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Course Syllabus

Bachelor 2021/2022

Methodology and Methods for Sociological Research

Type: Compulsory course (Sociology and Social Informatics)
Area of studies: Sociology
Delivered by: Department of Sociology
Where: Saint-Petersburg School of Social Sciences
When: 2 year, 1, 2 module
Mode of studies: offline
Open to: students of one campus
Instructors: Мацкевич Мария Георгиевна, Yadviga Sinyavskaya
Language: English
ECTS credits: 5
Contact hours: 42

Course Syllabus

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Abstract

The course covers the following general topics: - Planning and Designing Social research - Ethical issues in social Research - Interviewing and Questionnaire design - Content Analysis. Reading and discussion of some widely known studies is combined with practical exercises on development of research design and specific tools.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • The course covers the following general topics: - Research design - Quantitative methodology - Qualitative methodology - Online studies - Research ethics
  • introduce students to the basics of research methodology in social sciences, and give a brief overview of the most relevant research methods.
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • Be able to formulate research question and choose appropriate methodology
  • Know the ethical requirements and limitations for different research methods
  • Know the main stages of a research
  • Understand the basic idea and the differences between main research methods: survey, anthropological/ biographical study, online research etc.
  • Understand the basic idea and the differences between main research methods: survey, anthropological/ biographical study, online research etc
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • Theory and Research
  • Planning and designing case studies
  • Ethical Issues in a Case Study
  • Interview and Questionnaire Design
  • Content Analysis
  • Methods of data collection
  • Observation
  • Survey in a quantitative study
  • Quantitative vs. Qualitative methods
  • Focus Group Method
  • Secondary Data Analysis
  • Research hypothesis
  • Research question
  • Research Problem
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Activities in class
  • non-blocking Home tasks
    In case of the lack of class participation during the class, additional essays may be assigned in order to test the understanding of the topic. The grade for the essay will be included into home tasks grade.
  • non-blocking Tests
  • non-blocking Exam 1 year
    As your exam, you'll receive a set of 3-5 questions. You need to answer two of them in a written form. Each question will raise a methodological problem. We expect you to express your own ideas and attitudes, that should be supported by examples and concepts from the course. Each submission will be checked for plagiarism. If any traces of plagiarism will be found, the submission will be graded with 0. If you are using ideas from other sources, you need to put a proper reference. Since there are two questions, you can get 5 points for each.
  • non-blocking Midterm exam
  • non-blocking Written summaries of the assigned readings
    You need to submit a written summary of each reading assignment. The summary should include all the definitions and classifications presented in the reading. The summary should not contain plagiarism
  • non-blocking Activities in class
  • non-blocking Home assignments
  • non-blocking Exam
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • 2020/2021 3rd module
    0.2 * Tests + 0.3 * Exam 1 year + 0.1 * Home tasks + 0.1 * Written summaries of the assigned readings + 0.3 * Activities in class
  • 2021/2022 2nd module
    0.4 * Exam + 0.4 * Home assignments + 0.2 * Activities in class
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • Hegde, D. S. (2015). Essays on Research Methodology. New Delhi: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=nlebk&AN=1001250
  • Maruyama, G., & Ryan, C. S. (2014). Research Methods in Social Relations (Vol. 8th ed). Malden, Mass: Wiley-Blackwell. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=798826

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research Methodology : Methods & Techniques (Vol. 2nd rev. ed). New Delhi: New Age International. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=277465
  • Rugg, G., & Petre, M. (2007). A Gentle Guide to Research Methods. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=234246

Authors

  • SINYAVSKAYA YADVIGA EDUARDOVNA
  • TENISHEVA KSENIYA ALEKSEEVNA
  • VOLCHENKO OLESYA VIKTOROVNA
  • MATSKEVICH MARIYA GEORGIEVNA