Social Research Methods (FUN108)

The main goal of this course is to impart knowledge and skills necessary for conducting and evaluating social science research. The course will begin with the introduction to the basic concepts and fundamental principles that underlie approaches to research and the practical implications of these principles, including formulation of research questions, concepts of validity and reliability, and issues of research ethics. Students will learn to review literature and conduct secondary and primary research. We will especially focus on the main qualitative and quantitative methods of primary data collection used in social science research. Students will be required to conduct their own research projects within a provided larger framework, which will help develop students’ practical research skills, and analysis of published research and other students’ research projects will sharpen their ability to critically evaluate the information coming from research conducted by others. Presentation of their own research findings and discussion of others’ research will also serve to refine the students’ presentation and communication skills. Students who have successfully completed the course and all its assignments will be able to define a research question, formulate the research design, choose the appropriate methods for data collection and analysis, present and interpret their findings, and critically evaluate other researchers’ output. Finally, the skills and knowledge gained in this course will also be employable during the preparation of BA theses.

• The student is able to understand the purpose and scope of empirical research.
• The student can identify and understand potential ethical, empirical and analytical problems plaguing the research process and ways to overcome them.
• The student is able to identify a politically relevant issue, translate it into a research question, and design an appropriate way to answer it.
• The student is able to formulate empirically testable hypotheses and choose the most appropriate tools for testing them.
• The student is able to identify and understand the main qualitative and quantitative methods of social research, their advantages and disadvantages and appropriate application areas.
• The student develops skills in choosing suitable case studies, sampling, measurement, questionnaire and interview guide design, conducting interviews and surveys, leading focus groups, processing and analyzing collected data.
• The student is able to communicate research findings and their implications in a clear and well organized way, both orally and in writing.
• The student is able to critically evaluate the quality of own and other people’s research findings and the process used to obtain them.
• The student is able to work as a member of a research team, communicate, share tasks, and keep themselves and teammates accountable for their performance throughout the process of conducting research.