For ESRC DTC enquiries please contact:
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre t: +44 (0)115 748 4507 e:
[email protected] w: www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Economic and Social Research Council Doctoral Training Centre Module guide www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Contents
Welcome to the Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre
3 Welcome 4 Modules 6 Core provision 11 Methods in Social Science Research Advanced Training 27 Other specialist modules 36 Contacting us
Welcome to the Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre’s module guide.
Cover image: Postgraduate students studying in the Graduate Centre, Highfield House, University Park.
This guide has been designed to provide you with detailed information about the modules we offer. Doctoral Training Centres (DTCs) are centres of excellence, providing ESRC-funded postgraduate training that places particular emphasis on interdisciplinary working and on developing transferable as well as academic skills.
The Nottingham DTC therefore plays a key role in a national network of prestigious Centres responsible for training and developing the next generation of social scientists. The modules delivered each year may be subject to change depending on availability.
Students relaxing in Raleigh park accommodation facilities. 2
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Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Modules Core provision
• Foundations in Qualitative Methods (M14152) • Fundamentals of Quantitative Analysis (M14153) • Philosophy of Research/Social Science (M14150) • Research Design, Practice and Ethics (M14151)
Methods in Social Science Research Advanced Training Modules
This consists of a suite of 10 credit Advanced Training options listed below. Students required to study Methods in Social Science Research should choose one, two or three options depending on whether they require 10, 20 or 30 credits. These modules are also available individually to other students. • Analysing Verbal and Visual Interaction (L34098) • Archival Methods (L84155) • Children and Research (M34175) • Corpus Linguistics (Q34724) • Doing Ethnography (L34095, L34115) • Evaluating Interventions, Services and Policy (B74EIS) • Individual and Group Interviews (L34100, L34114, L34116) • Intermediate Quantitative Analysis (M14160) • Measurement Models (M14201) • Mixed Methods in Health Research (B74MMR) • Principles and Processes of Systematic Review (B74CSR) • Researching Media, Culture and Society (L34097) • Researching Public Policy and Management (L34111) • Social Epidemiology: theories and methods for understanding the social determinants of health (B74SET) • Structural Equation Modelling (M14205)
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Other specialist modules
• Advanced Topics in Science Technology and Society (L34104) • Contemporary Issues and Debates in Social Work (L34093) • Geographical Research Methods (F84262) • Innovation and Society (L34113) • Investigating Social Policy (L34103) • Researching the Social: Contemporary Debates in Sociology (L34091) • Science, Technology and Society (L34105) • Space and Social Theory (L84165)
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Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Core provision
Foundations in Qualitative Methods (M14152) Credits
10
Level
4
Module convenor
Dr Alison Edgley
Semester offered
Spring
Assessment
3,000 word assignment; group poster
Pre-requisites
None
Delivery
Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration
Summary
This module provides a conceptual overview of the various approaches and debates associated with theory and practice of qualitative research. It examines a range of contrasting perspectives on the design of research including problem identification, selection and sampling, and analysis. Research ethics, and the role of the researcher in generating qualitative data, are key themes which run through the module. Specific consideration is given to the ways in which qualitative and quantitative approaches may be seen as complementary, and the use of mixed methods.
Aims
Student studying in Highfield House, University Park. 6
The primary aim of this module is to give students the necessary theoretical underpinnings to plan, conduct and evaluate qualitative research. Within this the module aims: • to provide students with critical insight into the possibilities and applications of qualitative research and the role that it occupies within the wider range of research methods • to map debates on the relationship between qualitative and quantitative methods • to develop an awareness of key aspects, concepts and forms of qualitative data • to identify and examine ethical issues, in particular researcher-subject roles and relationships
Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • Ability to formulate researchable questions • Ability to appreciate the range of alternative qualitative approaches to research • Ability to critically assess research papers and reports • Presentation of reasoned, analytic, coherent arguments Professional and practical skills • Ability to define an formulate research issues and questions • Confidence and competence in designing, conducting and reporting research • Bibliographic skills including the ability to identify and use key resources • Ability to converse with researchers from social science disciplines other than one’s own and to understand where key similarities and differences may arise Transferable skills • Greater confidence and the aptitudes necessary for independent study and research • Self, time and project management skills • Groupwork skills • Communication and presentation skills • Critical, applied and reflective thinking
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Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Fundamentals of Quantitative Analysis (M14153)
Philosophy of Research/Social Science (M14150)
Credits
10
Credits
10
Level
4
Level
4
Module convenor
Professor Patrick Callaghan
Module convenor
Professor John Holmwood
Semester offered
Autumn
Semester offered
Autumn
Assessment
2 hour exam; 1,500 word essay (currently under review)
Assessment
3,000 word assignment
Introductory level of research methods as specified by the DTC, obtained from previous education or through ‘catch up’ provision or equivalent to be determined by the Module Leader
Pre-requisites
None
Pre-requisites
Delivery
Lectures - 1 per week, 2 hours duration Tutorials - 1 per week, 2 hours duration
Delivery
Lectures - 1 per week, 2 hours duration Computing - 1 per week, 2 hours duration
Summary
The objective of this module is to further students’ familiarity with the practice of quantitative data analysis in the social sciences at an intermediate level. The lecture component of the module will explore a variety of the most commonly used statistical methods; in the laboratory component, students will learn to apply these techniques to the analysis of social science data. Through assignments, students will have the opportunity to develop and test their own hypotheses and explanations on major research data sets. The module should provide a sound grasp of the possibilities, methods, and dangers inherent in quantitative social science research.
