860-0019-00L Empirical Social Research
Semester | Spring Semester 2019 |
Lecturers | I. Günther, L. Metzger |
Periodicity | yearly recurring course |
Language of instruction | English |
Comment | Number of participants is limited to 25. Priority is given to students of the study programs Science, Technologies and Policy MSc. and MAS. Enrollment is possible until 04.02.2019 . The registration will only be effective once confirmed. Achtung: Diese LE wurde bis Frühjahr 2017 unter der Nummer 701-0729-01L angeboten. Die Studierenden die diese LE bereits belegt hatten, können die LE 860-0019-01L nicht erneut belegen. |
Abstract | The course provides an overview of the various methodological approaches in empirical social research and covers the different stages of the research process. Acquired skills are applied in a research project applying experimental methods. |
Objective | Upon completion of the course, students should be familiar with: (1) The basic principles behind different empirical social-research methods and the conditions under which their use is appropriate (2) The steps involved in an empirical study in social sciences. (3) The application of experimental methods to a research project. |
Content | Empirical social research employs a wide variety of research methods, such as surveys or laboratory and non-reactive field experiments. The course will begin with an overview of the various methodological approaches, including their advantages and disadvantages and the conditions under which their use is appropriate. It will continue with a discussion of the different stages of the research process, including hypothesis generation, formulating a research plan, measurement, sampling, data collection and data analysis. This knowledge will be applied by conducting a research project on a suitable topic. |
Literature | Bryman, A. (2008). Social Research Methods (3rd ed.). Oxford: University Press. Diekmann, A. (2007). Empirische Sozialforschung (18. Aufl.). Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt. |
Prerequisites / Notice | Basic knowledge in applied statistics. Students enrolling in this course should be able to conduct descriptive statistics and simple linear regressions with R, STATA or a similar program. |