SO221     
Researching London: Advanced Social Research Methods

This information is for the 2020/21 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Sam Friedman STC S216 and Dr Ioanna Gouseti STC S105a

Availability

This course is compulsory on the BSc in Sociology. This course is available on the BSc in Language, Culture and Society. This course is not available as an outside option nor to General Course students.

Course content

This course will provide students with a first understanding of social research design and analysis of social research data. It involves a dynamic introduction to a range of research methods, both qualitative and quantitative, through practical exercises in the context of London’s social life.

By the end of the course students will:

- Understand the key role of research design for conducting original empirical social research. In particular, taking into account relevant extant literature, they will develop a research question of their own interest and identify appropriate research method(s) to address it.

- Have engaged with practical research strategies and methods including the design of interview guides and survey questionnaires, conducting qualitative interviews, ethnographic observation, and a survey in the context of London.

- Have a sense of the urban sociology of London and a first-hand experience of its potential for exploring contemporary social issues.

- Be able to analyse different types of data, using a range of methods, such as thematic analysis in the case of qualitative data and regression analysis in the case of quantitative data.

- Be able to assess the quality of employed methodologies on the basis of formal criteria, such as reliability, validity and generalizability.

- Understand the ethical issues involved in social research.

- Have developed a research proposal which will strengthen their dissertation design, and might inform their dissertation topic.

Teaching

25 hours of workshops in the MT. 25 hours of workshops in the LT.

Reading Weeks: Students on this course will have a reading week in MT Week 6 and LT Week 6, in line with departmental policy.

Formative coursework

There is one piece of formative assessment which will be marked and on which you will get feedback in the Michaelmas Term (MT). 

Indicative reading

A. Agresti & B. Finlay (2008) Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences. 4th edition. Pearson.

Bryman, A. (2014). Social research methods, 4th edition. Oxford University Press.

Converse, J. M., & Presser, S. (1986). Survey questions: Handcrafting the standardized questionnaire (No. 63). Sage.

Davidson, O’Connell, J., (2008). “If no means no, does yes mean yes? Consenting toresearch intimacies.”, History of the Human Sciences, 21(4), 49-67.

Duneier, M. (2006). “Ethnography, the Ecological Fallacy, and the 1995 Chicago Heat Wave.” American Sociological Review, 71(4), 679–88.

Ingram, N. (2011). Within school and beyond the gate: The complexities of being educationally successful and working class. Sociology, 45(2), 287-302.

O'Reilly, K. (2004). Ethnographic methods. London, New York: Routledge.

Savage, M., & Burrows, R. (2007). The Coming Crisis of Empirical Sociology. Sociology : The Journal of the British Sociological Association, 41(5), 885-899.

Tourangeau, R., Rips, Lance J, & Rasinski, Kenneth A. (2000). The psychology of surveyresponse. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Assessment

Essay (20%, 1500 words) and project (30%) in the LT.
Research proposal (50%) in the ST.

An electronic copy of the assessed essays, to be uploaded to Moodle, no later than 4.00pm on the submission day.

The first assessment, a qualitative interview transcript and 1,500-2000 word essay (20%), is due by the first Wednesday of Lent Term.

The second assessment, a survey design project (30%), will be carried out in Lent Term.

The third assessment, a 2,000 word research proposal (50%), is due by the second Thursday of Summer Term.

Attendance at all workshops and submission of all set coursework is required.

Student performance results

(2017/18 - 2019/20 combined)

Classification % of students
First 16.8
2:1 74.8
2:2 7.5
Third 0
Fail 0.9

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: Sociology

Total students 2019/20: 39

Average class size 2019/20: 16

Capped 2019/20: Yes (45)

Value: One Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Personal development skills

  • Self-management
  • Team working
  • Communication
  • Application of numeracy skills