Aims
The module aims to give students: • An understanding of statistical methods using topics and datasets from political science, sociplogy, health studies and criminology • A familiarity with STATA statistical software and data management
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Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • The ability to determine the appropriate techniques to be used for different types of data, and the understanding necessary to produce and interpret research in social science using intermediate level quantitative statistical analyses • Understanding of how experiments work and ability to distinguish between experimental and observational data Professional and practical skills • Conceptualise testable hypotheses and empirically test them using intermediate level statistical analysis • Writing reports based on the results of such analysis Transferable skills • Produce and critically read and evaluate research and other reports based on the use and presentation of data
Summary
Learning outcomes
This module will introduce students to the philosophy of social science, and the ways in which this is interconnected with the politics and practice of social research. Along the way we will be asking questions such as ‘What standards must explanations in social science meet?’ and ‘What is the relationship between the values of a social scientist and the research they conduct?’ Different research methods entail particular ideas of social reality and how we should conduct our studies. This has important implications both for how we approach our own research and how we evaluate the work of others.
Intellectual skills • Ability to formulate researchable problems • Ability to appreciate the range of alternative approaches to research • Ability to develop reasonable and coherent arguments
The weekly sessions will be organised in terms of a preliminary presentation of the issues, followed by small-group discussions, oriented around a particular reading. Students are encouraged to reflect on issues associated with their own research projects.
Transferable skills • A critical, applied, problem solving and analytical approach • Communication skills: writing and discussion • Ethical skills
Professional and practical skills • Ability to define and formulate research problems and questions. • Bibliographic skills including the ability to identify key resources (eg. library, internet) and how to use them
Aims
Through guided reading and discussion, to enable students to analyse the epistemological and ontological issues that arise from different social and educational theories and their impact on social research methodologies, and how they relate to the validity of explanations or descriptions. 9
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Research Design, Practice and Ethics (M14151)
Methods in Social Science Research
Credits
10
Level
4
Module convenor
TBC
Semester offered
Autumn
Assessment
2,000 word assignment
Pre-requisites
None
Delivery
Lectures - 1 per week, 2 hours duration
Summary
This module focuses on the analytical, practical and ethical organisation of social science research. The analytical organisation is often referred to as ‘research design’ and constitutes the bulk of the content of this module. Research design consists of choices necessary to transform a research question into actual research. These choices relate to strategies and modes of case selection, observation methods, data collection and modes of analysis, and these choices pertain equally to so-called ‘qualitative’, ‘quantitative’ and ‘mixed methods’ studies. Every research question can be elaborated in different ways, none of which will be ideal in all respects as the various choices involve trade-offs. Each design has its own implications in terms of costs and benefits, and in terms of potential threats to the validity of eventual conclusions. The module discusses these implications and how to handle the resulting choice problems in actual practice.
Aims
The aim of this module is to familiarise students with diagnosing and evaluating elements of research design in existing research, familiarising them with trade-offs involved in these choices, and enabling them to make conscious design choices for their own research. Additionally, the module aims to imbue students with sufficient insight to organise practical and ethical aspects of their research. 10
Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • Analyse published research in terms of design choices and assess the implications thereof for its validity • Recognise alternative designs for elaborating a research question and evaluate their analytical, practical and ethical implications Professional and practical skills • Elaborate a research design • Evaluate alternative designs and identify potential problems/weaknesses of different designs applying this knowledge to a particular case • Oversee issues of practical research organisation and ethical approval, with regard to time and monetary budget constraints • Explain these ideas so that they can be clearly understood by others Transferable skills • Demonstrate innovation and creativity in solving research design problems • Understand the need for professional and ethical responsibility • Show flexibility and a willingness to improvise with regard to the completion of a task • Have a sound grasp of the empirical principles underpinning strategies and modes of case selection, observation methods, data collection and modes of analysis
Working in the Graduate Centre, Highfield House, University Park. 11
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Analysing Verbal and Visual Interaction (L34098)
Archival Methods (L84155)
Credits
10
Credits
10
Level
4
Level
4
Module convenor
Professor Alison Pilnick
Module convenor
Dr Lucy Veale
Semester offered
Spring
Semester offered
Intensive block
Assessment
2,000 word micro-project
Assessment
6 page essay
Pre-requisites
M14152 Foundations in Qualitative Methods or equivalent to be determined by the convenor
Pre-requisites
M14152 Foundations in Qualitative Methods or equivalent to be determined by the convenor
Delivery
Workshop style seminars
Delivery
Intensive block – two full days
Summary
This module is open to participants from other UK universities. This module covers three distinct but related methodological approaches to studying verbal and visual interaction, highlighting both similarities and differences between them. We will firstly introduce the concept and principles of discourse analysis and the practices that it involves. We will then focus on conversation analysis, and explore the differences between this approach and discourse analysis. Finally, we will consider ethnomethodologically informed video analysis. We will conclude with an examination of the strengths and limitations of using video data, and the ways in which it can be presented in written work. This is a hands-on module. Throughout the two days we will experience what work using these different approaches involves and discuss the practical, ethical and theoretical issues that are raised by our activities.
Aims
The primary aim of this module is to give students practical experience in using three approaches to the study of verbal and visual interaction: discourse analysis, conversation 12
analysis, and ethnomethodologically-informed video analysis. Students will develop, through practical experience, a greater understanding of, and competence in, the design, conduct and management of qualitative research using these three approaches.
Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • Ability to formulate researchable problems • Ability to appreciate the range of alternative approaches to research • Ability to critically assess research reports • Ability to develop reasonable and coherent arguments Professional and practical skills • Ability to define and formulate research problems and questions • Capabilities for managing, conducting and disseminating research • Skills in working in a team to achieve an objective Transferable skills • Skills in project initiation, management and development • A critical, applied, problem solving and analytical approach • Formal and informal communication skills: in writing, discussion and presentation
Summary
Learning outcomes
This module will introduce students to the archive, paying particular attention to archival work in geography. It will offer both an introduction to archive theory and a practical insight into working with a variety of archival collections. Individual sessions will include contributions from scholars with experience in working with a diverse range of different archives, from national and international institutions to small private collections. The taught component will include a field visit to an archive and will draw on expertise from archivists working with and caring for a range of collections and end-users. There will also be an opportunity for students to share personal experiences of working with archival methods and to develop their own skills in using the archive through practical exercises.
