Quantitative Methods IV

(4 Credits)

This course covers the relationship between applied theory and empirical methods. In recent decades, both the expression of theories and the empirical tools employed in the social sciences have grown increasingly quantitative. Yet, efforts to bridge such theories and empirical methods remain quite limited. This course will help students start to “put it all together” by studying the intersection between theory and empirical research methods. The course is framed with select topics from the philosophy of science. The bulk of the course will examine and contrast reduced form and structural approaches to the integration of theory and empirics. As part of this course, students will develop a paper or research design that builds upon the approaches and tools used in this course.