This course is designed to provide you with the tools to understand and evaluate empirical studies in the social studies. It will also include some basic statistical tests which are employed in quantitative analysis. The ultimate aim is to demonstrate that there are political phenomena which are amenable to study through the use of the scientific method and that there are more or less appropriate statistics and methods which can be employed in that pursuit. To that end, we will examine the philosophy of science, research methods (surveys, experiments, etc.), and basic statistics. An integral part of the course will be to design a research project on a topic of your choice.