Research Seminar in Emergency Management and Homeland Security

Catalog description

This course provides an introduction to social science research process – how researchers (in academia, government agencies, and the private sector) use observations about the world to find evidence-based answers to pressing questions. Throughout the semester, students will practice synthesizing existing research, writing research questions, and creating a research plan that could provide evidence-based answers to research questions. Students will also think about what counts as “data” and consider what it means to conduct ethical research in the social sciences. By the end of the semester, students will have a greater appreciation for just how difficult it can be to answer empirical questions. Students will also be a savvy reader of arguments that are based on evidence, better able to identify flaws in those arguments. This means students will also be better at developing those arguments themselves, gaining practice through iteratively writing components of a research proposal. Prerequisite(s): C EHC/R PAD 101 and C EHC 309.