Teacher(s)

Courtois Luc; SOMEBODY;

Language

French

Main themes

Part 1: (for all Bachelors' courses) 15 hours of lectures (15h x 5 lecturers = 75h) :

• Presentation of information sources (written, oral, visual, figures).
• Introduction to research tools (library, web, etc.).
• Definition of the rules of critical analysis and how to apply them.
• Formalisation of methods of scientific reasoning.

Part 2 : 15 hours of presentations in large groups (15h x 10 teachers and supervisors = 150h):

• Application of these principles and methods to a subject of general interest chosen by degree course (eg.: globalisation, immigration, work and unemployment, European construction).
• Presentation of the stages involved in a piece of research.
• Definition of the subject, the objectives, the methods, relevant information sources.
• Data compilation and handling.
• Analysis.

Part 3 : 15 hours (illustration through practical work) : these general topics are divided into a number of specific sub-topics (1 topic per sub-group of 30 students) and lead to practical project work supervised by assistants (+ groups of 30 students) :

• Choice of an individual sub-topic.
• Delimitation of the object of study.
• Primary Analysis and explanation.
• Development of a critical approach and the capacity to formalize reasoning.
• Communication of results Completion of a piece of personal work related to students' degree course, using an approach specific to the subject area chosen.

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1.	Use concrete questions within a subject of their own choosing.
2.	Come to master the basic skills they need for their university work : using bibliographic references, drawing up critical summaries, using reference conventions, writing skills etc.
3.	Be aware of the concrete issues involved in research, again working within a subject domain of their own choosing.
4.	Identify the research tools used within their own subject area, in relation to methods used in other subjects taught within the Faculty (spirit of openness).

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Content

This teaching (which is also given in all the baccalaureate for this general part) includes 15 hours of lectures to introduce students to the problem of developing a scientific work. From a concrete example, we will address the basic questions : Choice of a subject ; Presentation of sources of information (written, oral, visual, digital ...); Familiarization with research tools (library, Web); Definition of the rules of criticism to apply to them; Formalization of a scientific reasoning. - Etc.

This course is intended to be a general descriptive introduction to what will be discussed later in other courses and disciplinary seminars.

Teaching methods

The seminar is given in the form of lectures that constitute learning modules : Conceptual introduction, presentation of a scientific approach, choice of a subject, documentation, criticism of sources, etc.

Evaluation methods

Written examination in the form of Multiple Choice Questionnaire (MCQ).

Other information

Support: lecturers presentations will be available to the students. Some bibliographical references will be given at the beginning of each part of the seminar.

Online resources

See Moodle

Bibliography

• Les présentations font l'objet de notes de synthèse, accompagnées de PowerPoint, qui sont mises à disposition des étudiants via la plate-forme Moodle. Quelques références bibliographiques, dont la consultation est facultative, seront fournies au début

M. Dorban, Critique de l’information. Contribution de la critique historique (Coll. Pedasup, 41), Accademia-Bruylant, Louvain-la-Neuve, 2000 (en vente chez Academia, Grand-Place, ou à la DUC, grand-Rue) : FACULTATIF.

Teaching materials

• Les présentations font l’objet de notes de synthèse, accompagnées de PowerPoint, qui sont mises à disposition des étudiants via la plate-forme Moodle. Quelques références bibliographiques, dont la consultation est facultative, seront fournies au début

Faculty or entity

ESPO