This course will introduce the application of scientific methods to the study of international affairs, broadly construed. In it, you will learn the purposes of social science, and what distinguishes a scientific approach to social phenomena from other approaches. We will cover the key elements of a good social science theory and understand how to formulate and measure important social science concepts. We will learn how to ensure that our samples are representative of the populations we wish to study and how to design high quality surveys. Finally, we will examine the approaches social scientists use address causal questions of interest in international affairs, covering both quantitative methods - with a specific focus on ordinary least squares – as well as qualitative methods. The primary aim of this course is to help you understand, interpret, critique, and communicate a wide range of empirical social science research relating to international affairs.