govt2013[1] course outline

8/14/2019 GOVT2013[1] Course Outline

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UNIVERSITYOFTHEWESTINDIES(MonaCampus)

DepartmentofGovernment

GOVT2013RESEARCH

METHODS

IN

POLITICAL

SCIENCE

September2008May2009(6credits)

COURSETITLE: RESEARCHMETHODSINPOLITICALSCIENCE

COURSECODE: GOVT2013(FormerlyGT24M)

LEVEL: 2

IR,PA,

and

PS

majors

are

required

to

take

this

course

(but

minors

are

not).

SEMESTER: I&II

NO.OFCREDITS: 6

PREREQUISITE(S): (METHODSRELATED): SY13B,andeitherEC16AorSY16C;

(GOVTcourses): GT11A,GT11B(N.B.TheGovernment

Departmentrequirestheseasformalprerequisites,i.e.

theymustbemetbeforeonecanbeadmittedtothe24M

course.)

Lecturers: Dr.LloydWaller

Email:[email protected]

[email protected]

Room:E203(McIntyreBuilding)

OfficeHours:Tuesdays56orbyappointment

TeachingAssistantandTutorialCoordinator: GavinDaley

Tutors:Morland

Wilson,

Shinique

Walters,

Chantal

Bennett

and

Kerrie

Ann

Tucker

STUDENTSAREREQUIREDTOREGISTERFORTUTORIALSONOURVLE


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COURSEDESCRIPTION/RATIONALE

Thiscoursebuildsontheelementaryknowledgeofsocialresearch,politicalscienceand

statisticsprovided inthefirstyearofthedegreeprogramme. It isdesignedtoprovide

studentswith

agrounding

in

theories,

methodologies,

methods

and

the

processes

of

empirical political analysis. Primary emphasis will be placed on developing a basic

understandingof the philosophy and the logicunderlying socialscientific inquiry,and

appropriateresearchstrategies,bothquantitativeandqualitative.

Topics to be covered include philosophy/epistemology of social science, theoretical

paradigms underlying political/policy research, conceptualisation and

operationalisation,measurementtheory,commondatacollectionstrategies,trainingin

use of computers and SPSS, probability and sampling, univariate analysis, bivariate

analysis, a brief overview of some commonlyused multivariate techniques as well as

techniquesforsystematicallyanalyzingqualitativedata.

Thefirstpartofthisyear longcoursewillbedevotedtoreviewingthemethodological

underpinningsof empirical research in the social sciencesand to learning some basic

computer procedures. The second part of the course will be devoted to learning

statisticalproceduresforanalyzingsociopoliticaldataaswellasmorespecializedtopics

intheconductofpolitical research (including techniquesof qualitativeanalysis),and

supervisedstudentresearchprojects.

CourseObjectives

Attheendofthiscoursestudentsshouldbeableto:

Understandtheepistemologicalandtheoreticalelementsofpoliticalscienceresearch

Knowthedifferencesbetweenqualitative,quantitativeandmixedmethodresearch

KnowhowtoformulateanappropriateHypothesesandResearchQuestionsforaResearchProject

KnowhowtoprepareaLiteratureReview KnowhowtodesignanappropriateResearchDesign,whetherqualitative,

quantitativeormixedMethodology,Sampling,DataCollectionandProcedures

forsamplingandcollectingdata

Knowhowtomanagelargequantitativeresearchprojects UnderstandhowtousetheStatisticalPackagefortheSocialSciences(SPSS)to

createdatasetsandquantitativedata

Knowhowtodescribe,interpretandexplainquantitativeandqualitativedata KnowhowtoprepareaResearchProposalandResearchPaper


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COURSECONTENTANDTUTORIALQUESTIONS

SEMESTER

1

(Lectures

and

Tutorials)

PART1:THEFOUNDATIONSOFPOLITICALSCIENCERESEARCH

1.1: THECOURSE:ANOVERVIEW(September3,2008)

TheCourse,ProcessesandAgenda TheSignificanceoftheCourse LectureIssues ClassTimes,Tutorials,CodeofConductandAssessment Assessment PreparingaResearchProposalandResearchPaperAn

outline,the

mid

semester

exam

and

class

presentations

Lecture1.2

TheFoundationsofPoliticalScienceResearch(September10,2007)

Topics:

WhatisPoliticalScienceResearch TheBasicElementsofPoliticalScienceResearch TheResearchProcess

Readings:

o Reading1.2a:Pierce,Chapters13(AvailableatDITTO)o Reading1.2b:Johnsonetal,Chapter2(AvailableatDITTO)o Reading1.2c:Babbie,Chapter14o Reading1.2d:Neuman,Chapter13

Tutorials:

1. Anintroductiontothecourseandthelabactivities2. FormationofTeams3. DiscussionsregardingtheResearchProcess theResearchProposal,the

ResearchPaperandResearchTeams.

