Master Thesis European Integration

15 ECTS credits
450 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 6019844FNW for working students in the 1st and 2nd semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.

Semester

1st and 2nd semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Enrollment Requirements

If you want to enroll for the Master Thesis of the ManaMa in European Integration and Development, you must be able to graduate. In other words: you can only enroll for this course when you are able to graduate.

Taught in

English

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool

Department

Political Science

Educational team

Jamal Shahin
Promotor . (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
375 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

The course on Research methods aims primarily at supporting EUROMASTER students in the conception, design, drafting and completion of their thesis in a coordinated and structured manner. This will be done by providing students with a conceptual framework for conceiving and drafting of their thesis; sharing knowledge on research methods and techniques in social sciences; guiding them towards a systematic and analytical way of thinking of research in the field of EU integration; providing customized help during the process of writing.

The course is thus designed as an essential tool to acquaint students with the appropriate research techniques and methodologies in the canon of European Studies, and a variety of tools, approaches, methods of analysis, writing and research skills.

Semester 1 consists of 5 taught weeks and 2 presentation weeks (presenting students' research question).

Semester 2 consists of 2 taught weeks with tutorials and meetings.

Additional info

I. Recommended Course Texts

Students are recommended to posses at least one of the following three texts:

Booth, W C., Colomb, G.G., Williams, J. M. (1995), The craft of research. Chicago, London: Chicago University Press
Ragin, C.C. (1994), Constructing social research, Pine Forge Press
Walliman, N. (2005), Your research project, London: Sage – Chapter 1

Further Readings

To supplement their reading, students are recommended to obtain at least one of the following texts:

King, G., Keohane, R.O., Verba, S. ( 1996), Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research, Princeton University Press
O'Leary, Z. (2004) The essential guide to doing research , London: Sage –

Additional Texts

Students are strongly recommended to purchase at least two texts and preferably one from the following list of Recommended Readings in order to provide themselves with a more comprehensive overview of the module material.

Achen, C. (2005). “Two Cheers for Charles Ragin”, Studies in Comparative International Development
Black, T R, (1999), Doing Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences. London: Sage
Bonnett, A. (2001), How to Argue, Harlow: Pearson
Brady, H., Collier, D. eds. (2004), Rethinking Social Inquiry: Diverse Tools, shared Standards, Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield
Bryman, A. (2004), Social research methods (second edition), Oxford: Oxford University press – Chapter 3
Eckstein, H. (2000): Case Study and Theory in Political Science, In Case Study Method, ed. Roger Gomm, Martyn Hammersley, and Peter Foster. Sage, 119 – 164
Flick, U. (2009), An introduction to qualitative research, London: Sage
George, A.L., Bennett, A. (2005),Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Science, Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press – Chapter 3
Goertz, G. (2005), Social Science Concepts: A User’s Guide Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Grix, J. (2001), Demystifying Postgraduate Research, Birmingham: University of Birmingham Press
Hart, C. (1998), Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination, Thousand Oaks: Sage
Harvey, M. (2003), The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing, Indianapolis: Hackett
Krippendorff, K, 2004. Content Analysis. An Introduction to its Methodology. London: Sage
Redman, P. (2001)Good Essay Writing: A Social Sciences Guide, Thousand Oaks: Sage
Weston, A.(2000), A Rulebook for Arguments, Indianapolis: Hackett

II. Research question Presentation

Students will make a 10 minutes presentation on the chosen Master Thesis topic (presentation of his/her master thesis plan), with a special focus on research methodology, as well as a clear explanation and analysis of their research question(s). Students should address these requirements in a one-page document which should be sent to the course convenor before the presentation.

Beside standard criteria related to style and interaction, the presentation will be assessed on the basis of the solidity of the research question(s) and demonstration of a clear grasp of research tools.

III. Paper on Thesis structure and methodology

Students are required to write a 2500 words paper presenting the methodology of their Master thesis, as well as the overall thesis structure and references. The paper will ideally contain an analysis of the state of the art in the field and literature review. The paper will be evaluated against solidity of the methodology, quality of references and overall coherence of the thesis structure. The assessment will not cover the content-related aspects of the thesis plan, for which coordination with the thesis supervisor might be required.

V. Exam

The two-hour written exam consists of a series of questions aiming at assessing students understanding of the main contents covered during the course and of the readings assigned for the different sessions. It will consist of a selection of essay questions, specifically designed to test the breadth and depth of the student’s knowledge.

This course is a final paper completing a Master’s programme and cannot be taken as part of a credit contract.

Learning Outcomes

Algemene competenties

On successful completion of Tools and Methods of European Analysis, students will be:

familiar with the various problems involved in designing and conducting a research project in the field of EU integration
familiar with the literature, theories, concepts and methods relevant to research in social sciences
familiar with a wide range of hard and soft and online sources of EU information
able to independently describe, evaluate and apply different approaches involved in collecting, analyzing and presenting data
familiar with the conventions of academic writing (style, referencing, footnoting, bibliographies, etc.)
able to present orally and in writing a research plan and develop ideas in a coherent and scientifically sound manner

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Master Thesis determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Master Thesis category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Master Thesis with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Study Material

The course materials consist of :

Required Weekly Readings
Lecture Notes taken by all students during class
Seminar handouts provided by the students (if deemed necessary by the course convenor)
Course synopsis and slides provided by the course convenor
Optional Additional readings provided on the learning platform for specific themes and weeks.

It is crucial that students read all compulsory readings for each week, to be able to understand and participate in each session.

Assessment

Research question presentation (1^st term): 25%
Written Exam (1^st term): 25%
Research Paper of 2500 words (excluding footnotes and bibliography), where students are required to outline the thesis structure, methodology and a tentative bibliography, and demonstrate the mastery of scientific referencing (2^nd term): 50%

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