UCL - Seminar on research and communication methods

[SPED2040]

[25h] 5 credits

This course is taught in the 1st semester.

Teacher(s): Fabienne Leloup, Godelieve Stroobant(coord.)

Language: French

Level: Second

Aims
Main themes
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

Introduce the students to the practices and rules of the research process in the Social Sciences (in general) and in the Sciences of Population and Development in particular.
Familiarize them with interdisciplinary thinking and research and with team work in its various aspects.

Main themes

- The logics and successive steps in the research process: formulating the research problem, literature review, theorization and conceptual framework building, definition and operationalization of concepts, choice of data/information collection, how to analyze the data and interpret the outcomes.
- Scientific literature review : why ? what ? and how ?: how to develop a systematic strategy for identi-fying relevant documentation in scientific libraries, from electronic data bases, identify key authors and books
- How to use scientific literature ? Criticism and openness are essential; references and citations, the 'good use' of the others' ideas, scientific literature as a data base .
- Introduction to scientific writing: literature review, tables, figures and schemes: documentation and how to choose? Organization and structure of a research paper/dissertation.
- Oral communication: assets and limits. The importance of the content in scientific communication. How to make an efficient use of the existing techniques (blackboard, transparencies, power-point ). How to conceive efficient visuals ?

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Individual and team presentations and essays

Documentation on I-campus and readings
Reference manual on research methods in the social sciences