Overview

This unit develops students’ mastery of the principles and skills required in designing and planning for social research projects, including basic mastery of a range of social scientific research methods and competent evaluation of the work of other researchers.

Requisites

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Execute research in the social sciences including design, methodology, ethics, and data analysis
  • Independently formulate a research proposal that is ethical, feasible and characteristic of ‘real-life’ research settings
  • Apply research method through the planning and conducting of a research project
  • Collect data and undertake appropriate data analysis in the testing of research questions and development of research arguments
  • Use a professional approach to project planning and development through, e.g., oral presentation of work-in-progress, paying attention to time management principles

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out)
Lecture		1.00 12 weeks 12
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out)
Tutorial		2.00 12 weeks 24
Specified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Various		4.00 12 weeks 48
Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Independent Learning		5.50 12 weeks 66
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
PresentationIndividual 15% 1,2,3,4,5 
ProjectGroup 40% 1,3,4,5 
Research ProposalIndividual 45% 1,2,3,4 

Content

  • The Foundations of Social Research
  • The Ethics & Politics of Social Research
  • Designing Social Scientific Research
  • Conducting Social Research using Diverse Strategies
  • Data Analysis
  • Developing a Research Proposal

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.