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Regular version of the site
Bachelor 2018/2019

Research Seminar

Type: Compulsory course (Political Science and World Politics)
Area of studies: Political Science
When: 1 year, 2-4 module
Mode of studies: offline
Instructors: Anna A. Dekalchuk, Aleksey Gilev, Ivan Grigoriev, Mikhail Turchenko, Margarita Zavadskaya
Language: English
ECTS credits: 4
Contact hours: 30

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This course highlights, first of all, the scientific component of research activity, rather than pursuits to answer any substantive political questions. Of course, during the classes, we consider real examples of research literature (articles mostly), albeit not for the sake of substantive critics, but rather for the better understanding of how researches in political science are usually done.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • This course aims to introduce students to the main concepts and rules of scientific activity as well as to base techniques political scientists use to being prepared to study politics.
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • Able to identify scientific subject
  • Able to solve professional problems based on synthesis and analysis
  • Able to outlines the need for resources and plan its using for solving professional problems
  • Work with information: find, define and use the information from different sources which required for solving of research and professional problems (including the system approach)
  • Able to do research, including the problem analysis, setting goals and objectives, defining the research subject, selecting research methods including its quality control
  • Student is capable of posing research problems relevant to the study of political phenomena and political processes; setting particular research tasks; and putting together a research design
  • Student is capable of choosing research methods appropriate for resolving the professional tasks
  • Student is capable of retrieving, collecting, processing and analyzing information relevant for achieving goals in the professional field
  • Student is capable of executing applied analysis of the political phenomena and political processes: by using political science methods and in support of practical decision making process
  • Student is capable of reporting the results of the information retrieval and analysis, academic or applied research she/he has conducted: in various genres (including reviews, policy papers, reports and publications pertaining to socio-political subject matter); and depending on the target audience
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • Introduction to the Course
  • Communication Rules in Academia
  • The Structure of Scientific Research
  • Genres of Academic Texts and Written Test
  • Principles of the Public Talk
  • Professional Ethics
  • Preparing the Literature Review
  • The Essence of Scientific Research
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking seminar participation
  • non-blocking written test
    The written test will be conducted after first six seminars. This test will include both closed- and open-ended types of questions which will cover the content of first six classes.
  • non-blocking Exam
    The final exam is a written test that consists of questions and topics discussed during the seminars.
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • Interim assessment (4 module)
    The cumulative grade is calculated by the following formula: 0.65 * a grade for the seminar participation + 0.35 * a grade for the written test. The final grade for this course is calculated as follows: • 65% for the cumulative grade; • 35% for the final exam.
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., & Williams, J. M. (2003). The Craft of Research (Vol. 2nd ed). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=228256
  • Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., & Williams, J. M. (2008). The Craft of Research, Third Edition (Vol. 3rd ed). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=272563

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Phillips, E., Johnson, C., & Pugh, D. S. (2015). How to Get a PhD : A Handbook for Students and Their Supervisors (Vol. Sixth edition). Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1099332
  • Reardon, D. (2006). Doing Your Undergraduate Project. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=251712
  • Vladimir Gel’man, & Andrey Starodubtsev. (2016). Opportunities and Constraints of Authoritarian Modernisation: Russian Policy Reforms in the 2000s. Europe-Asia Studies, (1), 97. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2015.1113232