How can we use quantitative data to study current political and societal challenges? This MA seminar introduces students to applied quantitative research in political science, with a focus on contemporary questions related to democracy and sustainability. We will examine how researchers move from a substantive puzzle to a researchable question, how they choose appropriate data and designs, and how empirical evidence can be used to evaluate competing explanations.

The course combines discussion of key methodological tools with hands-on research practice. Students will learn how to formulate testable expectations, assess measurement strategies, evaluate research designs, analyse quantitative evidence, and communicate empirical findings. Substantive examples will address topics such as democratic attitudes, political polarisation, climate politics, social movements, policy reforms, and citizens’ responses to environmental and democratic crises.

A central element of the seminar is group-based project work. Student groups will develop their own empirical research projects, using different quantitative approaches such as survey research, experimental designs, field-based interventions, or observational data. Throughout the semester, groups will refine their research questions, make design choices, discuss practical and ethical constraints, analyse data where feasible, and reflect on what their evidence can and cannot show.

By the end of the course, students should be able to design and evaluate applied quantitative research projects, understand the strengths and limits of different empirical strategies, and present quantitative findings clearly to an academic audience. The course is aimed at students who want to become more confident users and producers of empirical research on pressing questions in democracy and sustainability. 

Kurs im HIS-LSF