General information

Course type AMUPIE
Module title Designing Political Science Research
Language English
Module lecturer Prof. UAM dr hab. Joanna Rak
Lecturer's email joarak@amu.edu.pl
Lecturer position Associate Professor
Faculty Faculty of Political Science and Journalism
Semester 2021/2022 (summer)
Duration 30
ECTS 5
USOS code 14-DPSR

Timetable

Classes start on Monday 28th February, 2022, at 18:30 until 20:00, room 128, at the Faculty of Political Scence and Journalism

 

Module aim (aims)

- to introduce and explain how to plan and design research on topics interesting to students,
- to introduce the elements of research process and account for their role in a research project;
- to introduce methodological and theoretical approaches useful in political science;
- to show how to conduct and improve social research,
- to present how to discuss and disseminate research results.

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

Pre-requisites:
-curiosity about politics and society,
-competence to analyze sources critically,
-competence to deal with research problems
-command of English.

Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction: Research Process in Political Science

Week 2: Research Planning and Designing: Topic, Research Subject, and Goals

Week 3: Literature Review: Role of Theory in Political Science

Week 4: Presentation and Evaluation of Literature Reviews

Week 5: Research Field and Its Subject, Subject Matter, Time, and Territory Bounds

Week 6: Research Problems

Week 7: Research Hypotheses

Week 8: Research Methods, Techniques, and Tools

Week 9: Consultations: Pilot Testing and General Strategies for Controlling Artifact and Bias

Week 10: Sources Selection and Data Collection, Preparation, and Analyses

Week 11: Writing Strategies and Ethical Consideration

Week 12: Presentation and Evaluation of Research Projects, part I

Week 13: Presentation and Evaluation of Research Projects, part II

Week 14: Presentation and Evaluation of Research Projects, part III

Week 15: Discussion on Limits and Avenues for Future Research. Disseminating Research Results



Class attendance and participation: Class attendance is required for this course. If you must miss, come out early or arrive late to a class for any reason, please let me know in advance. Everyone is expected to come to class prepared and participate actively in work on own research project. This participation is to be based on an informed familiarity and thoughtful engagement with the assigned reading and research. Students work on their research projects and present partial and final results for 15 weeks. There is no exam.

Reading list

Creswell, John W., Creswell, J. David (2018), Research Design, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 5th edition, Sage, London.
Field, Andy (2016), An Adventure in Statistics: The Reality Enigma, Sage, London.
Kellstedt, Paul M., Whitten, Guy D. (2018), The Fundamentals of Political Science Research, 3rd edition, Cambridge University Press, New York.
Kothari, C.R. (2004), Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques, 2nd edition, New Age International Publishers, New Delhi.
Marczyk, Geoffrey R. DeMatteo, David, Festinger, David (2005), Essentials of Research Design and Methodology, John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey.
Punch, F. Keith (2014), Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches, 3rd edition, Sage, London.
Sayer, Andrew (2010), Method in Social Science: A Realist Approach, 2nd edition, Routledge, London and New York.
Shively, W. Phillips (2016), The Craft of Political Research, 9th edition, Routledge, London and New York.
Yang, Keming (2010), Making Sense of Statistical Methods in Social Research, Sage, London.