BMET 27A52 - Qualitative Research Methods in Political Science

This methodological workshop will introduce students to qualitative research methods in the study of politics and IR. The workshop will follow two strands. First, the philosophical and methodological debates which underpin different notions of causality and inform different approaches to research in the social sciences. Second, the practicalities of conducting research and analysing findings, as well as ethical considerations arising from qualitiative research methods. The course covers a range of issues facing researchers: the fundamental nature of the world we seek to explain; the development of concepts and their operationalisation; matching methods (small-n or large-n; qualitative or quantitative) to research questions; the value of comparative versus within-case studies in explaining social phenomena; and the most appropriate sources and methods of analysis to draw upon. The course will therefore aid students in the completion of their own research projects and equip them with the analytic tools necessary to evaluate knowledge claims about the political world, in academia and beyond.

Faye CURTIS

Atelier

English

Familiar with academic research in political science ; interest in applying methods to own work

Spring 2021-2022

Essay (30%) ; Research proposal (30%) ; Presentation (30%) ; Class participation (10%)