Intellectual skills • Ability to critically assess research reports • Ability to develop reasonable and coherent arguments • Ability to critically evaluate a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to archival documents • Show a capacity to apply a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to archival documents
Aims
Transferable skills • Ablility to use a critical, applied, problemsolving and analytical approach • Formal and informal communication skills in writing and discussion • Skills in critical self-awareness • Ability to evaluate own performance and to assess the skills that have been or could be acquired
• To problematise the meaning and status of the archive and its contents • To understand the ways in which archival documents might be used in sociological research • To acquire knowledge of the appropriate theoretical and methodological tools to critically analyse a range of archival documents • To understand different approaches to interpreting a range of documents in the archival context
Professional and practical skills • Ability to define and formulate research problems and questions • Ability to manage personal development • Bibliographic skills including the ability to identify key resources
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Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Children and Research (M34175)
Corpus Linguistics (Q34724)
Credits
10
Credits
10
Level
4
Level
4
Module convenor
Professor Aoife Nolan
Module convenor
TBC
Semester offered
Intensive block
Semester offered
Intensive block
Assessment
2,000 word essay
Assessment
2,000 word assignment
Pre-requisites
M14152 Foundations in Qualitative Methods or equivalent to be determined by the convenor
Pre-requisites
M14151 Research Design, Practice and Ethics, or M14150 Philosophy of Research/Social Science, or equivalent as judged by the convenor
Delivery
Intensive block – two full days
Delivery
Intensive block – two full days
Summary
This module considers a number of issues in relation to children and research. Students will develop, through a range of learning methods, an advanced appreciation of different research methodologies with children, ethical considerations for research with children, and the role that children’s rights should play in terms of the design and implementation of research with children. Students will experience a range of learning methods including workshops, multimedia and group work. This module is offered as a two day workshop with additional guided reading.
Aims
The aim of this module is to equip students with a critical understanding of the issues and complexities in relation to children and research. Students will develop their ability to critically appraise the relative strengths and limitations of various research approaches and use this knowledge to develop their own research strategy with children and young people.
Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • Ability to adopt a reflective self-critical approach to research with children and young people
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• Ability to appreciate the range of alternative approaches to research and research ethics in the context of work with children and young people • Ability to critically assess research methodologies • Ability to develop theoretically informed justifications for adopted research designs • Ability to identify and address the logistical issues that may be faced when carrying out research-related activity with children and young people in different contexts Professional and practical skills • Ability to engage with multifaceted research problems and questions • Develop capabilities for managing, conducting, evaluating and disseminating research • Application of knowledge to own research context findings clearly
Summary
Corpus linguistics provides methods for the study of collections of electronic texts (written texts, including literary texts, material from the internet, transcripts of spoken language, etc). This module will explore fundamental methods in corpus linguistics, introduce basic concepts and give students the opportunity to complete hands-on tasks in the computer lab using corpus software such as WordSmith Tools. This module is offered as a two-day workshop with additional guided reading and work.
Aims
This module aims to provide students with an understanding of some fundamental concepts and methods in corpus linguistics and the ability to use corpus software to conduct their analyses.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding • Students will be aware of fundamental methods in corpus linguistics • Students will be able to understand some key terminology and concepts in corpus linguistics Intellectual skills • Students will be able to carry out analyses of data using appropriate corpus tools and software Transferable skills • Students will be able to develop skills in problem-solving • Students will be able to apply different approaches as required • Students will be able to communicate ideas and findings clearly
Transferable skills • A critical, applied, problem solving and analytical approach to research design • Formal and informal communication skills • Fostering a flexible approach to own research
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Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Doing Ethnography (L34095, L34115)
Evaluating Interventions, Services and Policy (B74EIS)
Credits
10
Credits
10
Level
4
Level
4
Module convenor
Dr Esther Bott and Dr Stephen Timmons
Module convenor
Ms Stacy Johnson
Semester offered
Intensive block
Semester offered
Spring
Assessment
2,000 word essay
Assessment
3,000 word assignment
Pre-requisites
M14152 Foundations in Qualitative Methods or equivalent to be determined by the convenor
Pre-requisites
To be advised by module convenor
Delivery
Intensive block – two full days
Delivery
Online with flexible, optional group and one-to-one tutorials that can be attended face-to-face, by phone or by Skype
Summary
This module is open to participants from other UK universities. This module considers in detail ‘ethnography’ as a qualitative research method. It explores the underlying principles and practices of the approach, which, broadly speaking, involves studying people ‘at first hand’, in detail, usually at length and in the context in which they live, work, play etc. It will consider the contested terrain of defining what constitutes ethnographic research and how it has been conceptualised and theorised, paying particular attention to researcher subjectivity and how this impacts ‘hands-on’ research. Data-collection methods including interviewing, participant observation, text collection and photography will be explored in great detail, and students will be required to design a study with the above considerations in mind.
Aims
The primary aim of this module is to give students knowledge of the practical and theoretical underpinnings of the ethnographic method. Students will develop, through lectures and practical experience, a greater understanding of, and competence in, the design, conduct and 16
management of qualitative research using the wide range of approaches that ethnographies encompass. This practical experience will build on the theoretical underpinnings gained on the Foundations of Qualitative Research Module.
Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • Ability to formulate researchable problems • Ability to appreciate the range of alternative approaches to research • Ability to critically assess research reports • Ability to develop reasonable and coherent arguments Professional and practical skills • Ability to define and formulate research problems and questions • Capabilities for managing, conducting and disseminating research • Skills in working in a team to achieve an objective Transferable skills • Skills in project initiation, management and development • A critical, applied, problem solving and analytical approach
Summary
This module will introduce students to the main approaches and methods available for the evaluation of health and social care policy and practice. The module will prepare students to assess the effectiveness of the interventions they implement, the programmes and services they deliver and the policies they plan or seek to enact using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Students will be taught frameworks to support their decision-making concerning the appropriate criteria by which to measure effectiveness in different situations. Students will be able to distinguish between interventions, services and policies that aim for the achievement of goals, and outcomes and interventions that are goal free. Students will therefore be equipped to evaluate structures, processes and outcomes and - more importantly - be able to identify where best to evaluate structures, processes or outcomes.
