Faculty of Arts and

Social Sciences
BA European
Studies
Year 2
Period 5
2015/2016
Skills EUS2511

Course book

Developing your own Research

Design
One cannot repair a weak research design with a strong data analysis.
-Richard Berk
Research design begins, and ends, with the evaluation of plausible rival hypotheses.
-John Gerring, 2012

(source:https://techknowtools.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/scientificfor
10yo.jpg)

BA European Studies

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction...........................................................................................................3
1. Introduction...................................................................................................4
2. Course Objectives......................................................................................... 5
3. The Course in the BA ES Curriculum .......................................................5
3.1. Place in the skills Training Trajectory ..................................................... 6
3.2. Dublin Descriptors.................................................................................... 7
4. Course Design...............................................................................................7
4.1. Lectures
7
4.2. Tutorial Meetings.......................................................................................8
4.3. Readings
9
4.4. Eleum
9
5. Course Assessment.....................................................................................10
5.1. Attendance and Participation................................................................ 10
5.2. Assessment and Examination................................................................10
6. Course Team ..............................................................................................11
Assignments........................................................................................................13
Assignment 1: The research process 1 Asking the Right Questions,
finding the right Answers............................................ 14
Assignment 2: Literature Review, Theories and concepts in scientific
research........................................................................... 17
Assignment 3: Practical Implementation of Research Design..................23
Assignment 4: Individual Feedback Session.............................................. 25
Research Design: Final Paper Guidelines....................................................26
Appendix
28

INTRODUCTION

BA European Studies

1. Introduction
Research is an important part of social sciences. It allows us to uncover
evidence, develop theories, refute theories and better understand how the
world operates. One of the main issues a researcher needs to address is the
way he/she plans to design his/her study. The research design refers to
the overall strategy that you choose to integrate the different components
of the study in a coherent and logical way, thereby, ensuring you will
effectively address the research problem; it constitutes the blueprint for the
collection, measurement, and analysis of data. Note that your research
problem determines the type of design you should use, not the other
way around!
The function of a research design is to ensure that the evidence obtained
enables you to effectively address the research problem logically and as
unambiguously as possible. In social sciences research, obtaining
information relevant to the research problem generally entails specifying
the type of evidence needed to test a theory, to evaluate a program, or to
accurately describe and assess meaning related to an observable
phenomenon.
With this in mind, a common mistake made by researchers is that they
begin their investigations far too early, before they have thought critically
about what information is required to address the studys research
questions. Without attending to these design issues beforehand, the
overall research problem will not be adequately addressed and any
conclusions drawn will risk being weak and unconvincing. As a
consequence, the overall validity of the study will be undermined.
Given this, the length and complexity of describing research designs in
your paper can vary considerably, but any well-developed research will
achieve the following:
1. Identify the research problem clearly and justify its selection,
particularly in relation to any valid alternative designs that could
have been used,
2. Review and synthesize previously published literature associated
with the problem,
3. Clearly and explicitly specify hypotheses/arguments [i.e., research
questions] central to the research problem,

4. Effectively describe the data which will be necessary for an

adequate answering of the research question(s) and explain how
such data will be obtained, and
5. Describe the methods of analysis to be applied to the data in
determining the answers to the research question(s).
This course will build on the previous methods courses you already took
during your first and second years (for example: Research and Writing,
Analyzing Research Design, Qualitative Research Skills I and Quantitative
Data Analysis I). It introduces you to some of the basic research tools in
the researchers toolkit, and discusses why and how certain tools are
used to explore and understand certain phenomena. The course will also
teach you to develop and evaluate sensible and systematic scientific
research designs by addressing the ways in which data and theory
intersect and examining how social scientists quantify, measure, and
operationalize the concepts and variables that are key to understanding
the various political, social, economic, historical and philosophical issues
in this world.
You will conclude your studies by learning about the practical
implementation of a research design. By the end of this course, you will be
better equipped to understand the importance of theories and how to
implement them in your research. You will better understand the
importance of using proper research design for your research papers
within social sciences in general and European Studies in particular. You
will be able to explain why scholars choose to use these methods. In
addition, this course is closely linked to your most important individual
research project in year 3 the Bachelor Paper.
2. Course Objectives

To provide you with a basic understanding of research design.

To equip you with sufficient information on how to write proper
literature review.
To enable you to consider the appropriateness of your basic
research design to your chosen field of investigation.
To provide you with guidance on operationalization and
measurement.
To better prepare you for your Bachelor Paper (Bachelor Thesis) in
year 3.

BA European Studies

3. The Course in the BA ES Curriculum

At this stage in the program you know how to write an academic paper
whereby you develop and substantiate an argument of your own by
drawing mainly on secondary sources. In addition, you have learnt how to
critically assess and use primary sources. In order to prepare you properly
for your Bachelor Paper your methodological toolkit needs to be
expanded significantly. One of the components of your research is to
develop a methodology, which will enable you to provide an answer to the
research question. These are two objectives of research design in which
you will learn how to write a good literature review and how to move
from the abstract theories and concepts to the concrete operationalization
and measurement. These skills will be important for your Bachelor Paper.

