• Unit 1: Social Science and Comparative Politics

    Effective comparative study of political systems is rooted in the scientific method. In this unit, we offer an overview and brief history of scientific inquiry and research methods. We build on these themes as we focus on the comparative method and outline several positivist models of comparison employed by political scientists.

    As you review the material, think about how the comparative scientific study of politics differs from scientific inquiry in the natural world. Should we use the same research methods to study politics, as a scientist studying microbes or global climate change? Can we study the world of comparative politics objectively, as it exists, or try to derive better political models and outcomes?

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 4 hours.

    • Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

      • describe the scientific method;
      • differentiate between scientific laws and theories;
      • differentiate between inductive and deductive thinking;
      • define explanatory, exploratory, and descriptive research;
      • differentiate between positivist, anti-positivist and post-positivist methods;
      • differentiate between Mill's "Method of Agreement” and "Direct Method of Difference";
      • define comparative politics; and
      • identify and explain various comparative methodologies used to compare various political systems.

    • 1.1: Social Science Basics

      • Science and Scientific Research URL

        Read Chapter 1. Be sure you understand what differentiates the study of natural science from that of social science. You should also be able to distinguish between exploratory, explanatory, and descriptive research. Make sure you have a clear understanding of the following terms: rationalism, positivism, antipositivism, post-positivism, and critical theory.

      • Thinking Like a Researcher URL

        Read Chapter 2. Be sure you have a clear understanding of the following terms: theory, unit of analysis, variable, independent variable, dependent variable, intervening variable, deduction, and induction.

    • 1.2: Comparative Methodology

      • Comparative Analysis within Political Science Page
        Read this article. What arguments does the author make in favor of comparative analysis as a valuable component of political research?
      • Mill's Methods: How We Determine the Causes of Events Page

        Watch this video, which includes an introduction to the political philosopher John Stuart Mill who was a pioneer in the field of comparative politics. The comparative method, also known as Mill’s methods, involves determining the causes of political phenomena (i.e. the occurrence of democracy).

        Mill's comparative method are the Method of Agreement and the Method of Difference. Political scientists use these methods to collect observations of the world and use them to identify the causes of political events.

      • Causal Reasoning Page

        Read this article.

      • Evaluating Research Methods of Comparative Politics Page

        Read this article. What argument does the author make about the strengths and weaknesses of each research method?

    • Unit 1 Assessments

      • Unit 1 Multiple Choice Assessment Quiz
        Receive a grade

        Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.

        • This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
        • You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
        • You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.
      • Unit 1 Short Answer Assessment Quiz
        Receive a grade

        Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.

        • This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
        • You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
        • You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.