Media and Communication Studies (With Thesis)

GS 591 | Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Name

Research Design and Methods in Social Sciences

Code	Semester	Theory (hour/week)	Application/Lab (hour/week)	Local Credits	ECTS
GS 591	Fall	3	0	3	7.5

Prerequisites	None
Course Language	English
Course Type	Required
Course Level	Second Cycle
Mode of Delivery	-
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course	-
National Occupation Classification	-
Course Coordinator	Prof. Dr. Çiğdem KENTMEN ÇİN
Course Lecturer(s)	Prof. Dr. Çiğdem KENTMEN ÇİN Profesör Dr. İ Hakan YETKİNER
Assistant(s)	-

Course Objectives

The course is intended to provide a solid foundation for research design and methods in social sciences for students to use in their graduate studies. This course aims to prepare graduate students to comprehend the tools, subjects and methods related with the logic of the scientific inquiry, research design, and qualitative and quantitative research methods. The course also aims to reinforce awareness of the research process and ability to conduct research in an ethical and comprehensive way via suitable research strategies.

Learning Outcomes

#	Content	PC Sub	* Contribution Level
#	Content	PC Sub	1	2	3	4	5
1	Use both qualitative and quantitative research techniques
2	Define a research problem
3	Formulate research questions and/or hypothesis for a given topic
4	Write a research proposal
5	Conduct an independent research project
6	Evaluate and report the results deriving from a research project
7	Comprehend the ethical responsibilities of a social sciences researcher

Course Description

The aim of the course is to deliver a complete understanding of the various research methods used in social sciences, and to establish necessary practical skills required for their application. In this course, students will develop a formal research proposal for a master thesis or term project on a topic related to their individual graduate programs, with the supervision of their advisors, to be presented to the academic staff of the related graduate program.

Course Category	Core Courses
	Major Area Courses
	Supportive Courses
	Media and Management Skills Courses
	Transferable Skill Courses

WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATION STUDIES

Week	Subjects	Related Preparation	Learning Outcome
1	Introduction to Research and the Scientific Method in Social Sciences	Chapter 1, Cozby (2009)
2	Developing Research Questions and Hypotheses	Chapter 2, Daymon and Holloway (2011)
3	Stages of Research in Social Sciences	-
4	Stages of Research in Social Sciences	-
5	Stages of Research in Social Sciences
6	Research Designs and Methods	Chapter 6, Daymon and Holloway (2011)
7	Data Collection Methods: Surveys and Interviews	Chapter 7, Cozby (2009)
8	Data Collection Methods: Content and Discourse Analysis	Stemler, Steve. 2002 “An overview of content analysis.” Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation 7(17): 1-6. Mullet, Dianna R. 2018. “A general critical discourse analysis framework for educational research.” Journal of Advanced Academics 29(2): 116-142
9	Scientific Output
10	Scientific Output	-
11	Student Presentations
12	Student Presentations
13	Term Project Writing
14	Term Project Writing
15	Term Project Writing
16	Review of the Semester

Course Notes/Textbooks

Benton & Craib (2010), Philosophy of Social Science: The Philosophical Foundations of Social Thought, 2^nd Edition, Palgrave Macmillan (ISBN-10: 023024260X)

Danermark et al. (2001) Explaining Society: Critical Realism in the Social Sciences, Routledge (ISBN-10: 041522182X)

King et al. (1994), Designing Social Inquiry; Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research, Princeton University Press (ISBN-10: 9780691034713)

Rich et al. (2018), “Empirical Political Analysis; Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods, Routledge (ISBN-10: 1138088773)

Suggested Readings/Materials

EVALUATION SYSTEM

Semester Activities	Number	Weighting	LO 1	LO 2	LO 3	LO 4	LO 5	LO 6	LO 7
Participation	1	5
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments	1	35
Presentation / Jury	1	30
Project	1	30
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exams
Midterm
Final Exam
Total

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade	1	40
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade	1	60
Total

ECTS / WORKLOAD TABLE

Semester Activities	Number	Duration (Hours)	Workload
Theoretical Course Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours)	16	3	48
Laboratory / Application Hours (Including exam week: '.16.' x total hours)	16		0
Study Hours Out of Class	16	3	48
Field Work			0
Quizzes / Studio Critiques			0
Portfolio			0
Homework / Assignments	1	45	45
Presentation / Jury	1	84	84
Project			0
Seminar / Workshop			0
Oral Exam			0
Midterms			0
Final Exam			0
		Total	225

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS RELATIONSHIP

#	PC Sub	Program Competencies/Outcomes	* Contribution Level
#	PC Sub	Program Competencies/Outcomes	1	2	3	4	5
1	To be able to improve and ultimately deepen the level of theoretical and practical knowledge acquired in the discipline of media and communication studies,		-	-	-	-	-
2	To be able to carry on learning and conduct advanced research independently by critically evaluating knowledge in the field of media and communication,		-	-	-	-	-
3	To be able to utilize theoretical and practical knowledge at an expert level in the field of media and communication when developing plans, strategies, and policies,		-	-	-	-	-
4	To be able to take responsibility in an individual capacity and as part of a team in generating solutions to unexpected problems that arise in the area of communication in daily life,		-	-	-	-	-
5	To be able to grasp the interdisciplinary qualities of media and communication studies,		-	-	-	-	-
6	To be able to combine the knowledge of the media and communication field with knowledge from various related disciplines to form new knowledge in order to utilize interdisciplinary approaches and research methods to solve critical problems,		-	-	-	-	-
7	To be able to critically investigate social relations and the forms and norms of communication that constitute these relations while being to take action to improve and, when necessary, change these relations,		-	-	-	-	-
8	To be able to act with special concern for social and scientific values, as well as ethical principles, during the collection, interpretation, and publication of data related to the field of media and communication, and to take action to disseminate these values,		-	-	-	-	-
9	To be able to reconstruct a problem in the media and communication field as an academic problem, in order to conduct research, generate methods of solution, and evaluate results,		-	-	-	-	-
10	To be able to make use of foreign language for learning new knowledge in the media and communication field and to communicate with foreign colleagues,		-	-	-	-	-
11	To be able to communicate systematically, in written, oral, and visual forms, contemporary developments in media and communication to groups inside and outside the discipline,		-	-	-	-	-
12	To be able to use computer software required by the discipline and to possess advanced level computing and IT skills.		-	-	-	-	-