Political scientists use quantitative data analysis to understand a wide range of topics, including the role of immigration in voters’ electoral...

Political scientists use quantitative data analysis to understand a wide range of topics, including the role of immigration in voters’ electoral behaviour, or the extent to which women are underrepresented in parliaments around the world. This module is designed to introduce you to and help you become familiar with quantitative data analysis methods. It provides you with insights into concepts such as causal inference and statistical uncertainty, and explores a range of basic quantitative research methods. The central aim is to show you how understanding quantitative data and methods can help us answer big questions about the political world. You will leave this module with a better understanding of how to be a savvy consumer of quantitative work, and with some introductory tools with which to undertake quantitative research on political questions. You will also acquire competency in performing statistical analyses using a popular statistical program (R).

This course explores the phenomenon of populism and its relationship to globalisation, particularly as it has played out in Europe and the Americas in the 21st...

This course explores the phenomenon of populism and its relationship to globalisation, particularly as it has played out in Europe and the Americas in the 21st century thus far. What is populism? Is populism mainly a response to globalisation? How does populism impact on democracy? To address these and related questions, we will talk about migration, economic insecurity, political dissatisfaction, liberal democracy and much more. In the course of doing so, we will zoom in on many recent developments, such as the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union, left-wing populism in Latin America, and the rise of far-right political parties in Europe. At the end of the course, you will have a critical awareness of the phenomenon of populism and the role of globalisation, and an informed understanding of the causes and consequences of populism within contemporary European and American societies.