This module invites students, progressing out of undergraduate study and potentially thinking about various professional research trajectories, for example, be it in academia, non-governmental organizations or the private sector, to think about themselves as researchers and where they locate themselves in relation to various methodological, practical and political questions in the social sciences. We cover topics including reflexive political positionality, the issues we wish to create social scientific narratives about, the institutional context within which the research take place and the opportunities and limitations in practical, methodological and ethical terms afforded by different approaches. The ultimate goal, embedded in the research proposal assessment, is to encourage students to think about what social phenomena they are researching and what might the best fit of methodological approach why as well as considering the challenges and limitations that might emerge.