Class Introduction to Research Methodologies

This course aims to provide aims to provide students with an introductory approach to the Political Science and International Relations research. Namely the key questions in  Political Science inquiry, the scientific method; the research design process and the researcher's choices, as well as the problematization of the topic under study, critical analysis and discussion.      

Not applicable

I. Scientific research 1.1 The scientific method 1.1.1. Ontological and epistemological approaches 1.2. The discovery 1.2.1. The research topic and the political phenomenon II. The inquiry 2.1. How to choose the topic? 2.2. Theory and the literature review 2.3. Research design and the analytical approaches 2.4. Data collection and data analysis 2.5. Results III. Scientific research: practices 3.1. Research and data sources 3.2. Selection and organization of data sources 3.3. Structure and organization of scientific text: bibliographic referencing and plagiarism

The syllabus is in line with the learning objectives of the Curricular Unit, namely on key-questions in Political Science and International Relations research. Discussion and practical exercises in the classroom context enhance the teaching/learning model.

Della Porta, D. & Keating, M. (2008) Approaches and Methodologies in Social Sciences. A pluralist perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Collier, D & Brady, H. (2010), Rethinking Social Inquiry: Diverse Tools, Shared Standards. Plymouth, UK: Roman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Coutinho, C. P. (2018). Metodologia de investigação em ciências sociais e humanas. 2ª ed. Coimbra: Almedina. Gschwend, T. & Schimmelfennig, F. (2014), Research design in political science: how to practice what they preach. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan. Mahoney, J. & Goertz, G. (2013), A Tale of Two Cultures: Qualitative and Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.