University of Essex

SC101-4-FY-CO:
Researching Social Life I

The details

Year: 2023/24

Department: Sociology and Criminology

Campus: Colchester Campus

Term: Full Year

Level: Undergraduate: Level 4

Status: Current

Start date: Thursday 05 October 2023

End date: Friday 28 June 2024

Credits: 30

Last updated: 14 September 2023

Requisites for this module

Pre-requisites: (none)

Co-requisites: (none)

Pre and / or co-requisites: (none)

Prohibited modules: (none)

Key module (requisite for): SC202, SC203, SC208

Key module for

BA M900 Criminology,
BA M901 Criminology (Including Year Abroad),
BA M903 Criminology (Including Foundation Year),
BA M904 Criminology (Including Placement Year),
BA L3C8 Criminology with Social Psychology,
BA L3H8 Criminology with Social Psychology (Including Placement Year),
BA LHC8 Criminology with Social Psychology (Including Year Abroad),
BA MV91 History and Criminology,
BA MV92 History and Criminology (Including Placement Year),
BA MV98 History and Criminology (Including Foundation Year),
BA MV9C History and Criminology (Including Year Abroad),
BA LV31 History and Sociology,
BA LV32 History and Sociology (Including Placement Year),
BA LV38 History and Sociology (Including Foundation Year),
BA LV3C History and Sociology (Including Year Abroad),
BA LP33 Media and Digital Culture,
BA LP34 Media and Digital Culture (including Placement Year),
BA P300 Media and Digital Culture (Including Foundation Year),
BA PL33 Media and Digital Culture (including Year Abroad),
BA CL83 Sociology with Social Psychology,
BA CL93 Sociology with Social Psychology (Including Placement Year),
BA CLV3 Sociology with Social Psychology (Including Year Abroad),
BA L2CH Social Sciences,
BA L2CS Social Sciences,
BA L2ES Social Sciences,
BA LFCH Social Sciences,
BA L300 Sociology,
BA L301 Sociology (Including Year Abroad),
BA L304 Sociology (Including Foundation Year),
BA L306 Sociology (Including Placement Year),
BA LM38 Sociology and Criminology (Including Placement Year),
BA LM39 Sociology and Criminology,
BA LMH9 Sociology and Criminology (Including Year Abroad),
BA LMHX Sociology and Criminology (Including Foundation Year),
BA LL23 Sociology and Politics (Including Year Abroad),
BA LL24 Sociology and Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA LL32 Sociology and Politics,
BA L3J9 Sociology with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA L3M9 Sociology with Human Rights,
BA LMJ9 Sociology with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA LCJ8 Sociology with Psychosocial Studies (Including Placement Year),
BA LJ8C Sociology with Psychosocial Studies (Including Year Abroad),
BA LJC8 Sociology with Psychosocial Studies,
BA LL36 Social Anthropology,
BA LL3P Social Anthropology (Including Year Abroad),
BA LL6P Social Anthropology (Including Placement Year),
BA P550 Journalism and Criminology,
BA P551 Journalism and Criminology (Including Placement Year),
BA P552 Journalism and Criminology (Including Year Abroad),
BA P540 Journalism and Sociology,
BA P541 Journalism and Sociology (Including Placement Year),
BA P542 Journalism and Sociology (Including Year Abroad),
BSC L315 Sociology (Applied Quantitative Research),
BSC L316 Sociology (Applied Quantitative Research) (Including Year Abroad),
BSC L317 Sociology (Applied Quantitative Research) (Including Placement Year),
BA L333 Criminology with Counselling Skills,
BA L334 Criminology with Counselling Skills (Including Year Abroad),
BA L335 Criminology with Counselling Skills (Including Placement Year),
BA LM11 Criminology with Criminal Law,
BA LM12 Criminology with Criminal Law (Including Year Abroad),
BA LM13 Criminology with Criminal Law (Including Placement Year),
BA L332 Sociology with Counselling Skills,
BSC L310 Sociology with Data Science,
BSC L311 Sociology with Data Science (including Year Abroad),
BSC L312 Sociology with Data Science (including Placement Year),
BSC L313 Sociology with Data Science (Including foundation Year),
BA L350 Sociology and Health,
BA L351 Sociology and Health (including Foundation Year),
BA L352 Sociology and Health (including Placement Year),
BA L353 Sociology and Health (including Year Abroad)

Module description

How do sociologists investigate the social world? What tools and methods do they employ to ensure their research claims are relevant? How can you interpret their findings? This module will help you to answer these key questions. The module provides introductory training in research design and the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. The Autumn term will focus on qualitative research, whilst the Spring term focuses on quantitative research.

