PS 230
PS 230, also known as Study of Politics, is a course in political research and statistics offered at Knox. It counts for 1 credit. It is currently taught by Andy Civettini, but was most recently taught by Randall Smith.
Course Description
Official Course Description
"This course provides an introduction to how political scientists study political phenomena. Students receive an orientation to various print, electronic, archival, and statistical political resources. The course surveys various qualitative (ethnography, historical/archival, comparative, elite interviewing) and quantitative (secondary data analysis, survey research) research methods. Students use SPSS for univariate and bivariate analysis of political data"[1]
Credits and Prerequisites
The course is worth one credit. It does not satisfy any Foundation Requirements or Competency Requirements. It is required to complete a Political Science major, a Comparative Politics minor, an International Relations major or minor, and an Integrated International Studies major. The prerequisite is PS 101.
Texts
For Sections Taught by Randall Smith
- Salkind, Neil J. (2006). "Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics." ISBN 978-1412924818.
- Cozby, Paul C. (2006). "Methods of Behavioral Research." ISBN 978-0073531816.
For Sections Taught by Andy Civettini
Course Format
For Sections Taught by Randall Smith
The course begins with a general discussion of behavioral research and background information for the setting of a study, designed for political science majors with no background in psychology or political study. The remainder of the course is comprised of statistics, as they apply to political science study. There is a term paper of approximately 6 pages in which the student must design a study and write a research proposal.
For Sections Taught by Andy Civettini
Course Schedule
Due to the significant turnover in this particular part of the Political Science department – with Sean Matheson, Randall Smith, and Andy Civettini cycling through the position – the scheduling for this course has been erratic. A planned offering of the course in Spring Term 2006 was cancelled due to Matheson's resignation. Civettini has expanded the instructional time of the course to a MTWF schedule from an originally typical MWF schedule.
2007-2008
| Term | Section | Days | Period | Location | Instructor |
| Spring 2008 | 1 | MTWF | 3 | Andy Civettini | |
| Spring 2008 | 2 | MTWF | 5 | Andy Civettini |
2006-2007
| Term | Section | Days | Period | Location | Instructor |
| Spring 2007 | 1 | MWF | 1 | GDH 110 | Randall Smith |
| Spring 2007 | 2 | MWF | 2 | GDH 110 | Randall Smith |
2005-2006
Not offered
2004-2005
| Term | Section | Days | Period | Location | Instructor |
| Spring 2005 | 1 | MWF | 3 | GDH 103 | Sean Matheson |
| Spring 2005 | 2 | MWF | 4 | GDH 303 | Sean Matheson |
