Osnova sekce
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The course aims at introducing the fundamentals of research strategies and methodologies traditionally applied in International Relations and Security Studies. The primary objective of the course is to gain familiarity with the character of qualitative research, principles of its research design and some of the core methodologies, methods and techniques that can be applied to investigate social phenomena qualitatively. Particular emphasis is placed on acquiring a sufficient understanding of the logic of qualitative research design with the aim to promote students’ independence when navigating the diverse terrain of qualitative methodologies, but especially when applying the knowledge gained throughout the course to make competent and confident methodological choices in their Master’s dissertations.
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During the semester students should start considering the topic of their MA dissertation. They should consult it with a potential supervisor. While developing this relation, students should make sure that their supervisor will register their MA dissertation topic in the SIS by 15th June.
The supervisors will ask the students to formulate the project of their MA dissertation. The project should be finalized and uploaded to the SIS by the supervisor by the end of September 2024. There is a template for the dissertation project that will be uploaded to the SIS. This procedure is not related to the assessment process in this course. The course is generally meant to contribute to students’ ability to submit a coherent piece of MA research.
The final versions of MA projects will be uploaded to SIS by individual supervisors.
Deadline 15th June
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
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Structure of the course, assignments, MA dissertation registration process. This lecture will introduce the assessment matrix that will be used by the reviewers to evaluate your MA dissertation. The general philosophy as well as specific sections of the matrix will be explained. The matrix reflects the overall requirements of quality research and thus should serve as the guideline for writing. The lecture will also introduce the MA dissertation project.
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Assembling fundamental components of qualitative research design in IR and Security Studies from scratch (identifying research problems and phrasing research questions; data collection and data analysis; triangulation; research objectives and contribution; research ethics; citation standards).
Compulsory Reading (53pp):
- Lamont, Christopher K. 2015. Research Methods in International Relations. Los Angeles: Sage, 37-62 (Chapter 2).
- Maxwell, Joseph A. 2012. Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach. Los Angeles: Sage, 78-90 (Chapter 4).
- Tracy, Sarah J. 2013. Qualitative Research Methods: Collecting Evidence, Crafting Analysis, Communicating Impact. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 21-36 (Chapter 2),
Recommended Reading (9pp):
- Barkin, Samuel. 2008. “‘Qualitative’ Methods?” In Qualitative Methods in International Relations: A Pluralist Guide, edited by Agata Klotz and Deepa Prakash, 211-220. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
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Integrating theoretical and conceptual framework: communicating with theories; analytical approaches to writing a literature review as a tool for incorporating theories and concepts into your research.
Compulsory Reading (35pp):
- Lamont, Christopher K. 2015. Research Methods in International Relations. Los Angeles: Sage, 79-92 (Chapter 4).
- Randolph, Justus. 2009. “A Guide to Writing the Dissertation Literature Review.” Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation 14(1): 13.
- Silverman, David, and Amir Marvasti. 2008. Doing Qualitative Research: A Comprehensive Guide. Los Angeles: Sage, 365-373 (Chapter 21).
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
Students are asked to select one topic from a list of six research topics and write a brief literature review organized according to the structure introduced in the Week 4 lecture. The assignment is to be completed in a structured template which contains detailed instructions. The assignment is awarded with 30 points, making a 30% contribution to your final grade.
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This lecture will introduce the philosophical underpinnings of different methodological approaches in social sciences.
Compulsory Reading (40pp):
- Jackson, Patrick Thaddeus. 2011. The Conduct of Inquiry in International Relations. Philosophy of Science and its Implications for the Study of World Politics. London and New York: Routledge. (Chapters 1 and 2) -
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Introduction to the fundamentals of case study design, typology, paradigmatic approaches, interactions and overlaps with other qualitative methods.
Compulsory Reading (59pp):
- Gray, David E. 2004. Doing Research in the Real World. Los Angeles: Sage, 123-151 (Chapter 6 Designing Case Studies).
- George, Alexander L., and Andrew Bennett. 2005. Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 355-356, 388-389, 405-406, 415-422 (Appendix with Case Study applications).
