Information Package
baskent.edu.tr

Ph.D. on International Relations

PSIR621

RESEARCH METHODS

Course Code
PSIR621
Semester
Second Term (Spring)
Theory+Practice
3 + 0
ECTS
10
Course TypeCompulsory Course
Course LevelDoctorate Of Science
Year of Study1
SemesterSecond Term (Spring)
ECTS10
Name of Lecturer(s)
Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the students;

  1. Comprehend fundamental approaches in the sub-field of International Relations;
  2. Adapt or apply the widely used theories of International Relations to their theses;
  3. Learn asking appropriate scientific research questions and conducting literature-oriented research;
  4. Comprehend the meaning of studying empirically as well as the significance of demon-strating empirical evidences in the studies of International Relations;
  5. Know how to conduct qualitative and quantitative data gathering and data analyses tech-niques, and how to creatively link or refine them to their own research themes/questions;
  6. Comprehend technical and ethical procedures and principles that shape thesis writing process.
Mode of DeliveryFace to face
PrerequisitesNo
Recommended Optional Programme ComponentsNone
Course DescriptionThis course is designed to introduce to the PhD. students of International Relations the funda-mental scientific, methodological, strategic, and instrumental skills as well as the ethical regula-tions and principles that are required to write dissertation and to conduct scientific research. Fa-miliarizing students with the diversity of the scientific approaches to international issues and comprehension of all stages of the social science research process are among the main objectives of this course. In the first part of the course, the basic theoretical, conceptual and analytical tools that must be possessed in order to produce scientific works in the field of international relations will be explained. In this context, the basic components of scientific research such as formulat-ing scientific research questions, designing research, sample construction techniques, case selec-tion and the significance of theory construction will be discussed. In the following section, the methodological and ethical perspectives and strategies of engagements with scientific sources and collected data will be covered. The process of analyzing the collected data with quantitative and qualitative approaches will be discussed in the third part. On this basis, the relationship be-tween qualitative and quantitative data collection and data analysis techniques and theory build-ing processes in the field of international relations will be explained. In the fourth part, widely used research techniques in the field of international relations and social sciences in general such as network analysis, case studies, content analysis and field research will be discussed thematically. In the last part, thesis writing, reporting and presentation techniques will be explained.
Course Contents
WEEK TOPICS
1st Week Introduction
2nd Week Research Methods in the Subfield of International Relations (IR)
3rd Week Research Question and Research Design
4th Week Literature Review and Conducting Literature-oriented Research
5th Week Research Ethics
6th Week Qualitative Approaches in IR - I
7th Week Qualitative Approaches in IR - II
8th Week Mid-term Exam
9th Week Quantitative Approaches in IR - I
10th Week Quantitative Approaches in IR - II
11th Week IR and Network Analysis
12th Week IR and Case Studies
13th Week How to Conduct Field Research in IR
14th Week Thesis Writing
Recommended or Required ReadingAlan Bryman, Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Oxford, Ch. 5.
Andrew L. George, and Andrew Bennett, Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences, MIT Press, Cambridge: MA, 2005.
Andrew Linklater, The Question of Next Stage in International Relations Theory: A Critical Theoretical Point of View, Millennium, 21, 1 (1992): 77-98.
Audie Klotz, Norms Reconstituting Interests: Global Racial Equality and US Sanctions against South Africa,International Organization, 49, 3 (1995): 451-478.
Audie Klotz, and Cecelia Lynch, Strategies of Research in Constructivist International Rela-tions, M. E. Sharpe, Armonk, NY, 2007.
