Course Catalog

RES: CDSS Workshop: Sociology

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Gschwend

Course Type: core course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6

Course Content

All researchers face similar challenges with core issues of research design. A research design is a plan that specifies how you are going to carry out a research project and, particularly, how to use evidence to answer your research question. The goal of this course is to jump-start students with their dissertation proposal. This course should help students to see the trade-offs involved in choosing a particular research design in their research projects. Consequently students are expected to develop own ideas about potential research questions and actively participate in those seminar-style meetings that are organized within this lecture course.

The goal of this course is to jump-start students with their dissertation proposal. Such a proposal is a research outline that delineates the doctoral thesis project, including the motivation for research question(s), the survey of the relevant theoretical and empirical contributions, the development of a theoretical framework, the specification of the methodology and planned empirical analysis. You should be prepared to address the following questions: What makes that an interesting question? Is it an important question? What contributions would this question and the answers make to the scholarly literature? What strategies are there to answer your research question(s)?

This course should help students to see the trade-offs involved in choosing a particular research design in their research projects. Consequently, students are expected to develop own ideas about potential research questions and actively participate in those seminar-style meetings that are organized within this lecture course.

Course requirements & assessment

Mandatory readings, active participation in class, homework assignments, presentation of research proposal and performing as a discussant of proposals of peers in a workshop format, research proposal term paper (circa 10 pages, graded)

Schedule

Workshop
	05.09.23 – 05.12.23	Tuesday	12:00 – 13:30	B317 in A5, 6 entrance B	Link

Lecturer(s)

Florian Keusch

Course Type: core course

Course Number: RES

Credits: 2

Course Content

Participation is mandatory for first to third year CDSS Sociology students. Participation is recommended for later CDSS doctoral candidates, but to no credit.

The goal of this course is to provide support and crucial feedback for CDSS doctoral candidates in sociology on their ongoing dissertation project. In this workshop CDSS students are expected to play two roles. They should provide feedback to their peers as well as present their own work in order to receive feedback.

Dates will be determined closer to the time in conjunction with all participants.

RES: Colloquia

MET: Bayesian Statistics in the Social Sciences

Course Type: core course

Course Number: RES

Credits: 2

Course Content

CDSS doctoral students in political science and sociology can choose freely which weekly colloquium to attend. Colloquia must be attended regularly in year two and three of doctoral studies.

Please choose from

MZES A Colloquium “European Societies and their Integration”

MZES Colloquium B “European Political Systems and their Integration”

Please refer to the MZES webpages for all further details. The talk announcements will be communicated via the CDSS mailing list as well.

Alternatively you can attend the Mannheim Research Colloquium on Survey Methods (MaRCS), which will be announced through the Faculty of Social Sciences mailing list.

All 2nd and 3rd year students must hand in a list of colloquia attended in that semester to receive the 2 ECTS. As with any other course, an attandance of at least 80% of the courses is required.

tbc ECTS

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Credits: tbc

Course Content

Course to be taught by Prof. Joe Sakshaug, details to follow.

Schedule

Seminar
	08.09.23 – 08.12.23	Friday	08:30 – 10:00	Online

MET: Cross Sectional Data Analysis (Lecture + Tutorial)

MET: Learning Social Research through Replication

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Gautschi

Malte Grönemann

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6 + 3

Prerequisites

Sound understanding of linear regression models (OLS), knowledge in linear algebra and calculus, and being familiar with the statistical package Stata.

Course Content

The main focus lies on the introduction to statistical models and estimators beyond linear regression useful to a social scientists. A good understanding of the classical linear regression model is a prerequisite and required for the further topics of the course. We will first discuss violations of the asymptotic properties of the linear regression model and ways to address these violations (heteroscedasticity, endogeneity, proxy variables, IV-estimator). The second part of the class is dedicated to rst the maximum likelihood estimator and second to generalized linear models (GLS) for binary choice decisions (Logit, Probit), ordinal dependent variables, and count data (Poisson, Negative Binomial). Classes will be accompanied by lab sessions to repeat and practice the topics from the classes. We will use the statistical package Stata.

Course requirements & assessment

Regular and active participation in the lab sessions.
Presentation of a weekly exercise; you must hand in the slides of the presentation, the Stata syntax file and output of the respective exercise, and a short output interpretation.
written exam (graded, 90 min)

Credits (9 ECTS for lecture & tutorial) will be awarded based on a passed written exam. Participation in the final exam is subject to having passed all course requirements as stated above.

