Master 2020/2021

Research seminar "Research Methods in International Studies"

Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'

Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'

Type: Compulsory course (Economics, Politics, and Business in Asia)

Area of studies: Foreign Regional Studies

Delivered by: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs

Where: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs

When: 1 year, 1-3 module

Mode of studies: offline

Open to: students of one campus

Instructors: Alexandra Sizova

Master’s programme: Экономика, политика и бизнес в Азии

Language: English

ECTS credits: 7

Contact hours: 50

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This Research Seminar is aimed at guiding participants in the development and improvement of research skills (analytical, heuristic, creative, etc.) and deepening their knowledge of methodology for the social science and humanities related to conducting, structuring and presenting of a successful Master’s degree research as well as preparing for writing a Master’s thesis in International Relations and Area Studies. The seminar implies a detailed critical analysis of the main components of a Master’s course paper and facilitates the acquiring of the necessary competences for completing the Master’s thesis in the second year of the program. A special attention is paid to the advanced examination of research process, its challenges, logic and structure, work with various sources and theoretical approaches, exploration of the key methods and techniques of effective collecting and analyzing data, argumentation and presentation of research findings in International and Area Studies.

Learning Objectives

• The main goal of this course is to develop participants’ competence in conducting their own independent theoretical and applied research in International and Area Studies, to advance their research skills obtained at the Bachelor’s level and acquire certain Master’s level field-specific knowledge and skills, including research design skills and abilities to create well-developed content of the Master’s thesis in International and Area Studies and structure academic texts in social sciences and humanities, to stimulate students’ critical thinking and scientific reflection, to view research as an integral process and implement new solid knowledge and skills in practice.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• to identify the goals and basic principles of the contemporary research in socials sciences and humanities;
• to define the characteristics and challenges of International and Area Studies as research fields;
• to use the key terms and concepts related to research in socials sciences and humanities and International and Area Studies specifically, including those related to the major theories in these research areas;
• to explain the logic of the research process and identify the key components of it;
• to use the key strategies of the contemporary research design at the Master’s level and adequately use them according to the research tasks;
• to identify and create a balanced structure of the research paper in International and Area Studies;
• to effectively use the instruments and methods of the contemporary social sciences and humanities methodology in conducting Master’s degree research within the field of expertise;
• to recognize the classical and cutting-edge trends in the field of study and different theoretical approaches to exploring the chosen research subject in International and Area Studies and develop the theoretical parts of the course works and Masters’ theses;
• to professionally work with literature and different types of information resources, to apply contemporary techniques of effective collecting and analyzing various data to own research work;
• to do various types of research work in IR and Area Studies in compliance with the objectives and tasks of the study and formal requirements of the Master’s course works and theses in these fields;
• to distinguish between incoherent explanation and well-ground argumentation, to know frequent logical fallacies, to identify and correct various types of errors in scientific inquiry and reasoning and formulate logical arguments;
• to critically assess own written works, oral presentations and explanations as well as those of the colleagues’, make references of the others’ work;
• to work on a project as both an individual researcher and a member of a research group;
• to recognize and follow the main ideas and principles of scientific culture, to clothe thoughts on the subject of study in suitable scientific language according to the rules of academic writing;
• to plan personal research activity, reflect on own research process and achievements and apply the obtained knowledge and skills in professional practice.