4. SelectionofPresentationQuestionstobepresentedweekbeginningSeptember15.


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Lecture1.3

PoliticalScienceResearchStrategies(September24,2007)

Topics:

PoliticalScienceResearchStrategies Quantitative Qualitative MixedMethods

EthicsindoingPoliticalScienceResearchReadings:

o Reading1.3a:Neuman,Chapter14,6andAppendixAo Reading1.3b:Pierce,Chapter4(AvailableatDITTO)

Tutorials:

1. WhatarethebasicelementsofSocialandPoliticalScientificResearch?2. Usingexamples,explainwhatismeantbyEpistemology3. WhatarethemainphilosophiesinSocialandPoliticalScientificResearch4. CompareandcontrastBasicandAppliedResearch5. CompareandContrastTheoryandParadigm6. CompareandcontrastIdiographic andNomotheticresearch7. CompareandcontrastInductiveandDeductiveresearch8. Differentiatebetweenanytwoofthefollowing

o ExplanatoryResearcho ExploratoryResearcho DescriptiveResearcho PredictiveResearcho NormativeResearcho CriticalResearch

Lecture1.4

PreparingtodoyouPoliticalScienceResearchTopic(September17,2007)

Topics:

Researchtopicsources Researchtopicfeasibility The characteristicsofaResearchProblem StatingyourResearchProblem:TheBackgroundorContextofthe Study FormulatingaResearchObjective StatingyourResearchObjectives:TheStatementoftheResearch

Problem


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ReasonsfordoingaResearchProject StatingyourResearchRationale:TheSignificanceoftheStudy IdentifyingyourResearchDeLimitationsandLimitations

Readings:

o Reading1.6:SelectedReadingsonSelectingaResearchTopicavailableonOURVIRTUALLEARNINGENVIRONMENT(OurVLE)

TutorialquestionstobepresentedtheweekofSeptember15,2008:

1. Ofthedifferentstagesofthepoliticalscienceresearchprocess,whichdoyoubelievetobethemostimportantandwhy?(4Presenters)

2. Whataretheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofthequantitativeresearchstrategy?(1Presenter)

3. Whataretheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofthequalitativeresearchstrategy?(1Presenter)

4. TheAmericanSociologicalAssociationhasaCodeofEthics.Thisisusedbymostresearchersintheworld.Ifweweretoadoptthisfordoing

PoliticalScienceResearchintheCaribbean,whatadditionalethical

principalswouldweneedtoaddandwhatcanbetakenout?(2

Presenters)

Lecture1.5

HYPOTHESISFORMULATION/RESEARCHQUESTIONSDEVELOPMENT(October1,2008)

Topics:

FormulatingyourResearchQuestionandorHypothesis Typesofvariables IdentifyingandLabelingVariables RelationshipBetweenVariables CausationandAssociations Conceptualization Operationalization

Readings:

o Reading1.5a:Babbie,Chapter5o Reading1.5b:Manheimetal,Chapter2(AvailableatDITTO)o Reading1.5c:Johnsonetal,Chapters3and4o Reading15d:Neuman,Chapter13o Reading1.5e:BrymanandCramer,Chapter4o Reading1.15f:Punch,Chapter34(AvailableatDITTO)


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Tutorialquestionstobepresented:

WhatarethemainreasonsidentifiedintheliteratureforundertakingaPSResearchProject?Whatotherreasonsdoyoubelievecaninfluence

youintoundertakingaPSResearchProject?(1Presenter)

WhatarethemainobjectivesfordoingaPoliticalScienceResearchProject?

(1

Presenter)

Whatdoyoubelieveisthemostimportantthingtotakeintoconsiderationwhendecidingonthefeasibilityofaresearchproject?(2

Presenters)

WhatdoyoubelieveisthemostimportantcharacteristicofaResearchProblem? (2Presenters)

Whatdoyoubelieveisthemosttypicalproblemsomeoneinyourfieldwouldfacewhenconductingastudy?(2Presenters)

Lecture

1.6

PREPARINGALITERATUREREVIEW(October8,2007)

Topics:

TheSignificanceoftheLiteratureReview TypesofLiteratureReview LiteratureReviewSources HowtodoaLiteratureReview

Readings:

o Reading1.6a:Neuman,Chapter5o Reading1.6b:Pierce,Chapters68o Reading:SelectedReadingsonPreparingaLiteratureReviewavailable

onOURVIRTUALLEARNINGENVIRONMENT(OurVLE)


1. Usingexamples,differentiatebetweenvariablesandconcepts?(1Presenter)

2. WhatarethemaincomponentsofagoodResearchQuestion?(1Presenter)

3. Whatisahypothesis,whatarethecomponentsofahypothesisandwhatarethedifferenttypesofhypothesisinPSresearch?(2

Presenters)

4. Usingexamples,explaintheprocessofConceptualization?(2Presenters)

5. Usingexamples,explaintheprocessofOperationalization?(2Presenters)


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MIDSEMESTEREXAM

(October13,2008:56pm)

Topicswill

cover

Lectures

1.2

1.5

PART2:RESEARCHDESIGN

Lecture2.1

SELECTINGARESEARCHDESIGNS(October15,2008)

Topics:

TheComponentsofaResearchDesign TypesofResearchDesign

i. Exploratoryii. Descriptiveiii. Explanatory

Readings:

o Reading2.1a:NeumanChapter2o Reading2.1b:BabbieChapter4

LABS:IntroductiontotheSPSSEnvironment

Lecture2.2

METHODOLOGY

(October22,2008)

Topics:

Quantitativeo SurveyResearchMethodology

Qualitativeo Ethnographyo CaseStudieso ContentAnalysiso DiscourseAnalysiso EvaluationResearch


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Readings:

o Reading2.2a:NeumanChapter10o Reading2.2b:ReadingspostedonOurVle

LABS:CreatingVariables

Assignment:Data

Collection

Exercise

Lecture2.3

LABSONLY(Assignment:DataEntryandDataMergingExercise(October29,2008)

Lecture2.4

THEPHILOSOPHYOFSAMPLING(November5,2008)

Topics:

DefiningaRepresentativeSample AccessibleandTheoreticalPopulation SamplingFrameandtheSample TypeofSamplingTechniques Probabilityandnonprobabilitysampling Calculatingthesamplesizeand/ordecidingwhotosample