Upon completion of the module students will be able to approach their studies and the materials they use with a more developed 'critical eye' and some practical skills. Students will be introduced to the nuts and bolts of social investigation, and through practical labs will gain expertise in referencing, using archives and preparing professional reports reliant on social data.

Module aims

The module aims to:

To introduce students to the social research process

To give students the tools to evaluate the strengths and limitations of different approaches to sociological research

To highlight the importance of research ethics in social research

To teach students how they can find existing qualitative and quantitative datasets and archives

To provide practical hands-on sessions that will help students to develop their research, study and employability skills

To develop students’ communication and critical appraisal skills

Module learning outcomes

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

recognise the key stages of a social research project

apply ethical principles to social research

find relevant secondary sociological data sources

identify the key features of qualitative and quantitative data

evaluate the strengths and limitations of different methodological tools for sociological research

recognise how different types of research data can be collected, analysed and presented

critically assess the connections between theory and research

Module information

Week Number Topic
2 Introduction to the social research process
3 Introduction to qualitative research
4 Conducting a literature search and recognising credible sources
5 Ethics and social research
6 Digital Research Ethics
7 Qualitative methods: Primary research
8 Qualitative methods: Secondary research
9 Qualitative archives
10 Exploring the archives
11 Writing Up Your Research

16 Fundamentals of Quantitative Data Analysis: Research Questions
17 Survey Research Designs
18 Questionnaire Design
19 Sampling and Inference
20 Reading Week
21 Describing and Summarizing Quantitative Data
22 The UK Data Service and Looking for Data
23 Experimental Research
24 Causal-Comparative and Quasi-Experimental Research
25 Literature Reviews and Basic Elements of Quantitative Research Reports

Learning and teaching methods

Teaching approach Lectures, classes, labs and seminars will be taught face-to-face (assuming current regulations around social distancing allow this). Please note that you should be spending up to eight hours per week undertaking your own private study (reading, preparing for classes or assignments, etc.) on each of your modules (e.g. 32 hours in total for four 30-credit modules). Please do spend some time familiarising yourself with the Moodle page as there are lots of activities and resources available here to support your learning on this module.

Bibliography

Flick, U. (2015) ‘Why Social Research?’, in Introducing research methodology: a beginner’s guide to doing a research project. Second edition. London: SAGE.
Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2013) ‘Ten Fundamentals of qualitative research’, in Successful qualitative research: a practical guide for beginners. London: SAGE. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/8221.
James-Hawkins, L. (2019) ‘Adolescent sexual norms and college sexual experiences: Do high school norms influence college behavior?’, Advances in Life Course Research, 39, pp. 61–76. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2018.12.001.
O’Leary, Z. (2017a) ‘Reviewing Literature’, in The essential guide to doing your research project. 3rd edition. London: SAGE Publications, pp. 94–113.
‘Open University - Prompt Video on Vimeo’ (2017). Available at: https://vimeo.com/208848467.
Jia, X. (2023) ‘Co-existing with Uncomfortable Reflexivity: Feminist Fieldwork During the Pandemic’, in Difficult Conversations: A Feminist Dialogue. Routledge. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/2269283.
Gilbert, G.N. and Stoneman, P. (eds) (2016) ‘The Ethics of Social Research’, in Researching social life. 4th ed. London: SAGE. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/170011.
McKenzie, J.S. (2009) ‘“You Don’t Know How Lucky you are to be Here!”: Reflections on Covert Practices in an Overt Participant Observation Study’, Sociological Research Online, 14(2), pp. 60–69. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5153/sro.1925.

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	Coursework weighting
Coursework	Online Moodle Quiz 1 (week 4)	5.00%
Coursework	Online Moodle Quiz 2 (week 18)	10.00%
Coursework	End of Module Moodle Quiz 3 (week 32)	15.00%
Coursework	Ethics reading review of 1000 words	15.00%
Coursework	Archive data exercise	20.00%
Coursework	Spring Term Research Report Plan	10.00%
Coursework	Spring term Research Report	25.00%

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

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Reassessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Module supervisor and teaching staff

Supervisor: Dr Zsofia Boda, email: zsofia.boda@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Xintong Jia, email: xintong.jia@essex.ac.uk.
Prof Renee Luthra, email: rrluthra@essex.ac.uk.

Teaching staff: Professor Renee Luthra, Dr Zsofia Boda & Xintong Jia

Contact details: email: socugrad (Non essex users should add @essex.ac.uk to create the full email address)

Availability

Available to incoming Essex Abroad / Exchange students: Yes

Available to Outside Option: Yes

Available to Audit: Yes

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.

Resources

Teaching materials: Available via Moodle

Lecture recording: Of 203 hours, 136 (67%) hours available to students:
25 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
42 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

Further information

Department website: Sociology and Criminology

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The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.

Module Directory

SC101-4-FY-CO:Researching Social Life I