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Module Code: POU22040

Module Name: Introduction to Political Science Research 2024-25

  • ECTS Weighting: 10
  • Semester/Term Taught: Full Year
  • Contact Hours: Two lectures per week, fortnightly tutorial
  • Module Personnel: Dr Dr Lisa Keenan
  • Module CO-Requisite: N/A
  • Module Prerequisite: POU11012 Introduction to Political Science or POU11022 Politics and Irish Society
  • Note: for incoming SF students (2024-25), this module is a prerequisite for the Political Science Capstone in Senior Sophister. No incoming SF student will be permitted to do a Capstone in Political Science unless they have taken POU22040 Introduction to Political Science Research (2024-25

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

  • Conduct a literature review
  • Identify a gap in an existing body of literature
  • Evaluate different research methods;
  • Propose a research question and develop an appropriate strategy to answer it;
  • Identify sources of data that could be used to answer a research question;
  • Create a plan for how to manage a research project;
  • Understand the obligations of a researcher;
  • Collect and analyse data;
  • Communicate research ideas to different audiences, using a variety of mediums.

  • Module Learning Aims

    This project aims to build students’ understanding of fundamental research skills, to introduce them to the fundamental principles of research design in Political Science, and to provide a practical introduction to the analysis of different kinds of data.

Module Content

This module is an introduction to evaluating and carrying out research as a political scientist. It provides an introduction to the principles of good research design, a review of the suite of available methods of data collection and analysis, and a practical guide to carrying out an original research project.

Recommended Reading List: TBC

Assessment Details

TBC

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