Module SOCI2082: RESEARCHING THE SOCIAL

Department: APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES (SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL POLICY)

SOCI2082: RESEARCHING THE SOCIAL

Prerequisites

• Introduction to Issues in Social Research (SOCI1321).

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• 1.
• To develop students' understanding of the nature and use of sociological research methods building on the foundation delivered in 'First Year Module'.
• 2.
• To introduce students to central issues in the philosophy of social research.
• 3.
• To provide students with an understanding of the ethical issues surrounding the conduct of social research.
• 4.
• To provide students with an understanding of basic issues in the description, exploration, and interpretation of statistical and other data.
• 5.
• To enable students to use sociological research methods in the collective execution of a preliminary research project.
• 6.
• To enable students to design and execute an individual research project as the foundation for their dissertation in Level 3.

Content

• Lectures Term One - Methodological issues in the conduct of quantitative social research, social research and the establishment of cause, of experiments versus surveys, survey design, combining quantitative and qualitative research, statistical procedures.
• Methods Classes Term One - The establishment of cause from the products of social surveys, design a sample and a simple questionnaire, conduct and record a qualitative interview, conduct and record a piece of ethnographic observation, organising qualitative work, field research, hands-on methological experience. Ethical issues in social research and qualitative research, ethical issues in relation to quantitative data.
• Statistical Workshops Term One - An introduction to data and to MINITAB, exploring data, basic graphs, describing data, the idea of sampling, chi-squared, basic analysis of variance, regression, correlation and cause.
• Lectures Term Two - Epistemological approaches and implications for research methodology, e.g. postmodernism, critical realism, constructivisim, simulation.
• Illustrative Thematic Workshops Term Two - Issues in consumption, work and identity, space and society.

Learning Outcomes

• At the end of the module students will: 1.
• Understand the basic methodological issues which surround the conduct of social research.
• 2.
• Understand the ethical issues which surround the conduct of social research.
• 3.
• Conduct qualitative research interviews.
• 4.
• Observe and record social action in the tradition of ethnographic research .
• 5.
• Design a sample and simple questionnaire.
• 6.
• Conduct a small scale survey.
• 7.
• Describe, explore and infer from quantitative and other data.
• 8.
• Interpret the products of qualitative research.
• 9.
• Interpret the results of basic statistical procedures.
• 10.
• Work collectively on a small research project.
• 11.Develop and execute a research project as the basis of their Level 3 dissertation.

• At the end of this module, students will be able to:
• Appreciate basic social research methodological issues.
• Appreciate the ethical issues which surround the conduct of social research.
• Conduct qualitative research interviews.
• Observe and record social action in the tradition of ethnographic research.
• Conduct qualitative documentary research, including the use of visual sources.
• Design a sample for qualitative and/or quantitative research.
• Design and conduct a questionnaire.
• Conduct a small scale survey.
• Explore, analyse and interpret the products of qualitative research.
• Explore, analyse and interpret the products of quantitative research.
• Work collectively on a small research project.
• Develop and execute a research project as the basis of their third year dissertation.

• At the end of this module, students will be able to:
• Demonstrate a range of communication skills including the ability to: evaluate and synthesise information obtained from a variety of source (eg. written, oral, web); communicate relevant information in different ways (e.g. written, oral, tables and graphs, etc); select most appropriate method of communication for different tasks; respond effectively to others; monitor and reflect on use of communications skills.
• Demonstrate a range of numeracy skills including the ability to read and interpret tables, graphs, charts; organise and classify data; make inferences from sets of data; reflect on the use of number of skills; adapt numerical strategies to overcome difficulties raised by self-reflection.
• Demonstrate competence in the use of IT resources including the ability to word process; use statistical software such as MINITAB; use a range of web-based resources to gather relevant information; use e-mail; monitor and reflect on use of IT skills; adapt learning to overcome difficulties raised by self-reflection.
• Demonstrate an ability to work effectively as part of a team including specific abilities to: plan work with others in order to achieve desired outcomes; establish good working relationships with peers; monitor and reflect on the quality of the group work, including group and external feedback on personal contributions; monitor and reflect on use of skills in working with others.
• Demonstrate a capacity to improve own learning and performance, including the specific ability to manage time effectively; work to regular prescribed deadlines; engage in different ways of learning including both independent and directed forms of learning; gather necessary information from a range of bibliographic and electronic sources; seek and use feedback from both peers and academic staff; monitor and critically reflect on the learning process.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, and statistics classes will enable students to understand research approaches and practise appropriate techniques.
• Statistics classes will deliver quantitative skills and the full repertoire of research skills will be deployed in the workshop sessions.
• The assessment combination of methodological review, statistical project, pilot project and exam will test students across the range of knowledge and the range of skills.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One essay of 1500 words submitted end of Term One, One Project submitted by the end of week six in Term Two.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University