The scientific method and statistics -- Theory and hypotheses -- Data and variables -- Research and design -- Statistics and the scientific study of politics -- I. Descriptive statistics -- Univariate descriptive statistics -- Measures of association I : nominal - and ordinal-level variables -- Measures of association II : means comparison and correlation -- Measures of association III : (Bivariate) regression -- II. Inferential statistics -- An introduction to inference -- Inference for nominal- and ordinal-level variables -- The central limit theorem -- Inference for interval-level variables -- III. Multiple regression -- Multiple regression -- Extensions to multiple regression -- Issues with multiple regression -- Binary logistics regression -- Categorical and limited dependent variables -- IV. Current debates -- Big alternatives -- The ethics of data analysis.