University of Ghana (Main and City Campuses)

Department of Political Science 

Second Semester, 2020/2021 Academic Year 

Lecturer : Paul Acheampong Boakye (PhD) 

Email: paboakye@ug.edu.gh 

Office hours: By appointment

Course Title	Political Research Methods
Course Code	POLI 344
Purpose	POLI 344 is intended to provide students with the opportunity to learn and practice  inquiry processes for conducting political/social research. This course will  provide students with the ability to understand and evaluate information gathered  through political/social research methods. The course will give students a firm  grounding in the fundamentals of political research and to familiarize students  with a range of typical data collection and analysis methods and processes in  political science. Consequently, students will be provided with the core skills in  data collections and analysis that can be applied in an academic setting or work.
Course Objectives	At the end of the term, students will:  • Be confident in applying appropriate research methods to answer social  and political questions.  • Appreciate the principles that guides the design and evaluation of social  science research.  • Become critical consumers of social science research and information. • Enhance their critical thinking, research aptitude, and writing skills  through completion of written assignments and other activities. • Develop practical experience in applying their knowledge through  classroom and tutorial exercises.
Expectations	This course is structured in such a way to facilitate active learning through  participation. As such, there will be less lecturing and more hands-on/in-class  discussions and simulations for students to appreciate the ethos and elements of  empirical research. For this to work, students will be required to do some  preparation before coming to class, for both lectures and tutorials. At a minimum,  preparation will almost always involve reading the assigned materials before each  class. This advance preparation is not optional if one is to succeed in this course.  In order to participate in class, students will need to be prepared. Failure to do so  will have a significant impact on students’ learning and on the learning of their  classmates. Students can expect this course to be more demanding than many  other courses; the payoff is acquiring a set of skills and knowledge that will be of  use in students’ remaining courses and in their future careers.

1 

Assessment		The final examination mark (100%) will comprise:  Continuous Assessment – 70%  Final Written Exam – 30%
Week No.	Date	Topic description	Venue
1		1. Overview of the research Process:  • Statement of the Problem  • Research Objectives and Questions  • Literature Review  • Theory  2. Research Proposal	Virtual
2		Methods of Data Collection  Qualitative techniques:  • Case Study  • Interviews  • Focus groups	Virtual
3		Methods of Data Collection  Qualitative techniques:  • Participant Observation  • Action Research  • Photovoice	Virtual
4		Methods of Data Collection  Qualitative techniques:  • Narrative Inquiry  • Discourse Analysis  • Grounded Theory	Virtual
5		Methods of Data Collection  Quantitative techniques:  • Surveys  • Questionnaire Design	Virtual
6		Data Analysis (II)  Presenting Results Using:  • Qualitative Research  • Quantitative Research	Virtual
7		Mixed Methods	Virtual
	TBD	End-of-Semester Examinations	TBD

2

Required Weekly Readings 

Week 1 

Rowley, J., & Slack, F. (2004). Conducting a literature review. Management research news, 27(6),  31-39 

Xiao, Y., & Watson, M. (2019). Guidance on conducting a systematic literature review. Journal of  Planning Education and Research, 39(1), 93-112. 

McGaghie, W. C., Bordage, G., & Shea, J. A. (2001). Problem statement, conceptual framework,  and research question. Academic medicine, 76(9), 923-924. 

Nasution, M. K., & Aulia, I. (2019, June). Design of the research problem statement. In Journal of  Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1235, No. 1, p. 012115). IOP Publishing. Stewart, D., & Klein, S. (2016). The use of theory in research. International journal of clinical  pharmacy, 38(3), 615-619. 

Week 2 

Flyvbjerg, B. (2006). Five misunderstandings about case-study research. Qualitative inquiry, 12(2),  219-245. 

Garson, G. D. (2002). Case study research in public administration and public policy: Standards and  strategies. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 8(3), 209-216. 

Gill, P., Stewart, K., Treasure, E., & Chadwick, B. (2008). Methods of data collection in qualitative  research: interviews and focus groups. British dental journal, 204(6), 291-295. Dilley, P. (2000). Conducting successful interviews: Tips for intrepid research. Theory into  practice, 39(3), 131-137. 

Morgan, D. (1996). Focus Groups. Annual Review of Sociology. 22(1), 129-152. 

Week 3 

Bogdan, R. (1973). Participant Observation. Peabody Journal of Education 50(4), 302-308. Bargal, D. (2008). Action Research: A Paradigm for Achieving Social Change. Small Group  Research 39(1), 17-27. 

Robertson, J. (2000). The Three Rs of Action Research Methodology: Reciprocity, Reflexivity  and Reflection-on-Reality. Educational Action Research 8(2), 307-326. 

Wang, C., Cash J. and Powers, L. (2000). Who Knows the Streets as Well as the Homeless?  Promoting Personal and Community Action Through Photovoice. Health Promotion  Practice 1(1), 81-89. 

Strack, R., Magill, C. & McDonagh, K. (2004). Engaging Youth Through Photovoice. Health  Promotion Practice 5(1), 49-58.

