Undergraduate Course: Research Skills for Social Policy (SCPL08015)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will equip students with core research training skills in the field of Social Policy. It will also provide a forum for subject specific learning and community building. Working in small groups, students will develop:
- An understanding of the Research Process
- An understanding of Research Design
- An understanding of the basic principles of social research
- An ability to learn to work with others in a group around a common problem, allocate tasks and responsibilities, mediate and manage group work processes
- Confidence in the process
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| Course description |
In this course we introduce the key building blocks of social research. It lays the theoretical and practical foundations for designing and conducting research in Social Policy. Key concepts are set within the context of specific Social Policy issues and the syllabus complements other year 2 courses (such as European Social Policy and Evidence, Politics and Policy).
The course is designed to support students of Social Policy in developing their skills and training for honours work and beyond. Introducing research skills in year 2 will provide a pathway to future courses in research methods in year 3 (which focus on quantitative and qualitative methods) and culminate in the honours Dissertation.
The course will be delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials. By the end of the course you will have taken part in a student-led seminar and used the feedback from this group task to develop a research proposal for a piece of Social Policy research. This module will be assessed through tutorial assignments (20%) and the research proposal and final report (80%).
By the end of the course, students will be able to identify key concepts and debates that relate to the research process, have had hand-on experience of research design and will be able to embed these skills in substantive discussion of current issues within Social Policy.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Social Policy and Society (SCPL08004)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2021/22, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
166 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
80 %,
Practical Exam
20 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
20% ongoing tutorial tasks - Active participation in tutorial sessions and contribution to group tasks will be assessed alongside an individual reflective blog (both components accounting for half of the grade). Students will write a short entry at the end of each section of the course, reflecting on their own learning and the topics discussed.
80% final report (2500 words) Students will draw on the themes throughout the course, including feedback from their reflective blogs to create a detailed research design for a project of their choice. |
| Feedback |
Feedback will be provided for tutorial exercises throughout the semester, helping to build to the final assignment |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the basic principles of social research.
- Identify and discuss key elements of the research process.
- Think critically about research design and methodological approaches.
- Apply learning through group work, developing skills in working in teams and producing collaborative outputs.
- Consider different research methods within the broader framework of a research design.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Helen Packwood
Tel: (0131 6)50 3912
Email: helen.packwood@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Veronica Silvestre
Tel: (0131 6)51 337
Email: Veronica.Silvestre@ed.ac.uk |
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