This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Postgraduate Handbook 2019-2020 (archived)
Module SOCI59515: Perspectives on Social Research
Department: Sociology
SOCI59515: Perspectives on Social Research
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 4 | 15 | Available in 2019/2020 | Durham |
Pre-requisites
- None
Corequisites
- None
Excluded Combinations
- None.
Aims
- 1. To introduce students to the nature of social scientific research;
- 2. To present the issues associated with establishing cause in the social sciences with reference to issues of generalizability and replicability;
- 3. To present the problems of interpretation of meaning in the social sciences with reference to issues of generalizability.;
- 4. To outline the essentials of the quantitative programme of inductive research in the social sciences
- 5. To outline the essentials of the qualitative programme of research in the social sciences
- 6. To introduce students to ethical issues in the conduct of social research, including issues of power and equality.
Content
- What is social science?
- What is social research?
- Exploring causation
- What purpose does measurement serve in social science?
- The nature and use of the social survey in social research
- Interpreting an interpreted world
- Ethnography as a research approach Analysing qualitative research
- Combining quantitative and qualitative approaches
- Ethics and reflexivity in research
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- At the end of the module students will:
- 1. understand the meaning of the terms epistemology, ontology, and methodology and the relevance of them to the practice of social research;
- 2. understand the issues associated with the establishment of cause and meaning in social science;
- 3. be familiar with the nature of the quantitative programme in social science;
- 4. be familiar with the nature of the qualitative programme in social science;
- 5. be aware of the implications of ethical issues for the practice of social research and be able to establish ethical guidelines for the conduct of their own research.
Subject-specific Skills
Key Skills
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 | weekly | 1 | 10 | |
| Tutorials | 10 | weekly | 1 | 10 | Yes |
| Preparation & Reading | 130 | ||||
| Total | 150 |
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment | 100% | Essay (which will take the form of a comparison of qualitative and quantitative approaches to the investigation of one from a list of appropriate topics.) | 3,000 words | 100% |
Formative Assessment
Contributions in seminars and one short essay of not more than 1,000 words - addressing issues of the establishment of knowledge claims.
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.