3.1. Place in the skills Training Trajectory

The objectives of this course are brought into line with the skills track in
the Bachelor (see annex) and it builds on previous knowledge and skills
learned in the courses Research and Writing (Bachelor year 1, period 1),
What is Good Science (Bachelor 1, period 3) and Analyzing Research Designs
(Bachelor 2, period 2). This course also provides you with the skills to
scientifically have a proper research design for the papers you write. It is
also a good preparation for the Bachelor paper project in year 3.
In the first year of the Bachelor you have learned how to write an academic
text and you were introduced to the main philosophical stances in
academic research. In the second year, Analysing Research Designs focused
on the aspects of research design and provided you with the skills and
knowledge to critically evaluate research according to academic standards.
You learned how certain research problems and methods are related to the
different philosophical stances on good research as well as what makes
research or the written report of research academic. In both Quantitative
Data Analysis (Bachelor 2, Periods 2-3) and Qualitative Research Skills
(Bachelor 2, Period 4), you learned the basic principles of research
methodology and when to use quantitative or qualitative methods to
answer the research question. These courses provided the basis for this
module Developing Your Own Research Design. To complement this
7

substantive focus, Developing Your Own Research Design will deepen your
understanding of the research process, research design and the rationale
of using analytical framework/theories in your research. The course could
be used as a preparation for the Bachelor paper.

3.2. Dublin Descriptors

D1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research

design basis, terminology and concepts.
D2. Apply knowledge and understanding of different research
designs to analyzing published academic research.
D3. Formulate judgments on appropriate research design
choices and application of different methods.
D4. Communicate ones understanding and evaluation of
research methods used in social sciences generally and
European Studies research particularly.
D5. Learn how to update ones knowledge of the latest debates
in research designs and keep up with the state of the art in the
field.

4. Course Design
The course consists of four lectures and four tutorial meetings. The
tutorial meetings will not be structured according to Problem Based
learning (PBL) in that there will be no pre- and post-discussions. However,
most of the time the tutorials will involve discussions about issues of
research design, which rely on active class participation as well as active
pair work. Good preparation for the discussions and active involvement
during the discussions are pre-requisites to acquire the skills to (1)
recognize the implicit or explicit choices a researcher makes (2) to learn
about literature review and theoretical framework, and (3) to be able to
apply the skills leaned before in addition in this course later on when
writing research papers.

BA European Studies

4.1. Lectures

There will be four lectures for this course. These lectures will be
announced on ELEUM (and show in your timetables) and attendance for
the purposes of this course is highly recommended.
Lecture 1: Introduction to the Course and to Research Design
Lecture 2: The Importance of Literature Review for Research Papers
Lecture 3: Historical Approaches to Research: Process Tracing
Lecture 4: Research Design in Quantitative/Qualitative methods papers

4.2. Tutorial Meetings

This course consists of 4 tutorial meetings: the last tutorial (4) is a

consultation session. While skills courses often do not follow PBL strictly,
in this course you will often work in small groups with other students.
It is important that everybody participates actively in the tutorials. You will be
expected to read the assigned literature before the tutorial (this includes
tutorial 1!) and be prepared to answer the questions listed in the weekly
assignment. By coming prepared to the tutorials, you ensure that you
grasp the material and that the discussion will be thorough and lively.
This is crucial for the preparation for the exam for developing your
academic writing skills. For the second and third tutorial meetings, you
will be working in groups in order to prepare for the assignment and
present the findings to the class.
All tutorials include groupwork with 1 or 2 partners: it is therefore very
important that you attend.
-

It is very important that you attend the first tutorial. Here, you will
be paired with one or two other students (partners) for homework
and a review exercise in tutorial 2 (also see below) and a
presentation in tutorial 3 (also see below).
For the second tutorial, you will be grouped in pairs. Each pair will
exchange the Area Studies Paper (you worked on in period 4) in
order to comment on them and discuss the weaknesses of the
literature review in the papers and what is missing.
9

For the third tutorial, you will work in groups to prepare a research
design (historical, qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods) for
an assigned topic as discussed below.

Important: Overview of HOMEWORK week-by-week

Please note: This course is fairly short comprising only of four tutorials.
HOMEWORK, to be completed at home in anticipation of the next
tutorial meeting, often with one or two partners, is an integral part of
this course.

Homework 1

Homework 2

Homework 3

To be completed FOR - Read essential readings, incl.

2nd tutorial on 13 April example texts of literature
reviews
- Work in groups: Read the
Area Studies paper of your
partners,
paying
special
attention to the literature
review
To be completed FOR - Work in groups: together
3rd tutorial in 20 April select and read an essay of your
choosing from the Economist
Prepare
a
powerpoint
presentation of 15 minutes
presenting a research design
To be completed FOR - Select a topic from the list for
the final feedback assignment 4 (p. 25)
session with your - Complete the form at the end
tutor (tutorial 4)
of the coursebook and send it
to your tutor 3 full working
days before the final session

10

BA European Studies

4.3. Readings

The book chapters and articles assigned for this course will be available on
ELEUM, electronically or at the library.

