Admission requirements
Only students of the Advanced MSc International Relations and Diplomacy can take this course.
Description
This course is the second stage of the thesis lab where students further develop their thesis projects. Following Thesis Lab 1’s focus on research questions, empirical puzzles, literature reviews, and preliminary theory, Thesis Lab 2 concentrates on theory development and methodological design. Students are separated into groups based on their methodological approach. Covered topics vary by group but will include statistical methods, qualitative case study approaches, case selection, causal inference, process tracing, data collection, and methods of analysis.
Course objectives
On completion of this course, students will have:
· selected the appropriate research strategy to answer their research question; · identified the concepts under investigation using their selected methodology; · a clear understanding of how to collect and analyse the relevant data; · a clear understanding of the strengths and limitations of their research approach; and · completed draft versions of core thesis sections.
Timetable
On the right-hand side of the programme front page of the studyguide you will find a link to the online timetables.
Mode of instruction
Short seminars; individual consultations; peer review.
Study load: 140 hours
Attendance Policy
Attendance is mandatory, subject to course structure (see syllabus for details).
Assessment method
Graded Assignments:
· Assignment 1 (40%) · Assignment 2 (60%)
Only the thesis proposal is eligible for re-sit. Failed partial grades or components should be compensated by passed partial grades or components. The calculated grade must be at least 5.50 to pass the course. It is not possible to re-sit a partial grade or component once you have passed the course.
Partial grades will remain valid for one academic year. Should a student fail the overall course, the student can complete the course in the next academic year. In cases of exceptional circumstances, a student may apply to the board of examiners for a resit to complete the course in the same academic year.
Reading list
Each student is responsible for reading up on necessary methods and techniques. To prepare for your research analysis method, you can consult the following textbooks:
Beach, Derek and Rasmus Brun Pedersen. 2013. Process-Tracing Methods: Foundations and Guidelines. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press
Beach, Derek and Rasmus Brun Pederson. 2016. Causal Case Study Methods: Foundations and Guidelines for Comparing, Matching, and Tracing. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Bennett, Andrew and Jeffrey T. Checkel. Eds. 2014. Process Tracing: From Metaphor To Analytic Tool. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
George, Alexander L. and Andrew Bennett. 2005. Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Gerring, John. 2007. Case Study Research: Principles and Practices. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Howard, Christopher. 2017. Thinking Like A Political Scientist: A practical guide to research methods. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
Klotz, Audie & Deepa Prakash. Eds. 2008. Qualitative Methods in International Relations
A Pluralist Guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Rohlfing, Ingo. 2012. Case Studies and Causal Inference: An Integrative Framework. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Toshkov, Dimiter. 2016. Research Design in Political Science. Palgrave: New York, NY..
Yin, Robert K. (2008) Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
Registration
The programme will register the students in Usis based on the group division. Use Brightspace for course information.
Contact
Dr. J.J. Kantorowicz, Institute of Security & Global Affairs, Leiden University j.j.kantorowicz@fgga.leidenuniv.nl
Dr. M.G. Kellerman, Institute of Security & Global Affairs, Leiden University m.g.kellerman@fgga.leidenuniv.nl
Dr. Gjovalin Macaj, Institute of Security & Global Affairs, Leiden University g.macaj@fgga.leidenuniv.nl