RESEARCH METHODS FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES

PSIR553

Course Code: PSIR553
Semester: First Term (Fall)
Theory+Practice: 3 + 0
ECTS: 10

Course Type

Compulsory Course

Course Level

Master's Degree With Thesis

Year of Study

Semester

First Term (Fall)

ECTS

Name of Lecturer(s)

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the students;

Will be able to distinguish the main approaches and theoretical constructs for social science research and will be able to construct them in their thesis writing process;
Will be able to make sense of appropriate and inappropriate research topics and questions in social science research;
Understand the meaning of empirical work and the importance of empirical evidence in social/political science research;
Master the processes of data collection and analysis and be able to creatively articulate these processes in the thesis phase or reconstruct them in accordance with their topics/questions; and
Evaluate the logic of (self)criticality, which is central to social science research.

Mode of Delivery

Face to face

Prerequisites

Recommended Optional Programme Components

No recommended optional programme componenets

Course Description

This course is designed to introduce graduate level political science and international relations students to the main methodological and strategic approaches that shape social and political science research. The main objectives of the course are to understand the diversity of scientific approaches to social and political issues and the stages of social and political scientific research. In this context, the introductory part of the course will introduce the meaning and basic concepts of scientific research and research ethics. In the next section, the research design, which determines the processes and stages of thesis/project writing and is of vital importance in the art/craft of research, will be emphasized. The second chapter will focus on qualitative and quantitative research methods that are frequently used in social sciences to express data collection and data analysis processes.

Course Contents

WEEK	TOPICS
1^st Week	Introducing the Course Syllabus and the Master's Degree Process to Students
2^nd Week	What is Scientific Research? What is Data? Why the Relationship between Theory, Observation and Method is Important (Neuman, Ch. 1. , Layne, C. (1994) Kant or Cant: The Myth of Democratic Peace International Security (19:2), pp. 5-49.)
3^rd Week	Ethics of Scientific Research (Neuman, Ch. 3.)
4^th Week	The Role of Theory in Scientific Research (Neuman, Ch. 2.)
5^th Week	Research Design 1 (Research Question, Literature Review and Research Writing) (Neuman, Ch. 4, 14. , Migdal, J. S. (2009) Researching the State in M. Lichbach & A. Zuckerman (eds.), Comparative Politics: Rationality, Culture, and Structure (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), pp. 162-192.)
6^th Week	Research Design 2 (Argumentation and Sampling) (Neuman, Ch. 6.)
7^th Week	Measurement in Social Science Research (Neuman, Ch. 5.)
8^th Week	Mid-term Exam
9^th Week	Quantitative Research Methods and Techniques 1: Survey Research (Neuman, Ch. 7, 9.)
10^th Week	Analyzing Quantitative Data (Neuman, Ch. 10.)
11^th Week	Qualitative Research Methods and Techniques (Neuman, Ch. 11-12.)
12^th Week	Analyzing Quantitative Data (Neuman, Ch. 13.)
13^th Week	Case Studies and Case Selection in Social Sciences (Lamont, C. (2015) Research Methods in International Relations (Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, and Washington DC: Sage Publications), Ch. 8.)
14^th Week	Comparative Method (Lijphart, A. (1971) Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method, American Political Science Review 65(3): 682- 693. , Sartori, G. (1991) Comparing and Miscomparing, Journal of Theoretical Politics 3(3): 243-257.)

Recommended or Required Reading

Neuman W. L. (2007) Basics of Social Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, 2nd ed. (Pearson Education).

Recommended Complementary Readings

Theoretical Approaches and Theory Building:
Bull, H. (1966) International Theory: The Case for a Classical Approach World Politics (18:3), pp. 361-377.
Elman, C. (1996) Horses for Courses: Why not Neorealist Theories of Foreign Policy Security Studies (6:1), pp. 7-53.
Hollis, M., and Smith, S. (1990) Explaining and Understanding International Relations (Oxford: Clarendon).
Klotz A. (1995) Norms Reconstituting Interests: Global Racial Equality and US Sanctions against South Africa International Organization (49:3), pp. 451-478.
Waltz, K. N. (1996) International Relations Is Not Foreign Policy Security Studies (6:1), pp. 54-57.

Critical Thinking in Social Sciences:
Linklater, A. (1992) The Question of Next Stage in International Relations Theory: A Critical Theoretical Point of View Millennium (21:1), pp. 77-98.
Milliken, J. (1999) The Study of Discourse in International Relations European Journal of International Relations (5:2), pp. 225-254.

Constructivism and Discourse Analysis:
Dunn, K. C. (2003) Imagining the Congo: International Relations of Identity (Houndsmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan).
Epstein, C. (2008) The Power of Words in International Relations: Birth of Anti-Whaling Discourse (Cambridge: MA: MIT Press).
Klotz, A., and Lynch, C. (2007) Strategies for Research in Constructivist International Relations (Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe).

Case Studies:
George, A. L., and Bennett, A. (2005) Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences, (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press).
Gerring, J. (2004) What is a Case Study and What Is It Good For The American Political Science Review (98:2), pp. 341-354.

Method Identification and Evaluation:
Elman, C. (2005) Explanatory Typologies in Qualitative Studies of International Politics International Organization (59:2), pp. 293-326.
Harvey, F. P., and Brecher, M. (2002) Evaluating Methodology in International Studies (Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press).

Thematic Approaches to International Relations:
Brown, C. (2001) Understanding International Relations (New York: Palgrave).
Williams, P D. (eds.) (2012) Security Studies: An Introduction (London and New York: Routledge).

Research Methods in Social Sciences and International Relations
Bryman, A. (2012) Social Research Methods (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Huddleston, R. J. et. al. (2022) Handbook of Research Methods in International Relations (Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing Inc.).
Klotz, A., and Praksh, D. (eds.) (2008) Qualitative Methods in International Relations: A Pluralist Guide, (New York: Palgrave).
Lamont, C. (2015) Research Methods in International Relations (Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, and Washington DC: Sage Publications).

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lecture

Assessment Methods and Criteria

	Quantity	Percentage (%)
Mid-term	1	30
Assignment	1	30
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	3	3
Preparation for Quiz
Individual or group work	14	5	70
Preparation for Final exam	1	60	60
Course hours	14	3	42
Preparation for Midterm exam	1	60	60
Laboratory (including preparation)
Final exam	1	3	3
Homework	1	65	65
Total Work Load			303
Total Work Load / 30 (h)			10.1
ECTS Credit of the Course			10

Language of Instruction

Turkish

Work Placement(s)

Programme Qualifications / Learning Outcomes

	LO1	LO2	LO3	LO4	LO5
K1	X	X
K2
K3
K4
K5
K6	X	X
K7
K8	X	X	X	X	X