Readings:

o Reading2.4a:Babbie,Chapter7o Reading2.4b:Neuman,Chapter8o Reading2.4c:Johnsonetal,Chapter7

Assignment:PrepareResearchProposaltobehandedinweekofJanuary14,

2008(Teamsof35)

Lecture2.5

DATACOLLECTIONINPOLITICALSCIENCE(November12,2008)

QUANTITATIVE

TypesofSurveys LevelsofMeasurement QuestionnaireDesignand FieldManagement UsingSecondaryQuantitativeDataQUALITATIVE

Interviews


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Observations FocusGroups UsingSecondaryQualitativeData Issuesinthefield SpecialEthicalConsiderations

Readings:

o Reading2.5a:Babbie,Chapter9o Reading2.5b:Neuman,Chapter10and13o Reading2.5c:Manheimetal,Chapters19,20,21(AvailableatDitto)o Reading2.5d:Johnsonetal,Chapters810(AvailableatDitto)o Reading2.8:Punch,Chapter9(AvailableatDitto)

LABS:MergingData

Assignment:PrepareaResearchProposal(Datetobehandedin

Lecture2.6

PREPARINGYOURRESEARCHPROPOSAL

(November19,2008)

Lecture2.7

COURSEREVIEW

(November26,2008)


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SEMESTER2:(LecturesandLABS)

PART3:ANALYZINGQUANTITATIVEDATA

Lecture3.1

THECOURSE:ANOVERVIEW(January28,2009)

Topics:

TheCourse,ProcessesandAgenda TheSignificanceoftheCourse LectureIssues ClassTimes,Tutorials,CodeofConductandAssessment Assessment PreparingaResearchProposalandResearchPaperAn

outline,the

mid

semester

exam

and

class

presentations

Lecture3.2

THEFUNDAMENTALSOFQUANTITATIVEDATAANALYSIS

(February4,2009)

Topics:

LevelsofMeasurementRevisited Validity Reliability TypesofPossibleErrors

Readings:

o Reading3.2a:Manheimetal,Chapter12(AvailableatDITTO)o Reading3.2b:Pollock,Chapter1(AvailableatDITTO)

Lecture3.3

UNIVARIATEANALYSIS1:AnalyzingTablesandCharts(February11,2009)

Topics:

AnalyzingTables AnalyzingChartsandGraphs

Readings:

o Reading3.3a:Manheimetal,Chapter15(AvailableatDITTO)o Reading3.3b:OSullivanetal,Chapter11(AvailableatDITTO)


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o Reading3.3c:BrymanandCramer,Chapter5o Reading3.3d:Punch,Chapter7(AvailableatDITTO)

LABS:

PresentationoftheDataSet DiscussionsaboutHypothesis UnivariateAnalysis1:CreatingandAnalyzingChartsandTables

Lecture3.4

UNIVARIATEANALYSIS2:MeasuresofCentralTendencyandDispersion(February18,2009)

Topics:

AnalyzingMeasuresofCentralTendency

Analyzing

Measures

of

Dispersion/Spread

Readings:

o Reading3.3:Manheimetal,Chapter16(AvailableatDITTO)o Reading3.4:BrymanandCramer,Chapter5o Reading3.5:Punch,Chapter7(AvailableatDITTO)

LABS

UnivariateAnalysis2

Lecture3.5BIVARIATEANALYSIS1:CrossTabulation

(March4,2009)

Topics

AnalyzingCrossTabulationsReadings:

o Reading3.6:BrymanandCramer,Chapter8o Reading3.7:Punch,Chapter7

LABS:BivariateAnalysis1


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Lecture3.6

BIVARIATEANALYSIS2:ChiSquare(March11,2009)

Topics:

AnalyzingChiSquareResultsReadings:

o Reading3.6a:BrymanandCramer,Chapter8o Reading3.6b:Manheimetal,Chapter17(AvailableatDITTO)o Reading3.10:Punch,Chapter7(AvailableatDITTO)

LABS:

BivariateAnalysis2

Lecture3.7

BIVARIATEANALYSIS3:SPEARMANRHOandPEARSONSR(March18,2009)

Topics:

AnalyzingSpearmanRHO AnalyzingPearsonsR

Readings:

o Reading3.7a:Manheimetal,Chapter17(AvailableatDITTO)o Reading3.7b:BrymanandCramer,Chapter8o Reading3.7c:Punch,Chapter7(AvailableatDITTO)

LABS:

BivariateAnalysis3

Lecture3.8

ADVANCEDSTATISTICS:RegressionAnalysis,MultipleRegressionAnalysis,Factor

AnalysisandClusterAnalysis(March25,2009)

Topics:

RegressionAnalysis MultipleRegressionAnalysis FactorAnalysis


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Readings:

o Reading3.8a:Pierce,Chapter8(AvailableatDITTO)o Reading3.7b:BrymanandCramer,Chapter8o Reading3.7c:Punch,Chapter7(AvailableatDITTO)

LABS:

BivariateAnalysis3

PART4:ANALYZINGQUALITATIVEDATA

Lecture4.1

THEFUNDAMENTALSOFQUALITATIVEDATAANALYSIS(April1,2009)

Topics:

TheHistoryofQualitativeDataAnalysis TheLimitationsofQualitativeDataAnalysisandMitigationStrategies:

BuildingTrustworthiness

LevelsAnalysisinQualitativeResearcho Descriptiono Interpretationo Explanationo Implications

Readings:

o Reading4.1a:DenzinandLincoln,Chapter1(AvailableatDITTO)o Reading4.1b:SeeAdditionalReadingonOurVle

Lecture4.2

ANALYZINGQUALITATIVEINFORMATION:CLASSIFYING,CODINGANDINTRPRETING

INFORMATION

(April8,2009)