Schedule

Lecture
	05.09.23 – 05.12.23	Tuesday	13:45 – 15:15	A 103 in B6, 23–25
Tutorial
	05.09.23 – 05.12.23	Tuesday	15:30 – 17:00	tbc
	07.09.23 – 07.12.23	Thursday	12:00 – 13:30	tbc

MET: Quantitative Methods (formerly Multivariate Analyses (Theory + Lab Course))

Lecturer(s)

Christof Wolf

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6

Course Content

In addition to a thorough understanding of the substantive field you are studying you need firm methodological and statistical knowledge in order to successfully conduct quantitative social research. This seminar will give you the opportunity to apply and expand your knowledge of social research by replicating published research findings.

The research that we are going to replicate was conducted with data from publicly available survey data like the European Social Survey (ESS), the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) or the European Values Study (EVS). Data from surveys like these have several advantages: the surveys follow a repeated cross-section design, a research design particularly well suited to study social change; they are comparative surveys allowing you to compare data cross-nationally on a broad range of topics; the surveys follow rigorous methodological standards and, finally, data are available at no cost and can be downloaded from the web.
Replicating published research has the advantage that you are able to check your results against existing results. By trying to replicate previous research you learn where the original researcher has made tacit decisions not documented in the paper (e.g. defining the analysis sample, coding of variables, treatment of missing values). Replicating social research also trains you to judge the validity of research results.
In addition to these primarily pedagogical aspects replicating research is important from an epistemological point of view as well. Through replication of research by independent research groups biases in previous work can be discovered and findings can be validated (see Hendrick 1991, King 1995).

Program & literature

Course requirements & assessment

-Active participation
-Participants should choose a published paper and try to replicate the findings reported in it using the same data. The results to be replicated often will be given in a table containing the outcome of a multivariate model. Please document each step in your attempt to replicate the findings, report and explain the decisions you had to make during data preparation and data analysis. If you fail to replicate the results please indicate possible explanations. Your paper should not exceed 5,000 words; please add your documented syntax in the appendix.

Papers should be delivered in electronic form no later than July 31, 2023.

Schedule

Seminar
biweekly	17.02.23 – 31.03.23	Friday	10:15 – 13:30	C 108 in A5, 6 entrance C	Link
biweekly	12.05.23 – 26.05.23	Friday	10:15 – 13:30	C 108 in A5, 6 entrance C
	02.06.23	Friday	10:15 – 13:30	C 108 in A5, 6 entrance C

MET: Research Design (Lecture + Tutorial)

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Gschwend

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6 + 2

Course Content

The course introduces students to quantitative methods in political science. During the first half of the course, we will focus on linear regression models. The topics covered include discussions of the mathematical bases for such models, their estimation and interpretation, model assumptions and techniques for addressing violations of those assumptions, and topics related to model specification and functional forms. During the second half of the course, students will be introduced to likelihood as a theory of inference, including models for binary and count data.

The main goals of this course are to develop sound critical judgment about quantitative studies of political problems, to understand the logic of statistical inference, to recognize and understand the basics of the linear regression model, to develop the skills necessary to work with datasets to perform basic quantitative analyses, and to provide a basis of knowledge for more advanced statistical methods.

The lab sessions will focus on the practical issues associated with quantitative methods, including obtaining and preparing data sets, how to use statistical software, which tests to use for different kinds of problems, how to graph data effectively for presentation and analysis, and how to interpret results. The seminar will also serve as a software tutorial. No prior knowledge of statistical programming is expected

Course requirements & assessment

Homework, participation, take-home exam (graded)

Schedule

Lecture
	06.09.23 – 06.12.23	Wednesday	08:30 – 10:00	B 244 in A5,6	Link
Tutorial
Domantas Undzenas	07.09.23 – 07.12.23	Thursday	10:15 – 11:45	tbc	Link
Oliver Rittmann	08.09.23 – 08.12.23		10:15 – 11:45	tbc	Link

MET: SMiP – Research Training Group 'Statistical Modeling in Psychology' additional courses (CDSS only)

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6 + 3

Course Content

How do we know which research design fits best our research question? What requirements must be in place for good descriptive, causal and predictive inference? How do we estimate causal effects? How do we design and analyze experiments? Can we make causal claims from observational data? Researchers in the social sciences must be able to answer all of these questions.
This course teaches the fundamental concepts behind the estimation of causal effects, including potential obstacles to causal inference. Real-world examples will be discussed in detail and students will apply the techniques learned with real datasets in R. Students will come away with an understanding of how to estimate causal effects in both randomized and observational settings, with a particular focus on the careful design of both types of studies.