Aims
• Explore with students the political and organisational context in which they practice and the implications of this on the demand for and scope of evaluation research • Prepare students to critically review published evaluation research and unpublished evaluation reports that they come across
• Enable students to select the most appropriate theoretical perspective for the evaluation of interventions, services and policies • Encourage students to identify and value the most appropriate outcomes to establish the effectiveness and impact of a specific intervention, service or policy • Equip students with the skills to rigorously evaluate their individual practice and the services and policies they implement
Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • Critically reflect on previous experiential learning in a systematic and structured fashion • Identify systematically, evaluate and critically appraise research and other forms of evidence informing advanced professional practice • Synthesise knowledge gained through experiential learning and scholarly activities to evaluate own and others’ practice • Make autonomous clinical and/or managerial decisions, based on the evaluation of appropriate research and clinical evidence Professional and practical skills • Develop an evaluation strategy that will contribute towards identifying and promoting effective health and social care • Take a lead role in practice improvement projects and processes 17
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Individual and Group Interviews (L34100, L34114, L34116)
Intermediate Quantitative Analysis (M14160)
Credits
10
Credits
10
Level
4
Level
4
Module convenor
Dr Alison Edgley, Dr Claire Diver, Dr Amanda Crompton and Professor Laurie Cohen
Module convenor
Dr Anja Neundorf
Semester offered
Intensive block
Semester offered
Intensive block
Assessment
2,000 word assignment; 500 word reflection
Assessment
2,000 word report
Pre-requisites
Pre-requisites
Candidates are required to have studied the theoretical underpinnings of Qualitative Methods at masters level
M14153 Fundamentals of Quantitative Analysis or equivalent to be determined by convenor
Delivery
Intensive block – two full days
Delivery
Intensive block – two full days
Summary
This module is open to participants from other UK universities. This block will involve practically-oriented sessions to explore a variety of individual and group interview approaches. This will include focus groups as well as structured, semi-structured, and more open-ended styles of interviewing. It will also consider the use of stimulus material, vignettes, and critical incidents as possible ways of structuring interview interactions. Sessions will include practical demonstrations of interviewing, and will involve the analysis of interview transcripts, along with published research papers, which use different analytical approaches. Among a range of issues that will be considered, it will discuss some of the ethical issues that can arise when this type of fieldwork is being conducted, and there will be plenty of opportunity for group members to draw upon their own research experiences within this and other discussions. This is a hands-on module.
Aims
The primary aim of this module is to give students practical, hand-on experience in using different qualitative approaches to the individual and group interviews, and think through some of the 18
methodological and epistemological issues that it gives rise to. Students will develop, through practical experience, a greater understanding of, and competence in, the design, conduct and analysis of qualitative interviews.
Learning outcomes
• U nderstood and undertaken different approaches to qualitative interviews • Developed a greater understanding of qualitative research design, methods and issues • Developed competence in conducting qualitative research at all stages: question formation, selection and adaptation of methods, research planning and management, gaining access, gathering data in the field, recording, managing and analysing data, reporting and presenting research • Have considered and made decisions concerning issues generic to qualitative research, as a result of practical experience of research • Greater confidence and the aptitudes necessary for independent study and research • Self, time and project management skills • Groupwork skills • Communication and presentation skills • Critical, applied and reflective thinking • Awareness of ethical and legal issues
Summary
This is a two-day course that will introduce students to specific issues of quantitative data analysis relevant to cross-sectional survey data. The lecture component of the module will explore the most common issues that arise when examining categorical survey data. This includes different forms of choice models such as binary logit models, ordinal logit models, as well as multinomial logit models. As part of the statistical theory, we will also cover maximum likelihood estimation. Categorical dependent variables are extremely common in survey research and, consequently, models for analysing these variables are now standard research tools. By the end of this two-day course, students will be able to read articles that employ such logit models. In addition, they will be able to use these models in their own research. You can only learn statistics by doing statistics. This is why this module includes a laboratory component, where you will learn to apply these techniques to the analysis of discipline specific data. The practical skills include hands-on analysis of categorical data in STATA, as well as extensive training in the interpretation of logit results. Using a range of the most popular survey data sets including the British Election Study and the European Social Survey.
Aims
This module aims to give students an understanding of the issues a researcher confronts when using cross-sectional survey data and the types of statistical analysis that can be usefully applied, using different types of crosssectional survey datasets from the empirical social science literature; and a familiarity with STATA statistical software and data management.
Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • The ability to determine the appropriate techniques to address the issues confronted when using cross-sectional survey data, and the ability to incorporate a range of survey data in their research projects Professional and practical skills • To empirically test hypotheses with the statistical analysis of cross-sectional survey data Transferable skills • Produce and critically read and evaluate research that is based on the presentation and use of cross-sectional survey data
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Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Measurement Models (M14201)
Mixed Methods in Health Research (B74MMR)
Credits
10
Credits
10
Level
4
Level
4
Module convenor
Professor Cees van der Eijk
Module convenor
Dr Denis Walsh and Dr Jo Cooper
Semester offered
Intensive block
Semester offered
Intensive block
Assessment
3,000 word essay
Assessment
2,000 word assignment; 500 word reflection
Pre-requisites
Foundations of Quantitative Analysis, or equivalent to be approved by the convenor
Pre-requisites
M14152 Foundations in Qualitative Research or equivalent to be determined by convenor
Delivery
Two full days of instruction which contain both lecture-like elements and hands-on practical training
Delivery
Two day workshop
Summary
This module is open to participants from other UK universities. This module focuses on the use of methods commonly used to assess whether a set of observed variables can be assumed to measure the same underlying phenomenon. If so, the information from the separate variables can be combined into a composite measure, which yields important benefits for conceptualisation and further analysis. Common instances in which these questions arise can be found in education and psychology; in survey research in sociology, political science and economics; and in macro-economics and social-indicator research. The module focuses in particular on two broad approaches that are very frequently used in the social and behavioural sciences: factor analysis and item-response scaling. Some kinds of measurement modelling are strongly linked to the tradition of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), which is the topic of a separate DTC module. Although there is no requirement to do so, there is therefore a distinct benefit in taking both modules M14201 and M14205. 20
Aims
• To familiarise students with theory of, methodological considerations concerning, and practical application of models for multiple item measurement
Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • Ability to recognise research problems in which latent variable modelling is advantageous • Integrate thinking in terms of latent variables in research design considerations • Ability to translate conceptual disagreements into testable models • Ability to critically scrutinise and evaluate published multiple item measurements and latent variable modelling Professional and practical skills • Ability to translate substantive theories in testable form • Experience to conduct and report factor analysis and item-response scaling
Summary
Learning outcomes
Mixed methods research will be explored by considering issues around conceptualising and designing mixed methods research to selecting methods, analysing and interpreting data and reporting findings. This module is offered as a two day workshop with additional guided reading and work.
