Course Contents

Course Contents:  I. Epistemology and Ontology in social science research II. Theory Building in research  Concept  Variable  Hypothesis III. Nature of social science research  Positivist  Interpretivist  Indigenous paradigm  Conflict paradigm  Post modernism paradigm IV. Types of Research in politics and International Relations  Historical Research  Exploratory  Descriptive  Explanatory  Analytical  Applied  Longitudinal and cross-sectional research • Qualitative Research Foundations of qualitative research: Inductive and Deductive approach  Data Collection methods in Qualitative Research  In-depth interview  Focus groups  Open ended questionnaire  Ethnographic research  Action Research  Document Analysis  Observational Studies  Data Analysis Methods in Qualitative Research  Content analysis,  Case study research  Thematic Analysis  Grounded Theory  Discourse Analysis  Qualitative Sampling Techniques • Quantitative Research Foundations of quantitative research  Data collection in Quantitative research methods  Survey research  Structured interviews  Experimental Research  Project data ( Administrative record and documents )  Kinds of data in Quantitative research  Discrete data  Continuous data  Ordinal data  Nominal data  Ratio data  Interval data  Data Analysis in quantitative research methods  Correlational research  Casual Comparative research  Descriptive statistical analysis  Regression analysis  Quantitative Sampling Techniques • Mixed Method Research • Writing Research Proposal  Steps  Techniques • Thesis writing  Format  Techniques  Research Ethics  Review of literature Referencing/ Citation: Cambridge, APA, and Chicago Manual Style Recommended Books: 1. Christopher Lemont, Research Methods in International Relations (Sage Publications, 2015). 2. W. Lawrence Newman, Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approached (Publisher: Pearson, 2014) 3. W. Philips Shively, The Craft of Political Research (Prentice Hall Publisher: 2001) 4. Peter Burnham, and Karin Gilladu, Research Methods in Politics (Palgrave and McMillan Publisher: 2004) 5. David Wilkinson, The Researcher’s Toolkit: the Complete Guide to Practitioner Research (London: Rutledge, 2000). 6. Lionel Menasche, Writing a Research Paper (Michigan: University of Michigan press, 1997).

Course Synopsis

Course Description: This course is designed to develop the basic skills and create a theoretical understanding of research methods to carry out different types of research and analysis in social sciences. This theoretical base will strengthen the students’ capacity to undertake the systematic and analytical study of issues and problems relevant to the field of study with an emphasis on problem-solving. For this purpose, the course has been divided into two parts. In part 1 theoretical side of methodology will be covered and in part II the students will be required to pass through the actual research process by writing a dissertation on a topic of their interest. The prior approval of the topic is essential. Part two is actually designed to evaluate the understanding of the basic principles of research by a participant. This part will also help develop skills by understanding and undertaking an actual research project by following a complete research process.

Course Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to • Understand the role of research in advancing knowledge and policy development. • Design a context-applicable research project including construction of hypotheses or research questions, appropriate sampling, data collection and analysis. • Analyze and present complex data or situations clearly.