GRADUATE SCHOOL
Political Science and International Relations (Without thesis)
PSIR 501 | Course Introduction and Application Information
| Course Name |
Research Methods
|
|
Code
|
Semester
|
Theory
(hour/week) |
Application/Lab
(hour/week) |
Local Credits
|
ECTS
|
|
PSIR 501
|
Fall/Spring
|
3
|
0
|
3
|
7.5
|
| Prerequisites |
None
|
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| Course Language |
English
|
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| Course Type |
Service Course
|
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| Course Level |
Second Cycle
|
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| Course Coordinator | - | |||||
| Course Lecturer(s) | ||||||
| Assistant(s) | - | |||||
| Course Objectives | This course offers students an insight about how political scientists drive valid inferences about political phenomenon. Students will identify how research questions are formulated and empirical research is conducted to answer those questions. |
| Learning Outcomes |
The students who succeeded in this course;
|
| Course Description | This advanced course introduces students to quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods in political science. Students will be able to develop hypothesis, identify variables, distinguish case study, comparative method, experiment and discourse analysis. |
|
|
Core Courses |
X
|
| Major Area Courses | ||
| Supportive Courses | ||
| Media and Management Skills Courses | ||
| Transferable Skill Courses |
WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATION STUDIES
| Week | Subjects | Related Preparation |
| 1 | Introduction | |
| 2 | The Social Scientific Enterprise: Overview and Key Concepts | Della Porta, Donatella and Michael Keating, 2008. “How many approaches in the social sciences? An epistemological introduction”, in Della Porta and Keating (eds.), 19-39. |
| 3 | Literature Review and Academic Sources | Knopf, Jeffrey. 2006. “Doing a Literature Review,” PS: Political Science and Politics, 40: 127 – 132 |
| 4 | Research Questions and Developing Hypothesis | Mearsheimer, John and Stephen Walt. 2013. “Leaving Theory Behind: Why simplistic hypothesis testing is bad for International Relations.” European Journal of International Relations |
| 5 | Research Design | Schmitter,Philippe. 2008. “The design of social and political research”, in Della Porta and Keating (eds.), 263-295. |
| 6 | Case vs. Comparative | Donatella della Porta. 2008. “Comparative analysis: case-oriented versus variable-oriented research”, in Della Porta and Keating (eds.), 198-223. Optional: Bennett, Andrew and Colin Elman (2007). Case Study Methods in the International Relations Subfield. CPS 40(2): 170-95. Gerring, John (2004). What Is a Case Study and What Is It Good For? American Political Science Review. 98(2): 341-54 |
| 7 | Measurement and Sampling | Jason Seawright, John Gerring. (2008) Case Selection Techniques in Case Study Research: A Menu of Qualitative and Quantitative Options. Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 61, No. 2, pp. 294- 308 |
| 8 | Historical and Ethnographic | Thies, Cameron G. November 2002. “A Pragmatic Guide to Qualitative Historical Analysis in the Study of International Relations,” International Studies Perspectives 3(4), 351–372 Bray, Zoe. 2008. “Ethnographic Approaches”, in Della Porta and Keating (eds.), 296-315. |
| 9 | Discourse Analysis | Neumann, Iver. 2008. “Discourse Analysis” in Qualitative Methods in IR. Klotz and Prakash (eds.), 1-77. |
| 10 | Content analysis | Hermann, Margaret. 2008. “Content Analysis” in Qualitative Methods in IR. Klotz and Prakash (eds.), 151-167. |
| 11 | Process tracing | Vennesson, Pascal. 2008. “Case studies and process tracing: theories and practices”, in Della Porta and Keating (eds.), 223-239. |
| 12 | Research Ethics | Fujii, Lee Ann. 2011. “Research Ethics 101: Dilemma and Responsibilities” PS: Political Science and Politics 45(4): 717 - 723 |
| 13 | Comparing approaches, methodologies and methods | |
| 14 | Concluding Remarks | |
| 15 | Review of the Semester | |
| 16 | Review of the Semester |
| Course Notes/Textbooks | Above mentioned book chapters, scholarly articles and lecture notes prepared by the instructor |
| Suggested Readings/Materials |
EVALUATION SYSTEM
| Semester Activities | Number | Weigthing |
| Participation |
1
|
20
|
| Laboratory / Application | ||
| Field Work | ||
| Quizzes / Studio Critiques | ||
| Homework / Assignments |
5
|
50
|
| Presentation / Jury | ||
| Project |
1
|
30
|
| Seminar / Workshop | ||
| Oral Exams | ||
| Midterm | ||
| Final Exam | ||
| Total |
| Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade | 7 |
100 |
| Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade | ||
| 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
|
||
| Homework / Assignments |
5
|
20
|
100
|
| Presentation / Jury |
0
|
||
| Project |
1
|
44
|
44
|
| Seminar / Workshop |
0
|
||
| Oral Exam |
0
|
||
| Midterms |
0
|
||
| Final Exam |
0
|
||
| Total |
240
|
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS RELATIONSHIP
|
#
|
Program Competencies/Outcomes |
* Contribution Level
|
||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
||
| 1 | To improve theoretical and conceptual proficiencies on Political Science and International Relations and to ultimately deepen and develop intellectual interest | X | ||||
| 2 | To evaluate the relationships between factors in the field of Political Science and International Relations such as structures, actors, institutions and culture in a critical perspective | X | ||||
| 3 | To provide advanced competences to determine and question the theoretical and emprical gaps in Political Science and International Relations literature | X | ||||
| 4 | To identify the political and cultual conditions that generate discrimination mechanisms based on race, ethnic groups, gender and religion at national and international levels | X | ||||
| 5 | To provide competences to develop original arguments in order to fill the gaps in Political Science and International Relations literature | X | ||||
| 6 | To determine, collect, resolve, and interpret the data that would measure the theories and concepts as variables by using scientific research methods in Political Science and International Relations field | X | ||||
| 7 | To use confidently the terms and concepts of Political Science and International Relations | X | ||||
| 8 | To communicate systematically, in written, oral, and visual forms, contemporary developments in Political Science and International Relations to groups inside and outside the said discipline | X | ||||
| 9 | To take responsibility in an individual capacity and as part of a team in generating solutions to unexpected problems that arise in relation to politics in daily life | X | ||||
| 10 | To develop projects determining the institutional and political instruments for management of domestic and international conflicts | X | ||||
| 11 | To prepare an orginal thesis/term project about Political Science and International Relations in accordance with scentific criteria | X | ||||
| 12 | To design and carry out a scientific research project in the field of Political Science and International Relations | X | ||||
| 13 | To have ethical, social and scientific values in the stages throughout the processes of collecting, interpreting, disseminating and implementing data relevant to Political Science and International Relations | X | ||||
*1 Lowest, 2 Low, 3 Average, 4 High, 5 Highest