Intellectual skills • Critically appraise mixed methods in health services research • Debate current issues in relation to mixed methods research n healthcare
The module is one of a number of modules offered as part of the University’s ESRC doctoral training centre. This module will explore the philosophical and practical foundations for using mixed methods in health research.
Aims
This module aims to enable students to develop an understanding of the philosophical foundations of and the practical issues arising from adopting a mixed methods approach to health research.
Knowledge and understanding • The philosophical underpinnings of mixed methods research • Key issues in the use of mixed methods research in healthcare settings • The current debates in relation to the use of mixed methods in healthcare research
Professional and practical skills • Plan and implement a mixed methods research design Transferable skills • Critically analyse their personal, professional and educational learning objectives and evaluate their own professional development; • Communicate and work effectively in groups
Transferable skills • Skills in analytical, practical and ethical elaboration of empirical research • A critical, applied, problem solving and analytical approach 21
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Principles and Processes of Systematic Review (B74CSR)
Researching Media, Culture and Society (L34097)
Credits
10
Credits
10
Level
4
Level
4
Module convenor
Professor Fiona Bath-Hextall
Module convenor
Professor Brigitte Nerlich
Semester offered
Spring
Semester offered
Intensive block
Assessment
3,500 word assignment
Assessment
2,000 word essay
Pre-requisites
To be advised by module convenor
Delivery
Lecture
Pre-requisites
M14152 Foundations in Qualitative Methods or equivalent to be determined by the convenor
Delivery
Intensive block – two full days
Summary
This module will promote an understanding of the process of conducting a comprehensive systematic review of evidence in order to inform the conduct of healthcare practice. The module will enable students to: • critically discuss the role of systematic review within the context of evidence translation, transfer, utilisation and generation and the evidence based healthcare movement • explore the use of systematic reviews to explore issues relating to the appropriateness, meaningfulness, feasibility, effectiveness and costs of healthcare interventions • frame an appropriate review question and develop a review protocol relevant to their own area of practice • develop approaches to design an appropriate search strategy • critically explore the processes of assessment of methodological quality, data extraction and data synthesis for a range of health related research • critically discuss the available frameworks for the systematic review of quantitative and qualitative research and the process of meta analysis and meta synthesis • critically discuss the use of a range of evidence, including narrative opinion and text in the process of systematic review 22
Aims
• To enable students to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to conduct a systematic review of a topic relevant to their own area of practice
Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • Critically reflect on previous experiential learning in a systematic and structured fashion • Identify systematically, evaluate and critically appraise research and other forms of evidence informing advanced professional practice in health and social care • Synthesise knowledge gained through experiential learning and scholarly activities to evaluate own and others’ practice • Make autonomous clinical and/or managerial decisions, based on the evaluation of appropriate research and clinical evidence Professional and practical skills • Identify reviewable questions from their own professional practice • Reflect critically on issues involved in the application and dissemination of research findings in practice • Examine the use of healthcare interventions and make recommendations based on systematic reviews of evidence relevant to practice
Summary
This module will explore a selection of key debates and issues in the Anglo-American media in order to introduce students to a range of theories about popular media and different approaches to studying a range of media genres. It problematises the role of the media in contemporary culture and society in three specific contexts: ‘Gender and Identity’; ‘Science and Society’ and ‘Culture and Citizenship’. Drawing on these contexts and case studies, it will equip students with appropriate theoretical and methodological tools to critically analyse a range of media texts and audienceship practices. Students will practice various research methods by experimenting with different methodological and analytical approaches.
Aims
• T o problematise the role of the media in contemporary culture and society, using the case studies • To understand different approaches to studying a range of media genres • To understand audienceship practices • To acquire knowledge of the appropriate theoretical and methodological tools to critically analyse a range of media texts • To understand the ways in which media representations are classed, racialised and
sexualised as well as gendered • To understand the ideological, professional, cultural and technological factors governing the practices of the mass media
Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • Ability to critically assess research reports • Ability to develop reasonable and coherent arguments • Ability to critically evaluate a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to media texts • Show a capacity to apply a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to media texts Professional and practical skills • Ability to define and formulate research problems and questions • Ability to manage personal development • Bibliographic skills including the ability to identify key resources Transferable skills • Ability to use a critical, applied, problem-solving and analytical approach • Formal and informal communication skills in writing and discussion • Skills in critical self-awareness • Ability to evaluate own performance and to assess the skills that have been or could be acquired 23
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Researching Public Policy and Management (L34111)
Social Epidemiology: theories and methods... (B74SET)
Credits
10
Credits
10
Level
4
Level
4
Module convenor
Dr Pauline Jas
Module convenor
Dr Helen Boardman
Semester offered
Intensive block
Semester offered
Intensive block
Assessment
2,000 word essay
Assessment
2,000 word essay
Pre-requisites
None
Delivery
Intensive block – two full days
Pre-requisites
M14153 Fundamentals of Quantitative Analysis or equivalent to be determined by convenor
Delivery
Intensive block – two full days
Summary
This module covers some of the main approaches to researching public policy and public management. The module will consider the role of theory in policy-related studies and then explore the pros and cons of the following designs/methods: comparative research (in particular cross-country research), researching networks and governance arrangements, use of performance indicators, elite interviewing and the evaluation of policies and cost-benefit analysis. The module will use case studies to illustrate the designs, methodologies and methods discussed.
