Research Design for Musicologists

Course goals

 After completion of the course, students:

• will have knowledge of the techniques of research design applicable to current musicological research;
• will be able to prepare and present an academic research poster;
• will be able to write a proposal for a research project;
• will be able to assess critically how a digital tool can be employed in their individual research projects.

Content

This course introduces students to techniques of research design and trains them in putting these into practice in their own work. Students will be introduced to the dos and don'ts of writing a proposal for a research project, how to hone their research strategies for answering a research question, and how to create and present an academic research poster. Students will also learn to select and use digital tools, and to critically evaluate their application in individual research projects.

These are important academic skills to learn and practice in preparation for writing the thesis proposal and the thesis in year 2, as well as essential skills for current musicological research, for research in the humanities more broadly, and for research-oriented careers outside academia.  

This course will also address how these academic skills are transferable outside academia.
 

Additional information

This course is part of the core curriculum of the RMA Musicology and is open only to students who are enrolled in this programme. 

Career orientation: 
Training in written and oral presentation of the student’s own research; training in using digital tools relevant for current musicological research; training in research planning; learning about transferrable skills that are useful outside academia, such as designing an original project, project management, critical thinking and writing, oral presentation, and responding to feedback.