Duration
30h Th, 15h Pr
Number of credits
Lecturer
Julie Gérard, Lisa Pelssers, Manoée Thiry, Victoria Weidisch
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
All year long, with partial in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The Introduction to Research in the Social Sciences course aims to introduce students to research in the humanities and social sciences by :
- Articulating different tools and concepts around a single research object to be studied and analysed in groups,
- Developing and mastering (at the end of the course) a six-steps methodological and conceptual toolbox that can be transposed to any research process.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
In this context, students will be required to:
- Carry out various practical exercises in groups,
- Identify and define a concrete research object to be analysed,
- Progressively build a research approach based on methodological supports and references made available during the course sessions,
- Research and test theoretical concepts/references related to the research problematic investigated during the course.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Nothing
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course uses different teaching methods:
- flipped classroom approach,
- group works,
- peer review.
The course is designed to be participatory and dynamic. It draws on the opinions, reflections, and observations of the students. Throughout the year, students will be invited to collaborate on formative, summative, and certification assignments in groups.
Attendance at the course is not compulsory but is encouraged. However, to ensure that the coaching sessions run smoothly and to maintain the quality of the ongoing research process, we require at least one member of each group to attend the coaching sessions (attendance will be taken) and all members to attend the presentation of the scientific article chosen by the group. Thus, attendance is mandatory for all members of a group during the oral presentation of their article and for at least one member per group during coaching sessions, under penalty of sanctions (for coaching sessions: deduction of 0.5 points from the overall course grade for each student absent without valid reason; for the presentation session: 0 points for the oral part of the test for each student absent without a valid reason).
If all members of the group are absent during a coaching session or for their presentation, please note that:
Absence for medical reasons: inform the teachers no later than the day after the coaching session and submit a medical certificate within 24 hours of the end of the absence (see the general study regulations). If the absence is not justified, the student will be penalized with a deduction of 0.5 points from the overall course grade.
Technical problems when submitting work/a form: we ask students to 1) notify the contact person immediately; 2) take a screenshot/photograph to justify the technical problem encountered. In this case, the submission must be made by email to all course instructors.
Strike:
- If the strike is announced: we ask students to make the necessary arrangements to attend the course at the scheduled times.
- If the strike is spontaneous: the course will continue as normal, unless otherwise indicated by the teacher. We ask students to make the necessary arrangements to attend the course at the scheduled times. However, in such circumstances, we allow for a certain degree of flexibility with regard to possible delays.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Blended learning
Further information:
Blended learning
Additional information:
The mode of delivery of this course is hybrid (combination of face-to-face and distance learning activities) via the tools of the Ultra platform (formerly eCampus).
These conditions are subject to change according to sanitary conditions.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
The course content (slides, video clips, etc.) and compulsory readings are available on Ultra (formerly eCampus).
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- Remote
written exam
Written work / report
Continuous assessment
Further information:
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- Remote
written exam
Written work / report
Continuous assessment
Further information:
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- Remote
written exam ( open-ended questions ) AND oral exam
Written work / report
Continuous assessment
Additional information:
In the first session: the final assessment for the course is based on three assessment methods via the Ultra platform:
- The oral and written presentation of a scientific article-theoretical or methodological-by group in person and the related theory presented in the video clips provided for each module: 5 points of the final course grade.
- Peer assessment of the first five intermediate exercises (Module 1 to Module 5) to be submitted on the scheduled dates (see calendar in the course materials on Ultra): 10 points of the final course grade. Any intermediate exercise or peer assessment not submitted by the deadlines mentioned in the calendar will result in one point being deducted from the 10 points (points deducted are cumulative for any omissions and/or delays).
- The assessment of the Module 6 sheet to be submitted for the last class session (see the calendar in the course materials): 5 points of the final course grade
Please note that participation in all three assessment methods is required to obtain a final grade of 10/20 or higher (see Art. 77 §1 of the Landscape Decree on absorbing grades).
The assignment(s) must be submitted by email, copying in all supervisors and group members, on the first day of the second session.
The assignment may be completed individually or in a group (to be justified by email to the relevant supervisor).
If you have failed:
- the oral and written presentation of the scientific article and related theory: you must write a new written summary, following the basic instructions and making links with the theory presented in the module capsules.
- one or more of the peer assessment sheets: you must write a reflective note of no more than two pages on the module to be improved, specifying what went wrong, the causes of this failure, the consequences for the research process currently underway, and what you could do to improve the situation based on the assessment criteria for the module(s) concerned.
- Module 6: you must redo the entire worksheet 6.
Work placement(s)
None
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Timetable (subject to change):
The course runs throughout the academic year.
Q1: Wednesday 10:30am-12:30pm
Q2: Friday 12am-2pm
The first class will be held in person on Wednesday 01/10 at 10:30am.
Access to Ultra will only be possible once the PAE has been validated by the student.
ATTENTION: This teaching unit includes the completion of various tasks in work groups. Students must register for one of these groups by October 8 at the latest. After this date, the student will join a work group and take part in the following sessions; however, failure to take part in the first work group will be penalized by a 0/2 (as there are 5 work groups worth 10 points of the final grade for the teaching unit).
Contacts
Contact person: Julie GERARD (julie.gerard@uliege.be)