Social Research in Practice
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
The workshop aims to give participants an overview of what it means to conduct social research and of the primary tools for research, without keeping research methods and techniques apart from the wider context in terms of the theory construction of the object of inquiry. Participants will formulate a research question around a specific case and use the relevant tools to explore the question from different angles.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
Participants will learn the basics of the main research practices, from surveys to in-depth interviews, from focus groups to ethnographic studies, from visual to digital sociology. The workshop places a focus on being able to pose sociological questions correctly and to identify the best tools to explore those questions.
Application of knowledge and understanding
Participants will use the knowledge learned in the workshop to apply different research tools to a given research question that will form the core of the workshop.
Judgment skills
Students will be actively engaged in classroom discussions and other activities that will enable them to observe research results (e.g. surveys published in journals) and to apply the relevant tools to their bachelor's thesis.
Participants will learn the basics of the main research practices, from surveys to in-depth interviews, from focus groups to ethnographic studies, from visual to digital sociology. The workshop places a focus on being able to pose sociological questions correctly and to identify the best tools to explore those questions.
Application of knowledge and understanding
Participants will use the knowledge learned in the workshop to apply different research tools to a given research question that will form the core of the workshop.
Judgment skills
Students will be actively engaged in classroom discussions and other activities that will enable them to observe research results (e.g. surveys published in journals) and to apply the relevant tools to their bachelor's thesis.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Giudizio di approvazione
Assessment result: superato/non superato
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
The workshop will go through the process of moving from generic interests to the definition of a research object, construction of the research questions, their operationalisation, identification of the reference population within which to carry out the survey, construction of the data collection instruments (one quantitative, one qualitative), data collection and analysis and drafting of the final report.
Prerequisites for admission
It is recommended to have taken the course Sociology of Cultural Processes and/or the course Sociology of Communication
Teaching methods
The workshop involves constant classroom interaction and group work
Teaching Resources
During the workshop, example articles of the various topics will be provided, but the focus of the material will be on what is built together in class.
Assessment methods and Criteria
At the end of the workshop, students will submit a research report to write in which they will have applied the various techniques learned.
Professor(s)