Audie Klotz, and Deepa Praksh (eds.) Qualitative Methods in International Relations: A Plu-ralist Guide, Palgrave, New York, 2008.
Brian K. Grodsky, Costs of Justice: How New Leaders Respond to Previous Rights Abuses, University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, IN, 2010.
Brooke Ackerly, and Jacqui True Gerry Simpson, Reflexivity in Practice: Power and Ethics in Feminist Research on International Relations, International Studies Review, 10, 4 (2008): pp. 693-707.
Chandra Lekha Sriram, John C. King, Julie A. Mertus, Olga Martin-Ortega, Johanna Herman (eds.), Surviving Field Research: Working in Violent and Difficult Situations, Routledge: New York, 2009.
Charlotte Epstein, The Power of Words in International Relations: Birth of Anti-Whaling Dis-course, MIT Press, Cambridge: MA, 2008.
Chris Brown, Understanding International Relations, Palgrave, New York, 2001, Ch. 1-2.
Christopher Lamont, Research Methods in International Relations, Sage Publications, Los An-geles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, and Washington DC, 2015.
Christopher Lane, Kant or Cant: The Myth of Democratic Peace, International Security, 19, 2 (1994): 5-49.
Colin Elman, Horses for Courses: Why not Neorealist Theories of Foreign Policy, Security Studies, 6, 1 (1996): 7-53.
David Richards, Elite Interviewing: Approaches and Pitfalls, Politics, 16, 3 (1996): 199-204.
Detleft F. Sprinz, and Yael Wolinsky-Nahmias, Cases, Numbers, Models: International Rela-tions Research Methods, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI, 2004.
Emilie M. Hafner-Burton, Miles Kahler, and Alexander H. Montgomery, Network Analysis for International Relations, International Organizations, 63, 3 (2009): 559-592.
Frank P. Harvey, and Michael Brecher, Evaluating Methodology in International Studies, Uni-versity of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI, 2002.
Greg Scott, and Roberta Garner, Doing Qualitative Research: Designs, Methods and Techniques, Pearson, Boston, MA, 2013.
Hedley Bull, International Theory: The Case for a Classical Approach, World Politics, 18, 3 (1966): 361-377.
Helen V. Milner, Rationalizing Politics: The Emergence of International, American, and Com-parative Politics, International Organizations, 52, 4 (1998): 754-786.
Hunjoon Kim, and Kathryn Sikkink, Explaining the Deterrence Effect of Human Rights Prose-cutions of Transitional Countries, International Studies Quarterly, 54, 4 (2010): 939-963.
James D. Fearon, Why Do Some Civil Wars Last so Much Longer than Others, Journal of Peace Research, 41, 3 (2004): 275-301.
Jennifer Milliken, The Study of Discourse in International Relations, European Journal of International Relations, 5, 2 (1999): 225-254.
John Gerring, What is a Case Study and What Is It Good For, The American Political Science Review, 98, 2 (2004): 341-354.
Karen Jacobsen, and Loren B. Landau, The Dual Imperative in Refugee Research: Some Methodological and Ethical Considerations in Social Science Research on Forced Mi-gration, Disasters, 27, 3 (2003): 185-206.
Kenneth N. Waltz, International Relations Is Not Foreign Policy, Security Studies, 6, 1 (1996): 54-57.
Kevin C. Dunn, Imagining the Congo: International Relations of Identity, Palgrave Macmillan, Houndsmills, Basingstoke, 2003.
Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods
  • Lecture
  • Discussion
  • Presentation
  • Questions/Answers
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Quantity Percentage (%)
Mid-term 1 20
Assignment 1 40
Total(%) 60
Contribution of In-term Studies to Overall Grade(%) 60
Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade(%) 40
Total(%) 100
ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload
Activities Quantity Duration (Hour) Total Workload (Hour)
Midterm exam 1 2 2
Preparation for Quiz
Individual or group work 14 3 42
Preparation for Final exam 1 45 45
Course hours 14 3 42
Preparation for Midterm exam 1 30 30
Laboratory (including preparation)
Final exam 1 70 70
Homework 1 70 70
Total Work Load301
Total Work Load / 30 (h)10.03
ECTS Credit of the Course10
Language of InstructionTurkish
Work Placement(s)No

Programme Qualifications / Learning Outcomes

LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
K1
K2 X X
K3
K4
K5 X X X
K6
K7
K8 X X X X
K9
K10 X X
K11 X X X X X
K12 X X X X
K13 X X X