Topics

TheConstantComparativeAnalysisTechnique:Coding,CategorizingandComparing

o OpenCodingo AxialCodingo SelectiveCoding

IdentifyingyourCoreTheme


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Readings:

o Reading4.2a:PunchChapter10p204216(AvailableatDITTO)o Reading4.2b:FlickChapter23o Reading4.2c:SeeAdditionalReadingonOurVle

Tutorial:

1. Outlineandexplain4strengthsofAnalyzingQualitativeData? (2Presenter)

2. Outlineandexplain4weaknessesofAnalyzingQualitativeData? (2Presenter)

3. IdentifyanddiscussthestrategieshavebeendevelopedinthelastdecadetoaddressthemainlimitationsofQualitativeDataAnalysis?(2

Presenters)

4. DiscussthethreelevelsofanalysisinQualitativeDataAnalysis(2Presenters)

Lecture4.3

ANALYZINGQUALITATIVEINFORMATION:USINGMATRICES(April15,2009)

Topics

QualitativeAnalyticMatricesReadings:

o Reading4.3a:PunchChapter10p197202(AvailableatOurVle)o Reading4.3b:SeeAdditionalReadingonOurVle

Tutorial:

1. Conduct8indeptheliteinterviewsaboutanaspectofyourresearchprojecttakingintoconsiderationimportantvisualelementsassociated

withtheinterviews(observations).UsingtheConstantComparative

AnalysisTechnique,undertakeananalysisoftheinterviewtexts

(transcripts)andobservationnotes.Demonstratetheanalyticalprocess

anditsoutcomes(8Persons).Theinformationcollectedandtheanalysis

can

be

included

in

your

Research

Paper


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Lecture4.4

ANALYZINGTEXTS:ANALYTICALTOOLSTOSUPPORTTHECONTENTANALYSIS

METHODOLOGY(April22,2009)

Topics

ContentAnalysisReadings:

o Reading4.9:BabbieChapter11o Reading4.10:PunchChapter10p.312315(AvailableatDITTO)o Reading4.11:SeeAdditionalReadingonOurVle

Tutorial:

1. Conduct2FocusGroupsessionsaboutanaspectofyourresearchprojecttakingintoconsiderationimportantvisualelementsassociatedwiththe

interviews(observations).UsingeitherQualitativeAnalyticMatricesor

NetworkDiagramsundertakeananalysisoftheinterviewtexts

(transcripts)andobservationnotes.Demonstratetheanalyticalprocess

anditsoutcomes(8Persons).Theinformationcollectedandtheanalysis

canbeincludedinyourResearchPaper

Lecture4.5

PREPARINGTHERESEARCHREPORT(April24,2009)

Topics:

WritingupyourResearchReport TheQualitativeAnalysisofQuantitativeData

Readings:

o Reading4.12:SeeAdditionalReadingonOurVleo Reading4.13:Babbie,Chapter13p.391


I. Studentswillbeaskedtoconductacontentanalysisofvariousdocumentsregardingandofthefollowingtopics:a. TheimpactofDancehallMusiconCaribbeansocieties(Youcanchooseto

lookatoneCaribbeancountry)

b. ThefutureoftheCaribbeanAgriculturalSector(YoucanchoosetolookatoneCaribbeancountry)


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TEACHINGMETHODOLOGY

Thecourseformatconsistsofacombinationofweeklylectures,assignedreadings,data

labexercises,aswellasgroupandindependentstudentprojects. Problemsolvingisthe

bestway

to

learn

methods,

and

hands

on

data

lab

training

sessions

will

therefore

be

used. AllGOVT2013studentsarerequiredtoregisterfor,andtoregularlyattend,one

oftheselabswhichwillbeheldonaweeklybasisinthePopulationLab,beginninginthe

secondweek.

ASSESSMENTS(Alldatesmaybesubjecttochange)

COURSEASSESSMENTS:

Assignment1:

5%

Tutorial

Presentation

1(September

17

November

26,

2007)

Assignment2:20% MidSemesterExam(October13,200745pm)

Assignment3:5% ResearchProposal(DueWeekofJanuary14,2008)

Assignment4:5% TutorialPresentation2(March10April7,2008)

Assignment5:5% DataCollection,EntryandMerge(October29 November19,2007)

Assignment6:60% ResearchPaper(Specificdatewillbeannounced)

BREAKDOWNOFCOURSEASSESSMENTS

Studentsarerequiredtoconductastudyonanyone(1)ofthefollowingissues:

Theperceptionsoftertiarystudentsregarding:

I. Thepotentialvalue(orlackthereof)oftheEconomicPartnershipAgreement(EPA)fortheCaribbean(YoucanchoosetolookatoneCaribbeancountry)

II. ThefutureoftheCaribbeanAgriculturalSector(YoucanchoosetolookatoneCaribbeancountry)

III. TheimpactofDancehallMusiconCaribbeansocieties(Youcanchoosetolookatone

Caribbean

country)

IV. TheProblemofHumanRightsinCaribbeanSocieties(YoucanchoosetolookatoneCaribbeancountry)

StudentsarerequiredtoprovidesubstantivePolicyRecommendations(includinga

comprehensiveStrategicPlanregardingthebestwaytoimplementthesePolicy


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Assignment2:MidSemesterExam(20%)IndividualAssessment

StudentswillberequiredtositaMidSemesterExam.TheexamwillbeonMonday

October13,2008at5pm.Studentswillberequiredtoanswer5shortanswerquestions.

Responsesshouldbeapproximately1pageinlength.Thisisaonehourexam.

