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Unit of study_

GOVT2991: Political Research Methods

This unit introduces students to the diversity of theoretical and methodological approaches used by politics and international relations scholars. The course consists of three parts: the foundations of political research; research methods; and research approaches. 'What is politics?' and 'how can we understand it?' are questions used to explore the way in which social science research is designed and conducted.

Code GOVT2991
Academic unit Government and International Relations
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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12 credit points at 1000 level in GOVT and a minimum of 36 credit points
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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GOVT2091

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Understand a wide range of approaches employed by researchers in politics and international relations.
  • LO2. Develop an understanding of the differences between primary and secondary sources of evidence, and their value in conducting social research.
  • LO3. Develop an understanding of qualitative and quantitative research approaches in the social sciences and their strengths and weaknesses.
  • LO4. Develop skills to critically engage with published research in the social sciences, by understanding the process of how research is conducted.