860-0019-00L  Empirical Social Research Methods (with Paper)

SemesterSpring Semester 2016
LecturersS. Wehrli, I. Günther
Periodicityyearly recurring course
Language of instructionEnglish
CommentOnly for Science, Technology, and Policy MSc.


AbstractThe 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 on the topic of "environmental behavior" and "development policy".
ObjectiveUpon 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
(3) The application of empirical research methods to a research project
ContentEmpirical 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 to conducting a research project on a suitable topic.
LiteratureBabbie, E. (2009). The Practice of Social Research (11th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Bryman, A. (2008). Social Research Methods (3rd ed.). Oxford: University Press.
Diekmann, A. (2007). Empirische Sozialforschung (18. Aufl.). Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt.
Prerequisites / Noticethis course is linked to the course Empirical Social Research Methods 701-0729-01L