Political Science

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

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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 Lisa Keenan
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 course students will 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.