Political Analysis — Complete Course Masterdoc | PSS · ISS · CSS | Positivism to Postmodernism | Research Methods, Theory vs Ideology, Data Types, Research Philosophies

These comprehensive undergraduate lecture notes cover the full foundations of political and social science research methodology. The document begins with the nature of social science research, walking through the key distinctions between primary and secondary research, inductive and deductive reasoning, quantitative and qualitative approaches, and the main research designs used in the field (experiments, surveys, content analysis, focus groups, and field research). The notes then move into types of data — including cross-sectional and longitudinal data (time series, panel, and cohort) — and clearly explain the roles of independent and dependent variables. A dedicated section on theory versus ideology breaks down the components of a theory (assumptions, concepts, relationships, units of analysis), the criteria of causality, and the logic of necessary and sufficient conditions, with reference to Occam's Razor. The final section covers research philosophies in depth, explaining epistemology and ontology alongside a comparison of the four ontological positions (realism, internal realism, relativism, nominalism). The three core research approaches — Positivist Social Science (PSS), Interpretative Social Science (ISS), and Critical Social Science (CSS) — are clearly outlined, followed by overviews of the feminist, postmodern, and constructivist approaches. Ideal for students preparing for exams, essays, or wanting a solid conceptual grounding in political analysis and research methodology.