Postgraduate Course: Researching International Development (Distance Learning) (PGSP11480)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to undertake research I the field of International Development, with an emphasis on the Dissertation for the MSc in International Development. These skills are imperative for academics, researchers, policy-makers, practitioners, activists, and avid scholars in fields of and related to International Development. Thus, they resonate with the ambitions and interests of the richly varied cohorts engaged in our ODL programmes.
To fulfil these objectives, the course first addresses research design in International Development, introducing students to dissertation research design and the components of rigorous research in development studies (the ¿research cycle¿ and components specific to the subject). Next, we examine reflexivity, positionality, and ethics, stressing their importance in research carried out in the developing world, including the use of research assistants and / or enumerators, local knowledge, access and permits, and ethical and sustainable partnerships. Then we cover risk in fieldwork, elaborating on safe practices for local and foreign researchers and contingency plans and safeguards in the event of unforeseen security changes. Lessons and skills learned in these early sessions are subsequently applied to modules teaching best practices of specific methods widely used in development research, from traditional approaches like ethnography, interviews, and surveys to cutting-edge innovations in participatory techniques, visual methods, and social network research and analysis. The final class challenges students to link this research in development with its practice.
The course is distinct in its focus on mixed methods in the sense not only of mixing ¿qualitative¿ and ¿quantitative¿ data but also in the sense of combing the viewpoints offered by different approaches within the so-called qualitative (e.g. interview, ethnography, archival research) and quantitative methods (e.g. surveys, experiments). Considering the use of these approaches in tandem or in sequence (typically pursued in development studies), and its continuous emphasis on ethical considerations and informing policy and practice. Throughout the course, students complete activities related to each module, focusing on an aspect of research and / or dissertation design ¿in practice¿. They are challenged to evaluate research designs and instruments and analyse such tools¿ applicability in terms of research question(s) and context(s). Each module also includes a video or real-time presentation in which a student or practitioner discusses their personal experiences planning and writing their dissertations and carrying out research in development. The presentation is followed by an asynchronous question and answer session through which students can engage further with the presenter and one another.
These aspects of the course, tailored to the virtual classroom, make it a unique offering in methods training on the newly proposed MSc in International Development.
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| Course description |
This course is founded on the tacit understanding that International Development (ID) is an umbrella for various disciplines engaged with the subject. Likewise, ID¿s interdisciplinary and usually mixed methods research is often instrumental or applied, seeking to foster positive change (development) in policy and practice. Furthermore, ID research is carried out in the developing world, by a host of actors ranging from students and researchers to consultants and professional agencies, singularly or concertedly and for a great variety of purposes. These factors complicate research design and raise practical and ethical challenges most acutely experienced in ID. The over-arching aim of this course is to provide methods training bespoke to ID with a strong, maintained focus on these considerations and their effects on research, the researched, and the researcher. Upon completion of the course, our students are expected to have developed the skills and competencies needed to undertake the dissertation for the MSc in International Development and to evaluate and conduct research in ID in a rigorous, conscientious, and informed fashion.
In this vein, the course first addresses research design and dissertation research design in International Development (academic writing; identifying and defining research problems; formulating research objectives, questions and hypotheses; writing literature reviews; employing theories, methodologies, data collection methods, and analytical techniques; collecting data; analysing data; interpreting results; and drawing conclusions). Next, the course examines reflexivity, positionality, and ethics, stressing the particular roles of and responsibilities to participants, translators, assistants, and enumerators. We discuss gatekeepers, access, context, and potentially hidden agendas. The module emphasises ethical and sustainable partnerships ¿ and how to secure them beyond lip-service.
Lessons learned in these introductory modules are then applied in subsequent sessions that focus on specific methods, from traditional approaches like ethnography, interviews, and surveys to revolutionary breakthroughs in participatory and visual methods. These lectures are paired with online activities and exercises challenging students to design their own research instruments or assess their applicability in a given research context and / or framework. Each session is accompanied by a pre-recorded or ¿real-time¿ presentation by a student or practitioner conducting research or completing dissertations in ID, reflecting on their experiences. Students will have the opportunity to engage with presenters (and one another) further during an asynchronous question and answer session based on the talk. The final class examines the links between development research and practice.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Critically reflect on the particular challenges of research in International Development (ID) ¿ their roots, possible pitfalls, and potential for ethically minded, applied studies and sustainable partnerships.
- Identify principal research strategies and methodologies and understand their application in mixed methods designs in ID and developing world contexts.
- Consider and effectively manage complex ethical and professional issues and make informed judgments concerning issues addressed ¿ or neglected ¿ in current ethical and / or professional codes of best practice.
- Acquire knowledge of research design, the range of techniques of enquiry, and other skills needed to develop and conduct research for dissertations within the field of International Development.
- Ability to critically analyse a theme of their choosing in the field of International Development through dissertation research addressing that theme.
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Reading List
Adams, G. 2014. 'Decolonizing Methods: African Studies and Qualitative Research'. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 31 (4). pp.476-74.
Amadiume, I. 1993. 'The Mouth That Spoke a Falsehood Will Later Speak the Truth: Going Home to the Field in Eastern Nigeria'. In Gendered Field: Women, Men, and Ethnography, eds. D. Bell, P. Caplan and W.K. Jarim. London: Routledge.
Bechhofer, F., Paterson, L. 2000. Principles of Research Design in the Social Sciences. London: Routledge.
Beoku-Betts, J. 1994. 'When Black Is Not Enough: Doing Field Research among Gullah Women'. NWSA Journal, 6 (3). pp.413-33
Bryman, A. 2008. Social Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Chambers, R. 2002. Participatory Workshops: A Sourcebook of 21 Sets of Ideas and Activities. London: Earthscan.
Crawford, Gordon, Lena J. Kruckenberg, Nicholas Loubere, and Rosemary Morgan. Understanding Global Development Research: Fieldwork Issues, Experiences and Reflections. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2017.
Crewe, E., Harrison, E. 1998. Whose Development? Ethnography of Aid. London: Zed.
Crowhurst, I., and M. Kennedy-Macfoy. 2013. 'Troubling Gatekeepers: Methodological Considerations for Social Research'. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 16 (6). pp.457-62
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
By the end of the programme, students will be equipped with new skills in:
1. Critically understanding principally methodologies and strategies employed in International Development.
2. Plan and execute research projects and investigations.
3. Analytically examine, synthesise, and assess research and findings.
4. Communicate, using appropriate methods, to a range of audiences with differing levels of knowledge and / or expertise.
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Kate Wright
Tel: (0131 6)51 1480
Email: |
Course secretary | |
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