Experimental Methods in the Social Sciences

This course will introduce students to the logic, design, and implementation of experiments for social science research. We will begin by developing an understanding of how experimental research designs can address some of the central threats to causal identification, such as selection and omitted variables bias. Students will then engage with scholarship that has utilized experimental research designs to produce theoretical insights about topics ranging from social stratification to the dynamics of cultural markets to political mobilization. This course will also cover techniques for analyzing experimental data, strategies for dealing with noncompliance, and combining experiments with other methods of inquiry. The course will culminate with students developing an experimental research design proposal related to their own scholarly interests. While a basic understanding of statistics is necessary for this course, the emphasis will be on research design.