Duration
Number of credits
| Master in political sciences : general (60 ECTS) | 15 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
All year long
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
1) Theoretical perspectives
2) Research design
3) Literature review
4) Hypothesis formation
5) Qualitative/quantitative methods
6) Different types of data
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
This course is concerned with research design, analysis and theory,
It is designed as an introduction to the research process.
The aim is to introduce:
- some key issues in the main theoretical approaches of political science that bear on the choices researchers must make. In sum, understanding the terms of the major theoretical debates in political science is an important part of producing good research.
- a step-by-step delineation of the process of asking and answering a research question - formulating a question, reviewing the relevant literature, advancing a hypothesis or argument, constructing a theoretical framework; defining concepts, variables and relationships; and designing a test of the hypothesis or argument; and
- the array of methods used in political research and how scholars utilize these methods to answer questions about political phenomena.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
Cours ex cathedra
Recommended or required readings
- Janet Buttolph Johnson, H. T. Reynolds, Jason D. Mycoff, Political Science, Research Methods, London, SAGE Editions, 2016.
- Peter Burnham, Karin Gilland, Wyn Grant and Zig Layton-Henry, Research methods in politics, London, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.
- Sandra Halperin, Oliver Heath, Political research: methods and practical skills, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2017.
Assessment methods and criteria
Preparation of a research project
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
Contacts
Dr. Antonios Vlassis
avlassis@ulg.ac.be