Tutorial

In the practice sessions, students will learn how to implement causal inference methods in R. Students should bring their own laptop for the all practice sessions. Previous knowledge in R is not necessary although advantageous. Please make also sure to install R and R studio before the first practice session.

Course requirements & assessment

Lecture: Participation, written exam (graded)
Tutorial: Homework, oral participation, presentation

The course will be taught by Nan Zhang, PhD

Schedule

Lecture
	07.09.23 – 07.12.23	Thursday	10:15 – 11:45	tbc	Link
Tutorial
Danielle Martin	06.09.23 – 06.12.23	Wednesday	12:00 – 13:30	tbc	Link
N.N.	07.09.23 – 07.12.23	Thursday	15:30 – 17:00	tbc	Link

ECTS

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Course Content

SMiP course catalogue

Please register for the course program via the online registration tool between XXXX 2023. You can request the respective link from Annette Förster (foerster@smip.uni-mannheim.de).

MET: SMiP Foundations of Statistical Modeling (CDSS only)

MET/POL: Advanced Topics in Comparative Politics: Formal Models in CP (and some in IR)

Lecturer(s)

Thorsten Meiser

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6

Course Content

This course gives an advanced overview of standard multivariate methods and current developments in multivariate modeling. The topics include general and generalized linear models, structural equation models, multilevel modeling and specific models for the analysis of time-related effects. In the morning sessions, we will provide the formal foundations and theoretical background of the model classes for continuous and discrete observations. The afternoon sessions focus on empirical applications and hands-on exercises in data analysis.
The goals are to bring the PhD candidates to a common level of statistical knowledge and data analytic skills and to set the stage for the more specialized topics in the Foundations 2 course and workshops in the following semesters.

Dates tbc

Please register for the course program via the registration link before XXXXXX. Please refer to the complete SMiP program for continuous updates.

CDSS doctoral students in psychology only who attend all three modules of this course can:

- let it count against the mandatory course Mathematics for Social Scientists (2 ECTS) and have 4 ECTS credited towards elective requirements in the MET module.

- let it count against the core course 'Theory Building and Causal Inference' (6ECTS), which is taught in spring.

Please contact the CDSS Center Manager to discuss the above mentioned possibilities.

MET/POL: Game Theory (Theory + Tutorial)

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Bräuninger

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET/POL

Credits: 10

Prerequisites

Topics covered in introductory Game Theory class

Course Content

This course is a continuation of the intro into Game Theory and surveys key applications of game theory with a particular emphasis on the link of theories, methods and empirics. Emphasis will be placed on prominent applications of those concepts in political science, in both comparative and international politics. Topics covered include electoral competition, delegation, political agency, governmental veto players, authoritarian politics, manipulation, war and crisis bargaining. While the focus is on understanding applied work, previous training in game theory is required. Students will build upon their previous game theory training to become informed consumers of scholarship utilizing the methodology and begin to learn how to apply game-theoretic logic to their own work. The course is partly taught from lecture notes, at other times students present a research paper and stimulate discussion in class.

Course requirements & assessment

Class discussion, paper presentation, participation, term paper (graded)

Schedule

Lecture
	05.09.23 – 05.12.23	Tuesday	13:45 – 15:15	tbc

SOC: Educational Inequalities in Europe

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Bräuninger

Carlos Gueiros

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET/POL

Credits: 6 + 2

Course Content

The objective of this course is to provide students with the basics of formal modeling in political science. The course has some breadth in coverage in the sense that it provides a graduate-level introduction and overview to di erent areas in game theory. It is also narrow in the sense that the emphasis is not on application and model testing but getting trained in reading and writing down formal models. At the conceptual level the course will cover the following topics: normal form games, Nash equilibria, extensive form games, subgame perfect equilibria, repeated games, bargaining, games with incomplete and imperfect information, Bayesian perfect equilibria, signaling games, preferences and individual choices, basics of decision theory and social choice. At the substantial level, we will use these concepts to study, as examples, candidate competition, political lobbying, and war and deterrence.

Literature

McCarty, Nolan and Adam Meirowitz. 2007. Political Game Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tadelis, Steven. 2013. Game Theory: An Introduction. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Osborne, Martin. 2003. An Introduction to Game Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Morrow, James. 1994. Game Theory for Political Scientists. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Dixit, Avinash K., Susan Skeath, and David H. Reiley. 2009. Games of Strategy. 3. ed. New York: Norton.
Hinich, Melvin J. and Michael C. Munger. 1997. Analytical Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Osborne, Martin and Ariel Rubinstein. 2020. Models in Microeconomic Theory. Open Book Publishers.

