MRes Social Science Research

SOCM019: Research Methods in the Social Sciences

Postgraduate study in the social sciences includes both comprehension of research methods and the ability to use them. But how do you know which method to pick? Can you avoid common problems at the data collection stage? How do you conduct high quality analyses? This module offers an overview of the main qualitative, quantitative and digital methods in the social sciences. These range from qualitative methods such as interviews and ethnography through to quantitative methods such as surveys and experiments. There is an emphasis on both good research design and ethical research. There are no requirements in terms of previous research methods training.

The aim of this module is to provide a general introduction to the nature of research in the social sciences, the methods associated with such research, problems of research design, and a range of relevant research skills (conducting and reporting research). Together with generic research training in quantitative, qualitative and digital methods, this module provides you with the understanding and skills required to successfully undertake postgraduate level research. You will be introduced to the nature of explanation in the social sciences and to methodological issues specific to particular sub-fields. The module will further introduce you to basic principles of research design and methodology, including research ethics in the social sciences.

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SPAM003: Computational Social Science 1

Technological advancements have not only driven the digitisation of society and the emergence of novel socio-political issues, but have also resulted in significant developments in algorithms, computational power, and increasingly large datasets. This practical-based module will provide you with both the technical programming skills and understanding of data science techniques that you will need to research pre-existing and novel social-political and economic issues. Specifically, it will introduce you to the Python programming language, assuming zero prior-experience, and give you the skills necessary to use it for data analysis.

This module has two main aims. The first is to introduce you to the Python programming language and to the fundamental concepts underlying programming in general. This includes, but is not limited to, variables, coding architecture, iteration operations, file input/output, data structures, plotting data, numerical and statistical techniques, and importable packages. The second aim of the module is to build upon the first and train you in how to use Python for data analysis.

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SPAM004: Computational Social Science 2

Technological advancements have not only driven the digitisation of society and the emergence of novel socio-political issues, but have also resulted in significant developments in algorithms, computational power, and increasingly large datasets. This practical-based module will provide you with both the knowledge and skills necessary to research pre-existing and novel social-political and economic issues. Specifically, it will build upon the content covered in the Computational Social Science 1 module in developing your skills and understanding in several contemporary computational research methods, such as natural language processing, computer simulation, and social network analysis, and other machine learning/artificial intelligence approaches.

The aim of this module is to build upon the content of the Computational Social Science 1 module, which introduced you to the Python programming language and to the fundamental concepts underlying programming in general and how to use Python for data analysis, by introducing you to several computational social science research methods that are currently frequently used to investigate various social-political and economic issues.

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POLM063: Qualitative Methods in Social Research

This module engages with core issues in conducting qualitative research in social sciences and addresses the opportunities, challenges and prospects for designing sound qualitative research design. We engage with the logics of inquiry in qualitative research and their implications for validity and generalisability; we discuss what constitutes a case and what the role of context is; we identify the main types of data and what opportunities and limitations are for mixing methods and/or data: we address the core expectations regarding ethics, transparency and reproducibility and assess the opportunities and challenges in publishing qualitative research in social sciences. This module is designed for students who are engaging with empirical research in social sciences. You are expected to have familiarity with research methods in social sciences and to engage, over the course of this module, with one or several specific method(s) for qualitative research.

The aims of this module are to introduce you with core issues in qualitative research in social sciences; to enable you to gain a critical understanding of the opportunities, challenges and prospects for qualitative research in social sciences; and to provide you with the tools for designing a sound research design for qualitative inquiry in social research.

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SSIM915: Statistical Modelling

Statistical models help us deal with the messy complexity of the social world. In this module, you will learn how to select and estimate models which are appropriate for social science data. Using these models is a core data science skill. Taking this course will help you to understand the overall framework of generalised linear models and to fit regression models suitable for continuous or categorical outcomes using the statistical software R. You will also understand better how to work with data. The course is suitable for students with some prior experience of quantitative methods.

The aims of this module are to enable students to be able to:

• Develop skills in working with social science data using R
• Estimate regression models for continuous or categorical outcomes
• Understand the appropriate model for the data
• Interpret and compare the outputs of statistical models
• Explain the findings from their analyses

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ANTM904: Dissertation

The dissertation module provides you with an opportunity to devise and develop an original research project of your choosing. Focussing on a particular aspect of anthrozoology, and conducting your own independent research (either archival/library based, or incorporating empirical data). You will be able to consolidate much of what you have learnt throughout the taught element of the programme, whilst exploring and developing key areas of interest. You can use the dissertation strategically, to investigate a topic which may well open up career opportunities (for example, by conducting a study on behalf of an organisation) or to explore an aspect of anthrozoology which you have found fascinating and would like to know more about. Because the field of anthrozoology is still in its infancy, there is plenty of scope for your dissertation to add original data and analysis and contribute to our growing understanding of the human-nonhuman bond.

