Dissertation workshop 1

What is a dissertation?

• 15 000 of your words!• A defined project that problematises the

social world and provides a discussion of that problem.

• A development of ideas, in relation to theories, existing research and data.

How do I do that!?

• Multiple sources of guidance (‘how to do a dissertation/doing your research project’).

• Be wary: they can create the illusion that it’s a smooth and straight line from start to finish.

• There are different ways to start and different routes to follow: the process is not predictable.

• Planning, diary keeping and careful reading will help.

So it’s not linear…

2 challenges for now

• What’s a research question? – How to go from topic to question

• What do I need to know about my topic to form a feasible project?– What to read

Ideas – topics - questions

Where do ideas come from? Read, think, reflect, notice.

Topics: reflect substantive and theoretical interests

Research Questions:not quite a hypothesis, although this is sometimes appropriate.not the same as questions you might ask respondents.a research focus, perspective, problem.relates to ‘gaps’ in the literature, theoretical conundrums, misrepresentations of the social world.

An example: Green Jobs

1. A chat and a look at the newspaper.2. Hmmm. Yes. 3. What is there already? UNEP, EU but not

much academic research4. But what’s my take on this? 5. From sex to protecting woodland…6. Morals, markets and doing work: 7. The goodness of working on nature

Green jobs

“The project asks: what ethical orientations to the environment, to markets, and to relations with clients and colleagues do workers in green organisations have?”

• And this is already out of date…• And there are many other ways the topic

might have become a question.

Exercise

Either:If you have a research topic in mind, consider what kinds of perspectives or questions would make sense here.If you don’t have a topic, consider how one might emerge: start to tell your neighbour about some possible ideas.

Now what?

• You can’t develop this idea quickly! Intellectual practice takes time and attention.

• Use your discussion today as entry 1 in a research diary (paper, evernote, whatever).

• Develop it through conversation (with yourself, with others, with your reading).

• From now on, your challenge is to keep working on this in the back of your mind, keeping a few records.

Building a proposal Research design is there to avoid the problem

of “Data, data everywhere and not a thought to think” (Luker, 2008)

But also to think through the interconnections on the diagram above.

Styles of research design

Tight versus loose

Styles of research

Description versus explanation

Research methodologies

Quantitative, qualitative, mixed.

a. Answering the question

"The function of the research design is to ensure that the evidence obtained enables us to answer the initial question as unambiguously as possible." (de Vaus, 2001: 9)

Note the implicit presumption about what research can do.

b. Not how but why…

research design " deals with a logical problem and not a logistical problem" (Yin, 1989: 29, italics in original).

Note that logistics sets limits

What sort of research design?

An experiment

a case study

a longitudinal study

a cross-sectional (comparison) study

These can be answered using quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods

Exercise

• What is included in research design?– What do you need to think about whilst planning

research?

Design and method

Methodolatry I use the term methodolatry, a

combination of method and idolatry, to describe a preoccupation with selecting and defending methods to the exclusion of the actual substance of the story being told. Methodolatry is the slavish attachment and devotion to method" (Janesick, 1994: 215).

A model for good research?

“holistic and attentive to context, conceptually innovative, methodologically agnostic research that sees itself as socially embedded, is strongly committed to building theory in a cumulative way, and is deeply attentive to questions of power” (Luker, 2008: 3)

From research topic to research design

• Read read read – other people’s work can give you ideas not just about how the world works, but how to study the world.

• Read up on methodology and take some modules• Let method follow from question – but let the

question evolve. • Note how feasibility and changes of direction affect

the question.• It’s normal – desirable – for ideas to change over

time.

Essays

• Deadline Jan.• Submit via tabula• Request an extension via tabula prior to the

deadline• All essays are double marked by 2 members of

academic staff. • You get a mark and comments within 20

working days

Marking schema

• http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/aro/dar/quality/categories/examinations/marking/pgt/socialstudies/

• 70+ - distinction• 60-69 – merit• 50-59 – passPASS MARK IS 50• 40-49 – fail (but)• <40 – fail Marks per module are aggregated – final classification is based

on aggregate.

Fails!

• All is not lost!• Resubmit up to 60 credits of taught modules,

plus dissertation.• Resubmissions are capped at 50• Mitigating circumstances may apply, in which

case resubmitted work is not capped• Slightly different rules for fails due to

plagiarism

More information

• http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/aro/dar/quality/categories/examinations/conventions/pgt

• Masters handbook• http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/

sociology/pg/currentmasterstudents3/handbooks/

Question time