Admission requirements
Mandatory course for students enrolled in the bachelor’s programme Security Studies.
Description
This course provides an introduction to studying social science research and how to set up an academic study on a safety and security related matter. In seven modules you are challenged to critically engage in the different research traditions in social science research and you will explore the research cycle from design to analysis and reporting. Furthermore, you will learn basic but important research skills: how to choose a methodology based on the research question and how to compose a research plan on a safety or security issue.
This course forms the starting point for the other research methods courses in year 2 and 3. You will develop important research skills that aid you in writing papers in other courses and your bachelor thesis. In addition, you need to have passed this course (as well as Research Methods 2) to be able to start with your bachelor thesis. For this reason, this course is compulsory for all students following the bachelor Security Studies. No prior knowledge or experience in research is required to take this course.
Course objectives
At the end of this course, students are able to:
Understand the fundamental concepts in social science research;
Acquire basic knowledge on a variety of research methods;
Identify appropriate research techniques and methods of analysis to answer a specific research question;
Produce an academic research design for a contemporary security and/or safety issue;
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 Brightspace.
Mode of instruction
This course has a blended learning course format, which combines 7 synchronous lectures with an online component.
Total study load is 140 hours.
Contact hours (synchronous lectures): 21 hours
Self-study hours (following an online component and writing the research proposal): 116 hours
Examination (written assignment): 3 hours
Assessment method
The final grade for this course is based on two types of assessments:
Written assignment
25% of the final grade
Grade must be compensated
Resit not possible
Research proposal
75% of the final grade
Grade must be 5.50 or higher to pass the course.
Resit of a fail is possible
Resit will take same form
Resit
Students are only eligible for a resit of the research proposal if they participated in the first deadline and did not submit a ‘pro-forma’ entry, or with permission of the Board of Examiners.
Transitional arrangement
Passed partial grades obtained in year 2019-2020 remain valid during year 2020-2021.
Reading list
Grønmo, S. (2019). Social research methods: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (First ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE. ISBN: 9781526441249.
Registration
Register for every course and workgroup via uSis.
Registration in uSis is possible from four weeks before the start of the course. 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.
Leiden University uses Brightspace as its online learning management system. Important information about the course is posted here.
After enrolment for the course in uSis you are also enrolled in the Brightspace environment of this course.
Contact
R. Ganohariti e-mail