Course goals
This course introduces you to the how and what of data collection and analysis. Conflict Studies is an interdisciplinary field and researchers draw on various methods to collect and generate data in practice. Through hands-on-experiences, you will practice and apply various methods of data generation and analysis which will prepare you to pursue research projects on conflict-related issues. You will prepare for and conduct interviews, find and study documents and reports, analyze social media platforms and messages, and present your findings in class.
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Understand principal research methods that are used in the field of Conflict Studies such as interviewing, document analysis, and social media analysis.
- Apply and explain the use of various methods in research assignments and reflect on their experiences with these methods.
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the ethical, political, and practical limitations of various methods in the field of Conflict Studies.
Content
Methods inform the analytical lenses conflict analysts use to unravel the complex and volatile realities of conflict. It is therefore essential to understand what this means in terms of how we come to learn about the realities of conflict situations we aim to understand? At the same time, research is much more often a messier and selective process than many analysts and scholars would like to acknowledge. Either implicitly or explicitly, research is shaped by personal bias, luck, institutional affiliation and settings, and political aspirations and beliefs. It is therefore key to consciously think through our own decisions in designing research projects and the ways we collect and generate data in practice. In this course, you learn these skills by reading literature, watching documentaries and others in action, sharing and discussing experiences and insights, and by actually practicing with these methods.
This course is for students in the MA Conflict Studies and Human Rights; students from other M.A. programmes can only enroll with consent of the programme coordinator.
Additional information
This course is for students in the MA Conflict Studies and Human Rights; students from other M.A. programmes can only enroll with consent of the programme coordinator.