In This Story
Georges Saade is a sophomore international security and law major in the Schar School of Policy and Government. He writes about his experience in GOVT 300 Research Methods and Analysis.
Before taking GOVT 300 Research Methods and Analysis, I prepared for the worst. The class has a reputation as the most challenging government class because it’s centered on statistics rather than the more traditional focus on political systems or international affairs. Though I understood why the class was important, I was intimidated.
However, once I got into the class, I realized my fears were unfounded. In fact, it’s been one of the most rewarding and surprisingly enjoyable courses I’ve taken.
Assistant Professor Lucas Núñez has been a massive part of why this class has been less frightening. His teaching style simplifies even the most complicated concepts—into much more understandable examples, such as interpreting margins of errors in polls. Before this class, I always thought math was intimidating, but Núñez made it approachable. His lectures were structured in a way that built my understanding step by step. Anytime I felt lost, his office hours were a lifeline. I could drop in to ask questions about topics I was struggling with or even just chat about other things, such as events happening with the Upper-Level Democracy Lab, a residential learning community he directs. Those conversations helped me feel more connected to the course and reassured me that I could handle the material.
“This class gives students the tools to analyze both political and policy issues using data, helping students understand what truly causes them so they can make smarter decisions and have a real impact on fixing the world,” Núñez told me.
The Friday labs with Kang Seo, our teaching assistant, have also been a game-changer. The programming language used in this class, R, initially felt overwhelming, but the hands-on practice in the labs helped me feel more comfortable. The step-by-step guidance meant I wasn’t just memorizing how to do things—I actually understood why the code worked. This made tackling the problem sets much easier because I could rely on what we had done in the lab sessions. I also appreciated how the labs connected directly to what we learned in lectures, which helped me see the bigger picture.
This class has helped me grow in ways I didn’t expect. Although mathematics is not my strong suit, I excelled in it and learned a lot about statistics, and I can effectively analyze data in R, a skill I know I’ll use far beyond this class. More than that, GOVT 300 has shown me that I’m capable of handling difficult challenges as long as I have the right tools and support.
Was the class a walk in the park? No, but it was far from the horror I’d feared. Instead, it turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my academic journey so far. Núñez and Seo created an environment where I could learn, ask questions, and enjoy the semester. But if there’s one thing that still haunts me, it’s trying to knit an R Markdown file without it throwing 47 errors at me.