Course Contents

• The Course Overview and Instructions
  Introduction to the course. The objectives, structure, and schedule of the Research Seminar. The methodology, requirements, and assessment system. Summarizing students’ learning and research experience obtained in the first year of the Master’s program and reflecting on the results of course paper writing. The specificities of planning and conducting Master-level research. Setting individual research goals and building personal strategies for preparing Master’s theses. (2 hours) Discussion, skills training, practical assignments. (2 hours)
• The Current Trends in International and Area Studies and the Role of the Academic Community
  The topical fields of research related to international issues and regions. The academic environment in International and Area Studies: the role of universities and think tanks, renowned world think tanks and achievements in the field. Possible career paths, professional scholarly and expert options. The specific features of academic communication and presentation of professional results: professional associations, journals and forums. The main global and regional IR and AS scientific events. Discussion, skills training, practical assignments.
• The Foundations of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities
  The basics of epistemology of research in social sciences and humanities. Approaches to understanding reality and conducting scientific inquiry. The nature of theory, and how it is connected to practice. The elements of theory, research methodology and its role in building theories. The functions and limitations of theory. The types of theories in social sciences and humanities. What is a scientific method, and why it is important in both theoretical and practical work. Discussion, skills training, practical assignments.
• Introduction to Research in International and Area Studies: the Connection Between Theory and Practice
  International Relations and Area Studies as scientific subjects, the role of methodology. The specific features of conducting research in International and Area Studies in the 21st century scientific world. How theory is connected to practical work of an expert on International Relations and Area Studies. Discussion, skills training, practical assignments.
• Scientific Language and the Main Concepts of International and Area Studies
  Important terminology relevant to scientific research, specific terms and concepts of social sciences and humanities. The field-specific principles and ideas of International and Area Studies and their representation in scientific literature. The overview of theoretical approaches to exploring IR and regional processes, relevant terms used in scientific discussion of subject-specific issues.
• Types of Research and the Key Research Approaches
  The specific features of explanation in social research and the types of explanation. Social science as a system of logical and empirical knowledge. The classifications of the research (descriptive and analytical, fundamental and applied, quantitative and qualitative, etc.). The research approaches in social sciences and humanities (quantitative and qualitative). Inductive and deductive exploration. The ways of applying various approaches in studying international relations and regional processes. Discussion, skills training, practical assignments.
• The Research Process, Its Logic and Key Components
  The logical foundations of research work, the main elements and stages of research. Defining a topic, the relevance of the topic and the research rationale. Outlining the research problem. Stating the research objective and tasks, formulating the idea and research question. Defining the variables, values and units of analysis. Reviewing literature, existing theories and concepts and previous contributions. Choosing a theoretical framework and correct terminology according the chosen theory. Proposing research hypotheses. Designing research. Collecting and analyzing data. Interpreting and integrating the data and presenting research findings. Revising the research results and making corrections. Discussion, skills training, practical assignments.
• The Foundations of Contemporary Research Design and Planning a Research
  Modern approaches to research design. The variations of research design and their application in International and Area Studies. Thinking of the optimal type of research design. Defining the key points of a research plan and expected results according to the research tasks. Using variables and formulating hypotheses. The types of research hypotheses and common errors in formulating hypotheses. Discussion, skills training, practical assignments.
• Information Sources and Critical Analysis of Data
  The types of information sources used for the studies of international relations and regional processes. Quantitative and qualitative data in social sciences and humanities. The critical analysis of primary and secondary sources. The main principles of a high-quality literature review. Discussion, skills training, practical assignments.
• Scientific Methods in International and Area Studies
  The classification of scientific methods. The key methods of collecting data. The methods of analyzing and interpreting the information used in International Relations and Area Studies. Challenges in applying formal and informal methods. How to choose an optimal method. The methodological challenges of multidisciplinary research. Using modern technologies for the search and analysis of data. Discussion, skills training, practical assignments.
• The Strategies and Techniques of Writing a Research Paper
  The basic rules and principles of academic writing. Academic ethics and the originality of academic texts. Structuring a research paper. Writing a draft introduction to a research paper. Creating the main part of the paper, outlining the key ideas and providing solid arguments. Presenting the research findings, formulating conclusions. Formatting and editing the text, references, footnotes and the lists of sources. Organizing self-check and self-reflection upon the completion of the paper. Discussion, skills training, practical assignments. Final presentations.

