Methodology and Methods for Sociological Research

2025/2026

Academic Year

ENG

Instruction in English

Delivered at:

Department of Sociology

Course type:

Elective course

When:

1 year, 3, 4 module

Instructor

Kuziner, Evgeniya

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The discipline "Methodology and Methods of Sociological Research" aims at systematization of main ideas about the specifics of sociological research design, methods and procedures of collecting information in social research, including the types of empirical sociological research and the research program content. The content of this discipline lays the foundation for more complex and specialized disciplines related to the research process, collection, analysis and interpretation of information.

Learning Objectives

• To expand the basic knowledge of the 1-year methodology course on the methodology of sociological research, sociological research methods. To continue practicing and development of sociological research skills

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Be able to formulate research question and choose appropriate methodology
• Know the ethical requirements and limitations for different research methods
• Know the main stages of a research
• Understand the basic idea and the differences between main research methods: survey, anthropological/ biographical study, online research etc.
• Understand the basic idea and the differences between main research methods: survey, anthropological/ biographical study, online research etc
• A student compares research design
• Be able to formulate a research question;
• Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative research methods;
• Knowledge of the main principles of research ethics and the consequences of research misconduct.
• Able to differentiate between types of measurement scales
• knows various experimental designs, their strengths and weaknesses, and is able to choose an (quasi-)experimental design that is adequate to both hypothesis and resources at hand
• Be able to formulate a research problem
• Be able to formulate a research hypothesis
• To learn basic reserach methods of data collection
• To learn the basic types of research design
• To be able to estimate the reliability of a mearement instrument
• To be able to estimate the validity of a mearement instrument
• To be able to describe the mix methods methodology

Course Contents

• Research Problem
• Research question
• Research hypothesis
• Theory and Research
• Ethical Issues in a Case Study
• Methods of data collection
• Quantitative vs. Qualitative methods
• Survey in a quantitative study
• Content Analysis
• Observation
• Focus Group Method
• Interview and Questionnaire Design
• Planning and designing case studies
• Secondary Data Analysis

Assessment Elements

• Project Proposal
  Students have to develop a research proposal using their knowledge of all sections of the course.
• In-class activities
  The average grade for all grades on in-class activity during seminars
• Homeworks
  Students write a short paper where they are supposed to answer a question posed by instructors.
• Practical applications
  Students are supposed to complete several task that will assist them when working on personal research projects.

Interim Assessment

• 2025/2026 4th module
  0.2 * Practical applications + 0.25 * Homeworks + 0.25 * In-class activities + 0.3 * Project Proposal
• 2026/2027 2nd module
  0.2 * Practical applications + 0.25 * Homeworks + 0.25 * In-class activities + 0.3 * Project Proposal

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• 9788132222149 - Hegde, Dinesh S. - Essays on Research Methodology - 2015 - Springer - https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1001250 - nlebk - 1001250

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Rugg, G., & Petre, M. (2007). A Gentle Guide to Research Methods. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=234246

Authors

• Zubarev Nikita Sergeevich
• KUZINER EVGENIYA NIKOLAEVNA