Advanced Research Methods in the Social Sciences

This course surveys research methods in the social sciences in preparation for the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) thesis. The purpose of the course is to teach the theory behind and application of those research methods at the graduate level. It gives students a sound grounding in a broad range and variety of approaches, designs, statistical techniques, and methods to conducting both qualitative and quantitative social science research. This course focuses on developing analytical thinking skills, identifying research questions, formulating hypotheses, operationalizing ways to test them, and drawing conclusions based on logical analysis of the source testimony. It is ideally suited for those students who are looking for a thesis topic or who would like to do more research on a possible thesis topic before submitting the ALM proposal.