Prospectus

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Data Collection Methods

Course
2018-2019

Admission requirements

This course is only available for students in the BA Urban Studies.

Participation in Introduction to Methodology

Description

In this course students will get familiar with several types of data collection in the social sciences such as survey-research, participant observation, and conducting interviews and focus groups. Students will acquire practical skills of data collection through several assignments that are imbedded in field laboratories (partially outside the university, i.e. in the town of the Hague).

Course objectives

  • Students will have knowledge of four important methodological approaches in social research: survey, interview, observation, and participant observation

  • Students will have the skill to formulate research questions based on concrete human behaviour in urban settings

  • Students will have gained insight in how to choose appropriate methods of data collection

  • Students will know the benefits and pitfalls over the several types of data collection

  • Students will have practical skills in conducting interviews, making systematic observations, doing participant observation and designing a questionnaire

  • Students will be able to reflect on their own role as a researcher

Timetable

The timetable is available on the BA Urban Studies website

Mode of instruction

  • Lecture

  • Seminar

Course Load

Total course load is 5 EC (1 EC = 28 hours), equal to 140 hours, devoted to:

  • Attending lectures: 10

  • Attending tutorials: 10

  • Reading (preparation lectures) and learning: 84 (circa 500 pages)

  • Assignments (including time spent at field laboratories): 32

  • Exam: 4

Assessment method

Assessment and weighing

  • Overall quality assignments (30%)

  • Multiple choice exam (70%)

Both elements are necessary for final grading.
A student is allowed to miss a maximum of one tutorial.

Resit

Yes. A re-sit is possible for the final exam.

Exam review

How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.

Blackboard

Blackboard will be used for:

  • Distributing lecture handouts

  • Supplementary material

  • Announcements

  • Discussion board for students

  • Information grades

Reading list

  • A. Bryman, Social Research Methods

  • Knox, P. & S. Pinch, Urban Social Geography, 196-209.

  • Article by/about Erving Goffman

Registration

Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available on the website

Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs

Not applicable

Contact

Dr. A. van der Voort

Remarks

No remarks.