Научно-исследовательский семинар "Подготовка и написание выпускной квалификационной работы"

Бакалавриат 2026/2027

Статус: Курс обязательный (Международная программа «Международные отношения и глобальные исследования»)

Кто читает: Факультет мировой экономики и мировой политики

Где читается: Факультет мировой экономики и мировой политики

Когда читается: 4-й курс, 1-3 модуль

Охват аудитории: для своего кампуса

Язык: английский

Кредиты: 3

Контактные часы: 36

Full Syllabus Ask Question

Abstract

This research seminar is set to help students in their work on individual research projects leading to BA thesis, by refreshing knowledge and improving skills needed for selecting adequate research strategy and developing appropriate research design. During the research seminar, students will be able to practice specific methods fitting their research aims/questions by discussing their peculiarities and developing their own research projects. Moreover, the research seminar will consider machine learning techniques that could be used for academic research on key issues in international relations and public policy, including decision trees, gradient boosting, neural networks, etc. The course will also offer ready-made AI tools, developed using machine learning methods and neural networks, to collect and analyze relevant literature.

Learning Objectives

• The primary goal is to teach students how to build research, using appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods. The course also will help students to become critical and conscious consumers of social science evidence and research that they are exposed to. The discipline will also serve as a preparatory platform for majority of BA thesis components: literature review, methodology section, research question, hypotheses, research relevance, topic contextualization, bibliography.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Presentation of the research proposal that covers title, relevance, research question(s), hypotheses (if relevant), methodlogy details and possible shortcomings. Addressing QA session; The student learns from practice about defense procedures.
Presentation of the research proposal that covers title, relevance, research question(s), hypotheses (if relevant), methodlogy details and possible shortcomings. Addressing QA session; The student learns from practice about defense procedures.
Presentation of the research proposal that covers title, relevance, research question(s), hypotheses (if relevant), methodlogy details and possible shortcomings. Addressing QA session; The student learns from practice about defense procedures
Learning about formal aspects of defense procedures
Refreshing and polishing the skills of RQ designing. The student would be able to formulate a RQ that meets necessary criteria.
Learning about time management techniques in the context of writing a BA thesis. Learning about techniques to address "writers block"
Learning how to design and how to improve literature reviews for researc papers
Learning about existing qualitative methods and how they can be applied to BA thesis
Learning and practicing process-tracing method
Learning about existing shortcomings and imperfections of submitted literature reviews
Designing, planning, drafting of the respective section
Defining differences between inferential and descriptive statistics Applying statistics-based approaches Classify/taxonimize and interpret obtained data
Elaborating and drafing questtionnaires Formulating questions for surveys Arguing about strong and weak sides of sampling techniques
Conducting experiments based on big n Conducting experiments based on small n Defining experiment strategy based on existing conditions and available sources
hypothesizing defining variable selecting inferential statistics techniques describing existing conditions and shortcomings
Updating proposals based on feedbacks
Obtaining information on ethical boundaries of the research Developing arguments of what can qualify as plagiarism and data fabrication
Intorductory information aquisition
Passing exam based on course materials

Course Contents

Module 1. Week 1. Introduction
Module 1. Week 2: Re-capping and Feedbacking
Module 1. Week 3: Methodology and Research strategy, Planning your time management
Module 1. Week 4: Figuring out relevance of your study and designing your literature review
Module 1. Week 5: Qualitative methods: discursive methods
Module 1. Week 6. Process-tracing
Module 1. Week 9. Oral exam.
Module 2. Week 1: Introduction of the module 2 and feedbacking on literature reviews
Module 2. Week 2. Methodology section
Module 2. Week 3. Descriptive vs Inferential statistics for your paper
Module 2. Week 4: Quantitative: surveys and sampling
Module 2. Week 5: Experiments with big and small n’s
Module 2. Week 6: Inferential statistics, variables, hypotheses and AI-powered software tools
Module 2. WEEK 7: Colloquium
Module 3. Week 1. Introduction and feebacks
Module 3. Week 2. Workshop on ethics and plagiarism in research
Introducing BA defense procedures
Final project presentations I
Final project presentations II
Module 3. Week 5. Final project presentations III
Module 3. Week 10. Oral exam.

Assessment Elements

Participation in in-class activities and discussions
Literature review, topic significance and RQ submission
Oral exam
Participation in in-class activities and discussions
Research proposal submission
Colloquium
Participation during in-class activities and discussions
Participation in the committee work
Final exam 1: committee scores
Final exam 2: instructor scores

Interim Assessment

2026/2027 1st module
0.35 * Oral exam + 0.4 * Literature review, topic significance and RQ submission + 0.25 * Participation in in-class activities and discussions
2026/2027 3rd module
Final score for the discipline: module 1*33%+ module 2*33% + module 3*34% Module 2 scores: Participation in in-class activities and discussions - 25% Module final task submission (Research proposal) - 40% Colloquium - 35% Module 3 scores: Participation in in-class activities and discussions - 20% Module final task submission (Presentation/Oral exam) - 60% Participation in the committee work - 20%

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Baker, P., & Ellece, S. (2011). Key Terms in Discourse Analysis. New York, N.Y.: Continuum. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=350269
Belcher, W. L. (DE-588)103278413X, (DE-627)739934139, (DE-576)380287447, aut. (2009). Writing your journal article in 12 weeks a guide to academic publishing success Wendy Laura Belcher.
Cambridge handbook of experimental political science ed. by James N. Druckman; Donald P. Greene; James H. Kuklinski; Arthur Lupia. (2011).
Johnstone, B. (2017). Discourse Analysis (Vol. Third edition). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1647576
Little, T. D. (2013). The Oxford Handbook of Quantitative Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=603942
Mark Israel, & Iain Hay. (2006). Research Ethics for Social Scientists. SAGE Publications Ltd.
Nachmias, C., & Leon-Guerrero, A. (2000). Social Statistics for a Diverse Society: Vol. 2nd ed. Sage Publications, Inc.
Silverman, D. (DE-588)141743867, (DE-627)631177094, (DE-576)163079072, aut. (2010). Doing qualitative research a practical handbook David Silverman.
Анализ социологических данных : методология, дескриптивная статистика, изучение связей между номинальными признаками : учеб.пособие для вузов, Толстова, Ю. Н., 2000
Зотов, В. В. Социологические исследования в экономике и управлении : учебник / В. В. Зотов, М. П. Куркина. - 2-е изд., испр. - Москва : Дашков и К, 2022. - 222 с. - ISBN 978-5-394-04352-9. - Текст : электронный. - URL: https://znanium.com/catalog/product/2084454

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Advanced research methods, Mey de, L., 2013
Peters, B. G. (2013). Strategies for Comparative Research in Political Science. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1522713

Authors

Zakharova Elizaveta Sergeevna
Vishniakova Nataliia Vladimirovna
Kuznetsova Elena Viktorovna
Varpakhovskis Eriks

Course Syllabus