3 

Week 4 

Riley, T. & Hawe, P. (2005). Researching Practice: The Methodological Case for Narrative  Inquiry. Health Education Research 20(2), 226-36. 

Ospina, S.M., & Dodge. J. (2005). It’s about Time: Catching Method up to Meaning – the  Usefulness of Narrative Inquiry in Public Administration Research. Public 

Administration Review 65(2), 143-57. 

Alvesson, M., & Karreman, D. (2000). Varieties of Discourse: On the Study of Organizations  through Discourse Analysis. Human Relations. 53(9), 1135-1149. 

Hewitt, S. (2009). Discourse Analysis and Public Policy Research. Centre for Rural Economy  Discussion Paper Series 24. 

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1994). Grounded Theory Methodology: An Overview. In N. K. Denzin  & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.). Handbook of Qualitative Research (pp. 273-285). Thousand  Oaks, CA: Sage. 

Keddy, B., Sims, S., & Stern, P.N. (1996). Grounded Theory as Feminist Research Methodology.  Journal of Advanced Nursing 23(3), 448–53. 

Suddaby, R. (2006). What Grounded Theory is Not. The Academy of Management Journal 49(4),  633-42. 

Week 5 

Couper, M. P. (2017). New developments in survey data collection. Annual Review of Sociology, 43,  121-145. 

Frohlich, M. T. (2002). Techniques for improving response rates in OM survey research. Journal of  Operations Management, 20(1), 53-62. 

Speklé, R. F., & Widener, S. K. (2018). Challenging issues in survey research: Discussion and  suggestions. Journal of Management Accounting Research, 30(2), 3-21. 

Kazi, A. M., & Khalid, W. (2012). Questionnaire designing and validation. Journal of the Pakistan  Medical Association, 62(5), 514. 

Colosi, L. (2006). Designing an effective questionnaire. Research brief available online at:  http://parenting. cit. cornell. edu/documents/Designing an Effective Questionnaire. pdf. Jain, S., Dubey, S., & Jain, S. (2016). Designing and validation of questionnaire. International  dental & medical journal of advanced research, 2(1), 1-3. 

Week 6 

Pitchforth, E., Porter, M., van Teijlingen, E., & Keenan, K. F. (2005). Writing up and presenting  qualitative research in family planning and reproductive health care 31(2), 132-135. Sandelowski, M. (1998). Writing a good read: Strategies for re‐presenting qualitative data. Research  in nursing & health, 21(4), 375-382. 

Gillan, D. J., Wickens, C. D., Hollands, J. G., & Carswell, C. M. (1998). Guidelines for presenting  quantitative data in HFES publications. Human Factors, 40(1), 28-41.

4 

Week 7 

Brannen, J. (2005). Mixing methods: The entry of qualitative and quantitative approaches into  the research process. International journal of social research methodology, 8(3), 173- 184. 

Johnson, R. B., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Turner, L. A. (2007). Toward a definition of mixed  methods research. Journal of mixed methods research, 1(2), 112-133. 

Optional Reading 

Archer, K., & Berdahl, L. (2011). Explorations: Conducting empirical research in Canadian  political science. 3rd Ed. Don Mills: Oxford University Press. 

Bouma, G. D., Ling, R., & Wilkinson, L. (2012). The Research Process, Third Canadian Edition.  Don Mills: Oxford University Press. 

Continuous Assessment (Assignments) 

1. Assignment 1 – Application of Particular Methodology and Method to Social and Political Inquiry: Issue, Problem, Challenge (10marks) 

This assignment is focused on demonstrating how a particular social or political issue or problem might be the subject of research. You might describe the issue, problem or challenge and discuss various possible methodologies or methods that might be used to provide insight, to explore, to  describe, to analyze or otherwise move the topic forward. Use and cite at least four or five refereed  articles. You may wish to provide an overview of how certain issues, problems and challenges  have been resolved or addressed using various methodologies. Please be sure to include some  critique as well as description. You are welcome to use first-person writing style. 

2. Assignment 2 – Article Review (10marks) 

This assignment is intended for students to review the article below. You are expected to  summarize or canvas the key arguments of the paper and offer a critical assessment of the article. 

Foli, R., & Béland, D. (2014). International organizations and ideas about poverty in Sub‐ Saharan Africa. Poverty & Public Policy, 6(1), 3-23. 

3. Interim Assessment (20marks) 

The format for this assessment will be discussed in class.

5 

4. Assignment 3 – Term Paper (30 marks) 

Prepare a term paper that applies one of the data collection methods discussed in class to any  political or social issue in Ghana. The topic for the paper must be political science related (e.g.  social and public policies, democracy and governnace issues, conflicts, etc). Write between 4000  to 6000 words, excluding references. The bibliography must contain a minimum of 10 references. 

Late Submissions 

Late submission of assignment shall not be entertained at any time. 

Note: computer or internet failure is not grounds for an extension. Always back-up your work to  avoid any potential last-minute catastrophes. 

All papers and work should be submitted electronically through Sakai (No emails). Please  keep a copy of any work submitted for grading in this course.