Comparative Methods - Assignments

Assignment for Unit no. Seven (Case-Oriented vs. Variable-Oriented Research)

Part A.

Read the first text of this unit: The strengthens and weakness of case-oriented approaches, in Html Format or Word format, Answer the following questions:

1. What are the differences between interpretive and causal-analytic studies?. Can both research strategies applied in the same study?.

2. What are the distinctive features of the case oriented methods?. Supply an example for each feature.

3. Does this reading assignments helpful for making your research methodologically sound?.

Part B.

Read the second text of this unit: The strengthens and weakness of variable-oriented approaches, in Html Format or Word format. Answer the following questions:

1. What are the limitations of statistical-control vs. experimental control?. To what extent can we minimize these limitations?

2. What are the limitations of the variable-oriented approach?.

Due Wednesday 12th of April

Assignments for Unit no. One
1. Think of an example of research (real or imagined) which fits each of the seven goals of the social research. Send your example for the groups discussion group: method@research.haifa.ac.il

2. In a different e-mail Answer the following questions:
a) what are the three major research strategies of the social research? b). What is the difference between research strategies and goals of social research? c). Can we use comparative research for the goal of "giving voice"?. Support your answer with reasonable arguments. Send your answers to method@research.haifa.ac.il

3. What are the strengths and weakness of Ragin's link between the goals and strategies of social research (see, table 2.1 in the text for a summary).
Send your answers to method@research.haifa.ac.il

4. Read one of the three following texts: Qualitative Method - The study of commonalities; Comparative Methods - The study of diversities; Quantitative Methods - The study of relations between variables. Answer the questions that accompany the text.

Assignments for Unit no. Two

Exercises for the second text (Mill's method of agreement):

1. Using Ragin's example of the causes of peasant revolts. You are asked to build a table (see table 1 as an example) which will demonstrate the utility of the method of agreement in finding the causes of peasant revolts.

2. What are the two major problems of the method of agreement?

3. Demonstrate the problems of the method of agreement by adding cases to the table which you already constructed (in exercise 1).

Exercises for the second text (Mill's method of difference):

1. Using Ragin's example of the causes of peasant revolts. You are asked to build a table (see table 2 as an example) which will demonstrate the utility of the method of differences in finding the causes of peasant revolts.

2. What are the major problems of the method of difference?

3. Demonstrate the problems of the method of agreement by adding cases to the table which you already constructed (in exercise 1).

4. What are the three phases of the investigation following the method of difference approach?

5. Both the method of difference and the method of agreement involve methodological problems. To what extent and in which ways these problems can be minimized?.

Assignments for Unit no. Three

In order to exercise what we learn in the course i would like you all to suggest a comparative research topic, which will be eventually developed, as an exercise, to a research proposal. Pls. let me know on which subject you prefer to work (you may also suggest few topics), best, David

Assignments for Unit no. Four

Exercise 1 for Unit 4 (for January 5th meeting): Read Smelser's Chapter 2: Tocqueville as Comparative Analyst from his book Comparative Methods in the Social Sciences.

1. Explain figure 2.1 from Smelser's book (you can have a copy of this figure from me)

2. Create an equivalent figure to America

3. Explain each of Tocqueville comparative strategy and apply each of them to your research proposal (from unit 3).

Exercise 2 for Unit 4 (for the first class after the semester break). Read one of the following books: Barrington Moore's, Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy or Skocpol's State and Social Revolutions. Submit a mid-course paper which will include the following:

1. Explain the major argument(s) of Moore/Skocpol

2. A chart (with explanation) of the general model which is used by the author to explain his/her dependent variable. [explain your chart].

3. A summary of all his/her comparative strategies (follow Smelser's example as to Tocqueville).

Assignments for Unit no. Five (Case studies)

Read the material for Unit Five

1.Do you agree with the following statement?: "Historians study cases for their own sake but Social Scientists study cases for the purpose of generalizing or categorizing"

2. . How did you chose your case in the research proposal that you prepared?. Is it a case or a case-study?.

3. What is your study a case of?.

4. Use different characteristics of the Israeli polity as examples for representative, prototypical, deviant, crucial and archetypal cases.

5. Read the paper on What is a Case and explain the two key dichotomies that help explaining how case are conceived.

6. Explain each of the four types that are presented in table 1.

7. What is "Thick Description"? Provide an example and three distinguishing features in comparison to "Thin Description".

Due Wednesday 29th of March

Assignments for Unit no. Six (Concepts)

Read the material for Unit Six

1. Why do we need concepts? To what extent concepts are more essential for case-oriented research than to variable-oriented research?.

2. What is the "travelling problem"?.

3. What is "conceptual stretching"?

4. What is the "ladder of abstraction?".

5. How can we avoid 'conceptual stretching"?. provide an example

6. Read Sartori's ten commandments. Provide an example for five of the commandments of your choice.

Due Wednesday 15th of March