BMET 23A13 - Applied sociology: focus on Youth Policies

The course aims to provide the student with the basic knowledge and skills of the approaches,

strategies, techniques and tools of the methodology of social research applied to the study of

contemporary society.

More specifically, the course will focus on the applied methods of social research exploring the

fundamental concepts and logic that characterize social investigation, with particular reference

to the design and implementation of a survey path, the nature of the data, its construction,

elaboration and interpretation.

Quantitative and qualitative methods and techniques, individually and in a comparative

perspective, as well as their use in the conduct of sample inquiries will be examined. Particular

attention is devoted to the construction and use of the questionnaire as a tool for data capture

and the use of sampling procedures in social research. At the same time, the course aims to

prepare students for the realization, delivery and analysis of qualitative instruments of social

research, both through different interview techniques and ethno-methodological techniques.

Advantages and shortfalls of mixed methods and online/web research techniques will be

overviewed, to understand the challenges researchers face while actually conducting research.

The course will further address methods and techniques for evaluating youth policies,

particularly youth transitions from an educational perspective, focusing on the school-to-work

transition, illustrating the use of both quantitative and qualitative techniques and tools in

evaluative research.

The course aims to provide students with capacity to perform field research by acquiring

research methods skills, with particular attention to the theoretical and empirical connections

with real society, and social evolution and change.

1°) Final exam (1⁄3)

2°) Class Participation (1⁄3): presentation/ discussion of assigned readings (16%) and active class

participation 16%

3°) Research Project (1⁄3): 2 interim reports and a final presentation