Module SGIA40S15: RESEARCHING THE GLOBAL SOUTH

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA40S15: RESEARCHING THE GLOBAL SOUTH

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• This module aims to familiarise students with key practical, theoretical, methodological and ethical issues that will support them expanding their research in/on the Global South
• The module aims to introduce qualitative research skills and tools relevant to the study of the Global South that will help students develop their independent research projects.
• The module's objective is to foster a nuanced comprehension among students, enabling them to critically interact with research methodologies responsible for generating knowledge about the region, while challenging orientalist and Eurocentric perspectives.

Content

• This module offers an in-depth practical and theoretical understanding of research methods that would be applied to study the Global South.
• The module will focus on philosophical and epistemological issues underpinning the major research paradigms and their application in research projects on the Global South, as well as ethical approaches to knowledge production in/on the region.
• The module content includes addressing the complexities of conducting research on challenging topics and political dynamics, the importance of identity and positionality (insider/outsider researcher roles), intricacies of conducting ethnographic research in the region, application of various qualitative methods.
• The themes that the module will cover will include orientalism and global dynamics of knowledge production, definition of research methods, positionality and reflexivity in conducting research, decolonising research, ethnics and risk, qualitative and quantitative methods, archival/document research and content analysis.

Learning Outcomes

• On completion of this module, students will acquire:
• Understanding of critical analysis of the interplay between the research inquiry, necessary data, and the methodologies for their gathering and interpretation.
• Advanced knowledge of key practical, theoretical, methodological and ethical issues that will support them expanding their research in/on the Global South;
• Understanding of the most common social scientific methods that are applied by researchers in this field and the challenges that each method entails;
• Advanced knowledge of codes of ethics in social science research in/on the Global South as well as an awareness of potential risks and challenges of conducting research in the region;
• Understanding of critical engagement with research methodologies that produce knowledge on the region and contesting orientalist and colonial approaches.

• Through the module, students are expected to develop the following subject-specific skills, including the ability to:
• independently and critically, relate to scientific and methodological standpoints relevant to their research areas; · utilise ontological and methodological debates in critiquing research on the Global South;
• choose appropriate methodologies for their research;
• interpret and analyse empirical data at an advanced level.

• Through the module, students are expected to develop the following key skills:
• defining and formulating research problems and questions and decide on the most appropriate research methods;
• independent learning within a defined framework of study; independent thought in analysing and critiquing existing methodological approaches on the subject area and in acknowledging their advantages and limitations;
• the ability to work to a deadline and complete written work within word limits;
• advanced essay-writing skills including the ability to seek out and use relevant data sources, including electronic bibliographic sources;
• the ability to address ethical issues and risk in research.

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

• Lectures introduce key methodological approaches with their advantages and limitations, ethical codes of conduct as well as risks on conducting research on and in the Global South. The lectures provide the framework and the overarching narrative for the weekly topic and serves as a guide for students’ readings and preparation towards the seminars.
• Seminars provide opportunities for students to reflect on their own understanding of these issues and how they apply to particular methodological approaches to research in practice, building on their own reading and preparatory activities.
• One formative and one summative assessment will be administered in this course. The formative assessment will take the form of a review essay. Students will select the text themselves from a provided list and they will critically analyse it in the light of the lectures and seminar discussions. Their task will be to pinpoint methodological strengths and weaknesses and offer a well-informed perspective on the assigned topic. This exercise empowers them to engage in critical evaluation of their readings and reflect on them from a methodological standpoint. The summative assignment is a 2,500-word essay that answers one of the essay questions provided by the Module Leader. This will enable students to draw together their understanding of the methodological approaches, ethics and risk on conducting research on and in the Global South. This essay enables them to demonstrate achievement that they have acquired sufficient subject knowledge and have achieved the subject skills as well as key skills.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

A formative review essay of 1,500 words

■ 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