GV164-4-SU-CO:
Doing Political Research

The details
2024/25
Government
Colchester Campus
Summer
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Tuesday 22 April 2025
Friday 27 June 2025
0
06 August 2024

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

(none)

Key module for

BSC LL14 Economics and Politics (Including Foundation Year),
BSC LL2F Economics and Politics,
BSC LL3F Economics and Politics (Including Year Abroad),
BSC LL4F Economics and Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA L900 International Development,
BA L901 International Development (Including Year Abroad),
BA L902 International Development (Including Placement Year),
BA L921 International Development (Including Foundation Year),
BA L250 International Relations (Including Foundation Year),
BA L258 International Relations,
BA L259 International Relations (Including Year Abroad),
BA L260 International Relations (Including Placement Year),
MPOLL268 International Relations,
MPOLL269 International Relations (Including Placement Year),
MPOLL370 International Relations (Including Year Abroad),
BA L0V0 Philosophy, Politics and Economics,
BA L0V1 Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Including Placement Year),
BA L0V2 Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Including Foundation Year),
BA L0VA Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Including Year Abroad),
BA L200 Politics,
BA L201 Politics (Including Year Abroad),
BA L202 Politics (Including Foundation Year),
BA L203 Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA L219 Politics with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA L2M8 Politics with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year),
BA L2M9 Politics with Human Rights,
BA LFM9 Politics with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA L225 Politics and International Relations,
BA L226 Politics and International Relations (Including Year Abroad),
BA L227 Politics and International Relations (Including Placement Year),
BSC L222 Politics and International Relations,
BSC L223 Politics and International Relations (Including Year Abroad),
BSC L224 Politics and International Relations (Including Placement Year),
MPOLL234 Politics and International Relations,
MPOLL235 Politics and International Relations (Including Placement Year),
MPOLL236 Politics and International Relations (Including Year Abroad),
BA L215 Politics with Business,
BA L216 Politics with Business (Including Placement Year),
BA L217 Politics with Business (including Year Abroad),
BSC LL25 Politics with Business,
BSC LL26 Politics with Business (Including Placement Year),
BSC LL27 Politics with Business (including Year Abroad),
BA L212 Global Politics,
BA L213 Global Politics (including Placement Year),
BA L214 Global Politics (including Year Abroad),
BSC LL20 Politics with Data Science,
BSC LL21 Politics with Data Science,
BSC LL22 Politics with Data Science,
BA L620 Politics with Criminology,
BA L621 Politics with Criminology (Including Placement Year),
BA L622 Politics with Criminology (Including Year Abroad)

Module description

Students will learn how scholars in political science and international relations formulate research questions, develop theories to answer those questions, and use critical and empirical techniques to test the validity of those theories.


More specifically, students will learn how to craft and refine a research question, define and measure concepts, formulate a theory and hypotheses, create a research design in order to collect data, and test theoretically-driven hypotheses with empirical evidence. The ultimate goal of this undertaking is to start students down a path to creating knowledge about the world of politics and global studies using the scientific process.

Module aims

The aims of this module are:



  • To encourage an understanding of what constitutes good research

  • To enable students to appreciate the importance of good research design

  • To enable students to understand the importance of theory

  • To enable students to understand various the various sources of evidence

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:



  1. To develop student’s ability to critically assess and discuss a variety of issues in politics.

  2. To improve students’ abilities to formulate a research question and justify decisions in a research design.

  3. To develop skills in crafting testable hypotheses

  4. To develop skills in accurately and precisely measuring key concepts.

  5. To learn how to gather data and analyse it in a concise fashion.

Module information

No additional information available.

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be delivered via:

  • five two-hour sessions in weeks 30-34 of the summer term.

These sessions will include 45-60 minutes of lecture followed by in-class activities (combination of written and small group discussion) to accomplish the module learning outcomes.

Bibliography

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   Moodle Quiz  23/05/2025  100% 

Additional coursework information

It takes practice to become a good researcher. You will find that you will learn most by making mistakes or hearing about the mistakes of others, so get used to discussing research methods with your module supervisors, Assistant Lecturers and other students.

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Module is either passed or marked as not completed.

Reassessment

Module is either passed or marked as not completed.

Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Robert Kemp, email: rpkemp@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Hersh Mann, email: hmann@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Hershinder Mann / Dr Robert Kemp
Module Administrator: Nicole Hicks govquery@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
No
No
No

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.
Resources
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.

 

Further information
Government

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