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This laboratory is designed to give you hands-on experience with comparative data analysis. After a brief introduction to the theoretical framework that guides sociological research on social inequalities from a comparative perspective, we will explore publicly available data from national institutes, international organizations, and ad hoc collections.

Learning Objectives 

This lab focuses on analyzing social inequalities from a comparative perspective. Students participating in the lab will:

- Learn to interpret aggregate data within a comparative framework. 

- Become familiar with key measures used to describe data as well as measures of inequality. 

- Interpret aggregate (and possibly individual) data to extract meaningful insights and answer research questions about inequality from a comparative perspective. 

- Actively engage with data and analysis on a weekly basis. 

- Work on a final group research paper based on data and methods discussed in class. 

Expected Learning Outcomes 

By the end of the lab, students will be able to:

- Understand key debates about inequality in a comparative perspective. 

- Develop and investigate research questions that take a comparative approach. 

- Understand the relationship between aggregate and individual level data. 

- Reflect on the role of context in the analysis of social inequalities. 

- Conduct basic comparative analyses, recognizing the strengths and limitations of different methodological tools. 

How can we analyze social phenomena through quantitative data and analyses? What kind of scientific claims can we make based on such inferences, and what are the limits of quantitative empirical research? The objective of this lab is to provide students - even those without any quantitative training - with a hands-on introduction to empirical research using quantitative methods. We will start with the underlying ideas and assumptions of scientific inference, move towards a critical understanding of published research and end with students' own data analysis based on their research interests. This means that students are introduced to both a theoretical and conceptual understanding of quantitative social science research, and the independent ability to perform basic statistical analysis themselves, for instance for the master thesis.