Assignment3:

Proposal

(5%)

Team

Work

(Teams

of

35)

Studentsarerequiredtopreparea5pageResearchProposalwhichoutlinesthe

following:

REFERENCES[Markswillbesubtractedifastudentdonothaveappropriatereferences]

APPENDICES(MUSTINCLUDEQUESTIONNAIREWHICHWILLBEDISTRIBUTEDTOTHE

600TERTIARYLEVELSTUDENTS)

Assignment4:TutorialPresentation2(5%)IndividualAssessment

Studentwillagainberequiredtopresentonatopicgiventothembytheirtutor(s).Each

Presentationshouldbe10minutesinlengthafterwhichtherewillbeafiveminute

discussionamongclassmembersandthetutor.

CHAPTER1:INTRODUCTION(2pagesfortheProposal)

Contextoftheresearch(Background) Researchstatement(Objectives) Significanceofthestudy(Rationale) ResearchQuestion/Hypothesis(Identifythespecificquestions/variableswhichwillbeexplored) Conceptualization/Operationalization

CHAPTER2:ANNOTATEDBIBLIOGRAPHY(3pagesfortheProposal)

Abriefdescriptiveandevaluativeparagraphofthebooks,articles,anddocumentswhichwillbeusedto

preparetheLiteratureReview.

CHAPTER3:RESEARCHDESIGN(2pagesfortheProposal)

ResearchDesignTypeandJustification Methodology MethodsofDataCollection Sample (theUnit(s)ofAnalysis) SamplingStrategy ProposedMethodofDataAnalysis LimitationsoftheStudy


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Studentswillbegradedbasedonthefollowingcriteria:

1. Evidenceofadequateresearch(1.5%)2. Analysisofissues(1%)3. Persuasiveandlogicaldiscussion(0.5%)4. Appropriatecommunicationstrategiesused(0.5%)5. Convincingpresentation(0.5%)6. Theuseofappropriateexamples(0.5%)7. Creativity/Innovationinpresentation(0.5%)

Assignment5:DataCollection,EntryandMerge(5%)IndividualAssessment

Eachstudentwillberequiredparticipate inafieldworkanddataentryexercise.Each

student will begiven five questionnaires. Based on a surveydesign given to them by

their Tutor (3), they will be required to collect data in specific spaces (complete the

questionnaires by interviewing other students). Once the data is collected (the

questionnaireshavebeencompleted),eachstudentwillthenberequiredtoenterthe

data(using

the

SPSS

program)

and,

working

with

other

students,

merge

the

dataset.

Assignment6:ResearchProject(60%) TeamWork(Teamsof35)

Students are required to expand the Research Proposal by conducting a study and

prepareaResearchPaper.Thiswillrequireeachstudentintheteamto:

Explorethequestions/variablesoutlinedintheResearchProposalwhichwassubmittedatthebeginningofSemester2.

Undertakearigorousquantitativedataanalysisprocessusingthesoftwareprogramme

Statistical

Package

for

the

Social

Sciences

(SPSS).

Furtherexploretheseissuesbyundertakingaqualitativeresearchprojectusingaacombinationofqualitativemethodsofdatacollectionandanalysis.

Presentthedataanalyzed(thefindings),theinterpretationofthefindingsandanoutlineofpossibleimplicationsof,and,explanationsforthesefindingsina

ResearchPaper.TheResearchPapershouldalsoincludeaconclusionoutlining

thewiderimplicationsofthesefindingsaswellassubstantivePolicy

Recommendations(includingacomprehensiveStrategicPlanregardingthebest

waytoimplementthesePolicy

TheResearchpapershouldconsistofthefollowingsections:1. CHAPTER1:INTRODUCTION[5% TEAMWORK]

Thecorrectedversionoftheintroductionsectionoftheproposalandan

extendeddiscussionoftheContextoftheresearch(Background).[3

pages]


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2. CHAPTER2:LITERATUREREVIEW[5% TEAMWORK]

AdetaileddiscussiononthesubjectmatterEachteammemberis

expectedtocontributetotheliterature.Theyareexpectedtowriteatwo

pagesubtopic.Forexample,ifthetopicisCorruption,TeammemberA

canchose

to

do

corruption

in

the

police

force

while

Team

member

B

can

writeoncorruptioninthejudiciaryandsoon.Eachliteraturereview

shouldhaveageneralintroductionandconclusion.[710pages]

3. CHAPTER3:RESEARCHDESIGN[5% TEAMWORK]

ThecorrectedversionoftheResearchDesignsectionoftheproposal.[3

5pages]

4. CHAPTER4:DATAANALYSISANDFINDINGS(10% INDIVIDUALWORK)

Inthissectionyouwilldescribeandinterpretyourfindings.Eachteam

memberisrequiredtodescribethefindingsfromthedataanalysis

processandpresentthenecessarytables.[35pages]

5. CHAPTER5:DISCUSSIONOFFINDINGS [25% INDIVIDUALWORK]

Inthissectionyouwillexplainyourfindings.Eachteammemberis

requiredtoreportontheirfindings interpretandexplain.Amixed

methodapproachisrecommendedandthusthediscussionofthe

findingsshouldbebasedonboththequantitativeandthequalitative

data.Inotherwords,aqualitativestudyshouldalsobeconductedto

expandon(helptoexplain)thequantitativefindings.[7 10pages]

NOTE:Thoughthisisateameffort,theDataAnalysisandFindingsaswellastheDiscussionof

Findingsareacompilationoftheindividualworkundertakenbyeachteammember.Therefore

eachstudentwillbegivenanindividualgradeforthesetwosections.Thissectionshould

thereforebestructuredinthefollowingway:

PersonA COVERSHEET

DataAnalysisandFindings

DiscussionofFindings

PersonB COVERSHEET

DataAnalysisandFindings


PersonC COVERSHEET

DataAnalysis

and

Findings


TheCoverSheetdesignwhichwillbeusedforthiscoursecanbefoundattheendofthis

document

YourIDnumberMUSTbeplacedoneachpageofyourINDIVIDUALwork


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4. CHAPTER6:CONCLUSIONANDRECOMMENDATIONS [10% GROUP]

Inthissectionyouwilloutlinewhataretheimplicationsofyourfindings.A

generalconclusionregardingthevariousaspectsofthetopicselectedbased

onateameffortshouldbepresentedhere.[35pages]

5. REFERENCES[Markswillbesubtractedifastudentdoesnothave

appropriatereferences]

6. APPENDICES(IFAPPLICABLE)

Studentswillalsoberequiredto:

CompleteaPeerEvaluationFormaswellastoreport(inwriting)anynonparticipationofteammemberstotheLecturer(s),TeachingAssistantorTutors.

The

Team

Participation

Form

can

be

found

below.

TheLecturer(s),TeachingAssistantandTutorswillbeavailabletoprovideSupervisiontoteamsduringConsultationhours.

ALLASSIGNMENTSAREREQUIREDTOSUBMITANELECTRONICVERSIONOFTHEIRRESEARCHPAPERS,PROPOSALS,ANDCLASS

PRESENTATIONS.ALLASSIGNMENTSWILLBEVERIFIEDBYTHE

UNIVERSITYPLAGIARISMSOFTWARESYSTEMTURNITIN.COM

o CLASSASSIGNMENTSMUSTBESUBMITTEDTOTUTORSONACDo ELECTRONICVERSIONSOFTHERESEARCHPROPOSALAND

RESEARCHPAPERMUSTBESUBMITTEDALONGWITHHARD

COPIESOFTHESEASSIGNMENTS(SeeAssignmentdelivery

below)

ASSIGNMENTDELIEVEY

DeliveringyourResearchProposal

AcompletedResearchProposalswithyourID#,CourseName,thenameofyour

Lectureranddayandtimeofyourtutorial(allclearlyindicatedontheCoverPageSee

sampleCoverPageattheendofthisdocumentPage30)shouldbedeliverednolater

thanJanuary30th

,2009,6pmtoMr.Daleysoffice(SATTA)(Thedatemaybesubjectto

change).


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DeliveringyourResearchPaper

AcompletedResearchProposalwithyourID#,CourseName,thenameofyourLecturer

anddayandtimeofyourtutorial(allclearlyindicatedontheCoverPageSeesample

CoverPageattheendofthisdocumentPage30)shouldbedeliveredattheendof

Semester2toTHEEXAMINATIONSDEPARTMENT(Asubmissiondatewillbe

announced).The

SPSS

Syntax

for

each

team

member

should

be

burnt

on

to

aCD

(Make

directoriesontheCDanduseyourIDnumberforthedirectoryname.TheCDmustbe

attachedtotheReport.

LATESUBMISSIONSWILLNOTBEACCEPTEDUNLESSYOUHAVEAVALIDEXPLANATION

ANDSUPPORTINGDOCUMENTS.

DONOTDELIVERPAPERSTOTHEGOVERNMENTDEPARTMENTOFFICE. FORYOUR

OWNBENEFIT,PLEASEKEEPSECUREBACKUPCOPIESOFALLYOURWORK.

REQUIREDREADINGS

PRESCRIBEDTEXTS:

Pierce,Roger.(2008).ResearchMethodsinPolitics:APracticalGuide.London:Sage

Neuman,L.(2006).SocialResearchMethods,QualitativeandQuantitativeApproaches.NewYork:Pearson:EducationBostonPreferablytheSixthEdition

Bryman,A.,andCramer,D.(2005).QuantitativeDataAnalysiswithSPSS12and13.London:Routledge

*CourseModules(AvailableatDITTOandOurvle)

STRONGLYRECOMMENDEDSUPPLEMENTALTEXTS:

Buttolph Johnson,Janet,Reynolds,H.T.andMycoff,J.(2008).PoliticalScienceMethodsCongressionalQuarterlyPress:Baltimore

Babbie,E.(2004).ThePracticeofSocialResearch.Stanford:Wadsworth

ADDITIONALREADINGS,READINGS FOR LAB EXERCISES,ASSIGNMENT SHEETS,AND

OTHERUSEFULRESOURCESFORLEARNINGPOLITICALSCIENCEMETHODOLOGYWILL

BE POSTED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR ON THE COURSE WEBSITE OUR VIRTUAL

LEARNINGENVIRONMENT(OurVle).


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23

IMPORTANTNOTICE:

PLAGIARISM

ANDHOWTOAVOIDIT

Studentsoften run into troublewhenpresentinganddocumentingmaterial incourse

essays.Thefollowingguidelinesshouldhelpstudentstosteerclearofanyofthepitfalls

thatmightresult inbeingpenalisedforbreachingacademicstandards.Allclassessays

areexpectedtofollowtheadvicegiveninthissection.Ifyouneedfurtherhelp,consult

Patrick Dunleavy's excellent book StudyingforaDegree in theHumanitiesand SocialSciences(Macmillan,1986).

Plagiarism is not tolerated at UWI (see page 22 of the FSS Handbook 20022003 for

details).Itisneveracceptabletofalselyrepresentaprofessionalscholar'sworkinprint

as if it were your own (even if you found it on the internet), and it is similarly

unacceptabletofalselyrepresentworkproducedbyanotherstudent(eitherduringthe

current semester, or a previous one) as if it were your own. The associated penalty

typically ranges from a zero grade for the paper to total disqualification from final

examination,sopleasereadthissectionthoroughly,inordertosteerclearoftrouble.