Course requirements & assessment

Working in small groups on the assignments, online meetings on Zoom in groups, final exam (graded)

Tutorial

This tutorial accompanies the graduate-level introductory lecture in game theory. Its main objective is to practice solution concepts for static and dynamic games of complete and incomplete information.
The contents are centered on the material covered in the lecture. Thus, the following key areas will be discussed: preferences and individual choices, decision theory, normal form games, Nash equilibria, extensive form games, subgame perfect equilibria, repeated games, bargaining, games with incomplete and imperfect information, Bayesian perfect equilibria, signaling games. At the substantial level, we will use these concepts to study, for instance, candidate competition, political lobbying, and war and deterrence. Students are required to submit four problem sets. Moreover, it is essential for students to prepare thoroughly for all sessions using online tutorials. Active participation in class discussions is expected.

Course requirements: Four problem sets.

Schedule

Lecture
	04.09.23 – 04.12.23	Monday	10:15 – 11:45	tbc
Tutorial
	08.09.23 – 08.12.23	Friday	10:15 – 11:45	tbc	Link

SOC: Muslim Immigration and Integration

Lecturer(s)

Reinhard Pollak

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: SOC

Credits: 6

Course Content

“Like father, like son!” “Someone's a chip off the old block!” “To follow in his father's foot-steps!” There is a variety of popular proverbs describing the same (sociological) fact: Social origin, i.e. the class or income position of parents, has a large effect on the future life-chances of children. For example, a child from a working class background has considerably lower prospects of achieving a position as a professional compared to a child from parents who work as professionals. And the same is true vice versa. Asking about this lack of social mobility (or, contrary, asking about the amount of social mobility) across generations is one of the classic questions in sociology. The seminar will offer a comprehensive view on con-cepts of intergenerational (and intragenerational) social mobility, on theoretical approaches to explain social mobility, on quantitative methodological approaches and on empirical re-sults regarding the amount of social mobility in Europe. Students are expected to read and discuss the most prominent articles in the field, including rather technical/statistical state-of-the-art applications of theories and new methodologies. The seminar encourages students to think critically of the concepts, theories and empirical applications and invites students to develop their own research questions.

Course requirements & assessment

Regular small assignments (developing research questions based on the readings); compulsory attendance; participating in active discussion. Term paper (max. 5000 words, graded) Deadline: 21 January 2024

Schedule

Seminar
	13.09.23	Wednesday	08:30 – 11:45	tbc
	27.09.23	Wednesday	08:30 – 11:45
	04.10.23	Wednesday	08:30 – 11:45
	18.10.23	Wednesday	08:30 – 11:45
	08.11.23	Wednesday	08:30 – 11:45
	22.11.23	Wednesday	08:30 – 11:45
	29.11.23	Wednesday	08:30 – 11:45

Dissertation Tutorial: Political Science

Lecturer(s)

Marc Helbling

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: SOC

Credits: 6

Course Content

Up to the mid-1980s immigration was one of the least politicized issues on the political agenda of European countries. Since then, however, it has become one of the most important topics on the political agenda. Mass immigration has resulted in widespread xenophobia and fierce debates on the difficulties of integrating new arrivals. Muslim migration in particular seems to pose a special challenge to Western Europe, leading to widespread Islamophobia throughout the region. In this seminar we will consider reactions to Muslim immigration in Western Europe at various levels. What kind of policies do the European states implement in order to regulate mass immigration and integration? How do nationals react to this and how can we explain Islamophobia?

Course requirements & assignments

Participation, weekly reading, presentation of an empirical study, term paper (graded)

Schedule

Seminar
	06.09.23 – 06.12.23	Thursday	10:15 – 11:45	tbc

0 ECTS

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Bräuninger

Sabine C. Carey

Marc Debus

Thomas Gschwend

Thomas König

Valentin Lang

Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck

Harald Schoen

Richard Traunmüller

Course Type: core course

Course Content

Doctoral theses supervised by professors in the department of Political Science will be discussed.

Please check with individual chairs for dates and times.

BAS: Mathematics for Social Scientists

MET: Crafting Social Science Research

Lecturer(s)

Emre Can Oral

Course Type: core course

Course Number: BAS

Credits: 2

Course Content

The exam is scheduled for tbc

Basic readings:

Knut Sydsaeter and Peter Hammond. 2008. Essential Mathematics for Economic Analysis. 3rd edition. Harlow: Prentice Hall

Additional readings:

Alpha C. Chiang and Kevin Wainwright. 2005. Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics. 4th edition. Boston, Mass.: McGraw-Hill
Jeff Gill. 2006. Essential Mathematics for Political and Social Research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Malcolm Pemberton and Nicholas Rau. 2007. Mathematics for Economists. 2nd edition. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Carl P. Simon and Lawrence E. Blume. 1994. Mathematics for Economists. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. McGraw-Hill.

