Introduction to university work in social sciences

Teacher(s)

Dejean Karine; Lenel Emmanuelle (coordinator);

Language

French

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

The learning objectives for the ITUSS course are centred on an initiation to the work of the social science student in terms of affiliation to the university and building a relationship with knowledge, as well as in the development of skills related to university working methodology. By the end of the course, students: 1. will have questioned their own relationship with the educational institution/university, with knowledge in general and with the surrounding environment 2. will have been initiated to the appropriation of knowledge in social science and, in particular: a) will be able to recognise a scientific text with respect to other sources and prioritise the sources to be used for a university assignment in social science b) will be able to implement the reading strategies which allow a scientific text to be fully understood, i.e.: i. develop a specific reading of a text 1. identify the source and type of text 2. evaluate the credibility to attach to the source 3. situate the text with respect to the reading objectives, the level of difficulty of the text and previous knowledge ii. carry out operations which are external to the appropriation of a text 1. determine the status of a text (from the author's point of view and the professor's point of view) 2. identify the registers used 3. question the context of the text iii. develop a general comprehension of a scientific text 1. distinguish between the theme of a text and the author's theory 2. recognise the main theme of the argument 3. identify the key concepts and notions 4. identify the references to different authors iv. develop a detailed comprehension of a scientific text 1. draw inferences (identify implicit information) 2. identify the logical links (how sentences and paragraphs are connected) 3. develop a detailed understanding of the vocabulary 4. identify the formal methods used by the author (how the author details his or her views) c) will be able to demonstrate their understanding of texts in a structured manner, i.e.: i. make a summary of a text (using a reading grid) ii. make a comparison of several texts d) will understand the reason for the rules of scientific ethics and will be able to use bibliographical resources and reference the authors when writing a summary or a comparison of several texts, i.e.: i. use available bibliographical resources ii. know why and how to use citations iii. write a bibliographical reference in keeping with the available systems of conventions e) will know how scientific knowledge is produced, in particular: i. distinguish between different levels of discourse (personal opinions based on personal experience, commonly heard opinions, facts taken from a solid methodological approach, scientific interpretations based on theories, etc.) ii. question common representations and suspend obvious facts iii. make rigorous definitions of fundamental concepts in social science iv. acquire a general understanding of the scientific approach 3. will be aware of what is expected of students in 'Bloc 1' in terms of understanding exam instructions and writing answers, i.e. will be able to: i. categorise the different types of exam question and identify the cognitive operations to be used (definition, comparison, analysis, application, etc.) ii. identify the characteristics of a good answer to an exam question iii. understand the meta-instructions which explain the expectations in terms of answering an exam question In the end, students will have taken part in a collective spirit of collaboration and affiliation with the university and their branch of study, and will have begun to understand the scientific approach used in social science. In so doing, they will have learned about the different dimensions of the university: institutional context, various types of public, profiles and expectations of professors/researchers and the relationship with knowledge which is expected of them.

Content

The course is structured in three parts:
Part 1: Characteristics of the academic and scientific posture in social and political sciences
- Science and other discourses of truth
- Three characteristics: humility, honesty and caution, methodical progression
Part 2: Conditions for the production of social and political science knowledge
- The relationship between the academic and the scientist and common sense
- The question of objectivity in social and political science
- The roles of theory and empiricism in the scientific approach to knowledge
Part 3: Methodological skills for the student profession
- In-depth reading of scientific texts
- Synthesis of scientific texts
- Referencing bibliographic sources
- Understanding examination instructions

Teaching methods

The EU includes the following learning activities:
- lectures with the co-teachers ;
- practical work sessions with the assistant, during which the student will carry out exercises linked to the lectures, relating to in-depth reading of social and political science texts, external and internal operations involved in their appropriation, writing of text summaries and referencing of bibliographical sources.

Evaluation methods

Evaluation is individual and continuous. Four assessment moments are scheduled during the term:A. An out-of-session theoretical written examination (40% of the final mark) covering the material taught in the first two parts of the UE.
B. A referencing exercise (10% of the final mark) aimed at mastering bibliographic reference notation methods.
C. A written synthesis test on a text that has been the subject of guided reading (20% of the final mark), consisting of a report answering a question. Students may retake this test to improve their grade.
D. A final written synthesis test on a new tex (30% of the final mark).
Participation in all four parts of the assessment is compulsory. This means that any absence must be duly justified. Unjustified absence from any part of the assessment will result in a final mark of 0/20 for the UE, which means that the student will be automatically referred to a later session for the whole UE. The student may choose not to take one or more parts of the assessment, but in this case must make a mark of attendance.
In the event of failure of the UE at the end of the first term (final mark below 10/20), the student must repeat the UE at a later session. He or she must repeat the failed part(s) of the continuous assessment (less than 10/20). Only marks equal to or higher than half the points are retained from one session to the next. In June and/or August, the synthesis test on a text that has been the subject of practical work cannot be repeated, and the final synthesis test on a new text is now worth 50% of the final mark.

Bibliography

- Ouvrage de référence de l’UE : MARQUIS N., LENEL E., VAN CAMPENHOUDT L., 2018, Pratique de la lecture critique en sciences humaines et sociales, Paris, Dunod, 240 p. (service reprographie et librairies)
- Portefeuille de textes à lire et à mobiliser de manière accompagnée ou autonome (service reprographie et Moodle)
- Diaporamas utilisés lors des séances magistrales et des travaux pratiques (Moodle) ;
- Fiches du Guide « Devenir étudiant universitaire » vues au cours et en TP (Moodle).

Teaching materials

• Pratique de la lecture critique (Marquis, Lenel et Van Campenhoudt, 2018)

Faculty or entity

ESPB