USESEA013 Selected Techniques of Politological and Social Researches

Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Summer 2017
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
doc. PhDr. Dušan Janák, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. PhDr. Dušan Janák, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Dušan Janák, Ph.D.
Institute of Central European Studies – Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Prerequisites
Expert knowledge:
Students will gain knowledge of concrete methodological processes involved in the selection of the research problem, formulating research hypotheses, constructing data collection instruments, collecting data and their analysis. Besides gaining methodological knowledge regarding questionnaire investigation, leading interviews and carrying out observations, students will also get familiarized with the Oral History Method and the document content analysis to such extent that they are able to carry out a minor research with the assistance of these methods.
Expert Skills:
On the completion of the subject programme, students should be able to devise their own small research, to create a questionnaire, to carry out an investigation following the principles of the Oral History Method, or to analyse documents following the processes of a content analysis. They are able to carry out a basic analytical work involving collected data while using a specialized software. They should be able to select a sample of respondents (or investigated units) according to the character of the research problem, and they should be able to assess the representativity of this sample. They will try and present the methods they used and the results of their (potential) researches according to the basic principles of scientific work. They will be capable of working with instructional texts written in a different language.
General competency:
The experience of working in a research team and devising a work plan for a research project.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the subject is to deepen students' knowledge of methodology mainly in the level of application. Therefore the emphasis is put on the study and practical application of concrete research processes. Due to the profilation of this field of study, a consideration is given to the application of empirical research in history in the so-called Oral History Method, and further, in politology, where a document content analysis method can be broadly applied in, for example, election programme analyses, news reports, political speeches, press coverage, political party press, etc.
Syllabus
  • 1. The model of empirical science; how to select a suitable research problem (from the problem to the theme and to the research question).
    2. The research project and the research design; the role of hypotheses and the problems with their formulation.
    3. Selection invetigations and the problem of representativity.
    4. The construction of "measurement instruments" in social sciences, validity and reliability of measuring.
    5. Questionnaire I. The problem of operationalization.
    6. Questionnaire II. The questionnaire dramaturgy.
    7. Observation and interviews.
    8. Basic procedures of a quantitative data analysis.
    9. Qualitative data analysis.
    10. Oral history.
    11. Document content analysis.
    12. The interpretation of results and the presentation of findings and data in a final text.
Literature
    required literature
  • JANÁK, D. Metodologický seminář k empirickým výzkumům. Opava: Slezská univerzita v Opavě, 2011. info
  • JANÁK, D. Metody a techniky sociologických výzkumů. (elektronický dokument). Opava: Slezská univerzita v Opavě, 2011. info
  • ALASUUTARI, P., BICKMAN, L. a BRANNEN, J. The SAGE Handbook of Social Research Methods. London: Sage Publications, 2009. ISBN 184860730X. info
  • BRYMAN, A. Social research methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN 0199202958. info
  • SILVERMAN, D. Ako robiť kvalitatívny výskum. Bratislava: Ikar, 2005. ISBN 80-551-0904-4. info
    recommended literature
  • VANĚK, M., MÜCKE, P. a PELIKÁNOVÁ, H. Naslouchat hlasům paměti: teoretické a praktické aspekty orální historie. Praha: Ústav pro soudobé dějiny AV ČR, 2007. ISBN 807285089X. info
  • SCHERER, H. Úvod do obsahové analýzy. In: SCHULZ W., HAGEN L., SCHERER H. a REIFOVÁ I. Analýza obsahu mediálních sdělení. Praha: Karolinum, 1998. ISBN 8024608278. info
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
Teacher's information
Credit Requirements: To receive their credit, students will, firstly, carry out a project of empirical research related to their potential or actual diploma thesis, and secondly, construct a suitable instrument for collecting data necessary for this research.
Depending on the possibilities provided by the researches currently run at FVP, students will get involved in data collecting and the preparation work with data, so they can gain some practical experience with this level of research work .
The course is also listed under the following terms Summer 2014, Summer 2015, Summer 2016, Summer 2018, Summer 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Summer 2017, recent)
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