SOC122 RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIOLOGY II
| Course Code: | 2320122 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 4 (4.00 - 0.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 8.0 |
| Department: | Sociology |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Undergraduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Assist.Prof.Dr KATHARINA BODIRSKY |
| Offered Semester: | Spring Semesters. |
Course Objectives
This course provides a general overview of qualitative methods in the social sciences, with a particular focus on the sociocultural field. Students will be exposed to a series of critical readings that focus thematically on qualitative research design in the field of social anthropology. In doing so, the course aims to show how social science concepts and methods can be applied to different situations around the world within the framework of intercultural understanding and intercultural competence.
Course Content
The course will make the students of sociology familiar with the methodology of social sciences and provide them with skills required for conducting a sociological research by using qualitative research techniques. The course will cover topics related to the qualitative methodology referring to research design, characteristics of qualitative research techniques( i.e. interviews, focus groups, oral history, historical comparative research), data analysis and writing up.
Course Learning Outcomes
This is an undergraduate course that requires its participants to engage with the reading materials and the course logging actively. The course structure is designed to provide such an environment; therefore, a high level of attendance and participation is expected.
A. Comprehend the Fundamentals of Qualitative Research: (a) Specify the nature of qualitative research and draw a distinction between qualitative and quantitative approaches, and (b) Determine the epistemological and ontological foundations of qualitative inquiry.
B. Evaluate the strengths and limitations of qualitative research: (a) compare qualitative and quantitative methods in terms of validity and reliability, and (b) evaluate different qualitative approaches based on research objectives.
C. Critically engage with a set of intelligent readings and improve writing on those readings: (a) develop skills in writing ethnographic accounts and qualitative reporting, and (b) present findings effectively through narrative, visual representation, and thematic discussion.
Program Outcomes Matrix
| Level of Contribution | |||||
| # | Program Outcomes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | To correlate sociology and other social sciences | ✔ | |||
| 2 | To interpret knowledge produced by society from a sociological perspective | ✔ | |||
| 3 | To renew and improve their accumulation by following up-to-date publications and research programs in their fields | ✔ | |||
| 4 | To be open to occupational novelties in order to understand social change | ✔ | |||
| 5 | To produce original solutions within and outside the discipline and in interdisciplinary levels | ✔ | |||
| 6 | To know and implement the ethics of sociological research | ✔ | |||
| 7 | To be aware of social, environmental, and economic effects in the areas where sociological approaches are appropriated | ✔ | |||
| 8 | To use and transfer the accumulation of sociological knowledge in an interdisciplinary way | ✔ | |||
| 9 | To understand social structures and dynamics by correlating the past, the present and the future | ✔ | |||
| 10 | To connect social theories of knowledge and social practices | ✔ | |||
0: No Contribution 1: Little Contribution 2: Partial Contribution 3: Full Contribution