MSc/Diploma in Social Science Research Methods Science and Technology Studies Pathway
Pathway Convenor: Dr Rob Evans (School of Social Sciences)
The Science and Technology Studies (STS) pathway through the MSc in Social Science Research Methods provides students with theoretical, analytical and methodological skills needed to investigate science, technology and innovation as social phenomena. The programme builds on Cardiff’s international reputation as a leading centre in the sociology of scientific and biomedical knowledge. Students receive a comprehensive training in the key conceptual approaches within STS and are encouraged to develop a critical understanding of the role of science and technology in contemporary societies.
The Science and Technology Studies pathway is recognised by the ESRC as providing research methods training needed for doctoral research. As such, the scheme stresses the development of a broad range of research methods skills and their application in the context of science studies research. Drawing upon the highly acclaimed interdisciplinary expertise of the School of Social Sciences, strong international links, and upon an active research oriented team, the programme provides a comprehensive introduction to the interdisciplinary and exciting field of science and technology studies.
The MSc in Social Science Research Methods provides an excellent preparation for research-based careers in the field of Science and Technology. Applicants are welcome to take the MSc as a stand alone programme, either as a preparation for other study or as a post-experience qualification. This MSc provides an excellent preparation for research-based careers. Students may apply for ESRC funding to study the course as part of the ‘1+3’ scheme or after successfully completing the course, can apply to the ESRC for ‘+3’ funding. Students considering a career in science communication should also consider the more vocationally orientated MSc in Science, Media and Communication.
The MSc programme is as follows:
MODULE DESCRIPTIONS
SEMESTER 1
CPT001 Principles of Research Design
The aims of this module are:
• To examine the epistemological bases of different kinds of social scientific research
• To provide an overview of social scientific research strategies using examples from various disciplines
• To offer practical skills on the design, management and implementation of a research project
• To enable students to position their own research with extant debates
The module is assessed by means of a single essay of approximately 2500 words in length.
SIT063 Theorising Knowledge & Expertise
The module will introduce students to the key concepts and debates within the sociology of science through examining a range of key philosophical ideas and their application in science studies. These module content will focus on case studies that will include 'hard cases' such as gravity wave physics, where the potential for social factors to have an effect might be expected to be small, as well as more openly controversial scientific arenas such as nuclear power, the clinical evaluation of treatments for AIDS, and global warming. In examining these case studies, the module will explore different ways in which the social processes that shape scientific and technological innovation have been researched and theorised within STS and the implications these different perspectives have for fields such as science policy, regulation and public understanding of science, engineering and technology.
SIT070 Research and Study Skills
Aim: to introduce students to essential survival skills.
Outcomes: on successful completion of this module students will be able to:
1. Recognise the dynamics of the student – supervisor relationship.
2. Plan a thesis
3. Prepare a timetable for a research project.
4. Undertake a literature search.
5. Plan a literature review.
6. Prepare an accurate Author-Date bibliography.
Students will submit a portfolio including a self and a group appraisal of their oral presentation.
SIT094 Quantitative Research I
This 10 credit postgraduate module provides a systematic introduction to quantitative approaches to data collection and analysis in the social sciences. Students will have the opportunity to analyse data collected from major surveys and to develop a critical understanding of the use of statistics in contemporary social science. The module is designed to meet the generic ESRC training guidelines and provide a foundation for advanced, specialist courses.
The course will be assessed in by a single piece of coursework (3000 words maximum) that builds on the difference analytic techniques covered in the module.
SIT096 Contemporary Social Theory I
This module introduces students to some of the dominant theoretical approaches in the social sciences, and helps them develop a critical understanding of the historical origins and the contemporary relevance of those perspectives. The primary aim of the module is, by exploring key concepts and reviewing the debates in the field, to offer students a number of potential theoretical locations for their own research projects.The course will be assessed in by a single piece of coursework (3000 words maximum)
This module introduces a range of social research methods for the systematic collection and analysis of qualitative data. The module provides students with the opportunity to reflect upon the different kinds of data that are generated from a range of qualitative approaches. The module also familiarizes students with some of the contemporary debates about qualitative research methods.
Students are required to submit an essay-style coursework assignment of no more than 3000 words.