- Yazan, Bedrettine. 2015. “Three Approaches to Case Study Methods in Education: Yin, Merriam, and Stake”. The Qualitative Report 20(2), 134-152.
Recommended Reading (19pp):
Gerring, John. 2005. Case Study Research: Principles and Practices. CUP, 17-36 (Chapter 2)
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
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Tracking causal mechanisms in a qualitative style, analysing causality within cases – methods of process tracing and congruence analysis.
Compulsory Reading (60pp):
- Evangelista, Matthew. 2015. Explaining the Cold War’s End: Process Tracing All the Way Down? In Process Tracing: From Metaphor to Analytic Tool, edited by Bennett, Andrew and Jeffrey T. Checkel. Cambridge: CUP, 153-185 (Chapter 6).
- George, Alexander L., and Andrew Bennett. 2005. Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 226-254 (Chapter 9 The Congruence Method).
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
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‘Basic’, interpretive and qualitative approaches to content analysis; specifics of thematic analysis; application of the logic of induction, deduction and abduction; principles of coding and software-aided QCA.
Compulsory Reading (46pp):
- Drisko, James W. and Tina Maschi. 2016. Content Analysis. New York: Oxford University Press, 1-8 (Introduction), 81-119 (Chapter 4).
Recommended Reading (25pp):
- Swain, Jon. 2018. A Hybrid Approach to Thematic Analysis in Qualitative Research: Using a Practical Example. In SAGE Research Methods Cases. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
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An introduction to the principles of discourse analysis and critical discourse analysis with focus on their application.
Compulsory Reading (38pp):
van Dijk, Teun A. 2009. Critical Discourse Studies: A Sociocognitive Approach. In Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis, edited by Wodak, Ruth and Michael Meyer, 80-102. Los Angeles: Sage, 80-102 (Chapter 3).
Neumann, Iver B. 2008. Discourse Analysis. In Qualitative Methods in International Relations: A Pluralist Guide, edited by Agata Klotz and Deepa Prakash, 61-77. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 61-77 (Chapter 5).
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
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Going beyond text-based approaches, this lecture will discuss visual methodologies in the study of international politics and security.
Recommended Reading (55pp):
- Bleiker, Roland. 2018. ‘Mapping Visual Global Politics.’ In Visual Global Politics, edited by Roland Bleiker, 1–29. Abingdon; New York: Routledge.
- Schlag, Gabi. 2016. ‘Imagining Security: A Visual Methodology for Security Studies’. In Transformations of Security Studies: Dialogues, Diversity and Discipline, edited by Gabi Schlag, Julian Junk, and Christopher Daase, 173–89. London and New York: Routledge.
- Robinson NT. 2014. Have you won the war on terror? Military videogames and the state of American exceptionalism. Millennium - Journal of International Studies 43(2): 450-470
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Studenti musíOznačit jako hotovo
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Instructions:
Select one of the four articles in the folder below. Please read it carefully, understand the methodological choices made when researching the topic, and reflect on its content. The assignment will be completed in a structured template containing detailed instructions on content and length. The assignment is awarded with 30 points, making a 30% contribution to your final grade - the grading matrix can be explored through the submission module.
Submission instructions:
The deadline for submission is May 12, by 23:59 CET. Late submissions is possible, but will be penalized as follows: late submission within 24 hours after the deadline – 5% off your assignment grade, 24-48 hours after the deadline – 10% off your assignment grade, more than 48 hours after the deadline – not accepted.
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Advances in AI, particularly large language models
(LLMs) will fundamentally affect social science research. The last two sessions will
introduce the technology and offer practical insights into LLMs' landscape. Last but
not least the ethical standards connected with academic practice will be highlighted.
Compulsory Reading:
- Grossmann, Igor et al. (2023). AI and the transformation of social science
research. Science, Vol 380, Issue 6650, pp. 1108-1109
- Valdenegro, Daniel (2023). A Large Language Models Digest For Social
Scientists. preprint https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/m74vs
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Advances in AI, particularly large language
models (LLMs) will fundamentally affect social science research. The last two
sessions will introduce the technology and offer practical insights into LLMs'
landscape. Last but not least the ethical standards connected with academic practice
will be highlighted.