Odporúčaná literatúra:

Toshkov, D. 2016. Research Design in Political Science. Palgrave Macmillan

Robson, Colin. 2006. Real World Research. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing

Bos, J. 2020. Research ethics for students in the social sciences. Springer Nature.

Hoover, Kenneth, and Donovan, Todd. 2001. “Thinking Scientifically,” In: The Elements of Social Scientific Thinking. Boston: St. Martins

Fujii, L. 2012. Research ethics 101: dilemmas and responsibilities. PS, Political Science & Politics, 45(4), 717-723.

Knopf, J.W. 2006. Doing a literature review, Political Science & Politics, 39(1), pp. 127-133.

Schwartz-Shea, P., & Yanow, D. 2013. Interpretive research design: Concepts and processes. Routledge.

Ragin, Charles, C. 1994. Constructing Social Research. London: Pine Forge Press

Wolcott, Harry F. 2001. Writing Up Qualitative Research. London: Sage

APSA 2020. Principles and Guidance for Human Subjects Research. American Political Science Association. https://connect.apsanet.org/hsr/principles-and-guidance/

4 Assignments relating to the readings of each module and applied on real-world cases. Assignments are due 2 days prior to the module meeting (in the form of a student memo on the case study and/or own PhD. Project) for following topics: concept operationalization, ethical implications, enquiry design, data

Research proposal: presentation + written. The research proposal contains (1) the central research question(s), (2) the literature and/or debate it seeks to address, (3) the argument or theory/hypotheses, (4) the methodology to be used in the project, (5) case selection criteria, and (6) a plan for data collection and analysis that will serve to answer the research question(s).

Active class participation

Brief outline of the course:

What is social scientific research

How to operationalize key concepts and select sample

How to identify and mitigate key ethical implications of your research

Designing the enquiry: how to develop relevant research problems and questions

Conducting field research: collecting data

Reporting the enquiry: scholarly work and research proposal

Learning outcomes: Doctoral candidates should be able to identify the key steps and choices in research design, analyse and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different design choices in their own and others' work, and eventually create and critically reflect upon their own research designs since the purpose is to provide PhD candidates with in-depth knowledge and practical experience in developing a research design - before diving into methods choices and implementation in more detail. The lectures in the research design focus on the relationship between the identification of a research problem, the formulation of research questions, doing effective literature reviews, the development of the theoretical framework, conceptualization and operationalization, choice of a methodological approach, selection of cases and data, and ethical considerations in research design.

Recommended reading:

Yin, Robert. 2003. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3rd ed. London: Sage Publications.

Lijphart, A. 1971. "Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method", The American Political Science Review, Vol. 65, No. 3., pp. 682-693. http://www.jkarp.com/s2008/Lijphart.pdf

Beach and Pedersen (2013) Process Tracing: Foundations and Guidelines Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press

Kvale, Steiner. 2009. "Seven Stages of an Interview Investigation, " In: Interviews. London: Sage, pp. 97-208.

Aberbach, J.D. and Rockman, B.A., 2002. Conducting and coding elite interviews. PS: Political Science & Politics, 35(4), pp.673-676

Lomsky-Feder, Edna. 2004. "Life Stories, War, and Veterans: On the Social Distribution of Memories." In: Ethos 32(1): 82-109.

Prerequisites

Students have to take 4 modules (3+1) from both Parts (qualitative and quantitative) but the number of taken modules depends on their PhD. Research orientation. Once students have identified their research problem (in the course Research design which is a pre-condition of this course), they will employ the methodology best suited for solving the problem of their own dissertation. Thus, students choose 3 electives from modules in Part which is relevant to their pathway to do PhD. And will help them deepen skills and in this way build their own dissertation and 1 elective from the Part which does not correspond to their Path. For example, if the student is undertaking qualitative research, he/she takes 3 modules from the Part 1 and 1 module from Part 2 to fulfill course requirements but he/she is recommended to take as many as possible

Practical modules on research methods taken at summer/winter methodological courses count as any module taken within Qualitative or Quantitative part.

Assignments related to the individual

Pre-registered

Presentation and defence of own design related to modules and dissertation

Rating: passed / failed

Brief outline of the course:

PART 1: QUALITATIVE METHODS

Comparative design and case study

Understanding process tracing

Interpretative approach: qualitative interviewing and analysis

Qualitative Analysis of Textual Data

PART 2: QUANTITATIVE METHODS

Surveys

Experiments

Reporting standards of quantitative research

Open science practices

Learning outcomes

Doctoral candidates will be able to identify the key steps and choices in research design, analyze and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different design choices in their own and others' work, and eventually create and critically reflect upon their own research designs.