SEMESTER TWO
COMPULSORY MODULES
SIT008 Research Design in Practice
(Students are required to complete module CPT001 Principles of Research Design before registering for this module)
This module provides students with the knowledge and understanding necessary to produce effective research designs, which are appropriate to their research questions. It considers how to formulate appropriate research questions and the variety of research designs which are available to address research questions of different kinds. The Module considers the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to research design in the context of issues such as generalisability, validity and reliability; values and value-freedom in the social sciences; and the relationships between empirical research and theory development in the social sciences.
Summative assessment is by means of a written assignment. This aims to assess how far students have understood the relationships between the formulation of research questions and research design and methods. It is necessary to demonstrate familiarity with a good range of the relevant literature and to present arguments clearly and succinctly.
Students are required to submit an essay-style coursework assignment of no more than 3000 words.
SIT064 Science in the Risk Society
The module will introduce students to the key concepts and debates surrounding the public understanding of, and engagement with, science and technology. The module will examine the role and development of key scientific institutions and how different groups within the public engage with science, engineering and technology. The module will draw on both quantitative and qualitative research data to examine attitudes to science, the kinds of knowledge that different groups hold about science, and how this knowledge is used and interpreted. In examining these case studies the module will examine the different insights afforded by different research methods and the different ways in which the public and their potential participation in the governance of science can be understood. The module will show how different social groups can make different contributions to debates and examine how sociological ideas of expertise can be combined with theories of deliberative democracy to provide a re-assessment of the role of science in society and, more radically, of society in science.
The course will be assessed by a combination of coursework tasks. The assessment tasks are designed to develop the full range of skills used in research work.
SIT095 Quantitative Research II
(Students are required to complete module SIT094 Quantitative Research I before registering for this module)
This 10 credit postgraduate module provides a systematic introduction to quantitative approaches to data collection and analysis in the social sciences. Students will have the opportunity to analyse data collected from major surveys and to develop a critical understanding of the use of statistics in contemporary social science. The module is designed to meet the generic ESRC training guidelines and provide a foundation for advanced, specialist courses
Students are required to submit an essay-style coursework assignment of no more than 3000 words.
SIT099 Qualitative Research II
(Students are required to complete Module SIT098 Qualitative Research I before registering for this module)
This main aim of the module is to provide training in the analysis, writing and representation of qualitative data. The module provides students with the opportunity to undertake preliminary analysis of different kinds of qualitative data, and to consider the relationships between data analysis, representation, reflexivity and theorization.
Students are required to submit an essay-style coursework assignment of no more than 3000 words.
SEMESTER TWO (Optional Modules)
CPT740 Globalisation and Local Labour Markets
This module introduces trends in the labour market and the theories that have been mobilised to guide policy formation at the intonation (eg EU), national, and sub-national levels. It draws attention to the dual aspects of the labour market, as both a source of a ‘factor of production’ and the key link between individuals and incomes (along with social networks). This double-sidedness means that the labour market is at once the key to economic development, and central to processes of institutional discrimination. Policies for development, regeneration, competitiveness, etc, all invoke the labour market, and policy is evolving under competing conceptions.
Each student will make a short presentation (10-15 minutes) to the group (worth 25% of module results), followed by a written-up version of the presentation in the light of ensuring discussion (worth 75% of module results). This will consolidate skills of summary, presentation, the ability to learn from participating in debate, and the skills of written presentation.
CPT797 Governance, Equity and Europe
This module addresses the complex policy problems triggered by post-devolution Britain on the one hand and by the advent of multi-level governance in the European Union on the other. Running through the module is the systemic tension between two equally important public policy goals, namely subsidiarity (democracy) and solidarity (equality).
The coursework consists of an essay in which students will be required to evaluate an aspect of governance and equity drawing on a combination of theoretical sources and evidence-based policy (worth 50%) and an exam (also worth 50%). The coursework and exam are primarily designed to allow students the opportunity to demonstrate the depth and scope of their knowledge and understanding of relevant theoretical issues and debates in the real of governance and equity in the context of the EU.
SIT073 Discourse and Conversation Analysis
This module aims to extend students knowledge of an important dimension of the interactionist approach to empirical enquiry. The module introduces students to methodological strategies that can be used to analyse aspects of language, communication and social interaction within a diverse range of institutional and organisational settings. These settings include medical encounters, social work meetings, counselling talk, courtroom proceedings, classroom interaction and broadcast talk. The module aims to equip students with a range of methodological tools for analysing the detailed specifics of interaction in organisational and institutional sites
Students are required to submit an essay-style coursework assignment of no more than 3000 words.
