Course director: Levente Littvay (CEU Democracy Institute)
The course introduces students to the fundamentals of empirical research in the social sciences and gives an overview of the main approaches and epistemologies in political science research. The aims of the course are (1) to make students aware of the methodological choices in conducting empirical research in political and social science and assist them in making informed decisions with regard to the methodological approaches most appropriate for conducting their own research, (2) to equip them with essential practical skills in research design, (3) to enhance their methodological ”literacy,” so as to enable a critical reading of research.
The course offers scholars an overview of the essential features of empirical research and the underlying epistemologies and addresses the practical concerns related to the process of designing and conducting empirical research in political science. By the end of the course, the students should have acquired (1) an understanding of the main methodological approaches employed by empirical research in social sciences, (2) an understanding of how empirical research is conducted in social sciences, (3) practical skills in crafting their thesis proposals, including the formulation of a research question and making the ensuing decisions pertaining to the most appropriate methodological approach for conducting their studies.