Admission requirements
Mandatory course for students enrolled in the bachelor’s programme Security Studies.
Description
Research methods 1 will provide students with a basic understanding of how they can conduct an academic study on a security and safety related matter.
Building on the skills students acquired during the three Skills lab courses, students 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. Students will learn the basics of qualitative, quantitative and design science research and methodology. Students will also learn which (combination of) methods are generally used to answer research questions on security and safety related topics.
Students will learn how to articulate their topic selection, their research question and chosen research method(s) and how to compose their research plan in a research proposal.
Course objectives
Students will gain knowledge and understanding of what constitutes a good research design from the perspective of different academic disciplines.
Students 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.
Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of a contemporary security and/or safety issue.
Students will be able to produce an academic research design.
Students will be able to select, weigh and integrate research methods that are suitable for their research design.
Students 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.
Course Load
Total study load is 140 hours
Contact hours: 42
Self-study hours: 95
Examination: 3
Assessment method
Assessment method
Written exam (mid-term): 20%Paper: 80%
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 5.5. 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 5,5 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 2017-2018 but did not manage to pass the entire course keep their passed partial grades obtained in year 2017-2018 during year 2018-2019. Failed partial grades should be obtained in 2018-2019 and cover the course content offered in year 2018-2019.
Blackboard
Course page will be available one week in advance.
Reading list
A selection of articles or other relevant reading material, to be announced on Blackboard.
Registration
To be announced by OSC staff.
Contact
Dr. P.G.M. Aarten Dr. P.G.M. Aartsen