SIT072 Interviews and Interviewing
This Module is concerned with the ways in which interviews are used in social science research. It builds upon the Autumn Semester modules and examines a variety of types of interview which are widely used by social researchers. As well as assessing the strengths and weaknesses of different types of interview, students will also have an opportunity to develop their skills in using interviews through practising different techniques.
Students are required to submit an essay-style coursework assignment of no more than 3000 words.
CPT817 Evidence and Evidence Based Policy and Practice
The aims of this 10 credit module are to train researchers in the effective articulation and dissemination of research based evidence in changing specific policy contexts and to provide an overview of the development of evidence-based policy-making.
After reviewing the state-of-the-art in evidence based policy development in both a British and European perspective; the module will focus upon specific research-based case studies in the areas of Housing, Regeneration, Local and Regional Government and Management, Sustainable development, Spatial Planning taken from research programmes currently on going in the Department of City and Regional Planning and across the Research and Graduate School.
Students are required to submit an essay-style coursework assignment of no more than 3000 words.
SIT103 Strategies of Applied Research
This module explores the principles and practice of undertaking ‘applied’ research in a range of educational and welfare settings. It explores the interconnection between theory and practice, the relationship between the researcher and the researched and the ethical and practical dilemmas of working in complex institutional settings. The module will cover:
• Research strategies in context (eg action research, experimentation, surveys)
• Interventions and impact
• Evaluating outcomes (determining outcome indicators, testing etc)
• Issues of generalisability
• Working with practitioners in context
• Research involving children and young people
• Dissemination and communication with expert, practice and lay audiences
Students are required to submit an essay-style coursework assignment of no more than 3000 words.
SIT 097 Contemporary Social Theory: II
This module explores the classic questions of sociological theory in terms of contemporary social thinkers and the leading theorists of the last 40 years. The module will provide students with a broad and solid foundation in contemporary theoretical ideas enabling them to map the connections, the disconnections, and the lineage of the key perspectives and thinkers in the social science tradition. By critically engaging with this field of thought, students should be able to apply the various theoretical principles they encounter to a range of different social settings, problems and social scientific research topics.
Students are required to submit an essay-style coursework assignment of no more than 3000 words.
SIT795 Mainstreaming Gender Equality
The aim of this module is to familiarise students with the concept of gender mainstreaming, both theoretically and in terms of policy and practice. It introduces tools and skills necessary to mainstream gender equality in a range of settings, and in both employment and service delivery
Students are required to submit an essay-style coursework assignment of no more than 3000 words.
SIT796 Inclusive Governance
Democracy has many competing definitions, but at the core of its meaning is a system of rule in which the citizenry is the ultimate sovereign. Policies and practices adopted and implemented by governmental authorities ought to be responsive to the preferences of the citizenry. This module is concerned with issues of equality and diversity and it focuses on measures designed to address the enduring ‘democratic deficit’ in respect of marginalised social groups. Students are provided with a comprehensive programme of study that explores and evaluates contemporary initiatives to promote ‘inclusive governance’ in a way that enables models of best practice to be identified.
Students are required to submit an essay-style coursework assignment of no more than 3000 words.
SIT799 Community, Sustainable Health and Well-being
The module will introduce an innovative range of state-of-the-art perspectives bringing together empirical research grounded in social processes with a distinctive concern with the contemporary world of inter-connected public policy and partnership working. It thus aims to equip students with a broad, research-based, critical understanding of key aspects of the structured patterning of health, relationships between social capital and health, and relationships between the economic and material environment, public services and positive community well-being.
Students are required to submit an essay-style coursework assignment of no more than 3000 words.
The aim of this module is to examine critically contemporary debates about the ‘knowledge economy’ in the context of the globalisation of economic activities, state institutions and cultural forms. This involves a systematic analysis of the relevant academic literatures, exploring the relationships between theoretical and conceptual approaches and empirical evidence about contemporary economic formations. There is also an opportunity to scrutinise the applications of ideas about the ‘knowledge economy’ in policies for education, skills and economic development.
Students are required to submit an essay-style coursework assignment of no more than 3000 words.
SIT793 Labour and Capital in the Current Political Economy
The aim of the module is to develop an understanding of the organisation of employment and work in different places, different capitalist societies and different industries. It examines similarities and considers the extent to which contemporary processes of ”globalisation” are making places more the same or exacerbating difference.
Students can also refer to the weekend timetable.
RGS Office
Tel: +44 29208 75178 E-mail: rgs@cf.ac.uk