1. What is Political Science and Why Do We Compare?
NOTE:
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2. Reading Quiz
Log on to Socrative Student and complete the 8/18 Reading Quiz
If you do not have a device, follow along with me on a sheet of paper
8/18 Reading Quiz

3. The Study of Political Science
Political Science uses the scientific method
That means that political scientists don’t just make random assumptions or generalizations
They come up with a hypothesis and TEST it using DATA
Quantitative v. Qualitative Data
Quantitative = numbers and other statistical data
Qualitative = interviews, opinion polls, social behavior, etc.
Political Scientists can use BOTH

4. Are you ready to act like political scientists?
You will be put into groups of 4
Each group will be given the same question about the United Kingdom.
Start by looking up background information on the CIA World FactBook  United Kingdom
Your job is to review the background information and come up with a hypothesis.
After you have come up with your hypothesis, you need to test it! Go to the websites listed on the paper and see if your hypothesis is true using the data you find there.
At each step of the scientific process, your group needs to fill out the scientific method chart to share with the class.

5. Let’s Share your Results!

6. Why Do We Use Comparison in Political Science?
Comparison gives us a deeper understanding of countries – deeper than description
Countries do not exist in a vacuum – they are constantly affected by internal and external factors
Comparison can help political scientists exclude variables and can strengthen their analysis

7. Are You Ready to Compare?
Get back into your groups of 4
You will be given another research question, but this time we will be comparing 2 countries.
You will go through the same process that you did the first time
Research background info – CIA World FactBook Again
Formulate an hypothesis
Test your hypothesis using data
Make a conclusion

8. Let’s Share Your results Again!

9. Answer the following questions on a piece of paper:
Debrief
Answer the following questions on a piece of paper:
What did your group do BEFORE you made any hypothesis or conclusion?
Once you came up with a hypothesis, what did you have to do to make sure it was correct?
Were your hypotheses 100% correct each time?
Now find someone in a different group and discuss your answer to the 1st question for 1 minute.
Find someone in another different group and discuss your answer to the 2nd question for 1 minute.
Find one more person from a different group and discuss your answer to the 3rd question for 1 minute.

10. Moving Forward
This is the type of analysis you will be expected to do throughout the year.
You ALWAYS need to have background information and data before you make any conclusions about a question that is posed.
If you don’t have data to back up your argument, then its not an argument, its an opinion.

11. Key Terms You Need to Know to Understand this Course
State
Political power exercised over a defined geographic territory through a set of political institutions
Nation
A human community with a shared culture and history
Government
Collections of individuals who hold public office or exercise state power
Regime
Sets of rules and institutions that control access to and exercise of political power that endure from government to government

12. Types of Questions We Will Ask
Empirical – What is?
Normative – What Should Be?
Empirical questions describe and explain facts
These are the kind of questions that we have been looking at today
These questions often use deductive reasoning and the scientific method to come to a conclusion
Normative questions deal with value states like right v. wrong or good v. bad
These questions can also be useful, because people often make decisions based on the norms that they know (their morals or culture)
These questions may not have a right or wrong answer – they are subjective and that’s ok

13. Vocab Heads-Up Get back into your groups of 4
You will be given a set of flashcards with words listed on them
One person will hold all of the cards up to their forehead – with the word facing their group (you shouldn’t be able to see the words)
The group will have 30 seconds to give the cardholder clues or definitions to help them guess the word on the card
The group who finishes first wins!

14. Homework Finish the following readings:
Kesselman pp “Britain”
Kesselman pp – “Mexico”