SPS501 Methodology in Social Sciences
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Course Code | Course Title | Weekly Hours* | ECTS | Weekly Class Schedule | ||||||
T | P | |||||||||
SPS501 | Methodology in Social Sciences | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||||||
Prerequisite | None | It is a prerequisite to | None |
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Lecturer | Aliaksandr Novikau | Office Hours / Room / Phone | Tuesday: 13:00-16:00 Wednesday: 12:00-14:00 |
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anovikau@ius.edu.ba | ||||||||||
Assistant | Assistant E-mail | |||||||||
Course Objectives | This course is designed to introduce the “scientific thinking” and the main components of social science research design and analysis. The main objective of this course is to teach how to do research by focusing on the various steps a researcher must take in order to have a sound research design. Related to this, the major goal of this course is to provide a working knowledge of how to read, interpret, critique, do, and present social science research. To achieve this goal, we examine not only the aspects of sound design but also methods for collecting and analyzing data both qualitatively and quantitatively. Our focus on research design will allow us to explore how our research question drives our choice of method rather than our method driving our research question. |
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Textbook | TBA | |||||||||
Additional Literature |
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Learning Outcomes | After successful completion of the course, the student will be able to: | |||||||||
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Teaching Methods | TBA | |||||||||
Teaching Method Delivery | Face-to-face | Teaching Method Delivery Notes | ||||||||
WEEK | TOPIC | REFERENCE | ||||||||
Week 1 | Introduction | None | ||||||||
Week 2 | Ontology and epistemology. Scientific knowledge. | Hay, Furlong-Marsh, JRM 2, Sandberg | ||||||||
Week 3 | Research process. Research topic. Statement of the problem. Research problem. Research questions. | JRM 3, KKV 1-2m Mearsheimer & Walt, Gerring 2–3 | ||||||||
Week 4 | Concepts and conceptualization. | Gallie, Gerring, 1 Gerring 2, Sartori, Oppenheim | ||||||||
Week 5 | Hypotheses, variables and inference. Validity. Correlation. Ecological inference. | JRM 4, McDermott, Robinson, King, Kvale | ||||||||
Week 6 | Operationalization. Measurement. Indexes, Scales, and Typologies. | Gerring 7, Shively 4–5, Neuman | ||||||||
Week 7 | Sampling. | JRM 5, Shively , KKV 4 | ||||||||
Week 8 | Midterm exam. | All above | ||||||||
Week 9 | Causal relationships. Experimental research designs | KKV 3, Goertz, JRM 6, Shively, Campbell, Shadish 1-2 | ||||||||
Week 10 | Observational research designs. | JRM7, Gerring, Przewski, Tarrow, Hopkin | ||||||||
Week 11 | Data collection. | JRM 10, Rea 1, Fowler 6, Sovacool, Peek, Khirfan, Stockemer | ||||||||
Week 12 | Descriptive statistics. | JRM 11, Shively 8-9 | ||||||||
Week 13 | Interferential statistics. | JRM 12–14, Shively 10 | ||||||||
Week 14 | New Year. No class. | None | ||||||||
Week 15 | Students presentations. Conclusion. | JRM 15 |
Assessment Methods and Criteria | Evaluation Tool | Quantity | Weight | Alignment with LOs |
Team Project | 1 | 30 | 1,2,3, and 4 | |
Semester Evaluation Components | ||||
Participation | 1 | 20 | 2,3,and 4 | |
Facilitation | 1 | 10 | 2, 3, and 4 | |
Midterm exam | 1 | 20 | 2,3, and 4 | |
Quizzes | 1 | 20 | 1,2,3, and 4 | |
*** ECTS Credit Calculation *** |
Activity | Hours | Weeks | Student Workload Hours | Activity | Hours | Weeks | Student Workload Hours | |||
Lecture Hours | 3 | 14 | 42 | Home Study | 2 | 14 | 28 | |||
Presentation | 3 | 7 | 21 | Midterm Exam study | 3 | 6 | 18 | |||
Research Proposal | 3 | 3 | 9 | Final Exam Study | 4 | 8 | 32 | |||
Total Workload Hours = | 150 | |||||||||
*T= Teaching, P= Practice | ECTS Credit = | 6 | ||||||||
Course Academic Quality Assurance: Semester Student Survey | Last Update Date: 18/12/2023 |