Part I and Part II run in parallel, each dedicated to qualitative and quantitative research methods, respectively. Students choose modules from both parts upon discussion with their respective supervisor to reflect their individual needs when conducting their PhD. Research. Students read and discuss assigned texts, practical case studies and reflect upon their own research and apply newly acquired skills to their own research plans. Since this course is a practicum for conducting empirical social science, the focus of individual modules is on learning techniques for researching and analysing social phenomena on a practical level.

Odporúčaná literatúra:

Cargill, M., & O'Connor, P. (2013). Writing scientific research articles: Strategy and steps. John Wiley & Sons.

Ortinau, D. J. (2011). Writing and publishing important scientific articles: A reviewer's perspective. Journal of Business Research, 64(2), 150-156.

Kelly, J., Sadeghieh, T., & Adeli, K. (2014). Peer review in scientific publications: benefits, critiques, & a survival guide. Ejifcc, 25(3), 227.

August, E. T., & Brouwer, A. F. (2024). How to write an effective journal peer review using a staged writing approach: a best-practice guide for early-career researchers. International Journal of Epidemiology, 53(6), dyae154.

Richtig, G., Berger, M., Lange‐Asschenfeldt, B., Aberer, W., & Richtig, E. (2018). Problems and challenges of predatory journals. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 32(9), 1441-1449.

Faulkner, S. L., & Trotter, S. P. (2017). Data Saturation. In J. Matthes, C. S. Davis, & R. F.

Potter, The International Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Hankock, A.-M. (2007). Intersectionality as a Normative and Empirical Paradigm. Politics & Gender, 3(2), 248-254. doi: doi:10.1017/S1743923X07000062

ňRich, R. C., Brians, C. L., Manheim, J. B., & Willnat, L. (2018). Empirical Political Analysis. New York: Routledge. doi: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315109664

Seale, C. (ed.) (2012) Researching Society and Culture, 3rd edition, London: Sage.

Coppedge, M. (2012). Democratization and Research Methos, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Prerequisites

activity at seminars

preparation of assignments - written and presentation deliverables

final presentation and discussion of the PhD project

Rating: passed / failed

Brief outline of the course:

Supplementing research methods with some specific procedures - elite research

Some specific aspects of research - positionality, intersectionality

Grounded

Principles of research presentation

How to write peer reviews effectively?

How to work effectively with reviews?

How to write an effective abstract and project

Publishing in peer-reviewed journals, the right choice and the efficient process: quality vs. predatory journals

Artificial intelligence in science

Learning outcomes

As a result of the course, some specific research methods and procedures are added. Addition of aspects of research design and skills in presenting results - both written and oral. Critical reflection on presentation skills and training in various forms of academic expression. By completing the course, students will also learn how to communicate with professional journals and be prepared to present the results of their research work.

Recommended reading:

Peters, G. - Pierre, J., Politicization of the Civil Service in Comparative Perspective. Routlage. 2004.

Pollitt, Ch. - Bouckaert, G., Public Management Reform: A Comparative Analysis, OUP Oxford. 2011.

Le Grand, J., The Other Invisible Hand. Princeton University Press. 2009.

Olson, M., The Logic of Collective Action: public goods and and the theory of groups. Harvard University Press. 2009.

Hirschman, A. O., Exit, Voice and Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations and States. Harvard University Press. 1970.

Aberbach, J. - Rockman, B., In the Web of Politics: Three Decades of the U.S. Federal Executive. Brookings Institution Press. 2000.

Moore, M. H., Creating Public Value: Strategic Management in Government. Harvard University Press. 1995.

Prerequisites:

Class activity and on-time submission of the thesis (20% of the total grade for the course): the PhD student is required to read the prescribed literature before the start of the scheduled class and prepare a predefined output. Each PhD student will read selected professional books in English + relevant professional articles in English and outputs of his/her colleagues. Each student will prepare a number of position papers (analytical summaries of the readings) - as a presenter and as a discussant.

presentation (30% of the total grade)

position papers (50% of the total grade).

