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Instructors: Prof. Dr. Martin Elff
Event type:
Seminar
Org-unit: Politics, Administration & International Relations
Displayed in timetable as:
Research Des. Meth I
Hours per week:
3
Credits:
6,0
Location:
Campus der Zeppelin Universität
Language of instruction:
Englisch
Min. | Max. participants:
5 | 25
Priority scheme: Standard-Priorisierung
Course content:
This course discusses the fundamentals of research in the social sciences, from the basic "logic of research" through the derivation of hypotheses to aspects of data collection.
The following topics are covered in the course:
- Explanation, prediction and interpretation
- The structure of scientific theories and the derivation of testable hypotheses
- Testing scientific statements empirically
- Measurement and the operationalization of concepts
- Standardized and non-standardized methods of data collection
Educational objective:
Aim of the course is to provide students with a solid understanding of the general principles of social inquiry and of the main steps in the social research process and the decisions one has to make in its context.
After successfully completing the course, participants are expected to
- understand the role of theory and hypotheses in the research process
- be able to assess the informational content of hypotheses
- to be capable to formulate research questions and to derive the appropriate research designs
- to be able to assess the suitability of measurement and data gathering techniques for research questions.
Mandatory literature:
Chalmers, Allan F. 2013. What Is This Thing Called Science? 4th ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press & McGraw-Hill.
King, Gary, Robert O. Keohane and Sidney Verba. 1994. Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. Princeton, NJ : Princeton Univ. Press.
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