| CODE | EST5599 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Research Methods | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | European Studies | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit guides students through the "research cycle" starting from a research question and going through the development of the literature review and theory, the methodology and research design, the discussion of own arguments and findings, and the design of good conclusions. This study-unit emphasises methodological pluralism - including qualitative and quantitative research designs, rationalism and constructivism, small-N and large-N studies, hypothesis testing and thick description. The study-unit consists of seminars and group learning, and is structured on four interrelated components: a) understanding the logic of social science research; b) developing a literature review, c) constructing a theory and research design; d) analysing findings. This study-unit informs students on how to make research, optimise the use of available sources, and use them in an appropriate manner. Study-unit Aims: - identify good quality research; - recognise of ethical implications when doing research; - define the basic theoretical approaches underpinning social science research; - Identify and assess different research orientations within an area of study, such as qualitative and quantitative methodologies; - acquire knowledge of different research styles, for instance survey research, case-study research, comparative studies, amongst others; - Identify various methods for collecting, organizing and analyzing data; - understand the importance of appropriate and suitable ways of presenting, communicating and disseminating data. Learning Outcomes: - Draft a proposal for a research project; - Search for relevant information in primary and secondary sources from libraries and electronic resources. - Conduct a literature review and perceive the main conclusions deriving from the research; - Understand pluralism in social science research methods and identify the best method to address a research question; - Develop an original argument or theoretical grounded understanding of a research problem; - Analyse data and summarize ideas Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Brady, Henry E., and David Collier. 2010. Rethinking Social Inquiry: Diverse Tools, Shared Standards. II. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. - Exadaktylos Theofanis and Radaelli Claudio M., 2012. Research Design in European Studies. Palgrave. - Kellstedt, Paul M. 2011. The Fundamentals of Political Science Research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. - King, Gary, Robert O. Keohane, e Sidney Verba. 1994. Designing Social Inquiry. Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. Supplementary Readings: - Burnham P; Gilland K; Grant W; Layton-Henry Z. (2008) Research Methods in Politics, Palgrave, UK. - Della Porta, Donatella, e Michael Keating. 2008. Approaches and methodologies in the social sciences: a pluralist perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. - Dunleavy, Patrick. 2003. Authoring a PhD. How to Plan, Draft, Write, and Finish a Doctoral Thesis or Dissertation. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. - Trochim, William, and James P. Donnelly. 2006. The Research Methods Knowledge Base. Cornell University, Sun-Buffalo USA: Atomic Dog. |
|||||||||
| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Failure in submitting the Seminar Paper or Assignment will result in an overall fail. Class attendance is obligatory, as this is a seminar based course and assessment depends on class participation. Should a student miss more than two seminars the lecturer may barr the student from the study-unit. |
|||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Seminar | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
|||||||||
| LECTURER/S | Jean Claude Cachia |
|||||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
||||||||||