MET: Quantitative Methods (formerly Multivariate Analyses (Theory + Lab Course))

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Gschwend

Course Type: core course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6

Course Content

Course requirements & assessment

Schedule

Workshop
	05.09.23 – 05.12.23	Tuesday	12:00 – 13:30	B317 in A5, 6 entrance B	Link

MET/POL: Game Theory (Theory + Tutorial)

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Gschwend

Course Type: core course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6 + 2

Course Content

Course requirements & assessment

Homework, participation, take-home exam (graded)

Schedule

Lecture
	06.09.23 – 06.12.23	Wednesday	08:30 – 10:00	B 244 in A5,6	Link
Tutorial
Domantas Undzenas	07.09.23 – 07.12.23	Thursday	10:15 – 11:45	tbc	Link
Oliver Rittmann	08.09.23 – 08.12.23		10:15 – 11:45	tbc	Link

RES: CDSS Workshop: Political Science

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Bräuninger

Carlos Gueiros

Course Type: core course

Course Number: MET/POL

Credits: 6 + 2

Course Content

McCarty, Nolan and Adam Meirowitz. 2007. Political Game Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tadelis, Steven. 2013. Game Theory: An Introduction. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Osborne, Martin. 2003. An Introduction to Game Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Morrow, James. 1994. Game Theory for Political Scientists. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Dixit, Avinash K., Susan Skeath, and David H. Reiley. 2009. Games of Strategy. 3. ed. New York: Norton.
Hinich, Melvin J. and Michael C. Munger. 1997. Analytical Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Osborne, Martin and Ariel Rubinstein. 2020. Models in Microeconomic Theory. Open Book Publishers.

Course requirements & assessment

Working in small groups on the assignments, online meetings on Zoom in groups, final exam (graded)

Tutorial

Schedule

Lecture
	04.09.23 – 04.12.23	Monday	10:15 – 11:45	tbc
Tutorial
	08.09.23 – 08.12.23	Friday	10:15 – 11:45	tbc	Link

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Bräuninger

Course Type: core course

Course Number: RES

Credits: 2

Course Content

Participation is mandatory for first to third year CDSS students of Political Science. Participation is recommended for later CDSS PhD candidates, but to no credit.

Other young researchers in the social sciences affiliated with the University of Mannheim (incl. MZES) are also invited to attend the talks.

The goal of this course is to provide support and crucial feedback for CDSS doctoral students on their ongoing dissertation project. In this workshop they are expected to play two roles – provide feedback to their peers as well as present their own work in order to receive feedback.

In order to receive useful feedback, participants are asked to circulate their paper and two related published pieces of research one week before the talk.

Schedule

Workshop
	04.09.23 – 04.12.23	Monday	15:30 – 17:00	tbc

RES: Colloquia

MET: Bayesian Statistics in the Social Sciences

Course Type: core course

Course Number: RES

Credits: 2

Course Content

CDSS doctoral students in political science and sociology can choose freely which weekly colloquium to attend. Colloquia must be attended regularly in year two and three of doctoral studies.

Please choose from

MZES A Colloquium “European Societies and their Integration”

MZES Colloquium B “European Political Systems and their Integration”

Please refer to the MZES webpages for all further details. The talk announcements will be communicated via the CDSS mailing list as well.

Alternatively you can attend the Mannheim Research Colloquium on Survey Methods (MaRCS), which will be announced through the Faculty of Social Sciences mailing list.

All 2nd and 3rd year students must hand in a list of colloquia attended in that semester to receive the 2 ECTS. As with any other course, an attandance of at least 80% of the courses is required.

tbc ECTS

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Credits: tbc

Course Content

Course to be taught by Prof. Joe Sakshaug, details to follow.

Schedule

Seminar
	08.09.23 – 08.12.23	Friday	08:30 – 10:00	Online

MET: Cross Sectional Data Analysis (Lecture + Tutorial)

MET: Research Design (Lecture + Tutorial)

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Gautschi

Malte Grönemann

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6 + 3

Prerequisites

Sound understanding of linear regression models (OLS), knowledge in linear algebra and calculus, and being familiar with the statistical package Stata.

