2018/19 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

SOEE2570 Research in the Environmental Social Sciences

30 creditsClass Size: 100

Module manager: Dr Iva Bimpli
Email: I.Bimpli@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2018/19

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Objectives

The objective of this module is to prepare students for a significant research activity such as their final year enterprise project or dissertation.

They will learn how to design and implement research in the social sciences, how to analyse the data they collect (whether quantitative or qualitative), to draw inferences, how to write a report on their experiment. They will also be guided on how to undertake a detailed literature review as part of a research design and topic identification stage of a research project. They will also be guided on their choice of their level 3 dissertation or enterprise project and will prepare a research proposal in anticipation of their third year.

All pieces of coursework must be attempted in order to pass the module. Attendance at the fieldtrip is compulsory in order to pass the module.

Syllabus

1. What is research?
2. Role of environmental social science research in society (including alumni talks)
3. Setting a research topic (identifying a problem, carrying out a literature review)
4. Research approaches (action, participatory, survey, case study)
5. Interdisciplinarity in the context of the environmental social sciences
6. Data collection (qualitative and quantitative research, including practical application of different research methods)
7. Data analysis (qualitative and quantitative research, including qualitative analysis and stats)
8. Building theory
9. Presenting your work

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Workshop	44	2.00	88.00
Fieldwork	1	32.00	32.00
Private study hours			180.00
Total Contact hours			120.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			300.00

Private study

- 2 hrs reading, research or worksheet completion for each workshop: 88 hours
- Preparation of 2,000 word research project: 40 hours
- Preparation of second 2,000 word research project: 40 hours
- Preparation of 2,000 fieldtrip report: 20 hours
- Preparation of FORMATIVE dissertation proposal: 20 hours
- Preparation of FORMATIVE research plan to conduct on fieldtrip: 16hours

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

- Student progress will be monitored via weekly workshop discussions and associated activities and also during formative presentations given during the fieldtrip.
- The S1 assessment will test student knowledge of different research approaches and theories and data collection and analysis.
- Assessments in semester 2 will build on those in S1 by testing students' ability to apply these approaches and methods in a guided mini-dissertation.
- The fieldtrip will provide students with an opportunity for hands-on experience of applying these skills in the field.
- Feedback on the dissertation proposal will provide students with clear guidance on how to elaborate on their dissertation topic, while it will be an opportunity to check the dissertation’s feasibility prior to commencing the actual work.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Written Work	Dissertation/Enterprise project plan	0.00
Essay	A1 - 2,000 word essay, due semester 1	30.00
Essay	A2 - 2,000 word essay, due semester 2	30.00
Report	Field trip report (3,000 words), due semester 2	40.00
Presentation	2x fieldtrip presentations	0.00
Problem Sheet	Worksheets (quantitative methods)	0.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

2 x 10 minute formative presentations will be given during the fieldtrip. These presentations will form the basis of the 3,000 word fieldtrip report (assessed). All pieces of summative coursework must be attempted in order to pass the module. Attendance at the fieldtrip is compulsory in order to pass the module. An alternative assessment will be set for students who are unable to attend the fieldtrip for reasons of disability. Completion of all the worksheets that form part of the quantitative methods teaching is essential in order to pass the module.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 23/10/2018

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