This course is an advanced introductory course for undergraduates. It will acquaint students with statistical methodology as it is used in the social sciences. It is assumed that the student has the mathematical aptitude to progress through the materials a bit faster than in a true introductory course. Prerequisite: PS 30 or consent of instructor.

Introductory survey of methods used by social scientists to gather primary research data on international migrant and refugee populations, including sample surveys, unstructured interviewing, ethnographic observation, and archival research. Basic fieldwork practices and problem-solving techniques will also be covered. Students planning to take the continuation of this course, PS 181B should note that conversational fluency in Spanish is a requirement for PS 181B.

Continuation of PS 181A. Students will apply one or more data collection methods learned in PS 181A to collect data from a sample of international migrants, refugees, or returned migrants in a high-emigration community. Students participate in team field research, write a detailed individual report on the fieldwork experience, and submit a detailed outline of a research paper to be based on data from the fieldwork, required of students who take the continuation of this course, PS 181C. Prior to fieldwork, students will read intensively about the research site and write a literature review essay.

Continuation of PS 181B. Students will analyze primary data that they have helped to collect in a field research site and write a major paper based on these data, for publication as a section of a co-authored report on the field research project. Methods for organizing and processing field research data for analysis, techniques of quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and report preparation conventions will be covered.

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