Course Content

Course requirements & assessment

Regular and active participation in the lab sessions.
Presentation of a weekly exercise; you must hand in the slides of the presentation, the Stata syntax file and output of the respective exercise, and a short output interpretation.
written exam (graded, 90 min)

Credits (9 ECTS for lecture & tutorial) will be awarded based on a passed written exam. Participation in the final exam is subject to having passed all course requirements as stated above.

Schedule

Lecture
	05.09.23 – 05.12.23	Tuesday	13:45 – 15:15	A 103 in B6, 23–25
Tutorial
	05.09.23 – 05.12.23	Tuesday	15:30 – 17:00	tbc
	07.09.23 – 07.12.23	Thursday	12:00 – 13:30	tbc

MET: SMiP – Research Training Group 'Statistical Modeling in Psychology' additional courses (CDSS only)

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6 + 3

Course Content

Tutorial

Course requirements & assessment

Lecture: Participation, written exam (graded)
Tutorial: Homework, oral participation, presentation

The course will be taught by Nan Zhang, PhD

Schedule

Lecture
	07.09.23 – 07.12.23	Thursday	10:15 – 11:45	tbc	Link
Tutorial
Danielle Martin	06.09.23 – 06.12.23	Wednesday	12:00 – 13:30	tbc	Link
N.N.	07.09.23 – 07.12.23	Thursday	15:30 – 17:00	tbc	Link

ECTS

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Course Content

SMiP course catalogue

Please register for the course program via the online registration tool between XXXX 2023. You can request the respective link from Annette Förster (foerster@smip.uni-mannheim.de).

MET: SMiP Foundations of Statistical Modeling (CDSS only)

MET/POL: Advanced Topics in Comparative Politics: Formal Models in CP (and some in IR)

Lecturer(s)

Thorsten Meiser

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6

Course Content

Dates tbc

Please register for the course program via the registration link before XXXXXX. Please refer to the complete SMiP program for continuous updates.

CDSS doctoral students in psychology only who attend all three modules of this course can:

- let it count against the mandatory course Mathematics for Social Scientists (2 ECTS) and have 4 ECTS credited towards elective requirements in the MET module.

- let it count against the core course 'Theory Building and Causal Inference' (6ECTS), which is taught in spring.

Please contact the CDSS Center Manager to discuss the above mentioned possibilities.

POL: Advanced Topics in Comparative Politics

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Bräuninger

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET/POL

Credits: 10

Prerequisites

Topics covered in introductory Game Theory class

Course Content

Course requirements & assessment

Class discussion, paper presentation, participation, term paper (graded)

Schedule

Lecture
	05.09.23 – 05.12.23	Tuesday	13:45 – 15:15	tbc

POL: Advanced Topics in Comparative Politics: Political Behavior in Context

Lecturer(s)

Marc Debus

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: POL

Credits: 10

Course Content

tbc

Schedule

Seminar
	05.09.23 – 05.12.23	Tuesday	13:45 – 15:15	tbc

POL: Advanced Topics in International Politics: Populism, Technocracism, and Democracy

Lecturer(s)

Harald Schoen

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: POL

Credits: 10

Course Content

Political behavior takes place in context. This statement is a truism and implies several challenges at the same time. Context is a multidimensional concept comprising – inter alia – social, political, and institutional features. At the conceptual and theoretical level, the diversity of dimensions requires careful consideration of how to integrate contextual features into individual-level models of political behavior. Moreover, combining data from different levels of aggregation to examine the role of contexts in individual-level behavior raises several methodological issues. In this seminar, we will address the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological issues in the analysis of contextual effects on individual-level political behavior. Students will review empirical studies in the field and prepare research papers in which they analyze specific questions using available data sets.

Course requirements & assessment

Oral presentation of a literature review and active participation during the sessions, term paper (ca. 8.000 words, graded)

Schedule

Seminar
	07.09.23 – 07.12.23	Tuesday	13:45 – 15:15	tbc

POL: Selected Topics in Comparative Politics: Free Speech and Censorship

Lecturer(s)

Thomas König

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: POL

Credits: 10

Course Content

tbc

Schedule

Seminar
	05.09.23 – 05.12.23	Tuesday	12:00 – 13:30	C 112 in A5, 6 entrance C

BAS: Mathematics for Social Scientists

Lecturer(s)

Richard Traunmüller

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: POL

Credits: 10

Course Content

To openly express one’s views is the most fundamental civil liberty. While this basic right is under constant and serious threat in authoritarian contexts, the question of how free speech should be regulated is also a concern in liberal democracies. It is particularly important in globalized conditions of cultural diversity and the unprecedented levels of communication facilitated by the digital revolution. The aim of this course is to discuss contemporary scholarly research on the politics of free speech and censorship. Why is free expression so important? Why and how do states actually regulate free speech and what are the effects of this regulation? How does cultural diversity and digital communication impact on these questions? Next to substantive discussion the course will place great emphasis on the practice of quantitative political research and provide ample space for students’ projects.

