ME-100 Research Methods in Social Science

The course is connected to the following study programs

• Bachelor's Programme in History
• Bachelor's Programme in IT and Information Systems
• Bachelor's Programme in Planning and Communication
• Bachelor's Programme in Social Work
• Bachelor's Programme in Sociology
• Bachelor's Programme in Political Science
• Master's Programme in Information Systems
• Political Science, 1-year Programme

Course contents

The course aims at providing students with a fundamental introduction to research methods in social science, both qualitative and quantitative.

The course includes use of statistical software for analysis purposes.

Topics include: Defining problems, the relation between theory and empiri, the research process and research design, choice of methods, qualitative and quantitative approaches, reliability and validity, interpretations of data, research ethics and working out research reports.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• Explain the basic concepts of social science methodology

• Explain the different methods of data collection

• Describe methods for analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data

• Use SPSS as an analytical tool

Examination requirements

Mandatory work requirements must be approved in order to take the exam. Further information will be given in Canvas at the beginning of the semester.

Teaching methods

Lectures, group work, and PC-lab.

Evaluation

The person responsible for the course, in consultation with the student representative, decides the method of evaluation and whether the courses will have a midterm- or end of term evaluation, see also the Quality System, section 4.1.

Admission for external candidates

No.

Offered as Single Standing Module

Yes. Subject to availability or capacity.

Assessment methods and criteria

A 5-hours written individual examination.Graded assessment.

Reduction of Credits

This course’s contents overlap with the following courses. A reduction of credits will occur if one of these courses is taken in addition:

Course	Reduction of Credits
ME-1000 – Introduction to research methodology in social science	10
ME-1000 – Introduction to research methodology in social science	10
ME-108 – Social Scientific Methods	7.5
ME-108 – Social Scientific Methods	7.5
ME-112 – Social Scientific Methods	7.5
ME-112 – Social Scientific Methods	7.5
ME-104 – Social Scientific Methods	5
ME-109 – Statistics, Methods and Applied Data Analysis	5
ME-107 – Research Methods	5