Using a Data Analysis Project to Increase Knowledge of International Politics

Abstract In international politics classes, it can be challenging to develop course materials that will both cover a wide breadth of thematic issues as well as substantially increase student knowledge of specific countries’ political systems and experiences. Using an International Politics Data Analysis Project where students select a slate of 16 countries and complete four unit check-ins where they aggregate data, identify trends, and develop case studies related to the data, I demonstrate that students can gain more knowledge about a diverse set of countries than they might otherwise. Across two semesters, students reported gains in knowledge about all world regions from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester. Students completing the project for the first time also reported significant gains in comfort with the practical skills associated with political science. Students who had already completed the 4 × 3 Project in a companion course reported knowledge gains in five of seven world regions. Paired data of the first and last unit check-in of the semester indicates increased competence with data manipulation, trend identification, and case study writing, providing objective data to support the students’ own impressions of their development as a result of the project.