AS.470.854 Fundamentals of Quantitative Methods

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AS.470.854 section 81 Syllabus

Fundamentals of Quantitative Methods

Course Information:

Fundamentals of Quantitative Methods

AS.470.854.81 ( 3.0 Credits )

AE Spring 2026 [AE Spring 2026]

Description

The main purpose of this class is to train students to be informed consumers of quantitative studies, in addition to teaching the tools of basic statistical work. The emphasis in this class is on application and understanding of existing results, rather than on theory or derivations. The course material will cover basic descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and data collection. The key learning objective is for students to finish the class with a better understanding of the statistical and econometric results they may encounter, both in papers they read in other classes, as well as in the course of their work. The second key objective is for students to have the skills to employ basic quantitative tools in their own work in the fields of public policy and global security studies. As much as possible, assignments and readings used in class will be drawn from the public policy and security fields. There is no mathematical or statistical pre-requisite for the class. (Core course for the MA in Public Management and the MA in Global Security Studies.)

Course Structure

Course Outline:

Session                      Course Learning Objective(s)                      Activities & Resources                     Assignments/Assessments

Course Outline Document above

What to Expect in this Course:

This course is 15 weeks in length. Each week begins on Monday and ends on the following Sunday. Please review the course syllabus thoroughly to learn about specific course outcomes and requirements. Be sure to refer to Appendix A each week, which provides a week-at-a-glance and shows targeted dates for the completion of activities.

Each week you will complete learning tasks that may include a combination of reading course materials (book chapters, academic journal articles, and newspaper articles), watching videos, multimedia presentations, and listening to podcasts. You will also engage in online learning activities, which includes several group-based discussion board activities, a few individual discussions, and one individual VoiceThread presentation of your completed research project.

Required Text and Other Materials

Textbooks:

The following texts are required for this course:

Pollock III, Philip H. and Barry C. Edwards, The Essentials of Political Analysis (6th ed.; Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2019). [ISBN: 978-1-5063-7961-6]

Pollock III, Philip H. and Barry C. Edwards, An R Companion to Political Analysis (3rd ed.; Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2023). [ISBN: 978-1-0718-6241-4]

Textbook Search:

You can search for your class textbooks via the AAP Online Bookstore here.

Minimum Technology Requirements:

Computer

The minimum operating systems for Canvas are:

Mac – OSX 11 or higher

PC – Windows 7 or higher

Also, your computer should be equipped with a Microphone and a Camera.

Note: you may use a mobile device for access, but it’s recommended you have a laptop or desktop prepared in case the mobile device has issues with any of our software.

Browser

For the best experience with our Canvas Integrations (e.g., Panopto and VoiceThread), the recommended browsers are Chrome and Firefox.

You should always use the most current version of your preferred browser. Your browser will notify you if there is a new version available. You will also need Java, Cookies, and JavaScript, but the majority of the time, this will be managed by your browser automatically. To verify these are enabled, you can check this Canvas page.

Additionally, you will need to ensure that Third Party Cookies are enabled for our integrations to work. You can do this by following these instructions.

Internet Connectivity

You will be expected to log on to Canvas frequently (daily), so a reliable internet connection is essential. We recommend that you have access to a stable internet connection with speeds of 5 Mbps or higher.

Software

Expectations for additional software or plugins will be communicated within the details of each course:

Adobe Reader – other PDF viewers are not supported.

Microsoft Office 365 - other software such as Google Drive may cause issues when converting between file types and isn’t integrated into Canvas.

Zoom – Instructors may designate real-time virtual office hours via Zoom. For more information on Zoom, please see the Zoom Quick-Start Guide.

The above list includes the most common required software used to support our online courses. Please note: Courses may or may not use all the software listed.

Support

For questions regarding Canvas or issues you are having, feel free to review the Canvas Student Resources or reach out to AAP technical support through any of the following methods:

Phone: 844-417-0874

Chat with an Expert

Email

Specific Technology Requirements and Skills for this Course:

Students must have access to a computer that can install and run R and R Studio.

Other equipment/websites/software/online resources:

R: https://www.r-project.org/

R Studio (R Integrated Development Environment): https://www.rstudio.com

Evaluation and Grading

Grading Scale:

Grade      Range

A              94% to 100%

A-             90% to 93.999%

B+            87% to 89.999%

B               83% to 86.999%

B-              80% to 82.999%

C               70% to 79.999%

F                0% to 69.999%

There is no rounding of grades.

Assignment Submission:

Assignment Submission

You are required to adhere to the following guidelines when submitting written assignments.

You will receive detailed instructions on submission expectations for each individual assignment. You should submit each assignment on Canvas by 11:59pm EST on the specified due date (see Appendix A). Assignments should be formatted accordingly:

12 pt. font (Times New Roman)

1-inch margins

Use APA format

Adhere to word limits

Saved with last name (e.g., Smith_ProblemSet1.docx)

Cite sources properly

Please review the JHU Ethics Statement below prior to submission.

Artificial Intelligence

I recognize that artificial intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly popular and can, if used appropriately, help in gathering additional information about a topic. Rather than prohibiting all use, I will remind you that both for academic integrity and for proper research that befits a graduate-level scholar, you must adhere to the following rules:

1) All sources used must be referenced. This includes AI tools.

2) All language that is not in quotations must be your own.

This means that for artificial intelligence tools (such as ChatGPT or GrammarlyGo), you must include a proper reference in your work. If you choose to use precise language generated by the software, you must quote it. The reference must include the website and specific prompts used to generate the referenced output.

Furthermore, be aware that large language models such as ChatGPT do not always reference accurate or current data, so you are better off finding facts through traditional research.

As always, any ideas that are not your own must be cited, and any research that does not include your original ideas will not fare well for this course. And if you have used a tool for background, you still must reference it because it is almost certainly influencing your subsequent writing. Thus, I encourage you not to go to AI as a first resort--and to use it with great discretion if you use it at all--while ensuring that all words are either your own, or quoted and cited.

Assignment Feedback:

The instructor will aim to return assignments to you within 5-7 days following the due date, depending on the length of the assignment. If there is a lengthy writing assignment the instructor may take 10-14 days to grade the assignment. You will receive feedback in the Grades area of the course which can be accessed via the navigation menu.

Learning Objectives

Program Learning Outcomes:

Program Educational Objectives (Global Security Studies)

When you successfully complete the program requirements, you will achieve the following goals:

P1 Generate and test falsifiable predictions from the key theories within global security studies.

P2 Critique key debates and find lacunae in global security studies.

Program Educational Objectives (Public Management)

When you successfully complete the program requirements, you will achieve the following goals:

P3 Utilize analytical skills—including quantitative and qualitative tools—to assess policies and program effectiveness.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs):

CLO1: Explain the theoretical principles and tools needed to generate and understand policy-related research.

CLO2: Identify types of and sources for data commonly used by social scientists and policymakers.

CLO3: Execute and interpret basic statistical analyses and test hypothese.

CLO4: Acquire and efficiently summarize information from a wide variety of datasets.

CLO5: Identify and explain appropriate strategies for evaluating diverse policymaking research question.