- Booth, Wayne, Gregory Colomb, Joseph Williams, Joseph Bizup and William Fitzgerald, The Craft of Research, Chicago 2016, fourth edition (e-book and core book for writing processes in the whole program)
- Halperin & Heath, 3rd ed (2020) Political Research. Methods and Practical Skill, Oxford: Oxford University press.
- Birrell Ivory, Sarah (2020) Becoming a Critical Thinker, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- Lindström Fredrik (2002) European Studies as a Field of Knowledge -theoretical, methodological and practical reflections, Studentlitteratur, Lund (pdf-file available for students)
- May, T. (2011 – 4th edition), Social Research – Issues, methods and process, Open University Press. (also used in the second semester). (selected chapters)
- SAGE SRMO database on social research methods (via Malmö University Library)
The course literature constitutes of the above listed titles + books, book-chapters and/or articles connected to the research approaches introduced in Module 1 and the selection of texts that are used in the GPS-common Method Module.
European Studies II: European Studies Research Areas and Methodology and Minor Thesis
About the course
Course content
The course has a key function for the main area of the programme of European Studies: departing from the first year studies it aims to present a number of research areas within European Studies, and to focus on possible topics for thesis writing. In its second half the course provides knowledge and training in research methods, and furthermore practices the writing of a scientific thesis. The course is divided into three modules.
The first module, Research areas in European Studies (15 hp) introduces the multidisciplinary range of subjects and approaches housed within European Studies and presents several research areas in European Studies. It furthermore builds on the student’s choice of one orientation and research area, on the basis of one of these presented research areas, and in group work fashioning a proposal for a problem area and concrete research questions for the coming thesis writing within the programme. The result is presented during a seminar day with individual poster exhibitions, and by individually writing a literature review of that problem area.
The second half of the semester contains the Method and Minor Thesis course. The second module of the semester is constituted by the common Methods Course (7,5 hp) of the dept. of Global Political Studies (GPS). The aim of the module is to introduce the students to the essentials of methodology and methods in the social sciences and humanities. The course combines a theoretical approach to general questions of research and knowledge, with practical hands-on investigation. The course prepares the students for the minor thesis that follows immediately after this course. The third and last module of the semester is the Minor Thesis course (7,5 hp), where the student writes an individual scientific essay. The course contains both group and individual supervision, partly in the form of seminars, where the students are expected to present and discuss their own thesis project, as well as giving feedback on the drafts of other students. The module is concluded by an examination and opposition seminar when the students presents and defends their own thesis and delivers an opposition on the thesis of another student.
Entry requirements and selection
Entry requirements
ES100L (at least 25 credits completed) and ES200L (at least 7.5 credits completed)
Selection
University credits completed 100%
Course literature
Course evaluation
Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).
