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TIK4040:
Research and Design Seminar – Spring 2011 Teaching schedule and reading list
Course coordinator: Sissel Myklebust
Course description
The aim of the course is to provide a basic understanding of main approaches to quantitative and qualitive social research necessary to write a successful master thesis within the deadline. The lectures and seminars should enable the students to start gathering relevant literatures and empirical material, and to use this in the writing process.
The course is structured in three parts: 1) Research methods and strategies, 2) Practical application in a case study, and 3) Development of individual projects. During the course, the students will submit four written documents: a preliminary half-page description of the thesis project (February 11th), a case study report (March 3rd), and (for ESST-students only) a complete thesis outline and a short essay describing the key literature (April 15th), and (for TIK-Ma-students only) Exam (June 1- 8th).
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Part 1: Research methods and strategies
(ESST- and TIK- Master students):
Week 5 (31.1- 4.2):
Date/time Lecturer Title Readings
Monday
January 31st
10.15-
12.00
Sissel Myklebust
Getting started: Introduction to
module 4040
Yin (2009) chapter 1
Ragin (1994), chapters 1 and 2
Punch (2005), chapters 1 and 2
Tuesday
February 1st
14.15-16.00
Sissel Myklebust
Constructing a master thesis
based on case studies
Yin, ch.2-6
Wednesday
February 2nd
Thursday
February 3rd
Friday
February 4th
12.15-
14.00
Martin Srholec
Constructing a master thesis
based on quantitative analysis
Punch (2005), chapter 5
Ragin (1994), chapter 6
Hosker (2008), chapters 5,6, 8,
9 and 11 (will be handed out
prior to the lecture)
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Week 6 (7.2 - 11.2):
Date/time Lecturer Title Readings
Monday
February 7th
10.15-
12.00
Kristin Asdal
Constructing a master thesis
based on an ANT –
approach Latour, B (2005)
Tuesday
February 8th
14.15-
16.00
Mathias Holtz
Sjur Nesheim
Writing a master thesis at
the TIK centre- experience
from our writing processes
(masteroppgaver/DUO)
Wednesday
February 9th
Thursday
February
10th
4
Friday
February
11th
12.15-14.00
Sissel
Myklebust
Writing workshop
Presentation and discussion
of preliminary thesis
projects
*Deadline for submission of
preliminary thesis outline
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Part 2: Practical application in a case Study
(ESST- and TIK- Master students)
In part 2, the students will work in groups and conduct a case study associated with the construction of the Opera in Oslo. Each group will get its own specific research assignments and will deliver its case study report by March 3rd.The group that produces the best report will receive a prise. The purpose is twofold: 1) to give the students joint practical experience with planning and conducting an empirical analysis, and 2) to give the students experience with integrating theoretical and empirical material. During the course of the case study project, there will be weekly supervision sessions in which progress is monitored and preliminary results are discussed. Each group will get its own academic supervisor.
Week 7 (14.2-18.2):
Date/time Lecturer Title Readings
Monday
February
14th
NB! 10.15-
12.00
NB! 14.00-
16.00
Jens Hanson
and Asdis
Jonsdottir
Jens Hanson
and Asdis
Jonsdottir
Preparatory lecture
for the case study:
creation of groups
and presentation of
research
assignments
Opera visit
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Tuesday
February
15th
Wednesday
February
16th
Thursday
February
17th
14.15-16.00
Jens Hanson
Controversies over
public architecture:
The Opera
Friday
February
18th
Week 8 (21.2-25.2):
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Date/time Lecturer Title Readings
Monday
February
21st
10.15-12.00
Jens Hanson &
Asdis Jonsdottir
Case study
supervision ssession
– group
presentations of
research questions
and literature review
TBA
Tuesday
February
22nd
14.15-16.00
Wednesday
February
23rd
Thursday
February
24th
Friday
February
25th
Week 9: (28.2-4.3):
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Date/time Lecturer Title Readings
Monday
February
28th
10.15-12.00
Jens Hanson and
Asdis Jonsdottir
Supervision session:
group presentations
of collected empirical
material and
structure of the
report
Tuesday
March 1st
14.15-16.00
Wednesday
March 2nd
Thursday
March 3rd
Deadline for
submitting case
study report. To be
delivered in Fronter.
