This course will introduce the student’s basic concepts and relevant methods for conducting research in Social Sciences. The ultimate aim of this course is to develop the analytical and critical thinking of students and; at the same time to provide them with an opportunity for reasoning on real matters, especially in daily business life. Furthermore, developing the skills of questioning, understanding, diagnosing, thinking, and expressing (both verbally and in a written form) is another objective of this course.
This course introduces the language of research, ethical principles and challenges, and the elements of the research process within qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach. The last section of the course will focus on an independent survey. It is aimed to provide a base for an understanding of the major approaches in the social sciences to the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, and the testing of theories. The course covers the logic of scientific inquiry and various research techniques such as experimentation, scientific sampling, survey research, field methods, and quantitative analysis that are commonly used by researchers in political science. It covers the whole research process, from the initial steps of designing a project to data collection and academic writing. Attention specifically will be focused on qualitative research methods, while quantitative approaches will be only mentioned. The course first illustrates how to develop solid research questions and prepare effective research plans. It later explores research methodologies (analysis of official statistics and surveys, interviewing, fieldwork), their ethical and practical implications and academic writing. Finally, it covers an independent survey.
Research methods students will learn only by practice; therefore, several assignments will be required. This course is very important because you will learn how to conduct research about political institutions and events, and how to think like a political scientist.
Prerequisite(s)
-
Corequisite(s)
-
Special Requisite(s)
The minimum qualifications that are expected from the students who want to attend the course.(Examples: Foreign language level, attendance, known theoretical pre-qualifications, etc.)
W. Lawrence Neuman (2014) “Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches”. Pearson New International Edition (7th ed.). Pearson.
Soritos, Sarantakos, Social Research, 4th ed. New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.
Earl Babbie, The Practice of Social Research, 13th Ed., Cengage, Canada, 2018.
Other Sources
Patrick White, Developing Research Questions: A Guide for Social Sciences, Palgrave MacMillan, 2009.
Victor Jupp, The SAGE Dictionary of Social Research Methods, SAGE Publications, 2006.
Stephen Van Evera, Guide to Methods for Students of Political Science, Cornell University Press, 1997.
,Uma Sekaran and Roger Bougie (2016) “Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building Approach” (7th ed.) Wiley. ISBN: 9781119165552 (pbk) ISBN: 9781119266846 (ebk)
William G. Zikmund, Barry J. Babin, Jon C. Carr and Mitch Griffin (2012) “Business Research Methods”. (9th ed.) South-Western Cengage Learning.
Course Schedules
Week
Contents
Learning Methods
1. Week
Introduction and orientation to the course.
Lecturing and discussion.
2. Week
Why do need a research?
Lecturing, presentation, reading and discussion.
3. Week
What are the major types of social research?
Lecturing, presentation, reading and discussion.
4. Week
Theory and Social Research
Lecturing, presentation, reading and discussion.
5. Week
What is the meaning of literature?
How to approach to literature review?
Lecturing, presentation, reading and discussion.
6. Week
Strategies of Research Design: How to design a research and what are the elements of research design?
Lecturing, presentation, reading and discussion.
7. Week
Qualitative and Quantitative Measurement
Lecturing, presentation, reading and discussion.
8. Week
Midterm Exam
CATS based EXAM
9. Week
Midterm Exam
CATS based EXAM
10. Week
Qualitative and Quantitative Sampling
Lecturing, presentation, reading and discussion.
11. Week
Data Collection Methods: Observation, Administrat
ng questionnaires, experimental designs.
Lecturing, presentation, reading and discussion.
12. Week
Main principles designing a research proposal and writing a research report
Lecturing, presentation, reading and discussion.
13. Week
Student Research Proposal Presentations
Presentation and discussion.
14. Week
Student Research Proposal Presentations
Presentation and discussion.
15. Week
Final Exam
Assessment and evaluation
16. Week
Final Exam
Assessment and evaluation
17. Week
Final Exam
Assessment and evaluation
Assessments
Evaluation tools
Quantity
Weight(%)
Midterm(s)
1
40
Quizzes
1
10
Final Exam
1
50
Program Outcomes
PO-1
To identify and use theoretical and practical knowledge in International Relations.
PO-2
To express ideas and assessments about contemporary debates in International Relations.
PO-3
To acknowledge ethical and scientific responsibilities of data collection, evaluation and publication.
PO-4
To monitor and interpret published studies in International Relations.
PO-5
To use a second language at an intermediate level.
PO-6
To analyze, compare and relate different local, regional and global developments in International Relations.
PO-7
To analyze, compare and relate International Relations with theories and practices of different associate departments and their sub-fields and to offer suggestions by combining these fields.
PO-8
To present substantial knowledge for various public, private and academic career positions.
PO-9
To analyze the emergence and functions of prominent regional and local actors and to make future projections about their actions.
PO-10
To theoretically and practically examine different events and facts in International Relations and Foreign Policy and to interpret their past, present, and future through a scientific perspective.
Learning Outcomes
LO-1
Understand why there is a need to do a research.
LO-2
Identify circumstances in which research is necessary or valuable.
LO-3
Prepare a structured and comprehensible research proposal based on research interest.
LO-4
Frame several research questions and generate hypotheses.
LO-5
Determine distinguishing characteristics of qualitative and quantitative researches.
LO-6
Able to select and apply appropriate research design based on the Research Question(s).
LO-7
Decide an appropriate data analysis technique, conduct the analysis and interpret the results.
LO-8
Learn how to represent the results both in textual and verbal (spoken) form.