Remember,itisyourresponsibilitytoensurethatyouressaysadheretothestandards

of

academic

integrity,

so

if

someone

else

types

your

essay,

make

sure

that

you

check

thatthetypisthasnotchangedtheway inwhichyoupresentordocumentborrowed

materialinanyway.Blamingitonthetypistisnotacceptedasanexcuse.

Types of Borrowed Material. There are three basic ways in which students may

incorporate the ideas that they have confronted in their reading in their essays:

quotation, summary and paraphrase. Far too many students misunderstand the

differencesbetweenthese.

Quotation.Withaquotation,youpresentanotherwriter's idea inthatwriter'swords.

You must indicate the borrowing with either quotation marks or block indentation,

combinedwith

afootnote/endnote

reference.

For

example:

According toStigler,"every industryoroccupation thathasenoughpoliticalpower to

utilizethestatewillseektocontrolentry.Inaddition,theregulatorypolicywilloftenbe

sofashionedastoretardtherateofgrowthofnewfirms."1


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24

Summary.Asummary iswhereyoupresentanotherwriter's idea,onlynothisorher

words; further, you present only the core of the ideathe main pointbecause you

condense the idea as you reword it. You must also indicate the borrowing with a

footnote/endnote, usually combined with an introduction (called a frame) that also

attributesthesummary.Hereisasummaryofthesamplequotation:

Stigler argues that influential economic interests seek regulations that reduce

competition.1

Paraphrase.Aparaphrase is likeasummary in thatyoupresentonlyanotherwriter's

idea, not his exact words; this time, however, instead of compressing the idea, you

restateitinyourownwords.Thus,theparaphraseisalittlelikeatranslation.Although

it isn'tusuallyawordforwordsubstitution, itoftenfollowsthepatternoftheoriginal

wording. Again you must indicate the borrowing with a footnote or endnote, usually

combinedwithanintroductionthatalsoattributestheparaphrase.Hereisaparaphrase

of

the

sample

quotation

from

Stigler:

Stiglersaysthateconomicinterestswithsufficientinfluenceovergovernmentpolicywill

trytobringaboutpublicpoliciesthatdetercompetitionfromotherfirms.Theywillalso

encouragerulesandregulationsthataredetrimentaltonewrivals.1

Allthreetypesofpresentationuseborrowedideas,butonlyaquotationusesborrowed

words.Youcanmixanotherwriter'swords intoyoursummaryorparaphrase,butyou

must show the specific borrowing in quotation marks. Here is our example summary

withatouchofquotationthrownin:

Stiglersays

that

the

economic

interests

with

sufficient

"power

to

utilize

the

state"

will

seekregulationthatoperatestoreducethethreatofcompetitionfrompotentialrivals.1

This is legitimate.However,the followingmixtureofparaphraseandunacknowledged

quotations (theexactwords from theoriginalareunderlined) isnot legitimateand, if

detectedwillincurapenalty.

AccordingtoStigler,economic intereststhathaveenoughpoliticalpowertoutilizethe

state will use that power to control entry. In addition, they will try toencourage the

creationofregulationswhichretardtherateofgrowthofnewfirms.1

Thewriterofsuchasentencewouldbeintroublewhetherornotshehadincludedthe

footnoteorendnoteattheendofthesupposedparaphrasebecauseshehasusedexact

wordingwithoutquotationmarks.(Seethediscussionofplagiarism laterinthiscourse

outline.)

FramingYourPresentation.Whether youquote, summarise, orparaphrase,you must

givedueattributiontoyoursource,byframingtheborrowedideawithanintroduction


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25

and a footnote/endnote. Your endnote must include a specific reference to the text

fromwhichyouborrowedthematerial includingpagenumbers.Keep inmindthat, in

theabsenceofaquotation,thereference ina footnoteorendnoterefersonlyto the

single sentence that the notation follows. Of course, quotation marks or block

indentations indicatethe lengthofaquotation.Butsummariesandparaphrasesdon't

havesuch

ready

mechanical

indicators.

However,

you

can

frame

aborrowing

(especially

a summary or paraphrase) with an introduction and a footnote. An introduction like

"Stigler argues" or "According to Christopher Hood, Stigler argues" will indicate the

beginning of a borrowing, and the footnote/endnote reference will indicate the end.

Thenthefootnotereferenceappliestotheentireborrowing.

Framing Hints. To work borrowed material into your papers, you must frame it

gracefully as well as responsibly. There are many varied ways to frame a quotation,

paraphrase,orsummary.Hereisanexampleofthemostcommonapproach:

According toStigler,"every industryoroccupation thathasenoughpoliticalpower to

utilizethestatewillseektocontrolentry.Inaddition,theregulatorypolicywilloftenbe

sofashionedastoretardtherateofgrowthofnewfirms."1

Don'trelysolelyonthisframe,oryourwritingwillseemmechanicalandmonotonous.

Consider the alternatives below, and also note how the authors of your reading

assignmentsframetheirreferencestoothers.

