RESEARCH METHOD

Students will learn the fundamental concepts of social science, as well as methods relevant to chosen research topics. This course will deal with normative, empirical, qualitative, quantitative methodology in social science. Students will learn how to set hypotheses and to reject them. In this course, students will learn various schools of thought such as functionalism, structuralism, institutionalism, behaviorism, constructivism, and rational choice theory. Prerequisite: Probability & Statistics, Quantitative Methodology

The course has four goals. First, students will understand variety of research paradigms in the social science. Second, students will develop the skills of a social scientist. Students will be able to develope hypotheses, constructing research designs, testing hypotheses, communicating findings, and writing reports. Third, students will become intelligent users and consumers of a wide variety of investigatory techniques including quantitative and qualitative ones. We will explore the strengths and weaknesses of these methods in order to identify when and where each is most appropriate.Fourth, students could write their dissertations paper. Without any methodology, there is no research paper.

Class will be a set of lectures and seminars. At the first class of each week I will give a lecture. Depending on weeks, students who signed-up will be asked to present their summary, understanding, and raising discussion issues. Other students should participate in discussion actively. Previews before class are strongly recommended. This class will cover the basic logic, research methods, and research paradigm. First few weeks, I will deliver lectures on logic and problem-solving at the class. It may include couples of assignments. Student presentations(seminars) will cover research paradigm part. The research methodology will be lectured. Students are supposed to write a paper using one research method.

The following weekly course schedule will be modified, depending on the number of students enrolled. Furthermore, the lecuture plan may be modified, depending on the students level. This course plan is tentative. It does not have any prerequisite course.