Postgraduate Course: Research Design (PGSP11208)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Postgrad (School of Social and Political Studies) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The course provides an introduction to the main issues involved in designing social science research, and is intended for students from a wide range of social science disciplines. Research design calls for decisions about how the research should be carried out, about what kind of data should be collected and analysed, and about how inferences should be drawn if the aims of the research are to be realised. The researcher has to be able to demonstrate that conclusions drawn from the research are robust and well-grounded epistemologically and theoretically. The course does not provide training in research methods, or an exhaustive checklist of points that need to be considered when designing a research project. It concentrates instead on the strengths and weaknesses of different kinds of research design as they relate to the aims, objectives and theoretical underpinnings of any piece of research. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2012/13 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
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WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| No Classes have been defined for this Course |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| Additional information |
The class comprises 10 x 1 hour whole-class presentations by the course teachers, weekly 1 hour discussion group sessions in smaller multi-disciplinary groups facilitated by advanced doctoral students or those who have recently completed their dissertations, and in which students are required to relate the concerns of the course to their proposed research.
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| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, students should
- Have a sound understanding of the basic principles of research design
- Be able to evaluate the robustness of research projects that use a range of approaches and methods
- Be in a position to create a robust design for their own
- Be able to defend the choices they have made in designing their research project to general social science audiences
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Assessment Information
| The course is assessed by one 3000-4000 word course paper detailing and defending all or part of the research design the student intends to use in their own research project. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Identifying research topics and questions; the role of theory; contrasting and combining methodological approaches; replication and secondary analysis; comparisons and case studies; issues of time; multi-level research designs; values and positions in research; knowledge exchange and the uses of research; ethics and good research practice. |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Bechhofer, F. and Paterson, L. (2000) Principles of Research Design in the Social Sciences, London: Routledge
Blaikie, N. (2009) Designing Social Research, Cambridge: Polity
Hakim, C. (2000) Research Design: Successful Designs for Social and Economic Research, London: Routledge
Hancké, B. (2009) Intelligent Research Design. A guide for beginning researchers in the social sciences, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Moses, J. and Knutsen, T. (2007) Ways of Knowing: Competing Methodologies in Social and Political Research, Basingstoke: Palgrave
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Sotiria Grek
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Gillian Macdonald
Tel: (0131 6)51 3244
Email: |
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