Special Course IV. - Methods of Sociological Research

Annotation

The aim of the course is to introduce students to the bases of methods and techniques of sociological research and to prepare them for critical work with materials obtained from various sources, mainly from research. The secondary objective is to provide students with fundamental orientation for a future ability to dispose their own sartorial research analyses.

Annotation: An outline of basic possibilities, limits and problems of empirical research. This is an attempt to provide essential information concerning the organization of research and the main methods, procedures and techniques.

Syllabus:

Theory and method of contemporary sociology: Qualitative and quantitative methods. 12.Definition of the main procedures, possibilities and limits of sociological research use. 13.Research organization. Definition of research project and research design. Validity and reliability. 14.The study of literature, document analysis. The use of certifiable data, a secondary analysis. 15.Content definition of the problem, operationalisation. Statement of a hypothesis. 16.Observation. Forms and organization of observing. 17.Polling. Interview and its management. The questionnaire and its structure. 18.Sociometry.

Field data acquisition and feedback. 19.The preparation for computing processing. Computer data processing. The main techniques. 20.Data interpretation. The elaboration of a research report. The presentation of outcome.

Methods: Lectures and seminars.