Aims
The primary aim of this module is to give students an in-depth understanding of key approaches to researching public policy and management. Students will develop, through case studies, a greater understanding of, and competence in, the approaches used in policy analysis.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding • Principles of research design and strategy • The kinds of data that are needed to address specific research questions within the disciplines • The ethical and political concerns that are implicit in a range of methodological approaches 24
Intellectual skills • Ability to formulate researchable problems • Ability to appreciate the range of alternative approaches to research • Ability to critically assess research reports, • Ability to develop reasonable and coherent arguments Professional and practical skills • Ability to define and formulate research problems and questions • Capabilities for managing, conducting and disseminating research • Skills in working in a team to achieve an objective Transferable skills • Skills in project initiation, management and development • A critical, applied, problem solving and analytical approach • Formal and informal communication skills: in writing, discussion and presentation
Summary
This module covers the methods and measurements used in social epidemiology. The basic epidemiological measurements will be introduced alongside the methods of measuring these through the various study types. The strengths and weaknesses of each study type will be considered. We will also consider the concept of causation and the controversies in its measurement. This module will consider how social class and deprivation are measured in the UK and the advantages and disadvantages of these measures. We will discuss some of the available data sources and their limitations. Finally we will cover methods of statistical analysis.
Aims
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding • Principles of social epidemiology • Epidemiological measurements and study types • Some concepts and controversies in social epidemiology Intellectual skills • Ability to formulate researchable problems • Ability to appreciate the range of alternative approaches to research • Ability to critically assess research reports • Ability to develop reasonable and coherent arguments Transferable skills • A critical, applied, problem solving and analytical approach • Formal and informal communication
The primary aim of this module is to introduce students to the concepts and methods in social epidemiology. Students will develop a greater understanding of how we can use social epidemiology to investigate populations.
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Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Structural Equation Modelling (M14205)
Other specialist modules
Credits
10
Level
4
Module convenor
Professor Cees van der Eijk
Semester offered
Intensive block
Assessment
3,000 word essay
Pre-requisites
Foundations of Quantitative Analysis, or equivalent to be approved by the convenor
Delivery
Two full days of instruction which will contain both lecture-like elements and hands-on practical training
Summary
This module is open to participants from other UK universities. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) is a form of multivariate analysis, just like, for example, regression analysis is. The main difference is that in a regression model variables are either independent, or dependent. In a SEM model variables can also be mediating: they are dependent with respect to some other variables, yet independent for yet other ones. Obviously, this comes much closer than a regression model to represent many of our substantive theories that propose networks of causal relationships between variables, and chains of causation. The module covers the methodological background of SEM, practical considerations in actual applications, empirical examples from different disciplines, and hands-on training (using AMOS). The measurement elements of structural equation modelling (ie. confirmatory factor analysis, or CFA) will be discussed, but much of this is addressed in more detail in a different DTC module. Although there is no requirement to do so, there is therefore a distinct benefit in taking both modules (M14201 and M14205). 26
Aims
The aim of this module is to familiarise students with theory of, methodological considerations concerning, and practical application of SEM.
Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • Ability to diagnose research problems in terms of relevance of SEM • Ability to translate substantive theories into testable models • Ability to critically scrutinise and evaluate published SEMs Professional and practical skills • Ability to translate substantive theories in testable form • Experience to conduct and report SEM Transferable skills • Skills in analytical, practical and ethical elaboration of empirical research • A critical, applied, problem solving and analytical approach • Demonstrated capacity to diagnose and evaluate empirical research Students relaxing and studying on the Downs, University Park. 27
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Advanced Topics in Science Technology and Society (L34104)
Contemporary Issues and Debates in Social Work (L34093)
Credits
10
Credits
20
Level
4
Level
4
Module convenor
Professor Reiner Grundmann
Module convenor
Professor Harry Ferguson
Semester offered
Spring
Semester offered
Spring
Assessment
2,000 word essay
Assessment
5,000 word essay
Pre-requisites
L34113 Innovation and Society or equivalent to be determined by the convenor
Pre-requisites
Students wishing to do this module need to contact the module convenor to ensure they have enough prior knowledge of the subject area
Delivery
Lecture
Delivery
Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration
Summary
This module will provide advanced specialist training in science and technology studies that builds on introductory modules. In particular, it will provide a historical and conceptual overview to Science and Technology Studies, including different positions, paradigms, approaches, and trends, and will cover key advanced concepts and methods at the cutting edge of the field, including: • Research methods in Science and Technology Studies: an overview and some examples • Social Constructivism and technological determinism • Actor network theory • Civic epistemologies and co-production of science and social order • Forms of expertise and democracy • Scientific citizenship, critical public engagement and constitution of publics
Aims
This module aims to provide students with an indepth knowledge of key concepts and methods used at the contemporary research frontier of STS and how these can be applied by students to a range of research topics and problems. In particular, it will explore how STS places an emphasis on heterogeneity and blurs the 28
boundaries between traditional dichotomies such as the social/ technical, human/ non-human.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding • Acquiring a critical and reflexive understanding of contemporary debates in STS and how they can be applied practically to a range of research topics • Key concepts and theories that explore the dynamic relationship between science, technology and society Intellectual skills • Having the ability to apply advanced STS concepts and methods to a range of research questions Professional and practical skills • Having the ability to define and formulate research problems and questions using advanced concepts and methodologies Transferable skills • Being able to use a critical, applied, problem solving and analytical approaches • Formal and informal communication skills in writing and discussion, and skills in critical self-awareness: an ability to evaluate own performance and to assess the skills that have been or could be acquired
Summary
This module examines the nature of contemporary debates and issues in social work by focusing on the nature of knowledge in social work and some of the main social theories which conceptualise social work and its relationship to the state, society and the individual. Students will be enabled to understand how different theoretical approaches provide different ways of thinking about the nature of social work in advanced modern societies and their implications for social work practice. The theories and debates covered will include the role of research in social work and evidence-based practice; reflexivity; structure/ agency, power and inequalities; risk and the bureaucratisation of social work; psychoanalysis and the place of the emotions.
