Doing Multidisciplinary Research in the Social Sciences

Course goals

Learning objectives
At the end of the course, the student is capable of:

• Understanding the techniques of multidisciplinary research from the perspective of an economist
• Adopting a critical perspective on the strengths and limitations of the multidisciplinary approach
• Working at an academic level within a team
• Setting-up a research project: selection and formulation of a research question, theorize (provide explanations and hypotheses), and selecting a method to address the research question

Content

Philosopher of science Karl Popper famously observed that many of the real world phenomena we try to understand and explain through research span beyond the traditional boundaries of academic disciplines. His statement has become increasingly relevant in a world of many complex problems, such as climate change, automation and digitalization, and increasing inequality. This has given rise to different ways of conducting research that facilitate cross-disciplinary exchange, cooperation or even integration.

This course aims to introduce you to the theme of multidisciplinary research and its different manifestations. This could entail approaching a subject matter from different angles by using different disciplinary perspectives (multidisciplinary research), all the way through to integrating relevant concepts, theories and/or methodologies from different academic disciplines, as well as the results or insights these disciplines generate (interdisciplinary research).
After introducing you to multi- and interdisciplinarity, the course will explore various topics that are relevant in the context of multidisciplinary research in the social sciences. Through a series of seminars, we will navigate the different phases of conducting research and build on important academic skills for multidisciplinary studies. This includes critical reading and evaluation of research from multiple perspectives, formulating good research questions, ensuring transparency and reproducibility in your research, and effectively communicating your findings.

The course also includes a project-based learning component, allowing you to apply the knowledge gained during seminars. Working in a team, you will initiate your own research project, going through all necessary steps. Ultimately, you will individually craft a pre-analysis plan documenting your research idea.

Format
Seminar meetings | Students’ presentation meetings | Feedback meetings |

Effort requirements
Attendance required in selected meetings. The selected meetings will be specified in the course manual.


In case online access is required for this course and you are not in the position to buy the access code, you are advised to contact the course coordinator for an alternative solution. Please note that access codes are not reusable meaning that codes from second hand books do not work, as well as access codes from books with a different ISBN. Separate or spare codes are usually not available.