Approach and methods in social sciences

Teacher(s)

Dejean Karine; Lenel Emmanuelle (compensates Marquis Nicolas); Marquis Nicolas;

Language

French

Learning outcomes

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

The course (5 ECTS) is part of the methodological stream The learning outcomes pursued are as follows. Having reached the end of this course, the student must be able to: 1) At the theoretical level: a. mastering the epistemological, theoretical, methodological and ethical foundations of the social science approach b. having a first look at the whole collection of data collection methods 2) At the level of techniques and tools: a. Mastering the techniques of reading and critical comparison of texts (or other resources) b. Mastering the lineaments of searching bibliographic resources 3) At the implementation level a. Being able to formulate a starting question and a research question b. Being able to realize a state of the art c. Being able to mount a problematic d. Mastering some tools related to group work and oral presentation of work

Content

The contents of the activities relate to :
1) The teaching in audience, that will follow in parallel the following 3 tracks:
1. What is the social science research approach?
2. Practical skills for the social science student occupation;
3. Some epistemological debates of the social sciences.
2) The preparation of practical sessions upstream by the students, that will consist on the one hand, to read chapter 4 of the book Pratique de la lecture critique en sciences humaines et sociales and articles necessary for the realization of exercises in TP, and on the other hand to follow certain modules of the MOOC "Louv23x: Practicing the research method in human and social sciences".
3) The practical work that aims to enable students to learn and practice:
1. TP1 (computer room): the realization of a bibliographic search on the computer databases of the library;
2. TP2 (class): the achievement of a critical comparison of articles submitted for reading;
3. TP3 (class): help and advice in the construction of problematization and research hypotheses;
4. Permanences: correction of the comparison and support for the completion of the final work;
5. Group Hearing: oral presentation of the final work;
6. Permanences: last support to the realization of the final work.

Teaching methods

The role of the teachers (and assistants) is to transmit the subject, the mastery of the techniques and tools, to allow the putting into practice of these last ones by means of scenarios and resolutions of exercise carried out in TP, and accompany, during the ad hoc devices, the students in the realization of the various services.

For this EU, the role of students and the related expectations are as follows. At university, there is freedom for students to attend or not the classes. Teachers and course assistants obviously recommend maximum attendance at class sessions as well as practical assignments. Except in cases of force majeure, non attendance and its potential consequences are therefore entirely the responsibility of the students. In the same way, everyone is free to organize his study and his time during the quadrimester. Here again, the course's staff and assistants recommend a verification of ongoing understanding AND gradual construction of successive works. Finally, the teaching of the methodology can only develop its full potential if the students are actively and autonomously involved in the reading and other tasks they will have to carry out prior to the sessions on the one hand, and in the context of the final work, on the other.

Evaluation methods

The EU assessment in June consists of two parts: 
1) An individual written exam based on the lecture, which accounts for 1/3 of the final grade.
2) Group work (4 students), which accounts for 2/3 of the final grade. It includes :

• The drafting of a charter (1 point)
• An oral presentation of the progress of the intermediate work (3 points)
• Intermediate written work (6 points)
• Final written assignment (10 points)

Grades for the intermediate and final papers are divided into two parts: an individual part (each student's critical comparisons and appendices will be graded individually) and a collective part (all other parts will be graded collectively). In June, students are not permitted to hand in work on their own. Nor is it permitted to repeat all or part of an assignment produced (for DMSS or other UEs) in a previous year, even if it was produced by the student(s) concerned.

Bibliography

Les ressources obligatoires pour cette UE sont au nombre de 3 :
1) Les slides présentés au cours (moodle)
2) Le chapitre 4 de l’ouvrage suivant : Marquis N., Lenel E., Van Campenhoudt L., Pratique de la lecture critique en sciences humaines et sociales, Paris, Dunod, 2018.
3) Les articles sur moodle

Teaching materials

• Pratique de la lecture critique en sciences humaines et sociales (Marquis, Lenel, Van Campenhoudt, 2018)

Faculty or entity

ESPB