Aims
The module enables students to understand the key debates in theory and practice and how different theoretical perspectives seek to explain and define what social work is and to develop knowledge and understanding of the role of research in social work. This will involve examining competing theoretical and ideological perspectives on the self, the individual and social action.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding • An understanding of the role of social work in society and people’s lives, including how research informs relevant policy and practice • An understanding of the strengths and limitations of these different theoretical frameworks • Understand how structural and individual issues impinge on and influence social work roles, functions and encounters Intellectual skills • The ability to understand and apply different theoretical perspectives to social work • The capacity to analyse and evaluate research evidence regarding the impact of social work interventions Transferable skills • Independent study skills • Bibliographic skills • Critical reading and writing skills
29
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Geographical Research Methods (F84262)
Innovation and Society (L34113)
Credits
20
Credits
20
Level
4
Level
4
Module convenor
Dr Susanne Seymour
Module convenor
Professor Brigitte Nerlich
Semester offered
Full year
Semester offered
Autumn
Assessment
8 page project; 10 page group project; 5 page project
Assessment
5,000 word essay
Pre-requisites
All students new (or relatively new) to quantitative techniques must go through some online resources before starting the module
Pre-requisites
Students wishing to do this module need to contact the module convenor to ensure they have enough prior knowledge of the subject area
Delivery
Lecture and practicals
Delivery
Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration
Summary
This module provides students with an in-depth understanding of quantitative and qualitative techniques and their application within the social and environmental sciences, including the generation of data by quantitative and qualitative research techniques, the statistical analysis of information and the processing of information using geographical information systems technologies. The module provides students with the skills and competence needed to select, apply and critically evaluate appropriate techniques to specific research questions or hypotheses. The module is split into three major sections: 1. Quantitative Methods: This section gives students a grounding in the handling and presentation of quantitative data, parametric and non-parametric statistical techniques and the use of spreadsheets and statistical packages. 2. Social Research Methods: Students study the philosophical and analytical issues that lie behind designing social research methods. A range of social research methods is considered in terms of their approach, design, implementation and analysis. 3. GIS: Students receive a grounding in the technologies of GIS. This covers the design 30
and operation of these systems and how they are used as decision support tools. The material also covers the concept of modelling and evaluating model outputs.
Aims
• An understanding of issues and techniques surrounding the handling of quantitative and qualitative data in the social and environmental sciences • Practical experience of key quantitative and qualitative techniques in geography
Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • Synthesise quantitative and qualitative information and recognise relevance • Develop a sustained and reasoned argument based on quantitative and qualitative data • Evaluate and articulate weaknesses in the arguments of others based on quantitative and qualitative data Professional and practical skills • Evaluate the relationship of techniques and approaches involved in collecting information in the field of geography • Evaluate the diversity of specialised techniques and approaches involved in analysing geographical information
Summary
This module deals with social, ethical, regulatory and cultural questions that emerge from key processes and products of social and technological innovation within business, governments and civil society. The focus will be in particular on issues related to new and emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, synthetic biology, information and digital technologies. The module will scrutinise the development of these innovative technologies in the context of society, language, media and culture. It will ask how innovations and societies mutually shape each other, how innovations impact our understanding of self and society and how they influence how we thinks about rights and responsibilities.
Aims
Through a review of key processes and products of social and technological innovation students will gain an understanding of both the social, ethical, legal and political issues raised in these developing fields and of the range of conceptual approaches used to examine the social shaping of science and technology and the scientific and technological shaping of society.
Students will gain insights into the social, regulatory and communication issues involved in debates about the potential opportunities and challenges of emerging technologies; uncertainty and risk; ownership and control; identity, privacy and surveillance; social and cultural impacts and so on.
Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • An awareness of the need to consider the significance of underlying assumptions in the framing of scientific and technical claims from multiple sources • The ability to develop coherent arguments that engage with the relevant literature in order to understand the social, institutional, cultural and political significance of technologies • Having the ability to critically assess research reports ability to develop reasonable and coherent arguments Professional and practical skills • Having the ability to define and formulate research problems and questions ability to manage personal development bibliographic skills including the ability to identify key resources
31
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Investigating Social Policy (L34103)
Researching the Social: Contemporary Debates in Sociology (L34091)
Credits
20
Credits
20
Level
4
Level
4
Module convenor
Dr Tony Fitzpatrick
Module convenor
Professor Tracey Warren
Semester offered
Autumn
Semester offered
Autumn
Assessment
5,000 word essay
Assessment
5,000 word assignment
Pre-requisites
Students wishing to do this module need to contact the module convenor to ensure they have enough prior knowledge of the subject area
Pre-requisites
Students wishing to do this module need to contact the module convenor to ensure they have enough prior knowledge of the subject area
Delivery
Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration
Delivery
Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration
Summary
The module will examine the ‘flow’ of policy making from inception to implementation. The first part of the module will explore various theories of policy making at different levels and will take the form of a seminar with previous set readings. The module will be related to recent or current research undertaken by central or local government in the UK, or Europe, though examples may also come from other countries. Attempts will be made, where possible, to include evidence from recent or current research undertaken in the School of Sociology and Social Policy. The students will be provided with a guide to paper and web based materials giving details about the policy, the academic and policy analysis and commentary anticipating and following the policy, and research data, both qualitative and quantitative, generated in the field through attempts to evaluate the policy and its context. Each policy initiative will be chosen to highlight particular concepts and debates that are central to social and public policy analysis. Students will be expected to present materials and participate in seminar discussion on these topics, on the basis of organised prior reading and preparation, such that they come to understand the way in which evidence, argument and conceptual elaboration are used by academic and policy analysts to 32
identify the development, implementation and evaluation of social and public policy initiatives.
