Introduction to Research Design
Etablissement : ESPOL European School of Political and Social Sciences
Langue : Anglais
Formation(s) dans laquelle/lesquelles le cours apparait :
Période : S2
Course for M1 Students
This course is designed to equip students with the conceptual fundamentals of scientific political/social research. As a mandatory course for all M1 students, it is designed to prepare them for their work on their MA thesis, which will be their main activity during M2.
In session 1-4, the course engages with fundamental questions about what is politics and what is scientific knowledge of politics, in order to then explore the role of theories and hypotheses in the production and preservation of such knowledge. In sessions 5-10, the course gradually moves into different ways in which scientific research can be conceived and carried out. The course will cover fundamental aspects of different types of research design, ranging from quantitative statistical approaches to qualitative in-depts case studies.
The course will mostly take the form of a classical lecture, with the mandatory readings offering the background contents. In parallel, students are asked to form groups of 6 students to structure discussions in sessions 4, 8, 9, 10 (these are sessions that will last 3 hours instead of 2hrs). For session 4, the group is asked to identify a potential theme of research: a topic that is “political”. During the session, we will have a collective discussion about how relevant research questions can be chosen for the topics.
For sessions 8, 9 and 10, each group is asked to think about different research strategies. In session 8, we will discuss how the topics can be studies quantitatively with statistical analyses. In session 9, we will discuss how the topics can be studies with in-depth qualitative analyses. In session 10, we will discuss issues of measurement reliability and validity.
While the group work is not evaluated directly, it will be key for the performance in the second part of the final exam (see below). The teacher cannot monitor the work of each group: it is the students’ responsibility to use the in-class discussions to actively engage with the relevant topics and enhance their understanding in preparation for the final exam.
Course examination
This course will be evaluated on the basis of one final 3-hour written exam, consisting of open-ended questions. The exam will consist of two parts:
– The first part will consist of three relatively open questions about some key themes of the course. The questions will be designed to test students’ general knowledge on the contents of the course. Students can expect questions about the definition(s) of politics, different forms of knowledge about the political, the role of theories and hypotheses, concept formation, characteristics of quantitative and qualitative research approaches, measurement reliability and validity
– In the second part, students will have the possibility to choose one out of two small essay assignments, in which they are asked to discuss the research design of a topic of their choice. The work that students carried out in their respective groups will prepare them for the performance of this assignment.
In the exam, students can score a maximum of 20 points (which would correspond to a 20/20 grade). For each of the three questions of the first part, students can score a maximum of 4 points (meaning that the first part amounts to a maximum of 12 points). In the small essay assignment, students can score a maximum of 8 points.
Session 1 Intro: The Science in Social and Political Science
– L King, Gary, Robert Keohane, and Sidney Verba, 1994, Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research, Chapter 1.
– Schmitter, P. (2008) “The design of social and political research”. In Della Porta, D., & Keating, M. (Eds). Approaches and methodologies in the social sciences: A pluralist perspective. Cambridge University Press
Session 2 Different forms of ‘knowing’ the political
– Sartori, Giovanni. « What is “politics”. » Political theory 1.1 (1973): 5-26.
– Halperin, S. and Heath, O. (2020). Political research: methods and practical skills. Oxford University Press: Chapter 2
Session 3 Formulating research questions to generate new knowledge
– Sartori, G. (1974). Philosophy, theory and science of politics. Political Theory, 2(2), 133-162.
– Halperin, S. and Heath, O. (2020). Political research: methods and practical skills. Oxford University Press: Chapter 4
Session 4 Theories and hypotheses
– Halperin, S. and Heath, O. (2020). Political research: methods and practical skills. Oxford University Press: Chapter 5
– Schmitter, P. C. (2009). The nature and future of comparative politics. European Political Science Review, 1(1), 33-61.
In-class discussion on research topics and research questions
Session 5 Concept formation
– Mair, P. (2008) “Concepts and Concept Formation”. In Della Porta, D., & Keating, M. (Eds). Approaches and methodologies in the social sciences: A pluralist perspective. Cambridge University Press
– Sartori, G. (1970). Concept misformation in comparative politics. American political science review, 64(4), 1033-1053.
Session 5 Quantitative and Qualitative approaches
– Della Porta, D. (2008) ‘Comparative analysis: case-oriented versus variable-oriented research’. In Della Porta, D., & Keating, M. (Eds). Approaches and methodologies in the social sciences: A pluralist perspective. Cambridge University Press
– Goertz, G. and Mahoney J. (2013) A Tale of Two Cultures: Qualitative and Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Chapter 1
Session 6 Variables and causal mechanisms
– Hall, P. A. (2003). Aligning ontology and methodology in comparative research. Comparative historical analysis in the social sciences, 374.
– Lijphart, A. (1971). Comparative politics and the comparative method. American political science review, 65(3), 682-693.
Session 7 Introduction to quantitative research
– Halperin, S. and Heath, O. (2020). Political research: methods and practical skills. Oxford University Press: Chapter 11
– Franklin, M. (2008) ‘Quantitative analysis’. In Della Porta, D., & Keating, M. (Eds). Approaches and methodologies in the social sciences: A pluralist perspective. Cambridge University Press
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