Qualitative Research Methods for Politics

This course aims at introducing students a variety of tools used to conduct empirical qualitative research in various spheres of political science (institutions, political culture, political behavior, political communication, International relations etc.). Also, to make students familiar with possibilities to apply social research methods based on qualitative data in political research. After the completion of the course students are expected to be competent to apply a chosen method in practice by carrying out their own research and analyzing the results. We begin by considering what it means to be “scientific” and the assumptions behind a scientific approach to political inquiry. Then we explore concepts associated with qualitative political research and turn to issues of research design, strategies, methods and procedures. The course covers such qualitative research strategies as discourse analysis, ethnographic research, case study etc. Students learn to apply methodological knowledge by working on research project in teams/group work.

To help students acquire the basic knowledge and skills on how to perform the research in political science by applying the necessary qualitative research methods and strategies.

Students should have some basic knowledge of political science which is possible to get by having the following bachelor courses: Introduction to Political Science, Introduction to International Relations.

The basic concepts, issues and history of quantitative research. Reliability and validity in quantitative research. Ethical aspects of research. Survey types. Questionnaire design: questions content, question types, questions sequence, and the basic guidelines in order to avoid bias. Selection of the respondents. Samples and sampling methods. Probability and nonprobability samples. The basic research elements: a) the selection of the research problem, b) definition and operationalization of concepts; c) variables and their types, measurement levels; d) formulation of hypotheses e) the design of the research model. Presentation of data. Report writing. Univariate quantitative analysis of the data: a) frequency distribution; b) the characteristics of central tendency: mean, mode, median; c) the data dissemination: variance, standard deviation. The normal curve, sample asymmetry factor, the graphic depiction of the observations. Bivariate data analysis: a) the correlation b) cross-tabulation c) regression analysis. Multivariate analysis of the data. Evaluation of results and hypothesis testing (inference statistics). All previous themes Seminars, practical exercises and the themes of statistical analysis

Knowledge and ability to use necessary terminology and concepts of political research methods and strategies in a context and analysis. Knowledge and understanding how to apply the qualitative research methodology in practice . Ability to write a research plan and conduct political science research analysis by using different methods, relevant research material and sources. The ability to understand, discuss and explain the qualitative research methodology used in the articles and monographs. The ability to prepare the interpretation of the qualitative research data.