This course introduces students to the range of research methods used in the social sciences. It covers methodology, theory, project management and other tools. The focus is on answering questions, for example to understand society. Students will have to bring, develop, and work on their own questions to build and practice their research skills.

Week 1 - Orientation week

■ Daily, 1 x 1hour seminars (morning), followed by 1 x 2hour practical sessions (midday), Monday - Friday.

■ One final 1 x 2hour group-work session, Friday (15:00-17:00), only.

Weeks 2- 6 (block taught course, aligning with Foundation 2: Understanding Data), weekly:

■ 2 x 2hour lecture

■ 1 x 2hour tutorial

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4500-word portfolio consisting of three components (1500-word each, equally weighted, 33%).

In this first of four courses, we aim to familiarise students with epistemologies and research approaches most commonly employed across the social sciences. Lectures, tutorials and the assessments produce a robust and cohesive learning journey that encourages students to think through the decisions they will face in their independent project work (master's dissertation and beyond). Considerations of the impact the research may have, and an approach to lifelong learning will be built into the course from the start.

Students will begin by exploring their discipline's definition of society, and its consequences for research choices, from how to generate a research question, to how to choose appropriate methods and methodologies. The course aims to provide an introductory overview that builds students confidence as they navigate potential qualitative, quantitative and mixed method routes to knowledge production, providing a grounding in why social science researchers use particular methodologies, and how they may fit into a broader examination of society.

The course will draw on research design, as a blueprint that connects the different stages of the research process in a logical way such that new knowledge can be generated in a robust way. This will be combined with key practical research skills for each stage and for overall project management. Finally it will explore different standards of rigour embedding robust research practices on ethics and research integrity training. Students will further apply these skills in the "Secondary Data Project - 1" 10 credit course that runs alongside this one. 

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.