GSC3000 - Applied social research

Leader(s): Dr Vaughan Higgins

Offered

Gippsland First semester 2009 (Day)
Gippsland Second semester 2009 (Day)

Synopsis

Students are expected to acquire competency in doing quantitative or qualitative social research. Those choosing the former will undertake a placement with GRIS at Monash Gippsland where they will work with and under the supervision of GRIS staff on a project. Those doing a qualitative research project will work closely with an academic supervisor in defining a research problem, doing the literature review and conducting fieldwork on a chosen topic. In the unit, students will gain practical experience of the research process, the use of a variety of computer packages and will acquire a range of analytical and problem-solving skills relevant to employment within the public and private sector.

Objectives

On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:

1. apply their knowledge of quantitative or qualitative social research to analyse social problems or issues;
2. critically engage with debates over methodology within the social science community;
3. understand the range of ethical and privacy issues involved in carrying out applied social research;
4. show competency in the use of computer-based data analysis packages such as SPSS for Windows or NVivo;
5. demonstrate skills in the written presentation and communication of research findings.

Assessment

Research Report (3000 words): 70%
Journal (1500 words): 30%

Contact hours

Quantitative Research Project - 1 hour per week with academic supervisor; 4 weeks (150hrs) work placement at the Gippsland Research and Information Service
OR
Qualitative Research Project - 22 hours with academic supervisor over the semester

Prerequisites

SCY2815 or SCY2816 and two second level sociology units