Workshop in Acquiring Social Research Skills

Catalog description

This course explores the concepts, steps and skills required for analyzing and conducting research grounded in the scientific method. The emphasis of this course is on acquiring research skills through practice-based learning. Students attain an understanding of the roles and approaches that distinguish quantitative and qualitative research methods. Students learn how to plan and write a research project prospectus and how to select and interpret data. Students acquire a working understanding of the analytical approaches necessary for evaluating the validity and credibility of primary and secondary research, learning also to use and interpret statistics in specific applied contexts. Students explore current professional ethical norms and practices in research. Students gain appreciation for understanding how research and society are vitally linked, while grasping the importance of the role of public scrutiny in research.