Rating: passed / failed

Brief outline of the course:

The course focuses on the basic concepts of public sector governance and public administration. It aims to learn the trade-offs associated with different approaches to the governance of public issues, as well as the trade-offs associated with decisions to intervene or not to intervene in relevant contexts. It also looks at the relationship between approaches to managing public issues and the effectiveness of interventions adopted.

In the course, students will cover the following main areas:

Theory of the State

Main approaches to public sector governance

NPM and innovative approaches to public sector governance

Participatory and deliberative democracy

Political-administrative relations

Behavioural approaches to public sector governance.

Learning outcomes:

The student will learn the basic concepts of social governance by examining the basic characteristics and dynamics of different approaches to the governance of public issues.

Graduates of the course will understand the characteristics of different theories of public policy, which is an important prerequisite public policy making and decision making in government intervention, as well as in the subsequent management of the implementation of the adopted public policies.

Brief outline of the course

1. State and international organisations

2. Rationality and its limits; Organizational theories

3. New Institutionalism in Political Science and International Relations

4. New configurations of global power and the dynamic landscape of international

5. Decision-making and the limitations of rationality

6. Positive engagement and human rights standards in international relations and

7. Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in International Politics

8. International and human security

9. Environment and Governance

10. Intergovernmentalism and integration

11. National and international institutional dynamics

12. New intergovernmental and transnational cooperation - the current dynamics of European integration

13. International responsibility

Prerequisites

active participation (20%)

development of a research project (50%)

research project defence (30%)

Rating: passed / failed

Brief outline of the course

1. State and international organisations

2. Rationality and its limits; Organizational theories

3. New Institutionalism in Political Science and International Relations

4. New configurations of global power and the dynamic landscape of international

5. Decision-making and the limitations of rationality

6. Positive engagement and human rights standards in international relations and

7. Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in International Politics

8. International and human security

9. Environment and Governance

10. Intergovernmentalism and integration

11. National and international institutional dynamics

12. New intergovernmental and transnational cooperation - the current dynamics of European integration

13. International responsibility

Learning outcomes

Students will gain knowledge of the theoretical and applied perspectives on the existence, dynamics and relationships of functioning in an institutional system in an international environment. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding international norms, rules and values, decision-making processes, international relations, the behaviour of international organisations and other actors, in the context of organisational theories, international relations theories, European integration and human rights theories.

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

demonstrate knowledge of the various forms of cooperation and institutionalisation that exist in global affairs, including international organisations;

demonstrate understanding of the key theories of international cooperation;

apply these theories to historical and current-day issues of significance; and

engage critically with scholarly research, evaluating its accuracy and relevance to global affairs.

Recommended reading:

References (both recommended and supplementary) will be listed on the course website. Students will work with a variety of source types, including monographs, peer-reviewed articles, commentaries, and audio-visual material related to the topic. The reading list will be supplemented each semester with more recent research and research reflecting the work of guest presenters.

Aradau, C. and J. Huysmans (2019) "Assembling Credibility: Knowledge, Method and Critique in Times of 'Post-Truth'" Security Dialogue 50(1): 40-58.

Bolker, J. (1998) Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day (Holt Paperbacks).

Caspersen, N. (2012) Unrecognized States. London.

Chandler, D. and Fuchs, C. (Eds) (2019) Digital Objects, Digital Subjects: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Capitalism, Labour and Politics in the Age of Big Data. London: University of Westminster.

Crick, B. (2013) In Defence of Politics. London: Bloomsbury.

Dzenovska, D. (2018). School of Europeanness: Tolerance and other lessons in political liberalism in Latvia. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press.

Harrington, C. (2016) 'The Ends of the World: International Relations and the Anthropocene' Millennium: Journal of International Studies 44, no. 3: 478-498.

Kurtovic, L. and N. Sargsyan. 2019. "After Utopia: Leftist Imaginaries and activist politics in the postsocialist world". History and Anthropology 30(1): 1-19.

Kuus, M (2014). Geopolitics and Expertise. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons.

Madarova, Z. (2019 ) How to stave off November 1989. Bratislava.

Makovicky, N. (2014). Neoliberalism, Personhood and Postsocialism: Enterprising Selves in Changing Economies. London: Routledge.

Nicolaidis, K., B. Sebe and G. Maas (2015) Echoes of Empire: Memory, Identity and Colonial Legacies. London.

