90905 - Workshop 1 (WS1)

Academic Year 2020/2021

Learning outcomes

The course aims at introducing students to the utilization of one of the main statistical packages for data analysis and presenting to them the basic elements of micro-data management and analysis. By the end of the course students will be familiar with the statistical package interface and be able to: load different types of data and different file formats into the statistical package, perform basic data management operations and conduct monovariate and multivariate statistical analyses using the software introduced during the course.

Course contents

This workshop will simulate a constitution writing experience. 

Readings/Bibliography

There is one key text: Giovanni Sartori, Comparative Constitutional Engineering. This book will be used in addition to excerpts from actual constitutions. A fuller reading list will be posted soon. 

Teaching methods

We will meet as a group in weekly one hour sessions. The sessions will explore the structure of a constitution with group discussion of readings and small exercises. Students will then be given a description of a hypothetical country and be asked to draft an outline constitution. We will meet again as a group to discuss the drafts and debate their merits. Assessment will be based on class participation and the final draft document, and will be pass/fail.  

Assessment methods

Final brief paper, and class participation. 

Office hours

See the website of Cindy Lynn Skach