Assessment Elements

• Attendance and in-class participation
• Assignments
• Final exam

Interim Assessment

• Interim assessment (3 module)
  0.4 * Assignments + 0.4 * Attendance and in-class participation + 0.2 * Final exam

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Alan Bryman, & The Programme Aims. (2001). Social research methods. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.151A861A
• Babbie, E. R. (2016). The Practice of Social Research: Vol. Fourteenth editon. Cengage Learning.
• Geoffrey R. Marczyk, David DeMatteo, & David Festinger. (2005). Essentials of Research Design and Methodology. Wiley.
• Jackson, R. H. . (DE-588)123370647, (DE-627)082514666, (DE-576)293679835, aut. (2010). Introduction to international relations theories and approaches Robert Jackson; Georg Sørensen.
• Kuada, J. E. (2012). Research Methodology : A Project Guide for University Students (Vol. 1st edition). Frederiksberg C [Denmark]: Samfundslitteratur Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=503632
• Van Evera, S. (DE-588)133410056, (DE-627)545631025, (DE-576)17898163X, aut. (1997). Guide to methods for students of political science Stephen Van Evera.
• Vickers, P. R. (2020). K. Mielke u.a. (Hrsg.): Area Studies at the Crossroads [Rezension].

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Baylis, J. (DE-588)139834338, (DE-627)613794974, (DE-576)160207436, aut. (2011). The globalization of world politics an introduction to international relations John Baylis; Steve Smith; Patricia Owens.
• Bhattacherjee, A. (2012). Social Science Research: Principles, Methods, and Practices.
• Collier, D. (1995). Translating Quantitative Methods for Qualitative Researchers: The Case of Selection Bias. https://doi.org/10.2307/2082442
• Contemporary international relations a guide to theory ed. by A. J. R. Groom . (1994).
• Contemporary security studies ed. by Alan Collins. (2010).
• Creswell, J. W. (1998). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design : Choosing Among Five Traditions. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications Inc. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=63251
• Emilian Kavalski. (2012). Book Review: Handbook of Politics: State and Society in a Global Perspective By Kevin T. Leicht and J. Craig Jenkins (eds).
• Eriksson, L. (2011). Rational Choice Theory : Potential and Limits. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1525124
• Fischer, F., Miller, G., & Sidney, M. S. (2007). Handbook of Public Policy Analysis : Theory, Politics, and Methods. Boca Raton: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=184464
• GERRING, J. (2004). What Is a Case Study and What Is It Good for? https://doi.org/10.1017/s0003055404001182
• Halperin, S. (DE-588)171616154, (DE-627)061837849, (DE-576)177909633, aut. (2012). Political research methods and practical skills Sandra Halperin and Oliver Heath.
• Jakobs, E.-M., & Perrin, D. (2013). Handbook of writing and text production. De Gruyter.
• Jill Steans, Lloyd Pettiford, Thomas Diez, & Imad El-Anis. (2010). An Introduction to International Relations Theory : Perspectives and Themes: Vol. Third edition. Routledge.
• Johnson, J. B. (DE-588)143613529, (DE-627)647702657, (DE-576)337971323, aut. (2012). Political science research methods Janet Buttolph Johnson; H. T. Reynolds.
• King, G. (DE-588)135604311, (DE-627)568593324, (DE-576)166299405, aut. (1994). Designing social inquiry scientific inference in qualitative research Gary King; Robert O. Keohane; Sidney Verba.
• Klieman, A. S. (2015). Great Powers and Geopolitics : International Affairs in a Rebalancing World. Cham: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=975365
• Mansfield, E. D., & Goldstein, A. (2012). The Nexus of Economics, Security, and International Relations in East Asia. Stanford Security Studies.
• Oxford handbook of the international relations of Asia / edited by Saadia M. Pekkanen, John Ravenhill and Rosemary Foot. (2014). New York, NY [u.a.]: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.414586344
• Remaking area studies teaching and learning across Asia and the Pacific ed. by Terence Wesley-Smith and Jon Goss. (2010).
• Sharon Roe Anderson, Ariane Auquier, Walter W. Hauck, David Oakes, Walter Vandaele, & Herbert I. Weisberg. (1980). Statistical Methods for Comparative Studies : Techniques for Bias Reduction. Wiley-Interscience.
• Singh, Y. K. (2006). Fundamental of Research Methodology and Statistics. New Age International.
• Wallerstein, I. M. (DE-588)11862878X, (DE-627)035157690, (DE-576)163467552, aut. (2004). World-systems analysis an introduction Immanuel Wallerstein.
• Wang, G. T., & Park, K. (2016). Student Research and Report Writing : From Topic Selection to the Complete Paper. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1108252
• Wendt, A. (1999). Social Theory of International Politics. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511612183