METHODOLOGY OF POLITICAL RESEARCH

Academic Year 2024/2025 - Teacher: Fulvio ATTINA'

Expected Learning Outcomes

The course trains students to design a research project of their choice. 

Course Structure

The eight sessions consist of two face-to-face meetings (on Tuesday and the following Monday) and a homework assignment in between the two meetings. In the Tuesday session, the students are given instructions on how to design the research project. The homework assignment is to fill in the template for the session and to send it to the teacher (attinaf@unict.it) by the Friday deadline. The students' templates will be reviewed in the classroom on the Monday

Required Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Attendance of Lessons

the GLOPEM rule of not missing more than 12 hours of compulsory attendance 

Detailed Course Content

Methodology, scientific knowledge, and the research process.

Empirical study of politics

The scientific methods

Theories, hypotheses, variables, and units

Conceptualisation, operationalization, and measurement

Elements of research design

Qualitative methods

Quantitative methods

Textbook Information

Franco Josue, ed. (2023), Introduction to Political Science Research Methods, LibreText Social Science. 

Learning Assessment

Learning Assessment Procedures

The final grade is the instructor's assessment of the student's research project design. An oral examination on the textbook will only be given to students who decline the final grade based on their overall performance in the course.

Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises

What is the theory and what is the hypothesis of your research project?

What is the design of your research?