Aims
Through reading and examination of case studies to be able to identify the explanatory, empirical and conceptual means of understanding the context and content of policy initiatives, and to undertake a detailed case study of their choice.
Learning outcomes
• Undertaken research into policy initiatives together with other students in the seminar format • Undertaken an independent project focussed on a policy initiative of their choice • Developed their understanding of the variety of explanatory frameworks used in social policy analysis • Understood the variety and use of empirical data deployed to justify or analyse policy initiatives and their effects • Traced the use of different concepts in the elaboration and analysis of policy • Placed policy initiatives in their political, social and economic contexts • Made connections between the work undertaken in the module and their own and other research projects undertaken by research students and staff within the school
Summary
The module will require students to develop a critical and reflexive understanding of key substantive and theoretical debates in the field of contemporary sociology. Throughout the module, students will be encouraged to explore the relationship between theoretical development and substantive explanation. Students will also be required to develop a reflexive and critical understanding of how theoretical assumptions impinge both on social theory and sociological explanation. The substantive debates to be covered may vary from year to year in order to accommodate new developments in the field, while ensuring that a wide range of sociological theories are represented. However the following list provides a sample of possible candidates for inclusion: Social Inequality, Social Change, Modernity and Postmodernity, Social Power, Globalisation, Identity and Belonging, Capital.
Aims
Through a survey of contemporary debates in the field of sociology, students will develop an understanding of the relationship between theoretical development and sociological explanation, as well as the centrality of the theoretical assumptions that structure these debates.
Students will also have the opportunity to engage critically with some key contemporary debates and in the process clarify their own theoretical and substantive positions.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding • A critical and reflexive understanding of the research that is carried out within sociology • The theories that have shaped and continue to shape the discipline Intellectual skills • Ability to critically assess research reports • Ability to develop reasonable and coherent arguments Professional and practical skills • Ability to define and formulate research problems and questions • Ability to manage personal development • Bibliographic skills including the ability to identify key resources Transferable skills • A critical, applied, problem solving and analytical approach • Formal and informal communication skills in writing, discussion and presentation • Skills in critical self-awareness 33
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Science, Technology and Society (L34105)
Space and Social Theory (L84165)
Credits
20
Credits
10
Level
4
Level
4
Module convenor
Professor Reiner Grundmann
Module convenor
Professor Matthew Smallman-Raynor
Semester offered
Spring
Semester offered
Spring
Assessment
5,000 word essay
Assessment
6 page essay
Pre-requisites
Students wishing to do this module need to contact the module convenor to ensure they have enough prior knowledge of the subject area
Pre-requisites
None
Delivery
Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration
Delivery
Lectures - 1 per week, 2 hours duration
Summary
This module aims to provide an overview of major contemporary themes and approaches in science and technology studies (STS). It is structured as a guide to the interdisciplinary field of STS for students coming to postgraduate work from diverse backgrounds, including the social sciences, humanities, natural and health sciences, and engineering. Students will be able to identify influential STS perspectives, place their work in the context of wider developments, and thereby develop a framework for further, specialised research and practice. The course will focus on the interactions between science, technology, society, politics and culture (including language), focusing in particular on issues of the production of scientific knowledge, the knowledge economy and the role of science in innovation, public trust and support for scientific research, the social, economic and ethical issues raised by the development of new scientific knowledge and the challenges of communication, public engagement and governance.
Aims
• To develop students’ understanding of key questions, concepts and approaches in the study of science in society (STS) • To enable students to critically examine social, institutional, ethical, cultural and political 34
issues related to the emergence and impact of scientific developments • To enable an appreciation of diverse debates in STS, and an exploration of their links to specific research topics
Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • A critical and reflexive understanding of the wider societal context of science • An awareness of the need to consider the significance of underlying assumptions in the framing of scientific claims from multiple sources • The ability to develop coherent arguments that engage with the relevant literature in order to understand the social, institutional, cultural and political significance of science Professional and practical skills • Digest insights from complex material, and use them to critically assess knowledge claims and judgments from diverse sources • Develop ways of reading academic and other materials, and become sensitive to ways of social scientific writing • Formulate a researchable question for a selfcontained project, and select and synthesise materials relevant to it • Articulate a sustained argument in conjunction with supporting evidence
Summary
This module provides an introduction to social theory in relation to geographical thought and practice by way of an exploration of the ideas of a set of key theorists. The module does not seek to provide an exhaustive guide to all the theoretical currents circulating within contemporary human geography, but rather to give a flavour of the diversity of traditions and influences that have informed research.
Aims
• To give an understanding of the main theories and philosophies of social science, showing how and why ideas have developed, and how these ideas have been applied in the analysis of particular subject matter • To seek to understand the relationship of philosophy and social theory to human geography, and its impact upon research
Learning outcomes
Intellectual skills • Illustrate and discuss the contested and provisional nature of knowledge and understanding within the social sciences • Synthesise information and recognise relevance • Develop a sustained and reasoned argument
• Evaluate and articulate weaknesses in the arguments of others • Articulate and communicate personal views about philosophy and social science, and its relationship to geography Professional and practical skills • Evaluate the relationship of techniques and approaches involved in collecting information in the field of geography to their bases in social theory • Evaluate the diversity of specialised techniques and approaches involved in analysing geographical information in the field of geography Transferable skills • Communicate geographical ideas, principles and theories effectively and fluently by written, oral and visual means • Undertake independent/self-directed study/ learning (including time management) to achieve consistent, proficient and sustained attainments • Work as a participant or leader of a group and contribute effectively to the achievement of objectives
35
Nottingham ESRC Doctoral Training Centre www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
Contacting us
Lydia Wallman ESRC DTC Administrative Manager Highfield House University of Nottingham University Park Nottingham NG7 2RD t: +44 (0)115 748 4507 e:
[email protected] w: www.nottingham.ac.uk/esrc-dtc
This publication is available in alternative formats. t: +44 (0)115 951 5559
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