Handbook

What is qualitative research and how is it carried out to address questions concerning political and social life? What are the methods and methodologies that have been developed in and across Politics and International Relations to allow researchers to ask questions, and make claims, about the ‘political’ and the ‘social’ world? Through the analysis of key scholarly texts centred on pressing global issues, you will be introduced to a range of qualitative methods deployed in political science, and often adapted from other disciplinary contexts. You will ask how these inform and shape research practice in and across Politics and International Relations, using particular examples of qualitative research to think through philosophical, political and economic dilemmas, such as peace and conflict, economic crisis, global social justice and environmental protection. You will be challenged to evaluate the strengths and limitations of particular qualitative methods for certain tasks, and to reflect on the appropriateness of particular methods for the investigation of pressing political and social problems. You will design a qualitative research project with the knowledge learned from the course and discuss the challenges and solutions of the research during weekly seminars.