Interpreting and Testing Political Phenomena
Step 1: Describe how each figure explains the polarization phenomenon.
Step 2: Choose ONE of the two explanations and describe how you would test it.
?What would be your research question?
?What data would you use?
?What evidence would convince you that the explanation is correct (or incorrect)?
?Length: 3 pages, typed. Please submit your assignments as MS Word documents or as PDF files. Use a normal font (preferably Times New Roman), 1-inch margins, and 1.5 or double spacing. Papers that exceed 3.5 pages will not be evaluated. No title page is necessary.
?Research: This is a thought exercise designed to give you the opportunity to apply the concepts discussed in class and in the readings. You DO NOT need to conduct any further research. You have access to all the data that you need. There is no need to gather different information, although if you want to make the effort to do so, that is acceptable.
?Organization: This is a SHORT assignment. Your theoretical development and research design will, out of necessity, be brief. Therefore, it is CRITICAL to organize your thoughts carefully.
?Correctness: Read over your assignment before you hand it in. Please use a spell-checker.
?Documentation: Where possible, cite, but do not quote, the authors we have read. Use parenthetical citation format. For example: The Cold War created many hardships for the United States (Smith 1999).