POLI100X: Data Analysis & U.S. Politics

Course Description

This course examines electoral and legislative politics in the United States from a quantitative, analytical point of view.  Through lecture, discussion, and applied empirical exercises, students will use data science tools to collect, analyze, and visualize political data in order to understand major questions in American politics.  The course emphasizes both technical skill and empirical reasoning: students will learn how to estimate and interpret statistical models, evaluate research design, assess limitations, and consider extensions of published work.  Substantively, the course covers a variety of topics such as elections, representation, congressional behavior, and polarization, with particular attention to how empirical political science has improved on earlier findings and expanded our understanding of U.S. politics.