Social Research MRes

This module provides students with an introduction to the politics and practice of social research. It does so by exploring the following aspects of the research process: the context of the modern university; the role of the social scientist; power, critique and reflexivity in the social sciences; the constraints, benefits and limitations of social science. Those are explored in relation to practical dillemas and cases studies in social science research.

SOCI504 is a module that introduces students to academic debates about knowledge production and method within sociology and the social sciences. The module is structured to provide an insight into the historical debates about the relationship between method and knowledge and how they inform the development and transformation of the social sciences.

​​In this module students formulate a research question and develop a research proposal, including a clear research strategy. Students will work independently to conduct library based or original empirical, social–scientific research aimed at answering a research question, applying methodological principles and research techniques. The dissertation requires students to creatively use theoretical insights and concepts relevant to the research question at hand, to generate new knowledge about the issue addressed in the thesis and report about the research and the results in a clear and systematic way

This module looks into the rationale and practice of analysing numerical data, largely derived from survey research, and the use of such data to understand the social world. It covers a range of skills from basic univariate and multivariate analysis techniques, to a consideration of the potential insights offered by longitudinal datasets and their analysis.

This 5 credit module is designed to introduce students to the theory and practice of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Students are introduced to a critical understanding of discourse, which in turn encourages the analysis of language use in relation to questions of power in society. The module seeks to enable students’ engagement in such analyses, introducing them to appropriate methods and techniques, and providing them the opportunity to put these into practice.

This module is organised around a review of the critical sociological literature on visual data and visual analysis. Drawing together existing research in this sub-field – which is growing rapidly in significance – the module focuses particularly on academic research that has sought to develop critical approaches to the production and deployment of visual data in specifically urban contexts.

This module on ‘interviewing’ gives participants an understanding of why, when, and how to use interviews in social research. The workshops will include opportunities for participants to understand when it is appropriate to use interviews in social research, to develop their own research questions, to learn how to prepare for and conduct interviews, as well as how to approach the analysis, and writing up of data. This learning on this module is underpinned by sociological theory and aims to provide an enhanced critical understanding of how different forms of interviews can be used to elicit different kinds of data, and how different ontological and epistemological positions in research impact on the data produced. The module is suitable for postgraduate students and research staff from all disciplines who require a period of additional supported study and reflection before they design and conduct their own interview based research project.

This 5 credit module will introduce students to observation and help them explore how they may draw on observational methods in their own research

How does one integrate photography into a research project, and how can this be in a creative and aesthetically impactful manner? In this module students will be introduced to photography as a visual method in the social sciences, particularly as a way to investigate social phenomenon. This module will also consider how photography works as a form of practice-based research, where creative practice affords us more opportunities to develop new insights into the social world.

​​The module will introduce students to the process of applying for and using data obtained by Freedom of Information requests in the UK. It will provide a policy and historical context to the development of freedom of information and use this understanding to shape students strategies for obtaining such information.

This module will provide you with a good understanding of ethical principles underpinning formal ethical review (process) and the complexity of considerations that arise in the field (practice). The module will be delivered through a workshop that will provide the opportunity for student-led discussions on specific ethical issues related to your research. It will be assessed through a short critical review of an ethical issue(s).

​​In this module students formulate a research question and develop a research proposal, including a clear research strategy. Students will work independently to conduct library based or original empirical, social–scientific research aimed at answering a research question, applying methodological principles and research techniques. The dissertation requires students to creatively use theoretical insights and concepts relevant to the research question at hand, to generate new knowledge about the issue addressed in the thesis and report about the research and the results in a clear and systematic way

Autoethnography is a qualitative method that focuses on the self as the subject of research interest. In this module, students will learn about how autoethnography can be conducted through the combination of writing and photography, creating a kind of visual autoethnography. Students will make use of the theoretical and methodological literature around autoethnography, photo-diaries and photography as a research method in order to develop their own sociological photo-diary.

This module is a comprehensive introduction to applied statistical analysis of survey data using software to understand and compare social attitudes across population strata and geographical regions, such as e.g. regions in the UK, or countries in Europe. A particular emphasis of this module is on regression models as tools to understand and compare statistical relationships between social indicators, region and social attitudes.

Michel Foucault’s work has been influential in a wide range of disciplines. SOCI515 is a module that introduces students to the uses of Foucault’s theory and method within the social sciences. The module is structured to provide an insight into the ways Foucault’s technique and method have been taken up in sociology and applied to social research. Focusing on discourse as the cornerstone of Foucault’s methods our aim is to reconsider the status of ‘reality’ in the social sciences.

This module will help students design, plan and carry out focus group discussions, and will cover both the theory, ethics and practice of focus group research. Particular attention will be paid to the analysis of verbal and non-verbal interaction.

