Political Science Research Resources

The German Longitudinal Election Study (GLES), spanning three subsequent funding periods, is a long-term effort to examine the German federal elections of 2009, 2013 and 2017. Funded by the German National Science Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft), the project aims to track the German electoral process over an extended period of time and at an unprecedented level of detail.

All data generated by the project are treated as a public good and are made freely accessible to social science researchers worldwide for download .

English-language versions of the most important datasets collected during the 2009 German federal election and their documentation are available, or soon to be made available, free of charge.

The Political Finance Database is a leading source of comparative information on political finance regulations. It includes laws and regulations from 179 individual countries.

The database answers 43 questions on political finance within 4 broad categories:

1. Bans and limits on private income
2. Public funding
3. Regulations of spending
4. Reporting, oversight and sanctions

The information in this database shows the use of different types of regulations in individual countries, but it can also be used to compare the prevalence of various provisions between countries and regions.

Global Constitutionalism – Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (GlobCon), a journal exploring the foundations, limitations and principles of political order, is jointly published by Cambridge University Press and the Centre for Globalisation and Governace (CGG) at the University of Hamburg.

The journal is edited by Mattias Kumm (WZB Berlin and New York University), Anthony F. Lang Jr. (University of St. Andrews), Miguel P. Maduro (European University Institute, Florence) and Antje Wiener (University of Hamburg), with James Tully (University of Victoria) serving as a consulting editor.

The first issue of the journal, published in March 2012, is available via SFU Library.

The SFU Library is continuing plans for a Research Commons, to be located on the second floor of the Bennett Library with a future presence at all SFU campus locations. The Research Commons will be a configuration of services, spaces, and technology designed to support the research endeavours of the University community, with particular focus on graduate students. Though the physical space is still under development, the SFU Library including the Student Learning Commons and Research Commons is very pleased to provide you with the following academic support services for Summer 2012.

Workshops
The Research Commons is pleased to offer you a range of workshops including Managing your time, Working with thesis templates, and an introduction to Refworks. View the complete list of workshops and register in advance.

To request an additional workshop not offered this semester, send a request to research-commons@sfu.ca

Liaison Librarians
Each department/faculty at SFU has a liaison librarian available to help you with your research and teaching needs. Find a complete list of liaison librarians for the contact information of your liaison librarian.

Read Ahead Service
The Read Ahead Service provides intensive and extended support for graduate students writing theses, projects or any piece of writing with a longer deadline. In order to receive in-depth feedback and maximize your consultation time with a Graduate Facilitator or an SLC Coordinator, you will be asked to submit the piece of writing you wish to discuss prior to your first appointment. To take advantage of this service, book an appointment in advance.

EAL/ESL Services
If English is not your first language, English as an Additional Language (EAL) specialist Tim Mossman is available to help you improve your spoken and written English through individual consultations, workshops, and personalized learning plans.

Contact Tim Mossman 778.782.8510 / tmossman@sfu.ca for details.

For more information, see the Student Learning Commons services and the Library services for graduate students.

Please forward any questions or comments regarding graduate student programming or services to
research-commons@sfu.ca

The JHA Archive contains bibliographic records and full-text documents on EU Justice and Home Affairs policy dating back to 1976 when the Trevi Group was set up (Trevi was ad hoc intergovernmental cooperation on Terrorism, Radicalism and Violence, and grew into formal European political cooperation in the former Third Pillar after the Maastricht Treaty).

Here are a few examples of reports that you can find:

-Meeting of experts on the early warning and rapid reaction system

-Conflict prevention: Report by the Secretary General/High Representative and the Commission

-The prevention and control of organised crime: A European Union strategy for the beginning of the new Millennium

See also highlighted documents and the JHA Archive’s list of keywords used to categorize documents.

Please note that E-STAT, a portal into Statistics Canada’s Census of Population and socioeconomic data, will be archived on June 30, 2012. E-STAT will remain accessible as is until June 30, 2013, but its content will no longer be updated. It will be discontinued July 1, 2013.

As an alternative, consider using the CANSIM (Canadian Socio-economic Information Management) database or visit Statistics Canada’s census portal for current information.

The SFU Library at all three campuses will be closed from December 25, 2011 to January 2, 2012. The library re-opens on January 3, 2012.

Library hours will be returning to normal in January. Classes begin on January 5, 2012.

Happy holidays and happy new year!

The December 2011 issue of the SFU Library Update newsletter is now available on the web. Highlights include:

Bennett Library renewal project
New fifth floor silent study room
Komagata Maru website update
BC postcard collection
Summit repository
Fifth anniversary of the Library’s Student Learning Commons
Staff advancements and moves
New fund-raiser
Upcoming events

Read the newsletter to learn more about SUMMIT, the university’s institutional repository, a place for historical ephemera, academic research materials, source data and other scholarly assets, as well as upcoming events such as the annual Celebration of SFU Authors.

See past issues of the SFU Library Newsletter, dating back to 1994.

Simon Fraser University Teaching and Learning Centre presents the 16th Annual Spring Semester TA/TM Day: The Teaching Orientation Program on Friday, January 6, 2012 from 8:30-4:00 at SFU Burnaby campus.

TA/TM Day addresses teaching and technological skills that are essential for you as a teaching assistant or tutor marker.

Topics include:

-Finding confidence as a new TA or TM
-Setting the right tone in your classes
-Using technology in teaching
-Creating an inclusive classroom
-Evaluating student work fairly and efficiently
-Facilitating effective discussions
-Improving students’ writing skills
-Effective voice and presentation skills
-Helping students think critically and work cooperatively
-Helping your students become better researchers

Don’t miss this opportunity for peer-based support. Come share your teaching strategies, best practices, your challenges, successes, your fears and concerns in a supportive environment, which encourages your participation. Advance registration is NOT required.

Consult the TA/TM Day program for a listing and description of all workshops.

The SFU Library’s Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism Tutorial is available as a WebCT module for import into any existing WebCT course being taught in the upcoming semester. Please note that no changes have been made to the tutorial since the Fall 2011 semester.

This interactive tutorial is designed to help students understand what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid committing it. Working through the tutorial, students will learn to recognize different types of plagiarism and will be introduced to various practical skills – citing, note-taking, quoting, and paraphrasing – that will assist them in the writing process. The tutorial takes about 30 minutes to complete and includes two interactive quizzes to test students’ comprehension. The tutorial allows for easy tracking of student completion. By integrating the Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism Tutorial into your own WebCT course, you can emphasize the importance of these skills to your students.

If you are interested in having this tutorial integrated into your WebCT course, please:

1) Initiate the process by following the instructions on this web page: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/tutorials/pt-webct-install-help

2) Send an e-mail to lib-plagiarism@sfu.ca letting us know step #1 has been completed

If you have any preliminary questions about the tutorial, please feel free to contact us at: lib-plagiarism@sfu.ca

Please note we also have a web version of the Plagiarism Tutorial that can be found on the library’s website. Student completion of this web version of the tutorial cannot be tracked, but the quiz can be completed without a WebCT course container: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/tutorials/plagiarism-tutorial.

NEW FOR SPRING 2012: A French translation of the Plagiarism Tutorial (web platform only) is available. Tutoriel sur le plagiat: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/tutorials/plagiarism-tutorial-francais

Content for both the English web version and the WebCT version of the Plagiarism Tutorial is identical.