Study Skills Seminar in Sociology

Teacher(s)

Courtois Luc; Servais Olivier;

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.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	The aim of this seminar is to equip students with study skills for university, using concrete questions within a subject of their own choosing. Students will 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. At the same time, the aim is to make students aware of the concrete issues involved in research, again working within a subject domain of their own choosing. The seminar is conducted in a spirit of openness and will help students to identify the research tools used within their own subject area, in relation to methods used in other subjects taught within the Faculty.

Content

The seminar is given in the form of :
Q1 Lectures (presentation of a scientific approach, definition of concepts, criticism of sources, etc.) for the general part (Luc Courtois).
Q2 Participative lectures involving an active approach by the student (presentation of a research approach, illustration using concrete examples, proposals and use of appropriate methodological and theoretical support).
This second part of the course will deal conceptually and pragmatically with the following themes: entering a research field, observation work in the field, construction of a research question, bibliographical research, writing observations and first analyses.

Teaching methods

As for the general part, given by Luc Courtois, the seminar is given in the form of lectures presenting learning modules: Conceptual introduction, presentation of a scientific approach, choice of a subject, documentation, criticism sources, etc.

Evaluation methods

As for the general part, given by Luc Courtois, the evaluation is based on a multiple choice questionnaire (MCQ).
Due to the health situation and COVID measures, the planned examination will take place in an open-book distance procedure via Moodle: please register and follow the instructions.
These provisions are subject to change according to other measures that may be decided upon.
The evaluation of the seminar given in Q2 will be both continuous and certifying.
It will be finalised by the completion of a group work presented orally and in writing.

Other information

For the disciplinary part.
Evaluation: continuous evaluation and evaluation of personal work.
The different modules of the course can be adapted between face-to-face and distance learning depending on the sanitary conditions.

Online resources

See Moodle.

Bibliography

• Pour les deux parties les supports de cours (notes écrites et PowerPoint) sont fournis sur Moodle.

Pour la partie générale (Luc Courtois), voir cours sur Moodle.

Teaching materials

• Pour les deux parties les supports de cours (notes écrites et PowerPoint) sont fournis sur Moodle.

Faculty or entity

ESPO