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Last update: Mgr. Lukáš Hájek, M.A., Ph.D. (04.09.2023)
This is an introductory course to the methodology of social sciences for PPE students. The course is divided into three blocks focusing on different topics: introduction to academic work, research design, and methods of political philosophy. |
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Last update: Mgr. Lukáš Hájek, M.A., Ph.D. (04.09.2023)
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Last update: Mgr. Lukáš Hájek, M.A., Ph.D. (04.09.2023)
We strongly advise students to attend all the lectures and seminars. Nonetheless, attendance is not mandatory, so students do not have to apologise for an absence. The final grade will be composed of three parts: 1. Mini-tests (10%)
2. Homework (40%)
3. Final test (50 %)
Every student that starts to fulfil the course’s requirements will be graded at the end of the semester. The course uses the following grading scale of the Faculty of Social Sciences:
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Last update: Mgr. Lukáš Hájek, M.A., Ph.D. (04.09.2023)
Mandatory readings are assigned within particular lectures and seminars. In the case of further interest, the following literature is recommended:
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Last update: Mgr. Lukáš Hájek, M.A., Ph.D. (27.09.2023)
We will meet in person at 12 lectures once a week. Besides this, students attend seminars once a fortnight. Students with permission from the International Office can attend lectures online via MS Teams, and they should attend the online seminar group also via MS Teams. To share materials, we will use the electronic platform Moodle. Firstly, all required readings are available there. Teachers will also share additional interesting sources via Moodle (links, articles etc.). Secondly, teachers will use Moodle to assign mini-tasks and homework, and students will use the platform to upload their solutions. Last but not least, students will also take the final tests there. Registration to the course page in Moodle is therefore required for every enrolled student of the course. If there are any problems with signing in to the Moodle platform, do not hesitate and let the teachers know. |
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Last update: Mgr. Lukáš Hájek, M.A., Ph.D. (04.09.2023)
Lectures First Block – Introduction to Academic Work 1. Introduction, Methodology (October 4) [TH, LH] The course will be introduced, and the organisation of the semester will be presented. Besides this, teachers will explain the rationale and benefits of the course. Last, we will focus on explaining the term “methodology”. Reading:
2. Visiting Library (October 11) [LH] The lecture will take place in the Jinonice library. Students will meet not only with the library but also with catalogues and e-resources. Reading:
3. Academic Work (October 18) [LH] The lecture will define academic texts together with their key features and design. Furthermore, we will differentiate between various academic texts (books, articles, reviews etc.). Besides this, the crucial issue of plagiarism will be discussed. Reading:
4. Non-Academic Work (October 25) [LH] The lecture will focus on other non-academic activities that employ methods of social sciences (journalism, writing blogs, recording vlogs, making speeches etc.). We will also discuss different types of arguments, the issue of disinformation, and artificial intelligence. Reading:
Second Block – Research Design 5. Topic, Research Question, Knowledge, and Hypotheses (November 1) [LH] The lecture will open the theme of research design following the ideal research procedure. Therefore, the lecture will discuss the issues of identifying the topic and research question. Furthermore, we will focus on analysing the current state of knowledge and building hypotheses. Reading:
6. Concepts and Measures (November 8) [LH] The lecture will focus on the issue of concepts and their definitions. Besides this, we will deal with measuring the concepts. Reading:
7. Quantitative Methods (November 22) [LH] The lecture will present shared patterns of quantitative methods of social research. Specific methods will be differentiated, and both pros and cons will be discussed. Reading:
8. Qualitative Methods (November 29) [LH] The lecture will present shared patterns of qualitative methods of social research. Specific methods will be differentiated, and both pros and cons will be discussed. Reading:
Third Block – Methods of Political Philosophy 9. Introduction to Methods in Political Theory and History of Political Thought (December 6) [TH] The first lecture of the block will introduce an overview of the debates on the interpretation of political texts and methods in political philosophy and the history of political thought. This introductory lecture will feature topics such as Hermeneutics, Marxism, Conceptual History (Begriffsgeschichte) or an idea of essentially contested concepts. Reading:
Optional video:
10. Textual Approaches and Idealism (December 13) [TH] The lecture will concentrate on idealist or textual methods focusing primarily on Leo Strauss and his notions of philosophy between the lines, persecution and criticism of positivism in political science. Reading:
11. The Cambridge School (December 20) [TH] This lecture will be devoted to contextualist methods developed by The Cambridge School of intellectual history, focusing primarily on the work of its leading scholar Quentin Skinner. Reading:
Optional video:
12. Morphological Approach to Ideologies (January 3) [TH] The concluding lecture of the block will discuss Michael Freeden’s morphological approach to the study of ideologies. Reading:
Optional audio:
Seminars 1. Searching (October 12) [LH, MD, & PV] The first seminar will focus on how to search for sources and use scholarly databases or search engines. 2. Referencing (October 26) [LH, MD, & PV] The seminar will introduce the basic referencing principles and show how referencing styles are used in practice. 3. Literature Review (November 9) [LH, MD, & PV] The seminar will explain the importance of literature review for academic work and its genre rules. 4. Research Analysis (November 23) [LH, MD, & PV] The seminar will present how one research problem can be approached using different methodologies. 5. Research Design (December 7) [LH, MD, & PV] The seminar will provide a practical insight into research design and go through its partial elements. 6. Political Philosophy in Practice (December 21) [TH] The last seminar will conclude the Political Philosophy part of the course by contrasting the idealist and the contextualist approach to political thought using the case study of the political thought of Niccolò Machiavelli. Reading:
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Last update: Mgr. Lukáš Hájek, M.A., Ph.D. (04.09.2023)
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