Course requirements & assessment

Participation, term paper (graded)

Schedule

Seminar
	07.09.23 – 07.12.23	Thursday	08:30 – 10:00	tbc

MET: Crafting Social Science Research

Lecturer(s)

Emre Can Oral

Course Type: core course

Course Number: BAS

Credits: 2

Course Content

The exam is scheduled for tbc

Basic readings:

Knut Sydsaeter and Peter Hammond. 2008. Essential Mathematics for Economic Analysis. 3rd edition. Harlow: Prentice Hall

Additional readings:

Alpha C. Chiang and Kevin Wainwright. 2005. Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics. 4th edition. Boston, Mass.: McGraw-Hill
Jeff Gill. 2006. Essential Mathematics for Political and Social Research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Malcolm Pemberton and Nicholas Rau. 2007. Mathematics for Economists. 2nd edition. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Carl P. Simon and Lawrence E. Blume. 1994. Mathematics for Economists. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. McGraw-Hill.

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Gschwend

Course Type: core course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6

Course Content

Course requirements & assessment

Schedule

Workshop
	05.09.23 – 05.12.23	Tuesday	12:00 – 13:30	B317 in A5, 6 entrance B	Link

RES: AC2/BC3 Colloquia I

RES: CDSS Workshop: Research in Clinical Psychology

Lecturer(s)

Georg W. Alpers

Herbert Bless

Arndt Bröder

Oliver Dickhäuser

Jochen E. Gebauer

Beatrice G. Kuhlmann

Jutta Mata

Thorsten Meiser

Stefan Münzer

Sabine Sonnentag

Michaela Wänke

Course Type: core course

Course Number: RES

Credits: 2

Prerequisites

Please check with individual chairs in the Psychology Department for dates and times of research colloquia as well as registration.

All 2nd and 3rd year doctoral students must attend the colloquia in order to receive the 2 ECTS.

RES: CDSS Workshop: Research in Cognitive Psychology

Lecturer(s)

Georg W. Alpers

Course Type: core course

Course Number: RES

Credits: 2

Prerequisites

Participation is mandatory for first to third year CDSS doctoral students of psychology. Participation is recommended for later CDSS doctoral students, but to no credit.

Each spring term there will be a joint CDSS Workshop that all CDSS doctoral students of psychology attend. Each autumn term you will have the choice between three CDSS Workshops with a focus on either clinical, cognitive or social research.

Course Content

Research in Clinical Psychology: We invite CDSS candidates to discuss their research with experts in the field. The chair of Clinical Psychology and Biological Psychology and Psychotherapy pursues a wide range of topics and brings together a large spectrum of research approaches. We address open questions regarding each step of creative research and prolific publication of our scientific results. Each week we select one or two of our own projects for our discussion.

Literature: References will be given during the course.

Competences acquired

Improvement in research skills and communication of research results.

Schedule

Workshop
	07.09.23 – 07.12.23	Thursday	13:00 – 14:00	016–017 in L 13, 15–17

RES: CDSS Workshop: Research in Social Cognition

Lecturer(s)

Arndt Bröder

Beatrice G. Kuhlmann

Course Type: core course

Course Number: RES

Credits: 2

Prerequisites

Participation is mandatory for first to third year CDSS doctoral students of psychology. Participation is recommended for later CDSS doctoral students, but to no credit.

Course Content

Research in Cognitive Psychology: Research projects in cognitive psychology and neuropsychology are planned, conducted, analyzed, and discussed.

Application via 'Studierendenportal' is necessary to have access to the course material provided in ILIAS.

Open office hours:
Prof. Dr. Erdfelder: Thursday, 10.15h – 11.45h.

Literature: References will be given during the course.

Competences acquired

Improvement in research skills and communication of research results.

Schedule

Workshop
	04.09.23 – 04.12.23	Monday	15:30 – 17:00	tbc	Link

MET: Bayesian Statistics in the Social Sciences

Lecturer(s)

Herbert Bless

Michaela Wänke

Course Type: core course

Course Number: RES

Credits: 2

Prerequisites

Participation is mandatory for first to third year CDSS doctoral students of psychology. Participation is recommended for later CDSS doctoral students, but to no credit.