Variationsonthe"Accordingto"frame:

It was Mancur Olson who first pointed out that "unless the number of individuals is

quitesmall,

or

unless

there

is

coercion

or

some

other

special

device

to

make

individuals

act intheircommon interest,rationalselfinterested individualswillnotacttoachieve

theircommonorgroupinterests."1

In their article, "Institutional Perspectives on Political Institutions", March and Olsen

contrastthebargainingorexchangeaccountofpoliticswithaninstitutionalstorywhich

"characterizes politics in a more integrative fashion, emphasising the creation of

identitiesandinstitutionsaswellastheirstructuringeffectonpoliticallife."1

TheInterruptingFrame:

"Tales of monumental blunders, blatant self interest and corruption, selfdestructive

organizational civil wars and feuds, astonishing failures to look ahead or take any

initiativeinthefaceofthemostpressingproblemsare,"asChristopherHoodarguesin

TheArtoftheState,"farfromunusualinmostsocieties."1

TheSeparateSentenceFrame:


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26

"If bureaucrats are ordinary men, they will make most (not all) of their decisions in

termsofwhatbenefitsthem,notsocietyasawhole."1 Intheseterms,GordonTullock

makesadeparture from theorthodoxassumption inpublicadministration thatpublic

servantsactinthepublicinterest.

Errorsto

Avoid.

Errors

in

presentation

and

documentation

range

from

minor

ones

that

meritanadmonishmentandapointortwodeductiontomajoroneslikeplagiarismthat

willresultinzerogradesandreferencetotheExaminationsCommittee.

MinorErrorsFormat.Ononeendofthespectrumareminorerrorsinformat.Thereare

formatsinallpartsoflife:don'teatpeaswithaknife;don'tbeginabibliographyentry

withanauthor'sfirstname.Forthosewhoignoreformats,punishmentsrangefroman

admonishmenttoadeductionofafewpointsfromapaper'sgrade.

Major ErrorsPlagiarism. At the opposite end of the trouble spectrum is plagiarism.

Plagiarism

involves

presenting

someone

else's

words

or

ideas

without

giving

proper

credit.Therefore,youobviouslyplagiarize (a) if youpresent someoneelse's wordsas

thoughtheywereyourown(byseemingtosummarizeorparaphrasewheninfactyou

quotedirectly)or (b) ifyoupresentsomeoneelse's ideaswithoutgivingpropercredit

(by failingtodocumentatall).Punishmentdependsontheextentoftheoffence.But

youshouldrealizethis:anyplagiarismviolatesacademic integrity,soanythingbeyond

themostminor,accidental

plagiarismwillusuallyresultinazerogradeforapaper,withnochancetorewrite.

Major ErrorsOther. On the trouble spectrum between minor errors and plagiarism,

there are other serious errors that can bring severe punishment. All of them breach

academicintegrity

(making

azero

grade

possible)

and

any

of

them

could

be

evidence

of

cheating. Aswithplagiarism, theextent of theerrorwill determine the extentof the

punishment.

BlanketNotes.Rememberthat,exceptwithquotations,afootnoteorendnotegenerally

covers only the preceding sentence. The old student standby device of putting a

notationattheendofaparagraphtodocumentsomethingintheparagraphjustwon't

work.Theproblemcould,ofcourse, simplybe sloppypresentation,or the sloppiness

couldbeinterpretedasanattempttodisguisecheating.Avoidthetroublebyusingthe

frameofintroductionandparentheticalnotationtoindicatewhereaborrowingbegins

andends.

Wrongly Attributed Borrowing. You must attribute the material you borrow to the

source youactually use. For example, you find in a book by Smith a quotation Smith

borrowed from another book by Jones. If you use the Jones quotation, you must

documenttheborrowingasmaterialfromJonesthatyoufoundinabookbySmith.You

cannot,however,documentthepassageasifyouhadfounditinthebookbyJonesor


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27

asifSmithhimselfhadwrittenit.Eitherofthesewaysmisattributesthequotation,and

youcouldbeaccusedofdeceivingyourreaderbyclaimingyou'dreadJones'book.

PaddedBibliographies.Ifyouuseasimpleonepartbibliography,youmustlistonlythe

worksyouactuallycite inyourpaper.Youcannot listotherworksyoudidn'tcitebut

whichyou

think

the

reader

should

be

aware

of.

Listing

works

not

cited

in

the

paper

gives

theappearancethatyou'vedonemoreworkthanyoureallyhave.Sohowcanyoushow

works that influenced you but that you didn't borrow material from? Use a twopart

bibliography, the first part called "Works Cited" and the second part called "Works

Consulted."


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GT24M PEER EVALUATION FORID #: ____________

This form is OPTIONAL if the group feels that everyone has contributed equally. Otherwise, EACH grcomplete and submit this form inside the project package. For the sake of confidentiality, a group memberevaluation form in a sealed envelope then place that envelope in the project package. Loose/emailed evalu

1. For each of three characteristics below, please rate each team members project participation (including your1 = Absolutely NOT 3 = Somewhat 5 = Absolutely

2. Distribute 100 points among all group members including you. For example, if you feel everyone contributed get 25% in a 4-person group, or 33.3% in a 3-person group.

Team Member Name Effort:The extent towhich an individualcommunicated andshared ideas with theteam.

Competence:The extentto which an individualapplied the requisiteability/skill/knowledge toproject tasks

Commitment:Theextent to which anindividual could bedepended on tocomplete assigned tasks

Perce(%

Contri

1 (Your Name)1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5


29/30

2.(Team Member Name)1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

3. (Team Member Name)1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

4. Team Member Name)1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 5 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5


30/30

RESEARCH TOPIC

Sub-Area that you will be covering

INDIVIDUAL

NULL HYPOTHESIS AND ALTERNATIVE

HYPOTHESIS HERE (The hypothesis and

alternative hypothesis that you will he testing)

Note: The Hypothesis, Conceptualization and Operationalization

of the dependent and independent variable(s) can either be located

in the Introduction or Research Design Section. However your

individual hypothesis MUST be repeated here.

ID Number

govt2013[1] course outline

Documents