(POLSCI 690-5) Experiments: Design and Analysis
This course focuses on the experimental method in social sciences, specifically the design, implementation and analysis of field experiments. The course introduces practical coding skills and key concepts like potential outcomes, types of random assignment, identification assumptions like excludability and non-interference, estimation of effects and hypothesis testing, use of covariates to gain precision and validate design, how to deal with issues of non-compliance, attrition and spillovers, what to make of experimental results (generalizability), and the ethics of fieldwork (informed consent, mutually valuable partnerships). The course is designed for graduate students conducting experiments, practitioners interested in RCT-based evaluations, and advanced undergraduates with interests in impact evaluation.
(POLSCI 114) Introduction to Political Attitudes, Groups and Behaviors
Why do identities become salient in politics, and how do they shape political attitudes and behavior? This introductory course focuses on identities like ethnicity, race, gender, and partisanship in democracies across the world. The semester is split into four components: first we conceptualize identities and political behavior; next, we examine various ways in which identity-related behaviors can be measured; then understand why some identities become politically salient; and finally, consider the impact of those identities on political behavior, policy preferences, social trust, and discrimination.