Introduction to Research in Political Science

Contenu du cours

The course questions what political science research is. Each class is dedicated to a step in the process of scientific reasoning, which is explained, illustrated with examples, and then applied by the students. The exercises aim at applying the political science research process.

Objectifs (et/ou acquis d'apprentissages spécifiques)

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding and appreciation of terminology, concepts, theoretical approaches and research methods in political science. The course intends to teach students how to develop scientific research designs. It prepares students to the writing of papers throughout their studies, up to the Master thesis / Final dissertation.

The course questions what political science research is. Each class is dedicated to a step in the process of scientific reasoning, which is explained, illustrated with examples, and then applied by the students through in-class exercises.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Students are expected to acquire following skills:

To be able to find, read, understand and interpret most research published in political science journals
To understand the major theoretical approaches to political science research
To be familiar with various research methods in political science
To be able to identify and apply these approaches and methods in a research paper
To be able to develop a research design
To sharpen critical thinking
To develop writing skills
To learn to read a scientific contribution and identify the authors’ research design
To acquire skills that will be used in all future papers and the Master thesis/Final dissertation

Méthodes d'enseignement et activités d'apprentissages

The course is organized as a seminar, with regular assignments and presentations. Each class consists of an explanation of a step in the research process (with illustrations), and an active application of the step in the research process by students (via practical exercises and development of their own research design). Overall, the course rests on active participation by the students.

IMPORTANT Registration to a group is done online via the UV (Université virtuelle), from September 15(9am) to September 27 (5pm). Students are expected to have double-checked the group schedule before registering to a group. Students who are not registered for the exercises before November 1^st are not allowed totake the course during the academic year. They are invited to re-register next academic year.

Références, bibliographie et lectures recommandées

List of mandatory and suggested readings available on the UV

Support(s) de cours

Université virtuelle
Podcast
Syllabus

Contribution au profil d'enseignement

The course prepares students to the writing of papers throughout their studies, up to the Master thesis / Final dissertation.

Autres renseignements

Informations complémentaires

IMPORTANT Registration to a group is done online via the UV (Université virtuelle), from September 15(9am) to September 27 (5pm). Students are expected to have double-checked the group schedule before registering to a group. Students who are not registered for the exercises before November 1^st are not allowed totake the course during the academic year. They are invited to re-register next academic year.

Groups’ topic, TA, and schedule will be mentioned on the UV (Université virtuelle).

Contacts

Course Coordinator:

Julia Van Dessel: julia.van.dessel@ulb.be Office hours: Tuesday (15:00-17:00), R1.207 (1 Av. Depage)

Teaching Assistants :

- Emilia Salminen, Emilia.Salminen@ulb.be, Office hours: Tuesday 14h30-16h30
- Omar N. Cham, omar.n.cham@vub.be, Office hours: Friday 11:00-13:00 (Online)
- Yehia Mekawi, yehia.mekawi@ulb.be, Office hours: Monday 10:00-12:00

Campus

Solbosch

Evaluation

Méthode(s) d'évaluation

Travail de groupe
Présentation orale

Travail de groupe

Présentation orale

There will be no final exam. Students’ performance will instead be evaluated based on three group works submitted during the semester and a final oral presentation. The final oral presentation is intended to assess students’ individual understanding of the work produced by their group. During the presentation, students may be asked individual questions about their methodology, analysis, results, and conclusions.

Important information:

· Group works receive a single grade shared by all group members.

Submissions are made under the joint responsibility of the entire group.
In cases of plagiarism, sanctions will apply to the whole group.

· Late registrations are not permitted. Students who are not registered for the exercises by November 1st will not be allowed to take the course during that academic year.

Construction de la note (en ce compris, la pondération des notes partielles)

The final grade will be calculated as follows:

- Group Work 1 → 20% of the final grade
- Group Work 2 → 30% of the final grade
- Group Work 3 → 40% of the final grade
- Final Oral Presentation → 10% of the final grade

Submission rules

- A group work that is not submitted will be marked as ABSENT, which counts as the grade for theentire semester.
- Late submissions will incur a penalty of 10% of the group work grade per 24 hours.

Attendance rules

- Attendance is mandatory. If you are unable to attend, you must notify your teacher in advance.
- Each unjustified absence will result in a 10% deduction from the overall course grade (equivalent to–2 points out of 20).
- Penalties are cumulative. For example, five unjustified absences = –10 points out of 20.

Retake session:

Students who fail the course and wish to retake it in August must submit an individual paper on anew topic. The paper must cover all the steps required in each group work. It must be uploaded tothe UV no later than 24 hours before the start of the retake exam session. Late submissions will not be accepted or evaluated.

Langue(s) d'évaluation

anglais

Recherche