Pospisil, J. (2019) Peace in Political Unsettlement: Beyond Solving Conflict. Cham: Palgrave.

Scott, J. C. (2005) Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed. Yale University Press.

Sheller, M. (2018). Mobility justice: The Politics of Movement in an Age of Extremes. London: Verso.

Vrasti, W. (2010) 'Dr Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying about Methodology and Love Writing'. Millennium: Journal of International Studies 39(1): 79-88.

1. Attendance and active participation in discussions and exercises (20%). Attendance points assess activity in the exercises and discussions of the workshop.

2. Midterm exam or assignment prepared after the first part of the semester (30%). Students will demonstrate the knowledge acquired in the first part of the semester. The course coordinator will announce in advance the exact structure of the exam - it will either be a set of questions requiring a shorter answer or a choice of three options for a longer essay.

3. Research proposal (50%). Students will submit a research proposal that uses one of the methods discussed in the workshop. The proposal will be handed in during the exam period; more detailed instructions will be provided in advance.

Students are entitled to one make-up term for the final thesis. In accordance with the FSEV UK study regulations, students may miss two weekly blocks, absences will be excused in accordance with the Faculty's study regulations.

Brief outline of the course:

(The order of topics and some emphases in the content may change depending on the time availability of the visiting researchers and speakers.)

1. Introduction to the course and introduction of the topics. Introduction of course participants, objectives and syllabus. Methodology in doctoral thesis.

2. Field research, critique of the concept of "terrain" and contexts of its emergence. Legacies of colonialism, ethics and their relevance in contemporary international relations and European studies.

3. Approaches to the study of conflict, peace and cooperation. International and transnational processes, actors and institutions.

4. Qualitative methods and their importance in advancing knowledge in political theory and philosophy. The study of statehood and unrecognized states.

5. Historical and ethnographic methods. Focus on post-socialism.

6. Complexity in the Anthropocene. International relations and interdisciplinary conversations on the topic of cooperation between human actors and other world inhabitants (human and non-human agency).

7. Feminist approaches to the study of politics. Gender as an angle of analysis.

8. Swimming in confusing and difficult to access contexts. Exploratory interviewing and other conversational strategies.

9. Analysis of audiovisual material. Orientation between words and images.

10. The world at home. The study of global processes in local contexts. Urban ethnography and the intersections between research and civic initiatives.

11. Methods of researching legal sources. Orientation in the work of European courts. Locating, collecting and analysing judicial documents.

12. Final colloquium.

Learning outcomes:

The Workshop in Qualitative Methods is an advanced course for PhD students interested in deepening their understanding of different approaches to the study of European society and politics and of current trends in research on international and transnational phenomena. Throughout the course, students will be able to gain deeper insights into the work of researchers working with different theoretical and methodological frameworks. The course will have an introductory and a final section, focusing on the foundations of qualitative research for PhD students. We anticipate presentations and discussions throughout the semester, welcoming colleagues from FSEV and other national and international departments. Each meeting will begin with an introductory presentation of the research framework and continue with an interactive discussion. We expect students to come to the meetings prepared - with knowledge of the core literature for the week and a willingness to discuss with both local and visiting researchers. In addition to access to a "production room" of diverse research styles, students will also get the opportunity to practice academic communication skills (constructive criticism, argument-focused debate, etc.).

Recommended reading

Angrist, J. D., & Pischke, J. S. (2009). Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An empiricist's companion. Princeton University Press.

Baccaro, L., Bremer, B., & Neimanns, E. (2021). Till austerity do us part? A survey experiment on support for the euro in Italy. In European Union Politics, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 401-423. https://doi.org/10.1177/14651165211004772.

Bertrand, M., & Mullainathan, S. (2004). Are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A field experiment on labor market discrimination. In American Economic Review, vol. 94, no. 4, pp. 991-1013.

Bremer, B., & Bürgisser, R. (2024). Lower taxes at all costs? Evidence from a survey experiment in four European countries. In Journal of European Public Policy, pp. 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2024.2333856.

Card, D., & Krueger, A. (1994). Minimum wages and employment: A case study of the fast-food industry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In American Economic Review, vol. 84, no. 4, pp. 772-793.

Eggers, A. C., & Hainmueller, J. (2009). MPs for sale? Returns to office in postwar British politics. In American Political Science Review, vol. 103, no. 4, pp. 513-533.

