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 Academic Year: | 2016/7 |
| Owning Department/School: | Department of Social & Policy Sciences |
| Credits: | 18 [equivalent to 36 CATS credits] |
| Notional Study Hours: | 360 |
| Level: | Doctoral (FHEQ level 8) |
| Period: |
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| Assessment Summary: | CW 100% |
| Assessment Detail: |
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| Supplementary Assessment: |
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| Requisites: | Before taking this module you must take SP60290 . This unit is only available to students on the Professional Doctorate in Policy Research and Practice. |
| Description:
| Aims: The aim of this unit to provide students on the Professional Doctorate in Policy Research and Practice with a critical understanding of the range of methodologies used in policy research and to equip them with the research skills necessary to undertake a piece of primary research. Learning Outcomes: Learning outcomes for this unit are: 1. A high-level critical understanding of ontological and epistemological approaches to social research and contemporary debates over their application in policy sciences 2. A critical awareness of the range of methodologies used in policy research including their appropriateness for answering different types of question, their ontological and epistemological underpinnings, and their strengths and limitation 3. A critical understanding of selected methods in policy research at a sufficient level to be able to design and undertake a piece of primary research. Skills: Students who successfully complete this unit should develop the following skills: 1. The ability to critically appraise the methodological basis of policy research reports and publications and to identify limitations and weaknesses of such research 2. The ability to formulate coherent and practical questions for policy research and to design and justify an appropriate research strategy to answer those questions. Content: 1. Ontology and epistemology for policy research 2. Epistemological challenges: What counts as 'evidence' in policy research? 3. Methodological challenges I: Signals and noise 4. Methodological challenges II: Constructed meanings? 5. Comparative analyses - particularly in relation to case studies. 6. Quantitative methods in policy research 7. Experimental methods in policy research 8. Qualitative methods in policy research 9. Participatory methods in policy research 10. Discourse analysis in policy research 11. Designing a research project 12. Research ethics. |
| Programme availability: |
SP60291 is Compulsory on the following programmes:Department of Social & Policy Sciences
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Notes:
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