The aim of this module is to pursue an individual programme of research, applying appropriate research methodologies and drawing on appropriate materials, to a topic approved by the programme director and under the guidance of an academic supervisor.

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EFPM308: Preparing for Educational Research and Dissertation

This is the final module for campus-based School of Education Masters programmes. This 60-credit module will introduce you to educational research and support you in designing and/or carrying out a small-scale research project on an educational topic of your choice; it is expected that this topic will be linked to your pathway/programme.

The module consists of online materials and/or taught components that build and support the research skills you require. If you choose to do an empirical or literature-based study, a dissertation supervisor will support you in writing a research proposal, carrying out your project and writing up your dissertation. If you choose to do an empirical study, a dissertation supervisor will support you in writing a research proposal, carrying out your project and writing up your dissertation. If you choose to write a more detailed research proposal, a supervisor will support you in developing and articulating your understanding of research paradigms, methodology, methods, and ethics.

The aim of the module is to develop your understanding of a range of methods of educational enquiry and to provide the necessary theoretical background to carry out a research enquiry, usually in a professional context. Specifically, the module will enable you to:

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HISM400: Dissertation in History

This module allows you to develop and pursue a piece of original research, based on analysis of original sources. With the advice and support of your supervisor you will use the use the skills and knowledge you have acquired in the taught modules to undertake a substantial piece of original research.

This module will allow you to pursue an individual programme of research on a research topic of your choosing approved by the module co-ordinator in conjunction with your individual supervisor.

• You will identify a suitable topic for research and produce a plan for its execution
• Complete an extended review of the existing scholarship and key debates surrounding the subject-matter of the dissertation and the field(s) to which it relates
• Identify and collate original and secondary sources related to the topic of research
• Identify and apply appropriate critical and historical methodologies
• Demonstrate your ability to construct a coherent, substantiated and sophisticated argument in both clear and correct prose.

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LAWM640: Dissertation

This module is compulsory for students on the LLM programmes and relevant MRes programmes. It provides a valuable opportunity for you to gain experience in legal or socio-legal research, writing a dissertation on a particular legal or socio-legal topic of interest chosen by you and approved by your programme director.

You will be assigned an academic supervisor from the expertise available in the Law School, to match the proposed dissertation topic or your areas of interest. You will be given 3 research meetings with your supervisor during which they will guide your research and writing according to an individually agreed framework, but you are largely expected to determine your own deadlines and define your own work programme in order to meet the final submission deadline set by the Law School.

The module calls for excellent legal/socio-legal writing and research skills, personal discipline, and professional communication with the academic supervisor. For those of you who have not undertaken any large-scale legal research before, an introduction to the design and methodologies of legal research will be provided in Term 2. For those of you on the MRes programme, you are expected to draw on the grounding given in your core modules and any optional module relevant to your dissertation topic.

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PHLM009: Dissertation

In this module you will pursue an individual programme of philosophical research, applying appropriate research methodologies and drawing on appropriate materials, to a topic approved by the programme director and under the guidance of an academic supervisor.

The aim of this module is to allow you to focus on a philosophical topic and methodology of your choice and engage in a sustained, in-depth piece of philosophical research

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POLM886: Dissertation

Your MA dissertation is an extended piece of writing driven by your own research interests, and a core part of a Master's degree. This module equips you with the skills you need to meet this challenge.

A dissertation is not a long essay, and writing a good dissertation requires you to demonstrate good research skills, the ability to learn independently, the ability to synthesise a complex literature (or literatures), and good writing skills. Furthermore, your Master's dissertation will be driven primarily by your own research interests, the research questions you are able to devise, and the approach you take to research design. It will likely require significantly more work than any assessment you have done previously. It also accounts for a significant proportion of the credits making up your Master’s degree. For these reasons, you will be provided with support during the dissertation writing process in the form of the POLM886 Dissertation Skills module, and from a dedicated dissertation supervisor who aligns with your research interests.

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SOCM904: Dissertation

In this module you will pursue an individual programme of social research, applying appropriate research methodologies and drawing on appropriate materials, to a topic approved by the programme director and under the guidance of an academic supervisor.

The object of the dissertation is to give you the opportunity to display your abilities in the collection, handling and ordering of material, and to be an exercise in the communication of ideas, appropriate to research topics chosen, with help and guidance from members of the academic staff, by themselves. The aims are to afford you the opportunity to obtain a solid knowledge of the issues that pertain to your dissertation topics. It will also develop your ability to explore and present your arguments in relation to empirical data provided by library research and/or fieldwork, where the latter is undertaken.

