This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2016 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

ATS4924 - Honours: Social sciences research methods

12 points, SCA Band 1, 0.250 EFTSL

Undergraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Faculty

Arts

Organisational Unit

School of Social Sciences

Coordinator(s)

Dr Bree Carlton

Offered

Clayton

First semester 2016 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit engages students in the diverse range of methodologies and approaches that are drawn upon by researchers across the social sciences. Informed by national and international experiences, students will be exposed to theoretical, applied, qualitative and empirical research studies, skills and critiques to deepen their understanding of the research process. In addition to engaging with literature, students will develop practical skills and techniques for devising their own independent research projects. On completion of this unit, students will have conducted a thoughtful and critical review of the literature in their area of research interest, gained a deeper insight into the social science research fields and have acquired the skills and confidence to present their ideas to a professional academic audience.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the unit, students will have developed:

A critical awareness of the trends, challenges and benefits of a variety of research methods used in the social sciences;
A broad understanding of the practical, theoretical and ethical issues involved in research in the social sciences;
The skills to think critically about research methodologies and;
The capacity to present their research to a professional academic audience.

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 100%

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 288 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.