This course reviews foundational skills necessary for the successful completion of the MA thesis. The primary goals will be to develop: the ability to draw valid conclusions from quantitative evidence; the ability to critique published research articles; the ability to conduct a well designed piece of research; the ability to write up that research in a format appropriate for a journal article or thesis. The course deals with research methods, the conceptual foundations of statistics, and the preparation of a thesis/research report. The aim is to try to integrate these three things (research methods, the interpretation of statistics, and thesis/journal article preparation).