Duration
Number of credits
| Master in political sciences : general (60 ECTS) | 10 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
All year long
Schedule
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
Systematic follow-up regarding the progress during the year;
Meetings between the student and the supervisor in order to guarantee a genuine assesment of the master's thesis;
Sessions for giving advices and feedback;
Meetings in order to evaluate the accomplished work and to discuss the coming tasks.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
This course is concerned with research design and analysis.
It is designed as an introduction to the research process.
The aim is to introduce:
- 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, hybrid learning)
The master's thesis is evaluated in the following aspects:
conceptual framework and literature review;
scientific process and content;
structure;
form;
defence.
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
Any session :
- In-person
oral exam
- Remote
oral exam AND written work
- If evaluation in "hybrid"
preferred remote
Additional information:
Submission of master's thesis:
Students must submit their dissertation on the MatheO platform no later than the first Monday in June for the first session, 16 August for the second session.
The platform provides for the on-line conclusion of a licence agreement. The version submitted online and the date of the on-line submission are considered proof of submission.
The dissertation is defended orally. The defence takes place in English.
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
Contacts
Dr. Antonios Vlassis
avlassis@ulg.ac.be