ECPR Methods School

Gain advanced understanding and applied skills in conducting qualitative content analysis, thematic analysis, cross-case analysis and grounded theory using NVivo.

Learn about regression analysis using R with a focus on demonstrating its usefulness in policy analysis and other fields. You will learn to use various data and models to determine when and how regression can be applied effectively.

This course introduces you to the concept of a case, before delving into various approaches to selection, case analysis and integration with other qualitative methods.

Learn a number of state-of-the-art tools to establish causal relations in the social sciences, with a focus on intuition.

Learn how to collect and analyse big data, apply current methods for analysing textual data, link machine learning methods to relevant social science questions and program in R.

Acquire the skills to apply the Critical Discourse Analysis/Discourse-Historical Approach to analyse contemporary political discourse in your research.

You will gain a practical understanding of the typical steps of an interpretive research process – from how to formulate an interpretive research question to how to present and document interpretive analyses.

Gain a deep understanding of interviewing as a data collection method by developing your skills in designing interview protocols, dealing with the practicalities of conducting interviews, managing personal interactions and strengthening reflexivity.

Learn about the logic and basic notions of conjoint analysis (CJA), and how to apply these by looking at different applications of conjoint analysis within the field of behavioural sciences.

Learn the basics of qualitative comparative analysis and how to apply it in your research project.

Learn how to approach the most common analysis tasks in R with confidence, from exporting your results from R to writing an academic paper or report using Rmarkdown.

Learn about what constitutes 'Machine Learning', the varying model types and how to construct and run different methods using social scientific data-sets.

Learn more about political narratives, focusing on methodology, epistemology, and analysis.

Learn how to consolidate and enrich the mixed and multimethod skills of researchers, so that you may implement richer and more robust designs in your projects.

Learn how to specify, estimate and interpret multilevel models, ranging from simple two-level random intercept models to more complex ones (including three-level, logistic or longitudinal models).

Learn a wide range of panel data methods estimated with Ordinary Least Squares Regression and how to apply these to substantive research questions for dependent variables that are continuous.

Learn about when process tracing can be used and how it can be applied most effectively. Experience the key aspects of process tracing through practical, hands-on advice and techniques that can be applied in your own research project.

Gain a solid foundation and applied skills in the basic NVivo features for planning, conducting and reporting qualitative data analysis in your research.

Learn to understand political science literatures using common quantitative text analysis approaches and how to interpret the results with the most common methods used by social scientists.

Learn how to conduct applied social network analysis in various social scientific disciplines and practices, while gaining an understanding of theory-driven research questions with scalable computational tools and empirical data.

This course will provide you with the essential knowledge and skills to effectively plan, design and conduct your own surveys.