Spring 2018 - POL 200 D100
Investigating Politics: Research Design and Qualitative Methods (3)
Class Number: 13091
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Jan 3 – Apr 10, 2018: Tue, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby -
Exam Times + Location:
Apr 18, 2018
Wed, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Darren Bohle
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Introduces different aspects of research design in political science, as well as different qualitative research techniques and the epistemological perspectives that inform them. Introduces important analytical and conceptual skills necessary to understand and evaluate political science research. Students with credit for POL 202 may not take this course for further credit.
COURSE DETAILS:
How do political scientists observe the operations of political power? Where should we look, what should we read, who should we talk to, and why? What if our techniques for studying politics are already shaped by unequal power relations, and perhaps perpetuate them? In this introductory course in research design, we address these questions by exploring how political scientists design and conduct research into the political world.
Through this course we will explore how to design research questions & hypotheses, and how to gather and analyze data. We will consider the theoretical choices structuring research design, and engage with contemporary debates about researcher neutrality and objectivity, including debates about how social science research relates to decolonization in settler colonial societies. In an interactive, seminar-style setting, we will learn and discuss practical methods of political investigation, including interviewing, participatory & observational research, and textual analysis.
Course Aims:
1) To help students understand and confidently appraise qualitative research methods both in publications and in their own research.
2) To foster critical engagement with ethical & theoretical dilemmas of doing research.
3) To help students confidently participate in seminar conversations.
There will be a 3-hour lecture each week.
Grading
- Journal Article Review #1 15%
- Journal Article Review #2 25%
- Mid-Term Exam 20%
- Final Exam 30%
- Participation 10%
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Sandra Halperin and Oliver Heath, Political Research: Methods & Practical Skills, 2nd Edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016).
ISBN: 13: 9780198702740
Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples, 2nd Edition (New York: Zed Books, 2012).
ISBN: 13: 9781848139503
Department Undergraduate Notes:
Registrar Notes:
SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS