A basic course on the nature and purpose of our U.S. political system; includes the Constitution, institutions, processes and persons that combine to form our federal government. The student is exposed to a variety of approaches to political study.

This course examines the major social science perspectives in conjunction with an instruction in the logic and procedures of gathering information about social phenomena. The course covers such topics as: the logic of the scientific method, research design, hypotheses formation, theory and methods of scaling, and research analysis.

Also offered as S250. Prerequisite: ST132 or ST232.

This course offers a working experience in the purpose and tools of qualitative field methods. The course covers rapport, methods of observation, field notes, data coding and analysis, ethnography, focus groups and interviews, as well as an introduction to quasi-experimentation.

Offered fall semester. Also offered as S350. Prerequisite: PS242/S250.

This course is designed to develop student facility in the use of statistical methods and the understanding of statistical concepts. The course takes a practical approach based on statistical examples taken from everyday life. Topics include: descriptive and inferential statistics, an intuitive introduction to probability, estimation, hypothesis testing, chi-square tests, regression and correlation. Appropriate technology is used to perform the calculations for many applications, and correspondingly an emphasis is placed on interpreting the results of statistical procedures.

Credit is not granted for this course and any of the following: BU215, B392 or ST232. Prerequisite: mathematics competency.