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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2011/2012
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Social and Political Science : Postgrad (School of Social and Political Studies)

Postgraduate Course: Research Design (PGSP11208)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Social and Political Science CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Course typeStandard AvailabilityAvailable to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) Credits20
Home subject areaPostgrad (School of Social and Political Studies) Other subject areaNone
Course website None Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionThe course provides an introduction to the main issues involved in designing social science research, and is intended for students from a wide range of social science disciplines. Research design calls for decisions about how the research should be carried out, about what kind of data should be collected and analysed, and about how inferences should be drawn if the aims of the research are to be realised. The researcher has to be able to demonstrate that conclusions drawn from the research are robust and well-grounded epistemologically and theoretically. The course does not provide training in research methods, or an exhaustive checklist of points that need to be considered when designing a research project. It concentrates instead on the strengths and weaknesses of different kinds of research design as they relate to the aims, objectives and theoretical underpinnings of any piece of research.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Research Skills in the Social Sciences: Data Collection (PGSP11016)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?Yes
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1) WebCT enabled:  Yes Quota:  None
Location Activity Description Weeks Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
No Classes have been defined for this Course
First Class Week 1, Thursday, 14:00 - 14:50, Zone: Central. Theatre C, David Hume Tower
Additional information The class comprises 10 x 1 hour whole-class presentations by the course teachers, weekly 1 hour discussion group sessions in smaller multi-disciplinary groups facilitated by advanced doctoral students or those who have recently completed their dissertations, and in which students are required to relate the concerns of the course to their proposed research.
No Exam Information
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, students should

- Have a sound understanding of the basic principles of research design
- Be able to evaluate the robustness of research projects that use a range of approaches and methods
- Be in a position to create a robust design for their own
- Be able to defend the choices they have made in designing their research project to general social science audiences
Assessment Information
The course is assessed by one 3000-4000 word course paper detailing and defending all or part of the research design the student intends to use in their own research project.
Special Arrangements
None
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus Identifying research topics and questions; the role of theory; contrasting and combining methodological approaches; replication and secondary analysis; comparisons and case studies; issues of time; multi-level research designs; values and positions in research; knowledge exchange and the uses of research; ethics and good research practice.
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list Bechhofer, F. and Paterson, L. (2000) Principles of Research Design in the Social Sciences, London: Routledge
Blaikie, N. (2009) Designing Social Research, Cambridge: Polity
Hakim, C. (2000) Research Design: Successful Designs for Social and Economic Research, London: Routledge
Hancké, B. (2009) Intelligent Research Design. A guide for beginning researchers in the social sciences, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Moses, J. and Knutsen, T. (2007) Ways of Knowing: Competing Methodologies in Social and Political Research, Basingstoke: Palgrave
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Sotiria Grek
Tel: (0131 6)51 3180
Email: Sotiria.Grek@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Gillian Macdonald
Tel: (0131 6)51 3244
Email: gillian.macdonald@ed.ac.uk
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© Copyright 2011 The University of Edinburgh - 16 January 2012 6:37 am