Teacher(s)
Language
French
Prerequisites
The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| By the end of the course, each student should: - be familiarized with the main steps of a research approach in social science; - be able to critically analyze the production requirements of a research; - be able to build a research problem around a question that he is interested in, based on a scientific literature magazine and with the help of exploratory interviews; - have a good knowledge of the possibilities and limitations of the main methods of collection and analysis of social science data. |
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Content
The first part of the course deals with the epistemological presuppositions and the first stages of a research approach in the social sciences: starting a research project, the exploratory phase, constructing a problem, operationalising concepts and setting up an observation system.
The second part is devoted to the main methods of collecting and analysing data in the social sciences: the experimental approach, the research interview (questionnaire survey, semi-structured interview, group interview) and content analysis, secondary analysis of existing data, observation and field studies.
The course concludes with an overview of the different methods and considerations of the ethical and political issues involved in research.
The course leaves plenty of room for discussion with students, and is built around themes of particular interest to them. The concrete, practical aspects of the course, which are essential ‘tricks of the trade’, are discussed and put to the test directly during the sessions, which require active participation.
The second part is devoted to the main methods of collecting and analysing data in the social sciences: the experimental approach, the research interview (questionnaire survey, semi-structured interview, group interview) and content analysis, secondary analysis of existing data, observation and field studies.
The course concludes with an overview of the different methods and considerations of the ethical and political issues involved in research.
The course leaves plenty of room for discussion with students, and is built around themes of particular interest to them. The concrete, practical aspects of the course, which are essential ‘tricks of the trade’, are discussed and put to the test directly during the sessions, which require active participation.
Teaching methods
The course is built around examples drawn from the actual practice of social science research. Given that the course is partly centred on the acquisition of know-how and a research ‘habitus’, a great deal of time is devoted to practical exercises, as well as to monitoring and accompanying work.
Evaluation methods
The course is assessed
1°/ by a research project based on a question chosen by the student (group work), proposing an original research question, a suitable methodological approach and small-scale experimentation of this approach, as well as reflective feedback on the methods chosen, the relevance of the question and areas for improvement for future work. This work counts for 1/2 of the final grade;
2°/ a written examination covering all the course material. During the examination, the student must construct a proposal for a research system, following the main stages of the research process, and therefore proposing a problem, describing the methods of gathering and analysing data/content that he or she envisages, indicating the advantages and limitations of the system envisaged and clarifying his or her position. To define their problem, students will use one of the proposed articles from the SHS literature as a ‘literature review’. The review counts for 1/2 of the final grade.
In the event of unjustified absence from the final assignment or unjustified absence from the written examination, the student will be awarded a final grade of 0A/20 for the course in the first session.
All work must be the student's own work. Students are expected to adhere strictly to the rules and good practice of citation, referencing and avoidance of (self-)plagiarism. Students are expected to know and understand these rules and practices. Failure to comply with these rules may result in academic and/or disciplinary action for plagiarism and/or irregularity, in accordance with the General Study and Examination Regulations.
The use of generative AI is accepted provided that it is occasional and limited. The use of AI must be explicitly indicated and referenced. Any part of the work relying in any way on generative AI must be clearly identified (e.g. by footnote), specifying which generative AI tool has been used, for what purpose, in what way, and to what extent. Failure to do so may constitute an irregularity
1°/ by a research project based on a question chosen by the student (group work), proposing an original research question, a suitable methodological approach and small-scale experimentation of this approach, as well as reflective feedback on the methods chosen, the relevance of the question and areas for improvement for future work. This work counts for 1/2 of the final grade;
2°/ a written examination covering all the course material. During the examination, the student must construct a proposal for a research system, following the main stages of the research process, and therefore proposing a problem, describing the methods of gathering and analysing data/content that he or she envisages, indicating the advantages and limitations of the system envisaged and clarifying his or her position. To define their problem, students will use one of the proposed articles from the SHS literature as a ‘literature review’. The review counts for 1/2 of the final grade.
In the event of unjustified absence from the final assignment or unjustified absence from the written examination, the student will be awarded a final grade of 0A/20 for the course in the first session.
All work must be the student's own work. Students are expected to adhere strictly to the rules and good practice of citation, referencing and avoidance of (self-)plagiarism. Students are expected to know and understand these rules and practices. Failure to comply with these rules may result in academic and/or disciplinary action for plagiarism and/or irregularity, in accordance with the General Study and Examination Regulations.
The use of generative AI is accepted provided that it is occasional and limited. The use of AI must be explicitly indicated and referenced. Any part of the work relying in any way on generative AI must be clearly identified (e.g. by footnote), specifying which generative AI tool has been used, for what purpose, in what way, and to what extent. Failure to do so may constitute an irregularity
Online resources
The following are available on the course's Moodle site:
- Powerpoint material from the course
- Video recordings of the course;
- Most of the articles and books cited in the bibliography.
Bibliography
Ressource principale : Quivy R., Van Campenhoudt L., 2011, Manuel de recherche en sciences sociales, 4e édition, Paris, Dunod.
Faculty or entity