Ethnomethodology and conversation analysis are radical approaches to social inquiry. While distinct, ethnomethodology – the study of practical methods of action and reasoning, i.e. ‘ethno-methods’ – and conversation analysis – the study of ‘talk-in-interaction’ – are grounded in detailed investigations of how people in all manner of ordinary and specialised sites and settings organise their activities from within. Although this module will chart the development of ethnomethodology and conversation analysis and situate them intellectually in wider fields of inquiry, its purpose is to provide an advanced, hands-on introduction to the unique way both approach the study of social practices via ‘tutorial problems’ centred on the analysis of interactional data collected as part of small-scale fieldwork exercises. Among others things, the module will look at how ethnographic research, observation and interviewing can be ‘repurposed’, that is, put to work in alternate ways when pursued ethnomethodologically.

This module gives you the opportunity to plan a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project in preparation for your dissertation. Students will be given the opportunity to do this through Interchange, a charity that links students to 3rd sector organisations working in social welfare, social policy or criminal justice contexts. Students will not be encouraged to undertake a PAR dissertation unless they have completed this module.

This module encourages students to consider strategies and approaches when conducting research on sensitive subjects in the field of social scientific investigation. Students will engage with empirical, theoretical and methodological literature in relation to researching sensitive subjects. Case studies of research projects will be identified to demonstrate how practical, ethical and methodological obstacles can be negotiated and overcome. Students will identify specific sensitive topics for research and suggest approaches on how those projects might be undertaken. Students will also be encouraged to identify specific aspects of topics not to be researched and reflect on how and why such decisions might be taken.

Narrative Inquiry represents an innovation in social research methodologies. It has proven particularly important for advancing how social scientists seek to understand constructions of meaning, the role of memory and the importance of temporality and identity. This module will introduce the student to key theoretical and methodological principles in conducting narrative research focusing primarily on interviewing. This module is an option for the Masters in Social Research Methods, and is also open for non-credited attendance to all postgraduate students in the university.

This module will provide you with a good understanding of ethical principles underpinning formal ethical review (process) and the complexity of considerations that arise in the field (practice). The module will be delivered through a workshop that will provide the opportunity for student-led discussions on specific ethical issues related to your research. It will be assessed through a short critical review of an ethical issue(s).

This module will introduce students to key methodological concerns of working with Twitter data,; guide students in gaining first-hand experience collecting, visualising and exploring Twitter data; enable students to see how to make sense of Twitter data for social scientific purposes , and; point towards a more general role for social media and digital data in social science research. Students will be able to: * understand the methodological continuities and discontinuities between social media analytics and ‘traditional’ social science methods * be able to extract and visualise Twitter data using research-oriented software * be able to reflect on the methodological link between the technical aspects of Twitter analytics research work and the social science findings that result * appreciate the potential for social media and digital data analytics to provide insight on social scientific research topics. The module will take place within a PC lab (with appropriate software packages installed) and will feature four teaching and learning strategies: 1) Lecture component: students will receive a (one hour) lecture to provide students with knowledge of a range of methodological issues pertinent to digital data and social media analytics. 2) Guided software walkthrough: students will be given a guided walkthrough of a Twitter analytics software package to give students experience with collecting and visualising data, where the instructor will demonstrate the package in action and students will follow alongside. 3) Computer lab tutorial sessions: students will be given opportunity to undertake investigations into Twitter analytics using the demonstrated software package, applying their knowledge and skills to a research topic of their choice. An instructor will be on-hand to address issues as they arise. 4) Written assessment: The assessment will be in the format of a 2000 word written report which will provide students an opportunity to formulate and reflect on the methodological issues arising from their practical work with Twitter data. Th e module will be taught over two four-hour sessions (Day 1 and Day 2) Day 1 will be the one hour lecture, the one hour tutorial/seminar, and a two hour lab practical session/workshop. Day 2 will be a four hour lab practical session/workshop ​

Effective professional Rapid Appraisals (of e.g. concerning public health/educational/criminal justice issues such as drug use in a specific location) can be carried out from start to final report in comparatively short periods of time (e.g. 2-3 months). The WHO has lauded RAs as both useful and credible – particularly in low knowledge contexts of increasing harms where new rapidly acquired knowledge might provide the opportunity for early, critical intervention. Rapid ethnography is either a component part of RAs or stand-alone approach to rapidly acquiring depth information in a particular space. This module provides a critical introduction to the effective undertaking of both rapid appraisal and rapid ethnographic research. The module will also highlight the advantages and benefits of the research for researchers, policy-makers and other stakeholders. Efficacy will be evidenced through a focus on complex cross-cultural and criminal behaviours about which little is known. After completing this module students will have good insight into how to carry out rapid ethnography/rapid appraisal in a critically informed way.

This 5 credit module is designed to introduce students to the theory and practice of spatial analysis for social research purposes. Students are introduced to ways in which mapping can be used to critically analyse, and visualise, power relations within society. The module seeks to introduce students to basic mapping techniques, engage with the advantages and limitations of using such an approach, and provide them with the opportunity to put these in to practice.

​​In this module students formulate a research question and develop a research proposal, including a clear research strategy. Students will work independently to conduct library based or original empirical, social–scientific research aimed at answering a research question, applying methodological principles and research techniques. The dissertation requires students to creatively use theoretical insights and concepts relevant to the research question at hand, to generate new knowledge about the issue addressed in the thesis and report about the research and the results in a clear and systematic way