COURSE INFORMATION Course Title: RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIAL SCIENCES

Code	Course Type	Regular Semester	Theory	Practice	Lab	Credits	ECTS
PIR 420	B	2	3	0	0	3	7.5

Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature)	Dr. Endrit Shabani eshabani@epoka.edu.al
Main Course Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	Dr. Endrit Shabani eshabani@epoka.edu.al , Tuesdays 17:00 - 18:00
Second Course Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	NA
Language:	English
Compulsory/Elective:	Compulsory
Study program: (the study for which this course is offered)	Master of Science in Political Science and International Relations
Classroom and Meeting Time:	104
Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours:	NA
Code of Ethics:	Code of Ethics of EPOKA University Regulation of EPOKA University "On Student Discipline"
Attendance Requirement:	75%
Course Description:	This master level course will be divided into two parts. One is ‘Study Skill’ and the other is ‘research methods’. We thought that it is important for students who would like to write an academic paper in English (rather than their mother tongue language) to gain considerable amount of knowledge about study skills. This course seeks to ensure that all students become able to use appropriate research methods on their studies. Further, the course will provide key research methods as well as studies skill tools as preparing bibliography, citation, quotation. In addition, the students’ attention will be drawn into ethical and legal issues to dissertation writing skills which are one of the important areas of academic studies. The course will inform the students to navigate the information resources in their studies which guide them how to use of library, databases and archives, the WWW, and electronically available sources. Consequently, the course will equip the students with what they need while they are conducting academic research and producing an academic essay, report, paper and book.
Course Objectives:	This course is designed to equip students with the skills necessary to independently execute their research projects, such as a Master's thesis. Upon completion, participants will have learned how to meticulously design a research project and gather data through a broad array of research methodologies. Additionally, the course focuses on enhancing the analytical abilities of students, empowering them to adeptly analyze both qualitative and quantitative data.

BASIC CONCEPTS OF THE COURSE

1	Critical thinking

COURSE OUTLINE

Week	Topics
1	Introduction, Research Design - Introduction to the research design. Understanding the importance of various ontological and epistemological approaches to research. Understanding the importance of the methodology of research and research methods. Learning the steps of conducting research, from research design to data analysis: Understanding the difference between various methods and instruments that are used in data collection.
2	Research question and hypothesis - Learning how to frame an answerable research question: the difference between research questions and data collection questions. Learning how to construct a hypothesis and identify plausible explanations to your research questions. Learning how to test a hypothesis in quantitative studies.
3	Literature researching and reviewing - Learning how to conduct literature search in library and online databases, identifying key searching terms, and writing a search string. Understanding the differences between theoretical and empirical literature and learning how to identify gaps in literature. Learning how to conduct systematic review.
4	Sample and sampling strategies - Understanding what a sample is and why it matters. Understanding the difference between qualitative and quantitative sampling strategies. Learning how to use various sampling strategies to identify the necessary sources to answer research questions. Understanding the importance of a representative sample and learning how to avoid a biased sample. Learning how to calculate a sample size and how to increase the response rate in a study
5	Secondary data research & documentary analysis - Understanding the importance of documentary analysis and identifying the benefits and challenges of this research method. Learning how to identify key documents and how to access them, as well as how to index and classify them. Learning how to analyse documents in the context in which they are produced.
6	Observation - Understanding what Ethnographic research is and why does it matter. Learning how to use Ethnography to carry qualitative studies. Learning how to conduct observation and learning the difference between participatory and non-participatory observation. Learning how to improve observation skills. Learning how to access the fieldwork, and how to take notes.
7	Summary and students' presentations
8	Semi-structured interviews, focus groups - Understanding the importance of using interviews, and the difference between structured and unstructured interviews. Learning how to conduct in-depth face-to-face, or online interviews, as well as how to organize, and manage, group interviews (e.g. focus groups). Learning how to prepare an interviewing guide, and how to record/transcribe or note-take during the interview
9	Surveys - Understanding the advantages and limitations of surveys and learning how to prepare a questionnaire: how to write open and closed questions, how to use Likert-scale and how to identify potential answers. Learning how to ensure consistency of instruments, and how to improve it through piloting
10	Qualitative Data analysis - Understanding the data analysis process in qualitative research, its advantages, and limitations. Learning how to code data and how to use Nvivo to analyze them. Learning how to increase the validity of your findings through triangulation of data, and feedback validation.
11	Quantitative Data analysis - Understanding the data analysis process, from variables to regression analysis. Learning the difference between the mean, the mode and the median. Learning how to study variables and calculate correlation coefficients. Learning how to use SPSS to build diagrams, charts and scatterplots.
12	Reflexivity and Research Ethics - Reflecting on the role of the researcher in the fieldwork. Reflecting on ethical challenges of research and learning how to overcome them.
13	Project presentations
14	Final examination

Prerequisite(s):	students are not required to have prior knowledge
Textbook(s):	Bordens, K. S., & Abbott, B. B. (2018). Research design and methods: A process approach. 10th ed. McGraw-Hill. Bell, J., & Waters, S. (2018). Doing your research project: A guide for first-time researchers. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Additional Literature:	Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods. Oxford university press. Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook. 3rd. ed. Thiel, D. V. (2014). Research methods for engineers. Cambridge University Press.Punch, K. F. (2013). Introduction to social research: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. Sage.
Laboratory Work:	no
Computer Usage:	yes
Others:	No

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1	Ability to conduct research independently, including research design, data collection, and data analysis
2	Ability to use a wide variety of research methods by using qualitative and quantitative research methods
3	Improved critical thinking skills in reading and writing academic work

COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES (Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution)

No	Program Competencies	Cont.
Master of Science in Political Science and International Relations Program
1	Having and using advanced knowledge and comprehension supported by textbooks including actual knowledge in political sciences and international relations literature, materials and the other scientific resources.	5
2	Analyzing data, ideas and concepts of current political issues and international relations, determining complex events and topics, making discussions and developing new suggestions in accordance with researches.	5
3	Having knowledge and thought about actual topics and problems together with their historical, social and cultural aspects.	5
4	Introducing those who are interested in politics and international events with the topics of Political Science and IR and teaching clearly the problems and the types of solutions.	5
5	Improving skills of working together with the main social science disciplines and other disciplines which are related to Political Science and International Relations.	5
6	Improving critical thinking and skills in making research independently.	5
7	Developing solutions about the problems and conflicts which are common in national and international arena.	5
8	Improving skills for leadership and research and analyze capacity of those who is responsible with national and international ones.	5
9	Knowing any foreign language enough to communicate with colleagues and understand actual researches and articles.	5
10	Gaining IT skills to use computer and technology) in order to reach actual knowledge.	5
11	Gaining skills to follow societal, scientific and ethic values during collecting, interpreting, conducting of data related to social and political developments.	5
12	Having consciousness about human rights and environment.	5
13	Gaining the skills to follow actual developments and pursue long-life learning.	5

COURSE EVALUATION METHOD

Method	Quantity	Percentage
Presentation	2	10
Project	1	30
Final Exam	1	50
	Total Percent:	100%

ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)

Activities	Quantity	Duration(Hours)	Total Workload(Hours)
Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours)	14	3	42
Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice)	14	4	56
Mid-terms	0	0	0
Assignments	3	22	66
Final examination	1	23.5	23.5
Other			0
Total Work Load:			187.5
Total Work Load/25(h):			7.5
ECTS Credit of the Course:			7.5

CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE COURSE LECTURER

The success of this course is contingent on the student's level of motivation and engagement with the course content.