ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research), which owns the world’s largest archive of research data on social sciences, holds an annual summer program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research at the University of Michigan, where it is headquartered. The ICPSR Summer Program, which has been operating since the 1960s, was held in person in Ann Arbor with three weeks of intensive lectures on more than 40 courses.
The Center for Positive/Empirical Analysis of Political Economy subsidizes its program fees every year for graduate students participating in this program. This year, with the Unit’s support, three graduate students from the Graduate School of Political Science and the Graduate School of Economics dived into this three-week program at the University of Michigan. Below is one student’s report on his experience.
Hu,Tiange (胡 恬歌)
Graduate School of Economics, 2nd-year Master’s program
Research Theme: Agricultural Economics
Dispatched to & Duration: University of Michigan, USA (July 15, 2023 – August 6, 2023)
Introduction
The ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research) at the University of Michigan is a major social science data archive and research organization. The ICPSR’s summer program is a series of short courses on social science research methods and statistical analysis that attracts global attention. This program draws students, teachers, researchers, and other professionals from all over the world, who come here to enhance their research skills, learn new research methods, and share insights. In previous years, this program lasted for 4 weeks, but this year, for the first time, it was shortened to 3 weeks. I attended the second section of this year’s program.
Signboard at the ICPSR
Travel to the USA
Waseda University assisted with the preparation of my flight ticket and overseas insurance. Additionally, the U.S. has already eliminated the need for vaccine certification upon entry, so I only needed to prepare the U.S. visa. As my country isn’t among those exempted from U.S. visa requirements, I had to apply for a B1/B2 visa. On the website of the U.S. Embassy in Japan, there are detailed guidelines for visa application. I smoothly completed the form filling and interview scheduling. I received my U.S. visa a week after the interview. The University of Michigan provided participants with an invitation letter for the ICPSR program. When undergoing immigration inspection in the U.S., I simply presented the invitation letter to the officer and was able to enter the U.S. very smoothly.
What the class is like
The ICPSR program offers a diverse range of courses: the content spans from introductory to advanced levels, covering descriptive statistics, regression analysis, mixed methods, time series analysis, Bayesian statistics, and more. Moreover, all instructors are renowned experts: the program is taught by top scholars and researchers who are authoritative figures in their respective fields. ICPSR courses are categorized into two types: “course” and “lecture.” Participants can choose up to 4 courses and attend all lectures. Consequently, I ultimately selected one course: Statistics and Data Analysis II – The Basics of Regression and five lectures:
Introduction to Computing for Data Analysis
Introduction to Python
Introduction to the LaTeX Processing System
Introduction to the R Statistical Computing Environment
Introductory Matrix Algebra, Calculus, and Probability Review.
Since my usual research mainly involves data collection and analysis using Stata, I am very keen on learning more about data analysis software, such as the R language, Python, and so on. ISPSR offers lectures on every mainstream data analysis software currently in use. In class, besides theoretical knowledge, I also had the opportunity to apply the software I learned on actual data, further deepening my understanding of the methods.
During my study of economics, I learned that mathematics is an indispensable foundation, so I also chose a math course. “Introductory Matrix Algebra, Calculus, and Probability Review” was taught by Professor Timothy McDaniel from Buena Vista University. Professor McDaniel is a vibrant and extremely humorous instructor. Once, he said that since we were in a high-tech classroom, he would also use a very high-tech pointer. As everyone was eagerly anticipating, he pulled out several differently colored paperclips, straightened them, and told us that these were his high-tech pointers. The whole class burst into laughter. He would often crack jokes or draw amusing illustrations to help us grasp and remember complex mathematical formulas, ensuring that his lessons were always filled with laughter. Even for someone like me, who isn’t particularly adept at math, I grew fond of the subject and managed to remember many complicated formulas I couldn’t retain before.
high-tech classroom
Life in Ann Arbor
Since the ICPSR program takes place during the summer break, many international students from the University of Michigan go back to their home countries and sublet their apartments at a lower price. So, I connected with a student who was subletting her apartment on social media, signed a sublease contract, and stayed in her apartment for those three weeks. Their apartment was fully furnished and equipped with household essentials. They even had pots and seasonings, allowing me to cook in the apartment. On weekends, I would take the bus to a large supermarket to buy groceries. Most of the time, I prepared my own meals at home.
The apartment where I lived and a little bunny
Ann Arbor, where the University of Michigan is located, is an incredibly quiet and clean city, and it’s among the most livable cities in the United States. The architecture here is quite classical and elegant. The streets are spacious and clean, and there are many plants and wild animals. Being an animal lover, I enjoy walking the streets, always on the lookout for the creatures that inhabit it. I’ve seen wild squirrels, rabbits, and even skunks here. In Ann Arbor, the sun doesn’t set until around 9 p.m., and just after sunset, you can see fireflies dancing over the lawns, making it feel like you’ve stepped into a fairy tale world.
Little squirrel
Ann Arbor also has a very strong artistic atmosphere. The University of Michigan has its own museum and art gallery, which displays genuine works by Van Gogh and Picasso, and even has real mummies. During the second section of my stay, I happened to be there during Ann Arbor’s annual art fair. Many roads in the city center became pedestrian-only zones, prohibiting car traffic. Both sides of the streets had booths set up where artists from all over gathered in Ann Arbor to showcase and sell their art. During that week, the usually quiet Ann Arbor became lively and crowded.
Ann Arbor’s annual Art Fair
Outlook for the future
ICPSR not only provides courses but also organizes many social activities. For instance, every Tuesday at noon, the ICPSR prepares pizza for everyone. People can eat together, chat, and learn R programming. Every Wednesday, they provide doughnuts for everyone. On the weekend of the second week, they organized a picnic in a nearby park. Not only did they prepare delicious tacos, but they also had various outdoor games.
In these three weeks, I not only acquired a lot of knowledge but also met many outstanding teachers and scholars and made many good friends from all over the world. In my future research, I will actively apply the methods I’ve learned this time to achieve better research results. Once again, I’d like to thank every instructor, all the stuff and everyone who has helped me.
University building
