Research Methods

Semester and Year Offered: ` 4th Semester ( for Every Cohort in Winter Semester)

Course Coordinator and Team: Dr. Urfat Anjem Mir and Prof. Rukmini Sen

Email of course coordinator: urfat[at]aud[dot]ac[dot]in ; rukmini[at]aud[dot]ac[dot]in

Pre-requisites: No specific requirements. Any BA Second year student can register for this course.

Aim: The objective of this course is to introduce students to basic methods and techniques of carrying out sociological research to systematically understand society, nature of social phenomena, and social reality.

Course Outcomes:

1. After the successful completion of this course, the students will be able to:
2. Describe the research terminology, perspectives and methods of studying society and social phenomena
3. Identify, evaluate and use information appropriately in an unbiased and ethical manner during the research process.
4. Demonstrate ability to undertake literature searches; critically analyse theoretical and empirical studies; formulate a research problem and frame research questions.
5. Demonstrate ability to design a research study and choose an appropriate methodology to conduct the study
6. Undertake basic qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis using appropriate tools.
7. Promote evidence based approaches to understanding social phenomena in particular and the society at large and write a short research report.

Brief description of modules/ Main modules:

1. Meaning and significance of social research. Relationship between theory and research Describe the Meaning of Research and its importance in Theory building and knowledge production
2. Meaning and significance of Social research :Epistemology and methods To acquaint with different ways and perspectives of knowing with emphasis on Sociological perspective
3. Ethics and Social Research To introduce the key ethical issues and requirements and responsibility of researcher towards participants in research process
4. Getting started in research: Selecting the research problem, Research Design To understand essentials of Research Problem and how to identify and formulate Ideas into a research problem. The process of research and how to find relevant information and use the same to identity and formulate a research problem and find answers to research queries
5. Using the Available Data/ sources Secondary Sources To introduce to variety of documents available to researchers as primary and secondary data. Familiarise with Problems and issues in using documents
6. Sampling Types of sampling and how to determine the appropriate sampling in a context
7. Data Collection Methods: Survey To familiarise with the use of survey method
8. Techniques of Data Collection: Questionnaires and Interviews To familiarise with construction and use of questionnaire and Interview schedules and conduct of interview / use of probing techniques
9. Techniques of Data Collection :Life History, Narratives Familiarise with taking Life history and narratives
10. Ethnography Familiarise with ethnography as a method using participant observation
11. Strategies and Techniques for Managing Quantitative and Qualitative Data Familiarise with basics of data management and analysis. Use of descriptive statistics in social research Familiarise with the general principles of qualitative data analysis
12. Writing Up the Sociological Research To familiarise with the structure and style of research writing making a comparison between an NGO report and a sociological research writing

Assessment Details with weights:

The main effort will be devoted to making students do some research activities and exercises in the class room and also in the field. There will be four assessment situations through which students will be assessed in terms of their understanding of the social research methods and techniques and specially analytical and interpretive ability.

Class Participation: 20% there will be two surprise class activities announced in class. Four surprise class activities spread over the semester will constitute 20 % assessment weight The objective of encourage active participation/ engagement during the transaction of the course and also encourage peer learning.

• First Assignment carrying a weightage of 20 %
• Second Assignment based on a research activity involving construction of any research tool and its use on a small sample. It will carry a weight of 20%.
• End Sem Exam: Weightage: 40% (As per End Semester schedule announced by the SUS( tentatively in last week of April)).

Reading List:

• Emily Stier Adler and Roger, Clark, 2011.An Invitation to Social Research: How It’s Done. SUA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning (chapter 2 pp: 19-38)
• Wright Mills, Sociological Imagination
• Nicholas Walliman, 2006. Social Research Methods. New Delhi: Sage Publications. (pp:14-28)
• Sandra Harding 1988. Is there a Feminist Method? In Feminism and Methodology Indiana University press, Laura Bovone, Ethics as Etiquette: The Emblematic Contribution of Erving Goffman, 1993 Theory, Culture and Society
• The Trials of Alice Goffman in https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/magazine/the-trials-of-alice-goffman.html
• Matt Henn, Mark Weinstein, Nick Foard, 2006. A short introduction to Social Research. New Delhi: SAGE Publications. (Chapter 4 pp 66-93)
• Matt Henn, Mark Weinstein, Nick Foard, 2006. A short introduction to Social Research. New Delhi: SAGE Publications. (Chapter 3 pp 45-64)
• Matt Henn, Mark Weinstein, Nick Foard, 2006. A short introduction to Social Research. New Delhi: SAGE Publications. (Chapter 5pp 100-109)
• Emily Stier Adler and Roger, Clark, 2011.An Invitation to Social Research: How It’s Done. SUA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning (chapter 5 pp 100-101 and 116-126)
• Matt Henn, Mark Weinstein, Nick Foard, 2006. A short introduction to Social Research. New Delhi: SAGE Publications. (Chapter 6 pp 116-145)
• Emily Stier Adler and Roger, Clark, 2011.An Invitation to Social Research: How It’s Done. SUA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning (chapter 9 pp 211-250)
• Norman Denzin Critical Qualitative Enquiry, December 2016, Qualitative Enquiry
• Ken Plummer, 1983. Documents of Life (2): An Invitation to Critical Humanism (Chapter 6, 7 and 9) Sage Publishers
• Victoria Baker , 1987. Pitching a Tent in the Native Village: Malinowski and Participant Observation ANTHROPOLOGICA XXIX (), pp. 14-24
• MN Srinivas, et al 2002. The Fieldworker and the Field, OUP(select chapter)
• Matt Henn, Mark Weinstein, Nick Foard, 2006. A short introduction to Social Research. New Delhi: SAGE Publications. (Chapter 8 pp 184-196 and 203-214)
• Safe City Free of Violence against Women and Girls Initiative, Jagori Report of the Baseline Survey Delhi 2010
• Anupama Roy 2014. Critical Events, Incremental memories and Gendered Violence: The Delhi gang rape. Australian Feminist Studies Volume 29, 2014 - Issue 81

ADDITIONAL REFERENCE:

• Young, P.V. 1988. Scientific Social Surveys and Research. New Delhi: Prentice Hall.
• Goode, William. J. and Paul, K. Hatt. 1952. Methods in Social Research. New York: McGraw Hill.
• Nicholas Walliman, 2006. Social Research Methods. New Delhi: Sage Publications. (pp:147-162)
• Bryman, Alan (2012). Social Research Methods. Oxford University Press (Chapter 4 Pp 79-95
• Emily Stier Adler and Roger, Clark, 2011.An Invitation to Social Research: How it’s done. SUA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning (chapter 12 pp 328-348)
• Bryman, Alan (2012). Social Research Methods. Oxford University Press. Chapter 8 pp183-206
• Delbert C. Miller & Neil J. Salkind, 2002. Guides for selection and construction of Questionnaire In Delbert C. Miller & Neil J. Salkind. Handbook of Research Design & Social Measurement. Sage publications
• Liz Stanley, 1993. On auto/biography in sociology, Sociology
• Beteille, Andre and T. N. Madan. 1975. Encounter and Experience: Personal Accounts of Fieldwork. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House.
• Srinivas, M.N. and A. M. Shah. 1979. Fieldworker and The Field. Delhi: Oxford.
• Beteille, Andre. 2002. Sociology: Essays on Approach and Method. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
• Garrett, Henry, 2005. Statistics in Psychology and Education. New Delhi: Paragon International Publishers, Twelfth Indian Reprint.
• Jayaram, N. 1989. Sociology: Methods and Theory. Madras: MacMillian.