The field of Politics and International Relations is ultimately aimed at answering questions about human behaviour and the world in which we live. Why are young adults less likely to turn out to vote than older citizens? Does the political ideology of a government influence its welfare state expenditure? What factors explain the severity of civil wars? In seeking answers to such questions, social scientists are interested in the (strength of) the relationship between factors.

There are various ways and methods to assess these relationships. PR5949 exposes students to methods frequently used by researchers of Politics and International Relations. It considers how we acquire knowledge about political ideas, institutions and practices; and how we can carry out and understand empirical research, using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. It provides an essential tool kit to help us answer questions about what happens in Politics and International Relations and how we can explain or describe different political phenomena. 

We start the course focussing on qualitative methods and focus on interviews, focus group research and text analysis. Quantitative researchers, on the other hand, draw on a set of statistical tools to conduct their research. The second half of the year, introduces the basics of such quantitative data analysis. Together, the contents covered in Autumn and Spring Term is aimed at 1) making students familiar with those methods they are most likely to use in their dissertation, 2) giving students hands-on research experience, 3) preparing students for their dissertation. To this end, PR5949 also includes generic study skills sessions.

PR5949 focuses on the practical issues of research in Politics and International Relations: the principles that guide scholars in Politics and International Relations as they conduct research, the kinds of questions they ask, and the variety of decisions that they must make in order to answer them. Analysing these issues will provide a strong platform to judge the merits of different arguments presented in academic literature and help students to be able to distinguish the good from the bad or unconvincing. 
Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to think about issues in Politics and international Relations in an informed, critical and rigorous way. The course is designed to encourage students to ask questions about the world around us and think about how we can provide meaningful and robust answers to these questions. In doing so the course provides students with skills that will be useful for their entire degree. The ability to undertake research is, moreover, a hugely valuable transferable skill that is highly valued in the job market.