Research Methods for Political Science: Seminar I

6 ECTS credits
165 h study time

Offer 2 with catalog number 1015064ANR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.

Semester

2nd semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool

Department

Political Science

Educational team

Silvia Erzeel (course titular)
Eline Severs
Nadège Boels

Activities and contact hours

18 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
132 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

In the political science seminar, students learn to approach political science themes in a scientific manner and to process them into a written paper. In the first part of the course, they are introduced to the scientific literature and acquire skills in looking up, selecting and synthesizing scientific articles. A first assignment consists of a discussion note and bibliography according to the APA guidelines. The students then learn to formulate a research question, in which one of the theoretical frameworks (theories, concepts and models) presented to them in the lecture 'Political science, an introduction' must be linked to a concrete case (a country, a party , a parliament,...). In this phase of the seminar they learn to separate theory and application, to formulate a scientific research question and to set up a structure for answering that question. This section is supplemented by seminars in which the students reflect on academic texts and try to apply them to current events. The third part of the course focuses on writing a paper. The structure, the formal properties and the language and style of the scientific paper are discussed. In each phase, the skills provided are directly applied through exercises that are discussed interactively (within the WPO).

Course material

Handbook (Required) : Politiek, Een inleiding in de politieke wetenschappen, Hooghe, Marc, Kris Deschouwer, Silvia Erzeel & Eline Severs, 8, Boom, Amsterdam, 9789462361966, 2024
Digital course material (Required) : Bibliografisch refereren volgens Auteur-Jaarsysteem, Ignace Glorieux, Canvas
Digital course material (Required) : Hand-outs en PowerPoint-presentaties, Canvas

Additional info

The students also gather themselves additional material about the topic of their paper.

WPO: 18 hours

Practical group sessions: 12 h (4 x 3)
Seminar 6 h (2x3)

ZELF: 132 hours

Discussion note and annotated bibliography: 20 h
Preparation seminars: 8 h
First version research paper: 56 h
Final version research paper: 48 h

For more information about the concrete organization of the course: see Canvas.

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

The students have acquired a deeper knowledge of one of the themes that were discussed in the Introduction to Political Science course.
The students can conduct, through team work a literature review and report about it in a paper. The students can thus do bibliographic research, summarize and synthesize the literature en report about that by using the formal rules of referencing.

This seminar thus contributes in the first place to the skills required in the exit qualifications of the bachelor in political science. Since the students also improve their knowledge of some political institutions and processes, the seminar also contributes to the competences related to knowledge.

Obtaining a passing grade for 'Onderzoeksmethoden voor de politieke wetenschappen: werkcollege II' does not imply that students have obtained the unique learning objectives for 'Onderzoeksmethoden voor de politieke wetenschappen: werkcollege I'.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 90% of the final mark.
Other determines 10% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Discussion note + bibliography with a relative weight of 20 which comprises 20% of the final mark.
Research paper with a relative weight of 70 which comprises 70% of the final mark.

Within the Other category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Participation with a relative weight of 10 which comprises 10% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The evaluation consist of:

a discussion note with a search report and annotated bibliography (20% of total score),
in class participation (10% of total score)
a research paper (70% of total score)

Students must obtain a passing mark (10/20 or more) for the research paper. Students can only pass the course when they passed the research paper.

When students do not pass the research paper, the fail mark for this paper will be the final result for the course. And this, regardless the grade students obtained for their other two assignments.

Only the research paper can be resumed in the second session; the results of the two other partial assignments are transferred to the second session. When students fail the research or received an "absent" mark, they have to submit an individual paper in the second exam session.

Results of partial assignments cannot be transferred to the next academic year.

The use of generative AI tools to generate output is not allowed for these assignments and may be reason for sanction.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context