A Mathematics Course for Political and Social Research

Political science and sociology increasingly rely on
mathematical modeling and sophisticated data analysis,
and many graduate programs in these fields now
require students to take a “math camp” or a semesterlong or yearlong course to acquire the necessary skills.
The problem is that most available textbooks are written for mathematics or economics majors, and fail to
convey to students of political science and sociology
the reasons for learning often-abstract mathematical
concepts. A Mathematics Course for Political and Social
Research fills this gap, providing both a primer for math
novices and a handy reference for seasoned researchers.
The book begins with the fundamental building
blocks of mathematics and basic algebra, then goes
on to cover essential subjects such as calculus in one
and more than one variable, including optimization,
constrained optimization, and implicit functions; linear algebra, including Markov chains and eigenvectors;
and probability. It describes the intermediate steps
most other textbooks leave out, features numerous exercises throughout, and grounds all concepts by illustrating their use and importance in political science
and sociology.