Course Content

This seminar has a particular focus on research activities in social psychology. Unlike seminars that concentrate on one core thematic topic, this seminar will address a selected variety of different research topics in current social psychology. In each seminar session we will have a presentation either by participating doctoral students or by members of the social psychology group. Each presentation will address a current research topic in social psychology. The seminar provides the opportunity to actively discuss methodological, theoretical, and applied implications of the presented research. A particular focus will rest on the discussion of general methodological aspects.

Literature: Will be announced in the seminar

Schedule

Workshop
	04.09.23 – 04.12.23	Monday	10:15 – 11:45	tbc

tbc ECTS

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Credits: tbc

Course Content

Course to be taught by Prof. Joe Sakshaug, details to follow.

Schedule

Seminar
	08.09.23 – 08.12.23	Friday	08:30 – 10:00	Online

MET: Cross Sectional Data Analysis (Lecture + Tutorial)

MET: Quantitative Methods (formerly Multivariate Analyses (Theory + Lab Course))

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Gautschi

Malte Grönemann

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6 + 3

Prerequisites

Sound understanding of linear regression models (OLS), knowledge in linear algebra and calculus, and being familiar with the statistical package Stata.

Course Content

Course requirements & assessment

Regular and active participation in the lab sessions.
Presentation of a weekly exercise; you must hand in the slides of the presentation, the Stata syntax file and output of the respective exercise, and a short output interpretation.
written exam (graded, 90 min)

Credits (9 ECTS for lecture & tutorial) will be awarded based on a passed written exam. Participation in the final exam is subject to having passed all course requirements as stated above.

Schedule

Lecture
	05.09.23 – 05.12.23	Tuesday	13:45 – 15:15	A 103 in B6, 23–25
Tutorial
	05.09.23 – 05.12.23	Tuesday	15:30 – 17:00	tbc
	07.09.23 – 07.12.23	Thursday	12:00 – 13:30	tbc

MET: Research Design (Lecture + Tutorial)

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Gschwend

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6 + 2

Course Content

Course requirements & assessment

Homework, participation, take-home exam (graded)

Schedule

Lecture
	06.09.23 – 06.12.23	Wednesday	08:30 – 10:00	B 244 in A5,6	Link
Tutorial
Domantas Undzenas	07.09.23 – 07.12.23	Thursday	10:15 – 11:45	tbc	Link
Oliver Rittmann	08.09.23 – 08.12.23		10:15 – 11:45	tbc	Link

MET: SMiP – Research Training Group 'Statistical Modeling in Psychology' additional courses (CDSS only)

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6 + 3

Course Content

Tutorial

Course requirements & assessment

Lecture: Participation, written exam (graded)
Tutorial: Homework, oral participation, presentation

The course will be taught by Nan Zhang, PhD

Schedule

Lecture
	07.09.23 – 07.12.23	Thursday	10:15 – 11:45	tbc	Link
Tutorial
Danielle Martin	06.09.23 – 06.12.23	Wednesday	12:00 – 13:30	tbc	Link
N.N.	07.09.23 – 07.12.23	Thursday	15:30 – 17:00	tbc	Link

ECTS

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Course Content

SMiP course catalogue

Please register for the course program via the online registration tool between XXXX 2023. You can request the respective link from Annette Förster (foerster@smip.uni-mannheim.de).

MET: SMiP Foundations of Statistical Modeling (CDSS only)

MET/POL: Advanced Topics in Comparative Politics: Formal Models in CP (and some in IR)

Lecturer(s)

Thorsten Meiser

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET

Credits: 6

Course Content

Dates tbc

Please register for the course program via the registration link before XXXXXX. Please refer to the complete SMiP program for continuous updates.

CDSS doctoral students in psychology only who attend all three modules of this course can:

- let it count against the mandatory course Mathematics for Social Scientists (2 ECTS) and have 4 ECTS credited towards elective requirements in the MET module.

- let it count against the core course 'Theory Building and Causal Inference' (6ECTS), which is taught in spring.

Please contact the CDSS Center Manager to discuss the above mentioned possibilities.

MET/POL: Game Theory (Theory + Tutorial)

Lecturer(s)

Thomas Bräuninger

Course Type: elective course

Course Number: MET/POL

Credits: 10

Prerequisites

Topics covered in introductory Game Theory class

Course Content

Course requirements & assessment

Class discussion, paper presentation, participation, term paper (graded)

Schedule

Lecture
	05.09.23 – 05.12.23	Tuesday	13:45 – 15:15	tbc