Assignment 1
- Due date
- November 3, 15:00
Content
There are two components to this assignment:
- a statement of a research question, and
- an argument about the relevance of the research question.
Write down a first formulation of the research question for your research proposal. Discuss what unit of analysis is implied in your research question, what concepts bear on your question, and how you could approach problems of “measurement” as discussed in the lecture. What kind of question are you asking?
Explain your choice of research question and make an argument for why we should consider it relevant or interesting for scholarly and for social reasons. This might require referencing external literature in order to position the question within a wider debate or to substantiate an empirical claim and providing necessary context for it.
You may want to additionally consult Bryman, chs. 2–3, as you prepare this assignment.
Criteria
The assignment will be graded according to the following criteria:
- Quality of question: Does the question promise learning something new about our social world? Is it clear?
- Quality of explanation: Are terms used in the research question clearly stated and defended? Does the discussion of the question make use of relevant methodological concepts?
- Quality of argumentation: Does the statement provide a clear and convincing justification for the choices made? Is a convincing case made for the relevance of the research question? Are external sources used appropriately, if and where needed?
- Structure and style: Is the statement well written and structured, free of spelling errors and grammatical mistakes, and correctly referenced where needed?
The approximate length of this assignment is 400 words, but you may write more if need be.
Please submit this assignment via Brightspace.