The objectives of this seminar are to promote discussion and debate around key methodological issues in quantitative sociology and to provide an opportunity for engaged and critical discussion of graduate students’ work.

PhD and Masters students and staff are welcome. As a general guide, participants will find it useful to have a basic understanding of regression analysis and statistical inference, although it is certainly not essential.

Key reading: Harding, D (2003) Counterfactual Models of Neighborhood Effects: The Effect of Neighborhood Poverty on Dropping out and Teenage Pregnancy. American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 109, No. 3 pp. 676-719

In the seminar, one or two students will make a short presentation of a published article or book and identify key issues and questions for discussion by the group.

Articles are pre-circulated and the strong expectation is that all participants will have read the material before the seminar and be prepared to discuss how the issues raised relate to their own work.

Seminars finish at 5.30pm.