Admission requirements
Mandatory course for students enrolled in the bachelor’s programme Security Studies.
Description
Research methods 1 will provide you with a basic understanding of how you can conduct an academic study on a security and safety related matter.
Building on the skills you have acquired during the three Skills lab courses, you will be guided through the steps of the research process. The focus will be on topic selection, formulating a research question and choosing suitable methods. You will learn the basics of qualitative, quantitative and design science research and methodology. You will study which (combination of) methods are generally used to answer research questions on security and safety related topics.
You will also learn how to articulate your topic selection, your research question and chosen research method(s) and how to compose your research plan in a research proposal.
Course objectives
The student will gain knowledge and understanding of what constitutes a good research design from the perspective of different academic disciplines.
The student will gain basic knowledge on a variety of research methods (qualitative and quantitative social science methods, and design science methods), and gain an understanding of how they can be combined.
The student will be able to produce an academic research design for a contemporary security and/or safety issue.
The student will be able to select, weigh and integrate research methods that are suitable for their research design.
The student will gain an understanding of the importance of intellectual integrity and ethical scholarship.
Timetable
On the right side of programme front page of the E-guide Bachelor Security Studies you will find links to the website and timetables, uSis and Blackboard.
Mode of instruction
14 lectures and self-study.
Participation in lectures, discussions and exercises is required in order to obtain a grade. One lecture may be missed. Being absent more than once may likely lead to expulsion from the course.
Course Load
Total study load is 140 hours
Contact hours: 42
Self-study hours (including assignment): 95
Examination: 3
Assessment method
Written exam (mid-term): 25%
Paper: 75%
In this course only assessments with the weight of 30% and lower are compensable. This means that one does not have to pass an assessment if it weighs less than 30% in order to pass the course, if the average of all assessments combined is at least a 5.50. In addition, assignments with less than 30% are not re-sitable, meaning that if one failed an assessment of less than 30%, one is not allowed to resit it.
In other words, the mid-term exam (20%) should be compensated by the paper (80%). This is not possible the other way around. The calculated final grade must be at least 5.50 to pass the course.
More information will be available on the Blackboard page.
Resit
Students will be permitted to resit the paper if they have a grade lower than 5.50 or with permission of the Board of Examiners.
The resit for the paper will take the same form.
Transitional Arrangement
Students who participated in the course “Research Methods 1” in academic year 2018-2019 but did not manage to pass the entire course keep their passed partial grades obtained in year 2018-2019 during year 2019-2020. Failed partial grades should be obtained in 2019-2020 and cover the course content offered in year 2019-2020.
Blackboard
Course page will be available one week in advance.
Reading list
Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods, 5th edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978-0-19-968945-3.
Other relevant reading material will be announced on Blackboard.
Registration
Use both uSis and Blackboard to register for every course.
Register for every course and workgroup via uSis. Some courses and workgroups have a limited number of participants, so register on time (before the course starts). In uSis you can access your personal schedule and view your results. Registration in uSis is possible from four weeks before the start of the course.
Also register for every course in Blackboard. Important information about the course is posted there.
Contact
dr. P.G.M. Aarten dr. P.G.M. Aarten