Monash University Handbook 2010 Undergraduate - Unit

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%

Chief examiner(s)

Vaughan Higgins

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

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Sociology

Prerequisites

SCY2815 or SCY2816 and two second level sociology units