SS5101: Being a Social Scientist This module is delivered by Professor Rob Gray from Management and Dr Mike Kesby from Geography (also the SS5000 Program Director). In the first part of this seminar-based course we will focus on how to design and produce a research dissertation. In the second part we will focus on issues of professional development (among other things: ethics, academic and non academic careers in social science and grant writing) to help you to contextualise your position within the contemporary academy and give you insights into what it actually means to be a ‘Social Scientist'. In both sections, faculty will facilitate, through a series of theoretical discussions and practical exercises, your acquisition of some of the core skills and competences necessary for a successful career in Social Science. We will achieve this in part by encouraging and facilitating networking between you and your peers and between students and university faculty.
This module aims to:
Facilitate students’ skill and competence to undertake independent research by:
- Exploring some of the basic principles of research design/strategy and by identifying both how to avoid common design problems and frame research questions effectively
- Discussing ways to successfully structure a dissertation/thesis
- Illustrating how to conduct and structure a competent literature review
- Identifying the logical connections between research questions and the selection of appropriate methods
- Developing strategies for effective research writing.
Facilitate students’ professional development by:
- Giving students a clear perspective on contemporary academic environments (primarily in the UK but with inference to other contexts) and an understanding of research careers beyond the academy
- Encouraging students to contemplate their roles and responsibilities as social scientists and to develop a clear understanding of ethical issues and research ethics procedures
- Developing students’ knowledge of grant writing
- Supporting students to contemplate and plan their professional careers
Mediums for Teaching and Leaning:
There will be 10 contact sessions in this module.
Seminars: Although some sessions may begin with or include a lecture, the module is primarily designed as a seminar-based programme and will attempt to promote student-centred learning. The role of faculty is principally to facilitate self-motivated and proactive learning among students through informal and participative seminars.
Discussion and participation: Many of the sessions will involve brainstorming and discussion and/or practical exercises. Full and enthusiastic participation in these sessions will greatly enhance your learning experience.
Reading : The module will assume that you are reading widely in your own discipline or field. We will not require that you do a substantial amount of reading additional to this but Moodle will provide details of books and other readings with which you can supplement your own study. You should try to pre-read before each meeting as this will complement and extend lecture notes and form the basis of discussions. Where relevant we have added short descriptions of the titles and encourage you to cover as diverse a range as possible in your readings.
| Being a social scientist part 1: Doing a social science project | ||
Week 1 |
RG/MK |
(A) Introductions: Brief Introduction to the course (B) Introduction to “Part One” – and Designing a research project 1. Making first choices: starting your dissertation 2. Designing your research project |
Week 2 |
RG |
Literature review, research gaps and theorising 1. Tell us about your favourite article(s)
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Week 3 |
RG |
Theory and Theorising: making sense of the world 1. Does the world make sense? 2. Anybody got any theories?
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Week 4 |
RG |
Methods and Methodology Methodology – what are the fundamental issues and how to write a methodology chapter? |
Week 5
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RG |
Writing Writing up & writing skills |
Week 6 |
RG |
Conclusions Writing the concluding chapters of your thesis |
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Week 7 READING WEEK - no class
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Being a social scientist part 2: Context and careers |
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Week 8
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MK |
Introduction: Brainstorm: Roles and responsibilities of social science Managing your Research career Everything you need to know about how UK Universities work + how to plan your MRes/PhD/early Academic Career |
Week 9 |
MK |
Grant Writing Top tips for research grant writing and reviewing
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Week 10 |
MK |
Ethics: As a culture of research and as an institutional procedure
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Week 11
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MK |
Careers Advice 1. Vivas 2. Academic Job interviews 3. Non academic careers in Social Science 4. Class audit |
Week 12 |
MK |
CLASS TEST/EXAM TIME TBA |
1. Un-assessed tasks
You must undertake several related tasks in this Module to gain the most from the course (and in order to avoid being sent an academic alert ). Most are not directly assessed but all will affect your ability to competently complete the essay and sit the final class-test.
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Undertake the prescribed reading - and a selection of the rest.
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Attend seminars and participate in all discussions and activities.
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Conduct brief presentations on your research topic.
2. Assessed tasks
All assessment in this 15-credit module will take place within semester 1 and there will be no exam during the new-year exam diet. There will be two pieces of assessment: The first will be a coursework essay relating to the material covered in Part 1. The second will take the form of a practical class-test (under exam conditions) that will take place immediately after the completion of the course and before the Christmas vacation in (Week 12)
- The Essay
Task:
With reference to one significant empirical journal article in your discipline, provide a critical evaluation on NO MORE THAN TWO of the following (write a separate short essay in response to each sub-point and make your answer accessible to a non-specialist reader):
- How is the paper positioned in your disciplinary field and in the social sciences literature more generally?
- How does the paper choose, develop and use theory?
- What methodological position is adopted in the paper, and how clearly is that explained and justified?
- What is the nature of the paper's research design and what implications does this have for the paper’s conclusions and persuasive power?
Length:
Maximum of 3,000 words
- The Class Test:
Task:
The class test focuses on material covered in the latter part of the course. The test will last one and a half hours. The test will have two compulsory questions. Each answer carries equal weight.
- Question one will addresses Ethics .
- Question two will addressed Grants
Each ‘question’ will be in the form of a short passage of text (1 paragraph or 1 page in length). Your task is to analyse the text and then write a short review/commentary.
The first question will place you in the position of someone reviewing another social scientist’s research proposal. Your task is to advise that colleague about the ethical issues that their project raises, and which they will need to address before seeking approval for the project from an ethics panel. The project proposed will be a perfectly reasonable academic project – but will raise some tricky ethical issues.
The second question puts you in the position of someone reviewing another social scientist’s grant application. Your task is to advise that colleague about errors in the application which they would need to address before it could be submitted with any hope of success. The grant proposal will be very poorly conceived and presented and will be filled with errors and mistakes.
In both cases you should write a short report that offers critical insights in a collegiate and professional manner.