This course offers an introduction to key methodological approaches required to understand, critically analyse, and explain problems in social sciences. It first covers philosophical, ethical and practical issues regarding systematic *social inquiry*. It then provides students with specific tools and techniques for empirical research in social sciences, including literature review, case studies, qualitative interviews, focus groups and participant observation, quantitative surveys and questionnaires, archival research and e-research. Students will learn the necessary skills for conducting and evaluating social inquiry, as well as crafting an independent research project upholding the highest standards of academic integrity. The core assignment is a research *proposal* (not a *paper*) in which students wishing to write an individual Master’s thesis across Semester B and the Summer Term (course codes = PIA6013/PIA6015) must design an original *project* (successful completion of the course with a grade of A or above is required to do so). This course will be an opportunity for students to bring their own research questions into the class, on a topic of their choice, and discuss their research design and methodology. It can also prepare students for the (team-based) capstone course PIA6018. 

Course Aims

This course aims to provide students with the ability to: (1) design, plan, write and disseminate a polished research project, (2) identify a research problem in social sciences and develop hypotheses or propositions to effectively describe, examine, critique, and solve that problem, (3) build arguments that are coherent, empirically supported, and theoretically grounded, as well as evaluate arguments made by others, (4) understand the values and limitations of different methodological approaches and evaluate scholarly work based on the merits of research design and instruments, (5) review a literature, and evaluate the reliability and validity of selected references and sources, and (6) identify, and comply with, ethical issues related to social inquiry and academic integrity.