Case Study and Small-N Methods (409-0-20)

Instructors

James Mahoney
847/491-2626
Scott Hall, Room 402, Evanston Campus
Office Hours: http://www.polisci.northwestern.edu/people/core-faculty/james-mahoney.html

Meeting Info

Scott Hall 212: Tues 9:00AM - 11:50AM

Overview of class

This seminar offers a broad and advanced introduction to the field of comparative and case study methodology. The emphasis is on what are conventionally regarded in political science as "qualitative" methods for the analysis of a relatively small number of cases. In sociology, this field is generally known as comparative-historical methodology. The course focuses on recent methodological writing, though a few classical pieces are also included. The readings are not specific to any substantive subfield in political science or sociology. The course assumes no prior background in qualitative methodology, but the material is advanced. This course is co-listed as POLI_SCI 409-0-20 and SOCIOL 476-0-21.

Registration Requirements

Political Science and Sociology graduate students only
Attendance at first class required

Learning Objectives

The goal is to prepare students to carry out case study and small-N research projects.

Teaching Method

Seminar

Evaluation Method

Seminar participation, papers/assignments, and final exam

Class Materials (Required)

Henry Brady and David Collier, eds., Rethinking Social Inquiry: Diverse Tools, Shared Standards, second ed. (Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, 2010). ISBN 978-1-4422-0344-0

Gary Goertz and James Mahoney, A Tale of Two Cultures: Qualitative and Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012). ISBN 9780691149707

Class Notes

Graduate students