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POL20050

Academic Year 2026/2027

Research Methods in Political Science (POL20050)

Subject:
Politics
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Politics & Int Relations
Level:
2 (Intermediate)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Giuseppe Zaccaria
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
Blended
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module introduces students to the philosophy and practice of social science and to commonly used statistical techniques in political science research. Students will learn how to pose interesting, answerable, and focused research questions, develop answers by generating theory-driven hypotheses, operationalize concepts, construct valid and reliable measures, and finally work with data. The module will cover quantitative methods, including basic statistical analysis, from describing and visualizing patterns in numerical data to regression analysis. Students will also be introduced to statistical programming for research in political science.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to:
- Understand the principles of good research design in politics;
- Have a basic understanding of causal inference and the logic of social scientific inquiry;
- Be able to calculate and interpret statistical results;
- Be able to implement and interpret a statistical analysis.
- Appreciate the practicalities of ethics and dissemination in politics research.

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Computer Aided Lab

8
Autonomous Student Learning

70
Total

102

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Students should rely on readings, lectures and tutorials for learning. There will be readings assigned for each week and students are expected to complete this before the lecture. Teaching will give equal importance to theory and practice of statistical/research methods. MCQs will test the breadth of students' knowledge and the term paper will test the ability of students to apply theory on statistical methods on a real world data set using the statistical program of instruction.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Recommendations:

Students who attempt this module must have completed POL10170 Foundations in Political Research or any Social Sciences Stage 1 research method module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Equivalents:
Analysing Politics (POL27050)


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Quizzes/Short Exercises: Four tutorial exercises. Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Graded No
20
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Research design analysis project Week 12 Graded No
30
 No
Exam (In-person): Final MCQ Exam. End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
 Graded No
50
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Tutors will inform students their feedback strategies.

Name Role
Ms Yuko Conlon Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Arya Pillai Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 12:00 - 12:50
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Tues 12:00 - 12:50
Spring Computer Aided Lab Offering 1 Week(s) - 21, 23, 25, 29, 31 Tues 13:00 - 13:50
Spring Computer Aided Lab Offering 3 Week(s) - 22, 24, 26, 30, 32 Tues 13:00 - 13:50
Spring Computer Aided Lab Offering 4 Week(s) - 21, 23, 25, 29, 31 Wed 11:00 - 11:50
Spring Computer Aided Lab Offering 5 Week(s) - 22, 24, 26, 30, 32 Wed 11:00 - 11:50
Spring Computer Aided Lab Offering 6 Week(s) - 21, 23, 25, 29, 31 Thurs 10:00 - 10:50
Spring Computer Aided Lab Offering 7 Week(s) - 21, 23, 25, 29, 31 Thurs 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Computer Aided Lab Offering 8 Week(s) - 22, 24, 26, 30, 32 Thurs 10:00 - 10:50
Spring Computer Aided Lab Offering 9 Week(s) - 21, 23, 25, 29, 31 Thurs 13:00 - 13:50
Spring Computer Aided Lab Offering 10 Week(s) - 22, 24, 26, 30, 32 Thurs 13:00 - 13:50
Spring Computer Aided Lab Offering 11 Week(s) - 21, 23, 25, 29, 31 Tues 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Computer Aided Lab Offering 12 Week(s) - 22, 24, 26, 30, 32 Tues 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Computer Aided Lab Offering 13 Week(s) - 22, 24, 26, 30, 32 Thurs 14:00 - 14:50
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