Friday
March 4th
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Part 3: Development of individual projects
(ESST- Ma- students only)
The purpose of this part is to help the students develop a good thesis project which is possible to carry out within the set deadline. During the supervision sessions, each student will give a brief (5 minutes) presentation of their preliminary thesis outline. The students will also get comments and suggestions from the class about how the outline can be improved. By the end of the module, the students will hand in a full thesis outline. Attendance is mandatory as all students are expected to contribute.
Week 10: (7.3- 11.3): Supervision in groups (ESST)
Date/time Lecturer Title Readings
Monday
March 7th
10.15-
12.00
ESST-
group 1.
Sissel Myklebust
12.15-14.00
ESST -
group 2
Sissel Myklebust
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Week 12: (21.3-25.3): Supervision in groups (ESST)
Date/time Lecturer Title Readings
Monday
March 21st
10.15-12.00
ESST-
group 1.
Sissel Myklebust
Hege Rudi Standal
ESST-
group 2.
12.15-14.00
Sissel Myklebust
Hege Rudi Standal
Week 14: (4.4-8.4): Supervision in groups (ESST)
Date/time Lecturer Title Readings
11
Monday
April 4th
10.15-12.00
ESST
Group 1
Sissel
Myklebust
Hege Rudi
Standal
12.15-14.00
ESST-
group 2.
Sissel
Myklebust
Hege Rudi
Standal
Week 15: (11.4-15.4): Supervision in groups (ESST)
Date/time Lecturer Title Readings
Monday
April 11th
10.15-12.00
ESST-
group 1
Sissel
Myklebust
Hege Rudi
Standal
12.15-14.00
ESST-
group 2.
Sissel
Myklebust
Hege Rudi
Standal
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Wednesday
April 13th
Thursday
April 14th
Friday
April 15th
Deadline for handing in thesis outline (ESST-students
only)
Part 3: Development of individual projects
(TIK-Ma-students only)
The purpose of this part is to help the students develop a good thesis project which is possible to carry out within the set deadline. During the supervision sessions, each student will give a brief (5 minutes) presentation of their preliminary thesis outline. The students will get also get comments and suggestions from the class about how the outline can be improved. By the end of the module, the students will hand in a full thesis outline, which should include research questions, objectives, core literature, methods, thesis structure and time scale. Attendance is mandatory as all students are expected to contribute and support one another.
Week 18: (2.5-6.5): Supervision in groups (TIK)
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Date/time Lecturer Title Readings
Monday
May 2nd
10.15-12.00
TIK-Ma
group 1
Sissel Myklebust
Hege Rudi Standal
12.15-14.00
TIK-Ma
group 2.
Sissel Myklebust
Hege Rudi Standal
Week 20: (16.5-20.5): Supervision in groups (TIK)
Date/time Lecturer Title Readings
14
Monday
May 16th
10.15-12.00
TIK-Ma
group 1
Sissel
Myklebust
Hege Rudi
Standal
12.15-14.00
TIK-Ma
group 2
Sissel
Myklebust
Hege Rudi
Standal
Week 22: (30.5-3.6): Supervision in groups (TIK)
Date/time Lecturer Title Readings
Monday
May 30th
10.15-12.00
TIK-Ma
group 1
Sissel
Myklebust
Hege Rudi
Standal
12.15-14.00
TIK-Ma
group 2.
Sissel
Myklebust
Hege Rudi
Standal
Week 23: Exam for TIK-Ma-students, June 1rd – 8th.
Paper on key literature and debates relevant for thesis
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Reading list
Yin, Robert K. (2009): Case Study Research: Design and Methods.
Ragin, Charles C. & Lisa M. Amoroso (2011). Constructing Social Research.
Punch, Keith F. (2005): Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches..
Hosker, I. (2008): Starting Statistics: Data handling for Beginners (Chap.5).
Latour, Bruno. (2005): Reassembling the Social. An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory, pp.141-156.
Kvale Steinar. (2005): Doing Interviews, (Chap. 4,5,8 and 9).
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