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SSIM907: Policy Analytics: Dissertation or Research Consultancy Project

In consultation with a supervisor, you will undertake an extended piece of original research related to policy analytics and/or evidence-based decision-making in a subject area related to your interests. If you choose to complete a dissertation based on a research consultancy project, this will involve a placement working with a non-academic partner. The decision of which route to take is left entirely up to the individual student (i.e., undertaking a placement is not compulsory). Each year we try to offer a number of pre-arranged placements, but students are welcome to reach out to other organisations for opportunities, with the guidance of the module convenor.

This module aims to:

1. provide you with an opportunity to conduct independent research-based academic work in the area of policy analytics related to an area in which to pursue further research or your career
2. develop your ability to apply originality and data analysis skills alongside theory and practice to a specific research topic. This may be consultancy- or workplace-based.
3. enhance your awareness of the methodological, ethical and practical concerns of social science and data driven research.

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ERPM013: Foundations of Educational Research

The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the range of philosophical and theoretical ideas and debates underpinning educational research. This includes looking in some depth at the key technical, philosophical and theoretical concepts and terms used in current research reports and debates and also at the ethical, political and socio-cultural dimensions of educational research. You will learn about the relationship between research problems and research methodologies in education, and engage with research methods for a variety of research aims. You do not need any prior educational research experience before taking this module.

The module aims to:

· Give beginning researchers a critical understanding of the central ideas, concepts, theories, philosophies and approaches employed in educational research and the relationship with ethical, social, political and economic factors and influences

· Provide a foundation for students’ understanding and application of different research approaches and methods used in education

· Develop a critical understanding of the range of philosophical and theoretical ideas, perspectives and debates underpinning current educational research, including the diversity of educational methodologies and paradigms, and their characteristics, strengths and weaknesses

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HASM026: Research Skills in Archaeology and History

Research - the acquisition of new knowledge - is one of the most personally fulfilling aspects of academia, and in life more generally. To be a successful researcher requires an understanding of the entire research process: beginning with idea generation and networking/team building, through the design of coherent, ethical and risk-assessed projects/funding applications, to collaborative working in equitable partnerships in order to generate data. All of this comes before evidence can be synthesised, analysed, visualised, interpreted and presented. Presentation itself is a vital part of the research process, and there are many audiences that require different kinds of engagement.

This module will provide you with understanding of the research process through first-hand experience. The module takes an active learning approach where, in addition to mini-lectures, discussions and research exercises, the class will work together on a number of activities, including the organisation and running of a Departmental Conference (physical or virtual). During classes you will work on tasks that you will tailor to your own interests and skill development needs. By the end of the module, you will have gained new experiences that will benefit your CV whilst advancing your own research.

Module aims:

Provide you with an understanding of approaches to archaeology, history and forensics and how these disciplinary fields interdigitate.

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GEOM312: Just Futures

How have geographers tried to make the world more just and what impact has this had on the discipline? This module focuses on how geography and geographers have developed thought and practice around the idea of 'just futures'. This module will be of interest to students interested in social justice, activism, and politics who wish to engage with non-academic as well as academic materials.

This module will build on other geography modules, such as GEO2311 Ideas in Geography, but there are no pre-requisite modules and it will be open to geography and non-geography final year undergraduate and masters students.

The aim of the module is to give you a deep understanding of social justice theory and practice within geography and how this has shaped the discipline, wider academic thought, and the world beyond academia. It will introduce you to some of the key developments and attempts to expand the horizons of what geography can be, what methods can do, and what the role of geography is in the world. The module will give you the opportunity to engage in depth with cutting-edge debates in the discipline, critically engage with activist and scholar-activist work, and develop your writing skills.

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LAWM686: Approaches to Research in Law (ESRC)

Undertaking research in law can involve a wide range of methodological approaches, separately or in combination. Learning how best to develop a methodology, and one which is suited to your project, is an essential part of the process of becoming a successful researcher. With this module, you will explore and learn about a number of existing approaches through interactive teaching sessions led by scholars with established expertise in the fields/approaches under discussion.

This module is compulsory for students registered on the MRes programme and open to all postgraduate research students at any stage of their study. There is no pre-requisite module, but if you are an MRes student you are expected to register for all the required modules as per the MRes degree specification.

Firstly, this module aims to make you aware of a range of possible approaches to legal research, to locate the specific socio-legal and empirical approaches in a wider methodological framework and to open up your methodological horizon. For each approach, you will be made aware of the key authorities, together with their respective merits and the possible difficulties generally associated with them. As a result, this module is meant to give you greater awareness of the methodological dimensions of research, and to guide you in choosing an appropriate approach (or combination of approaches) for your own research. Overall, it is meant to increase the scholarly rigour of your research.

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