Academic Skills: Research Design
Please note: a lecture will take place on Monday 2 September 2019, 11:00-13:00 in Wijnhaven room 2.01. This (mandatory) meeting replaces the first work group sessions of that week. Work groups start in week 37.
Description
In Year 2 of the bachelor’s programme, students are offered two academic skills courses of 5 ECTS each under the joint name Skills Year 2: How do I conduct political science research?
1. Semester 1 (block 1 and block 2)
Research Design: How do I develop a research design? (5 ECTS)
2. Semester 2 (block 3 and block 4)
Data Analysis: How do I conduct research using qualitative and quantitative methods of data analysis? (5 ECTS)
These courses build on the academic skills courses of Year 1, and invite students to practise the academic skills required to successfully complete the BSc in Political Science/ International Relations and Organisations. At the core, these courses teach students to apply their knowledge and understanding, form judgments, and communicate their findings.
These skills are practised and deepened in workgroups and through an online learning environment. The courses build upon one another. Ideally, students should successfully complete the Research Design course before participating in the Data Analysis course. However, this is not compulsory.
The overall objective is for students to practise designing, conducting and reporting political science research, in preparation for writing a bachelor’s thesis in Year 3. The Research Design course has to be completed successfully before students can participate in a Bachelor project.
Semester 1: Research Design
The main objective of the Research Design course is to teach students to collect academic literature on a specific political science topic in the form of a literature review, including a relevant and researchable research question. Students select one topic out of several set political science topics. They then read the assigned literature and use it to independently look for additional relevant academic literature. Based on this literature, they write a literature review that contains a research question. This research question is the starting point for the development of a theoretical framework. Moreover, the main factors contained in the research question have to be conceptualised. The final objective of this course is for students to write a clear, coherent and scientifically sound research design. This final paper is used as the starting point for the Data analysis course. An additional objective of this course is to train students in academic writing.
Course objectives
Objective 1: Acquire knowledge and understanding of the criteria for a sound research design in the political sciences.
Objective 2: Perform a literature study leading to a literature review culminating in a research design.
Mode of instruction
Weekly seminars.
Assessment method
Weekly assignments and participation
Reading list
Halperin, S. & Heath, O. (2017). Political research: Methods and practical skills. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
This book is used during the Research Methods in Political Science course as well.
See the full course syllabus for other literature.
Registration
See general information on tab 'Year 2'
Timetable
Contact
Ellen van Reuler: a.a.h.e.van.reuler@fsw.leidenuniv.nl.