POL 216 - Research Methods

What are the main methods of data collection and analysis? How can research be conducted in light of ethics? What makes a research project a success or a failure? Students will be familiar with the key schools of thought in research such as positivism and interpretivism and be able to distinguish their main features. Additionally, students taking this course will learn the sequence of conducting research in a project.

Students will examine the diversity of approaches in research methods through studying positivism and interpretivism followed by a review of methods such as interviews, discourse analysis and ethnographic observation.

Jane Ritchie, ‎Jane Lewis, ‎Carol McNaughton Nicholls and Rachel Ormston (eds.), Qualitative Research Practice: A Guide for Social Science Students and Researchers (London: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2013)

Students will follow the weekly lecture schedule (subject to modifications during the semester) and read the accompanying course readings for every week. In their assessments, students are expected to demonstrate evidence that they have fulfilled the following three criteria: comprehension of course materials, writing coherent and structured essays, and an informed point of view about the course's themes and subjects. The rules of an in-person exam apply to all written exam assessments i.e. do not read or consult any sources during the allocated examination time. Any signs of blatant unoriginal writing (including, but not restricted to, copying sentences from a source without due acknowledgement or from another student's paper) will be punished with an automatic fail and may be referred to disciplinary action for investigation.