YSS-10306 Research Methods in the Social Sciences

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

Dutch

Contents:

The final goal of the course is that students learn to develop a research proposal for a practice oriented research project. Starting from a practical problem that needs to be solved, the student first learns to design an appropriate research objective and appropriate research questions. Then students learn to set up the research project according to the following research strategies: the experiment, the survey and the case study. By the end of the course students will be able to hand in a complete, detailed and feasible research proposal.

Aims:

- students are able to make a conceptual research design for a simple social scientific research, consisting out of an adequate research objective, research issue and operationalisation;
- students are able to make a technical research design for a simple social scientific research, consisting out of an adequate motivation for a research strategy to be used and an adequate motivation for the methods of observation and the methods of data analysis to be used;
- students are able to critically assess research proposals made by themselves or by others.

Activities:

- lectures;
- Workshops;
- home assignments;
- studying of literature.

Examination:

- assignments;
- written examination.

Literature:

Handbook(s). Course outline is available with the contact person.