MY4M1     
Foundations of Social Research 1

This information is for the 2020/21 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Alasdair Jones, Dr Indraneel Sircar and Prof Jonathan Jackson

MY400: Dr Alasdair Jones

MY421Dr Aliya Rao (MT) and Dr Chana Teeger (LT)

MY451Dr Indraneel Sircar (MT) and Prof Jon Jackson (LT)

Availability

This course is available on the MSc in European Studies (Research), MSc in International Political Economy (Research) and MSc in International Relations (Research). This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

Course content

This course is designed to give students a good introduction to quantitative and qualitative methods and to acquaint them with the strengths and limits of different methodologies. The course has three main components:

  1. MY451 Introduction to Quantitative Analysis (MY451M in Michaelmas Term or MY451L in Lent Term) - this course is intended for students with no previous experience of quantitative methods or statistics. Students who have already studied statistics and data analysis should take MY4M2.
  2. MY400 Fundamentals of Social Science Research Design
  3. MY421 Qualitative Research Methods (MY421M in Michaelmas Term or MY421L in Lent Term)

Teaching

See separate course outlines.

Formative coursework

See separate course outlines.

Indicative reading

See separate course outlines.

Assessment

Project (33%, 3000 words), research design (20%) and take-home assessment (26%) in the ST.
Class participation (4%) and research proposal (10%) in the MT.
Continuous assessment (7%) in the MT and LT.

Students registered on MY4M1 will be assessed as follows:

MY400: research proposal (1500 words due in MT, 10%), research design (4000 words due in ST, 20%), seminar participation (ongoing in MT, 4%)

MY421: project (3000 words due in ST, 33%)

MY451: take-home assessment (due in ST, 26%), continuous assessment (ongoing in MT or LT, 7%)

Important information in response to COVID-19

Please note that during 2020/21 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the situation of students in attendance on campus and those studying online during the early part of the academic year. For assessment, this may involve changes to mode of delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.

Key facts

Department: Methodology

Total students 2019/20: 10

Average class size 2019/20: 2

Controlled access 2019/20: No

Value: One Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information