Fox, J., & Weisberg, S. (2018). An R Companion to Applied Regression. 3rd edition. Sage.

Gelman, H., Hill, J., & Vehtari, A. (2022). Regression and Other Stories. Cambridge University Press

Gerber, S. A., Green, D. P., & Larimer, C. W. (2008). Social pressure and voter turnout: Evidence from a large-scale field experiment. In American Political Science Review, vol. 102, no. 1, pp. 33-48.

Häusermann, S., Kurer, T., & Traber, D. (2019). The politics of trade-offs: Studying the dynamics of welfare state reform with conjoint experiments. In Comparative Political Studies, vol. 52, no. 7, pp. 1059-1095. https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414018797943.

Imai, K., & Williams, N. W. (2022). quantitative social science: an introduction to the tidyverse. Pricenton University Press.

Moise, A. D., Truchlewski, Z., & Oana, I. E. (2024). Tilly versus Milward: Experimental Evidence of Public Preferences for European Defense Amidst the Russian Threat. In Political Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-024-09979-x.

he course is designed in an interactive way and will devote time to lectures and interactive activities. Students are required to complete all assigned readings prior to class, actively participate in class, and turn in weekly practical assignments. Practical assignments will consist of analysis in the R programming language on data from research published in leading social science research journals. To pass the course, you must complete all assigned readings, actively participate in seminar discussions, and turn in all assigned practical assignments

Active participation in seminars with discussion (20%)

Weekly practical assignments in R (80%)

Brief outline of the course

1. Introduction to the course;

2. Introduction to the R programming language with emphasis on the tidyverse package and the RMarkdown interface;

3. Correlation and regression analysis, diagnostics of regression models based on residuals;

4. Exploring causal effects using data from experiments I. (Introduction);

5. Exploring causal effects using data from Experiment II (field experiments);

6. Investigating causal effects using data from Experiment III (laboratory experiments);

7. Exploring causal effects using data from questionnaire experiments I. (Introduction)

8. Exploring causal effects using data from questionnaire experiments II (vignettes);

9. Exploring causal effects using data from questionnaire experiments III (conjoints);

10. Exploring causal effects using observational data I. (differences-in-differences);

11. Exploring causal effects using observational data II (regression discontinuity design);

12. Exploring causal effects using observational data III (instrumental variables);

13. Standards for reproducible quantitative analysis in the social sciences.

Learning outcomes:

Students will be introduced to selected advanced quantitative research methods in the social sciences with an emphasis on estimating causal effects;

Students will be able to apply the tools of regression analysis to estimate causal effects on experimental, survey, or observational data;

Students will be able to actively use the R programming language (tidyverse) to analyze selected social science data and will be able to write a full scientific paper in RMarkdown/Latex;

Students will learn the proper procedures for writing R programming code for social science analysis and online management of analysis codes for the purpose of publishing their quantitative analyses in scholarly journals;

At the end of the course, students will be able to process their collected data, formulate a compelling hypothesis, apply relevant quantitative research methods, and write a scientific manuscript in RMarkdown (or Latex) ready for submission to a journal with accompanying reproducible R code published online.

Prerequisites

The course is an internship in an institution related to the field of study, at home or abroad, with a minimum duration of 10 hours per week (min. 120 hours). Prerequisite for recognition of the internship:

traineeship agreement

a confirmation of the internship from the organisation, specifying the role and timeframe

a short report on the internship itself (experience gained, relevance to the study or data collection for the dissertation)

Rating: passed / failed

Learning outcomes

Students will gain practical experience in the application of acquired theoretical and scientific knowledge in their field of study. They will gain experience in the processing of professional information, the application of knowledge in a specific topic, specific skills depending on the host institution, and thus the opportunity to better succeed in the labour market.

Prerequisites

The course is an internship in an institution related to the field of study, at home or abroad, with a minimum duration of 10 hours per week (min. 120 hours). Prerequisite for recognition of the internship:

traineeship agreement

a confirmation of the internship from the organisation, specifying the role and timeframe

a short report on the internship itself (experience gained, relevance to the study or data collection for the dissertation)

Rating: passed / failed

Learning outcomes

Students will gain practical experience in the application of acquired theoretical and scientific knowledge in their field of study. They will gain experience in the processing of professional information, the application of knowledge in a specific topic, specific skills depending on the host institution, and thus the opportunity to better succeed in the labour market.