Course aims:

To acquire the basic knowledge about the key components of social research
To develop skills and knowledge about quantitative and qualitative social research
To develop an understanding of various research designs and techniques
Develop a critical awareness of alternative methods and approaches
Acquire a broad range of skills transferable to subsequent careers

Course Entry Requirements:

None

Course contents:

Theories in Scientific Research, Research Ethics. Interview in social research The observation Sociological survey Construction of the questionnaire as an instrument of sociological survey Research Design: Measurement of Constructs, Scale Reliability and Validity, Sampling. Survey Research, Quantitative Analysis: Descriptive Statistics. Quantitative Analysis: Inferential Statistics.

Teaching methods:

Lecture, conversation, exemplification

Learning outcomes:

formulate researchable questions. -define a research strategy and design a research project to answer a research question. -discuss the practice and principles of qualitative and quantitative social research. -be able to construct an effective questionnaire that employs several types of survey questions. -construct an effective research proposal

Learning outcomes verification and assessment criteria:

Written paper –– 60%; project assessment – 40%.

Recommended reading:

Bryman, A, Quantity and Quality in Social Research, Routledge, London, 1992, 4-143.
Bryman A., Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2012, 3-353.
Anol Bhattacherjee, Social Science Research: Principles, Methods, and Practices, University of South Florida, Tampa, 2012, 1-136.