Quantitative methods
Study Board of Political Science, Journalism, Sociology, and European Studies
Teaching language: English
EKA: B450000102, B450000112
Censorship: Second examiner: Internal, Second examiner: None
Grading: 7-point grading scale, Pass/Fail
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Autumn
Level: Master
Course ID: B450000101
ECTS value: 10
Date of Approval: 13-03-2018
Duration: 1 semester
Course ID
Course Title
Teaching language
ECTS value
Responsible study board
Date of Approval
Course Responsible
Offered in
Level
Offered in
Duration
Mandatory prerequisites
Recommended prerequisites
General knowledge of research design benefits the successful completion of this course.
This course requires collaborative skills for group work, academic writing and general computer skills.
Aim and purpose
The course offers an introduction to quantitative methods for social scientists required to carry out and interpret analyses of quantitative datasets. This methodological course is designed to introduce the core concepts in applied statistics for social scientists and enable students to use statistical software. The sessions are set up to build a core understanding of the concepts and tool-set that can be used (and further extended) in applied statistical analysis. Hence, students working with data and adopting a quantitative analysis for their Master’s thesis or larger research projects will gain training in working on such projects. Furthermore, the course also equips students to interpret and critically assess empirical research that applies quantitative estimation methods. Accordingly, the aim of the course is to make students acquainted with: the possibilities and limitations of quantitative statistical analysis, the quantities of interest in basic statistical analyses, the interpretation of the estimated quantities, and the links between substantive theory and transposition into statistical analysis.
Connection with other courses: By providing students with the basic instruments of statistical analysis, the course is fulfilling a dual aim: on the one hand, students will be able to perform their own analyses for tasks required in other courses or for their own Master thesis. On the other hand, students will be able to understand the arguments, empirical methods and evidence in research papers used for other courses.
Labour market relevance: This course aims at students that would like to work in governmental and non-governmental positions in which they need to form an opinion about and decide on the implementation and modification of specific instruments on the grounds of statistical information and quantitative analyses provided by experts. Furthermore, the course provides an academic base for students that want to pursue a scientific career by providing them with the skills to conduct quantitative research for academic audiences and decision-makers.
Content
The central subject-related topics discussed:
- Statistical inference: core goals and working with data
- Descriptive statistics
- Analysis of association
- Hypothesis testing and uncertainty
- Bivariate regression analysis
- Multivariate regression analysis
- Assumptions of OLS and violations of assumptions
- Conditional relationships: using interactions
- Models for categorical outcomes – logistic regressions
- Outlook into advanced topics, such as multilevel & panel data analysis
This course offers a combination of theory of quantitative methods and its practical application. Thus, topics will be discussed initially in a lecture format with applied examples and then implemented by students using statistical software (i.e. STATA) in excercise hours, so extended focus will be designated to working with data individually and in groups.
Learning goals
Description of outcome - Knowledge
Knowledge that enables the student to:
- understand the principles of statistical analysis
- discuss and understand core quantities and concepts in statistical analysis
- interpret results from statistical analysis
Description of outcome - Skills
Skills that enables students to:
- analyze and critically assess scientific articles using the statistical methods taught in the course
- find and select suitable data for their own research projects
- select the appropriate methods and statistical models for their research questions assessed in a quantitative manner
Description of outcome - Competences
Literature
Agresti, Alan, and Barbara Finlay (latest version). Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Longest, Kyle C. latest edition.Using Stata for Quantitative Analysis . Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
The textbooks stated are preliminary and may be changed as specified in the syllabus.
In addition to the textbooks above, social science articles (on average 30 pages) that use the method(s) discussed at the particular meeting, or specialized methodological articles will be incorporated into the syllabus. The empirical applications will focus on social policy research.
Overall, the reading adds up to around 1000 pages.
Teaching Method
The course consists of a mix of interactive lectures and exercise sessions in which students apply the presented analytical concepts to datasets, using the statistical software STATA. There will be a mid-term paper which is mandatory. Mid-term papers may be resubmitted once.
Workload
A 10 ECTS course entails a total workload of 270 hours. These are divided between different learning activities and below follows an estimation for the average student:
Activity Hours
Face-to-face lectures 30
Exercise classes 20
Preparation for lectures and exercise classes 139
Mid-term paper 30
Exam preparation 50
Exam 1
Total 270
15 sessions of 2 hours each.
Examination regulations
Exam
Name
Exam
Timing
Exam: January
Reexam: February
Rules
-3 is not allowed, 00 is not allowed
Tests
Exam
Name
Exam
Form of examination
Oral examination with preparation
Censorship
Second examiner: Internal
Grading
7-point grading scale
Identification
Student Identification Card - Date of birth
Language
English
Preparation
20 minutes.
Duration
20 minutes.
Examination aids
No exam aids allowed.
ECTS value
9
Additional information
Form of examination at the re-exam can be changed.
Registration for the course is automatically a registration for the ordinary examination in the course. Cancellation is not possible. If the student does not participate in the examination, the student will use an examination attempt.
The university may grant an exemption from the rules in case of exceptional circumstances.
EKA
B450000102
Mandatory assignment
Name
Mandatory assignment
Form of examination
Compulsory assignment
Censorship
Second examiner: None
Grading
Pass/Fail
Identification
Student Identification Card - Exam number
Language
English
Duration
-
Length
The assignment must be maximum 7 pages (each 2,400 key strokes) including spaces, notes and appendixes but excluding table of content, reference list and computer code.
ECTS value
1
Additional information
Take-home assignment carried out by the students individually, pass/fail
The take-home assignment is a practical one using all concepts covered until the assignment is published in an applied setting. Students are required to use the data supplied with the assignment to answer and interpret the questions. Students are expected to send along the computer code used to carry out the analysis.
After the deadline, the take-home assignment will be discussed and solved in class in order to prepare for the oral exam. Failed papers can be resubmitted once in a revised version.
Students who fail to pass the mandatory assignment will have a second attempt during the semester at passing it. Third attempt in part 1 is placed in June on the basis of renewed exam registration.
EKA
B450000112
External comment
NOTE - This course is identical with the former course 97014401, Quantitative methods.
Used examination attempts in the former identical course will be transferred.
Courses that are identical with former courses that are passed according to applied rules cannot be retaken.
The student is automatically registered for the first examination attempt when the student is registered for a course or course element with which one or more examinations are associated. Withdrawal of registration is not possible, and students who fail to participate in an examination have used one examination attempt, unless the University has made an exemption due to special circumstances.
If a student does not meet the established university prerequisites for taking the exam, he or she has used one examination attempt, unless the University has made an exemption due to special circumstances.
Courses offered
| Offer period | Offer type | Profile | Education | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2018 | Mandatory | Master of Social Sciences in Comparative Public Policy and Welfare Studies valid from September 2016 | Comparative Public and Welfare Studies | Master of Science (MSc) in Comparative Public Policy and Welfare Studies | Odense | 1 |