This module builds on the first semester research and academic skills teaching to deepend students critical appraisal and analytical skills.
Through a combination of lectures, seminars, practical sessions and guided independent study the module students will have the opportunity will to assess and develop their knowledge and skills in researching and communicating relevant topics. Students will also have the opportunity to explore how claims, issues and questions regarding policy and society can be analysed and understood using a range of sources of data, research strategies and positions.
In part two students are introduced to a series of case studies from researchers within the department. This illustrates how we apply the theoretical debates of part one (how to design research) to examples of research practice. This illustrates to students how to develop the critical appraisal of methods and their suitability to different research questions.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Choose the most appropriate research design (including methods) to address different research problems/questions;
Evaluate research designs against the criteria typically used to judge the quality of a piece of research;
Critically engage with contrasting sources of data and evidence.