SOCL19069 Social Research Methods

This course builds on SOCL 19066, Community Analysis, and aims to deepen students' understanding of the challenges of research design and implementation. It looks broadly at all the processes of knowledge production, beginning with the scientific method, the formulation of research questions and the process of operationalising them. This will then be connected to an analysis of the techniques of data collection (both qualitative and quantitative). Such techniques may include participant observation, interviewing, discourse analysis and survey design. Students will also be given some experience in using computer packages like Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to explore statistical methods as well as N-vivo (NUD*IST) software to explore qualitative data.