors and minors are required to take: PS 685 (Methods of Quantitative Analysis: Elementary) and PS 686 (Methods of Quantitative Analysis: Intermediate).
A total of at least 35 credit hours is expected of students offering political methodology as their major field of study. The remaining hours of the program should be selected in consultation with the major field advisor. PS786 (Maximum Likelihood), the next course in the sequence, is highly recommended. PS684 (Introduction to Political Science Research Methods) is a departmental requirement that can count toward the Political Methodology major. Other advanced political methodology courses in qualitative and quantitative methodology can be chosen as the additional courses beyond the requirements of 685 and 686. Students who choose Political Methodology as a major should minor in one of the other 4 major fields (American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, or Political Theory).
A total of at least 25 credit hours is expected of students offering political methodology as their minor field of study.
To demonstrate mastery of the field, students are required to pass a Candidacy Examination. There is both a written and an oral component to the Candidacy Examination. There is an 8 hour written exam for the both the major and minor. A paper is required for the major after the 3rd year.