A&S Departments and Programs   • Graduate Study Offered   American Studies • Anthropology • Applied Science • Art & Art History Biology • Black Studies Chemistry • Classical Studies Computer Science • Economics English Environmental Science & Policy Film Studies Geology Global Studies Government History • International Relations Kinesiology Linguistics Literary & Cultural Studies Mathematics Medieval & Renaissance Studies Military Science Modern Languages Music Neuroscience Philosophy Physics • Psychology • Public Policy • Religious Studies Sociology Theater, Speech & Dance Women's Studies

Search

Find People

Government Department

Government Department

 

Department of Government
Computer Proficiency Worksheet

All students majoring in Government must demonstrate computer proficiency, defined as "the ability to use computers for (1) word processing, (2) searching electronic library catalogs and information sources, (3) analyzing quantitative data to address issues of governance and politics."  Ideally, students will satisfy this requirement early in their freshman or sophomore years so they can use these skills when conducting research and writing papers for upper-level courses.  Students should take a 1-credit computer lab attached to GOV 201, 203, or 204, or take GOV 301 (Research Methods) or 307 (Political Polling and Survey Analysis), to satisfy this requirement.  What follows is a checklist of skills students are expected to demonstrate in these labs or courses:

I. Word processing

Student certifies that s/he, and not some other individual, typed a paper for a Government course.

II. Electronic sources of information

Student can use LION to locate scholarly books or edited volumes relevant to politics.
Can use a database to locate scholarly papers and articles relevant to politics (e.g., JSTOR, PAIS, APSA Proceedings).
Can use a database to access newsmagazines and popular journals (e.g., LexisNexis, InfoTrac, factiva).
Can access numerical data using the Internet (e.g., U.S. Census Bureau, National Election Studies, Eurobarometer).
Can cite above sources fully and accurately, using an established format.

III. Analysis of quantitative data

Student can create a data set or access an existing data set.
Can use SPSS, Stata, or Excel to analyze data relevant to politics.
Understands the meaning of statistical significance.
Can analyze the relationship between two variables, controlling for the influence of a third variable (e.g., using crosstabs, correlation, or regression).