New York University - Abu Dhabi

POLSC-AD 209 Data Analysis

Social scientists and policy analysts rely heavily on research drawing on observational data. Students learn to manage and analyze such data and to deploy statistical techniques that are common in these applications, with an emphasis on how to translate social science theory into empirical research. Topics include review of basic regression analysis, building multivariate analytical models, and regression analysis with limited dependent variables. The course emphasizes practical training in these skills as well as evaluation, replication, and critical analysis of research conducted in the social science literature.

POLSC-AD 400 Capstone Seminar and POLSC-AD401 Capstone Project

Students develop a research question, construct a research design that allows them to test potential answers to that question, collect relevant data, analyze the results, and write a senior thesis.

CORES-AD 58 Randomness

Does randomness actually exist, or is it a human theoretical construction? How does our understanding of randomness condition our ability to make sense of the world? This course will explore the role of randomness in human experience and agency, probing how our understanding of chance affects how we produce meaning and knowledge. We start by looking at how early cultures thought about and reacted to randomness and also consider later efforts to reify uncertainty with mathematics. Then, we will examine how scientists and artists manipulate chance in their work, and build on those efforts using interactive simulations and course projects

POLSC-AD 161 Comparative Politics of Africa

The goal of this course is to introduce participants to the study of African politics from multiple methodological approaches and in a number of African contexts. The course begins with the historical roots of contemporary African politics, exploring how pre-colonial institutions and colonialism shaped African politics at independence. Then, we survey the political and economic strategies of leaders post-independence and the factors shaping those strategies. We examine the causes and consequences of poor governance, and evaluate the recent patterns of democratization on the continent. The course closes with a discussion of present-day challenges: electoral malfeasance, public health crises, the “new” populism, and China in Africa. 

Data Links for Students

Dataset of political science datasets

Erik Gahner’s extensive PolData resource (with links to original sources)