Module SGIA2341: Research Project

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA2341: Research Project

Prerequisites

• Any Level 1 SGIA module

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• The module gives students the opportunity to produce an extended piece of work within a structured and supported framework that will help prepare them for the demands of writing a dissertation at level three.
• The module provides students with the opportunity to gain a more detailed and systematic understanding of a specific research area within the discipline.
• The module introduces students to a range of methodological strategies and problems associated with the conduct of research within the discipline.

Content

• The module includes a lecture component that introduces students to the module and provides information on the ethical and risk dimensions of research.
• The module also includes methods workshops that provide training to students in qualitative, quantitative and/or normative research methods.
• The module also includes seminars on specific research areas, to be determined by the research interests of the staff teaching the module. Students select a specific research area within which they complete a research project under guidance of the seminar leader.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will acquire within broad parameters knowledge and understanding of:
• Important elements of political analysis, methods of theorising, and where appropriate empirical investigation, and the application of these to specific international and/or political phenomena in a variety of contexts;
• The interaction of political structures, political ideas, social groups, and individuals in pursuit of political goals in the domestic and international arena and their distributive implications.

• Students will acquire the ability to:
• Identify and engage with appropriate methods of analysis (quantitative, qualitative, or normative) to political problems, ideas, and arguments, and advocate solutions;
• Identify a suitable research topic, develop, and critically evaluate research questions and hypotheses with appropriate guidance, while demonstrating awareness of the ethical implications of research and inquiry;
• Plan, execute, and present a piece of research, in which qualities such as time management, problem solving, and critical thinking are evident, as well as the interpretation and evaluation of theoretical arguments and/or the quality of evidence.

• Students will develop the ability to:
• Effectively communicate complex information based on the analysis, comparison, and assessment of theories, concepts, and/or data in form of an academic research paper with clarity, confidence, and precision;
• Work independently to complete an academic research paper with a high-level of quality efficiently, effectively, and to a deadline, in which project design and management skills are required;
• Critically evaluate their own performance and approach to the development of their research project and improve through feedback, while also being able to provide critical and constructive feedback to peers.

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

• Digital Learning:
• The module uses a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to provide students with access to core materials that will support synchronous learning sessions, including:
• Required and additional readings for specific learning sessions that scaffold learning and ensure accessibility to synchronous sessions for all students
• Lecture recordings
• Curated on-line resources linked to specific learning sessions that provide representative and inclusive reference points for all students
• Appropriate multi-media and open educational resources
• The in-person teaching programme consists of:
• Four lectures discussing common issues across research areas, such as: introduction and structure of the module, ethics and risks and the explanation of the links between a research project and the UG dissertation.
• Three sets of four one-hour methods workshops introducing students to key aspects of qualitative, quantitative or normative methodology relevant to the research projects.
• A seminar programme, including both staff-led sessions introducing students to the subject and student-led sessions devoted to the discussion and improvement of the research projects through lecture and peer-feedback. Staff-led sessions in the first term will introduce students to the conceptual and/or empirical debates surrounding the project, and provide student led discussion of the practical and theoretical problems relating to the formulation of research problems and the conduct of research. They will also cover how to find and develop a research question, conducting a literature review, case selection, data collection, and method selection, in the context of the specific methodology of the research area.
• Assessments:
• Formative assessment will take the form of a 1,500-word project plan.
• Summative assessment will take the form of a 4,500-word academic research project and a 500-word reflective learning log discussing how their knowledge and understanding of researching a specific topic in Politics and/or International Relations has developed throughout the Research Project and how this has informed and improved their final submission.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One 1,500-word project plan.

■ 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.