Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, Unit Catalogue 2007/08 |
XX50170 Principles & skills of social research |
| Credits: 6 |
| Level: Masters |
| Semester: 1 |
| Assessment: CW 100% |
| Requisites: |
|
Aims: The unit aims to:
* critically introduce the epistemological and methodological traditions in social research and the basic principles of social research design. * critically introduce key epistemological aspects of the relationship between measurement and meaning. * critically introduce the ethical and policy issues surrounding the practice of social research. * introduce key skills for organising a research project and collecting data; conducting critical reviews of published research; and disseminating and communicating research. Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course students are expected to: in terms of Knowledge and Understanding: * understand the significance and rationales of alternative epistemological paradigms and modes of social scientific enquiry * understand the principles of alternative research designs and corresponding techniques of social analysis * understand the social, political and ethical context of the social research process * be aware of several significant developments in methods including hermeneutics, the analysis of metaphor and standardisation of methods; the rise of statistics, bureaucracy and trust in numbers. in terms of Intellectual competence * have developed their capacity in problem solving, conceptualising the dimensions of a problem and operationalising its key parameters * understand the contextual character of methods and how they become established as definitive of a disciplines or of research fields within a discipline in terms of Professional and Practical competence * be able to evaluate research, including undertaking refereeing and book reviews; * be able to organise a research project and collect data using a variety of methods including using Internet-based tools, as well as generate data * understand issues posed by social research in relation to ethics, confidentiality and legality * respect, consider and attend to the rights of other researchers and research participants; * develop their competence in formulating research proposals for external funding and complete end-of-award reports to sponsors; in terms of transferable/Key skills * develop their competence in critical oral argumentation, particularly in terms of the application of complex general principles to particular practical situations * develop their competence in effective writing, presentation and dissemination of research findings to practitioners and lay audiences; * develop career management skills, including skills in using new technologies for obtaining information about new career opportunities, evaluation of personal and career development needs, self-promotion and marketing. Skills: During the course students are expected to develop their skills in the following areas: * Comprehensive and scholarly written communication (e.g. essays) (Taught/Facilitated/Assessed) * Ability to select, summarise and synthesise written information from multiple sources (T/A) * Ability to develop rigorous arguments through precise use of concepts and models (T/F/A) * Ability to produce work to agreed specifications and deadlines (T/F/A) * Ability to work independently, without close supervision of guidance (T/A) Content: Part 1 - The Principles of Social Research Session 1 - The Ontology of Social Research * Science, objectivity, subjectivity and reflexivity * Key issues in the relationship between measurement and meaning Session 2 - The Epistemology of Social Research * Paradigms of Enquiry - positivism; hermeneutics and phenomenology; post-empirical perspectives * Modes of enquiry - inductive and hypothetico-deductive of scientific approaches Session 3 - The Methodology of Social Research I - introduction to the principles and methods of quantitative research design * topics introduced: conceptualisation and operationalisation, levels of measurement, transforming qualities to quanttities, techniques of collecting and generating quantitative data, types of quantitative data analysis Session 4 - The Methodology of Social Research II - introduction to the principles and methods of qualitative research design * topics introduced: conceptual frameworks, techniques of collecting and generating qualitative data, types of qualitative data analysis Session 5 - Social Research as a social process * The use and analysis of Metaphors in scientific discourse * The rise of statistics, bureaucracy and trust in numbers * Ethical issues in social research * Social enquiry and policy - introduction to the politics of social research Part 2 - The Skills of Social Research Session 6 - Introduction to the skills of social researcher * preparing a research proposal and applying for funding * key skills in organising and executing a research project, * critically reviewing published research * disseminating and communicating research Session 7 - The Practice of Research * Guest speakers from different disciplines will present and discuss their own research projects, issues of ethics, methodology and measurement, advice for research funding and the skills involved in completing successfully a project Practical Session - Using the internet as a research tool * Computer lab session introducing the tools for disciplined web-based research. |