4.4. Eleum

You are expected to regularly check the course module on ELEUM, and
your university e-mail, for course announcements.

5. Course Assessment

5.1. Attendance and Participation

The complete attendance and participation rules are set out in the
Teaching and Examination Rules for 2015/2016. These apply to all courses
that are part of the BA ES.
Students are expected to attend 100% in the tutorial-group meetings. The
final feedback meeting (tutorial 4) is mandatory. In case certain
(personal) circumstances should prevent students from complying with
this rule they are allowed to miss 1 meeting of Research Design. Missing
two or more tutorials results in you failing the participation for the
module, unless you get granted an exception by the Board of Examiners
due to extraordinary circumstances (in this case please contact our student
advisor Pia Harbers
as soon and quickly
as possible:
p.harbers@maastrichtuniversity.nl). If possible, please inform your tutor
always in advance of your absence.

5.2. Assessment and Examination

The assessment of your performance in this course will be based on a final

paper. The final papers information is described in greater detail at the
end of the course book after the course assignments.
11

The papers will be graded by Fail, Pass or Excellent Pass.

The deadline for uploading your papers to safeassign is currently being
finalized. The course coordinator will update you shortly.
Make sure to observe the faculty rules against plagiarism!
For more information about plagiarism, please consult the ES Style Sheet
and Article 20 of the Teaching and Examination Regulations of the
Bachelor European Studies (ELEUM > My FASoS > Rules and Regulations
> Teaching and Examination Regulations).

6. Course Team
Dr. Christin Hess (Coordinator)
Department of History
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
E-mail: c.hess@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Dr. Andreea Nastase
Department of Political Science
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Email: a.nastase@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Dr. Annelies Jacobs
Department of TSS
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Email: a.jacobs@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Julian Romanyshin, MA
Department of Politics
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Email: i.romanyshyn@maastrichtuniversity.nl
12

BA European Studies

Anke van Wier, MA

Department of Politics
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Email: a.vanwier@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Dr. Conor Douglas
Department of TSS
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Email: c.douglas@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Marloes Hoon, MA
Department of Politics
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Email: m.dehoon@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Ruud Klomp, MA
Department of History
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Email: r.klomp@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Anna-Lena Hoh, MA
Department of Politics
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Email: anna-lena.hoh@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Dr. Andrea Tyndall
Department of History
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Email: a.tyndall@maastrichtuniversity.nl

13

ASSIGNMENTS

14

BA European Studies

ASSIGNMENT 1: THE RESEARCH PROCESS 1 ASKING THE

RIGHT QUESTIONS, FINDING THE RIGHT ANSWERS

The scientific research is the process of acquiring scientific knowledge

using the scientific method. But how is such research conducted? At its core,
all scientific research is an iterative process of observation, rationalization,
and validation. In the observation phase, we observe a natural or social
phenomenon, event, or behavior that interests us. In the rationalization
phase, we try to make sense of or explain the phenomenon, event, or
behavior by logically connecting the different pieces of the puzzle that we
observe, which in some cases, may lead to the construction of a theory.
Finally, in the validation phase, we could deduce certain explanatory
variables from our literature review or apply our theories or concepts
using a scientific method through a process of data collection and analysis,
and in doing so; we may modify or extend our initial theory. Figure 1
depicts the steps in the research process:
Figure 1. The Research Process

The research design articulates what data is required, what methods are
going to be used to collect and analyse this data, and how all of this is
going to answer your research question. Both data and methods, and the
way in which these will be configured in the research project, need to be
the most effective in producing the answers to the research question
(taking into account practical and other constraints of the study). The
design of a study defines the study type, research question and
hypotheses, independent and dependent variables, and data collection
methods. However, different design logics are used for different types of
study: some examples include descriptive (case studies, surveys),
correlational (observational study), semi-experimental (field experiment),
experimental (with random assignment), review, and meta-analytic,
among others.
Another distinction can be made between quantitative methods and
qualitative methods. So research designs vary based on whether the
researcher starts at observation and attempts to rationalize the
observations (inductive research), or whether the researcher starts at an ex
15

ante rationalization or a theory and attempts to validate the theory

(deductive research).
In addition to what was mentioned earlier, among the research designs
that are widely used is the historical one. Historical research is defined as
a process of critical inquiry into past events, in order to produce an
accurate description and interpretation of those events (Wiersma, 1986). So
the purpose of a historical research design is to collect, verify, and
synthesize evidence from the past to establish facts that defend an
argument or support/refute a hypothesis. It relies heavily on primary
sources in addition to secondary sources. Historical research design uses a
variety of primary documentary evidence, such as, diaries, official records,
reports, archives, and non-textual information [maps, pictures, audio and
visual recordings]. The limitation is that the sources must be both
authentic, truthful and valid (refer to the Back to the Sources course from
year 1).
Tutorial 1: Essential Readings

Booth, W. C., G. G. Colomb and J. M. Williams (2008), The Craft of

Research, 3rd Edition, Chicago: Chicago University Press. (Chapters
3-5) (Available at the Library, both in print and as an e-book) (You
have read this in Research and Writing so it is a refresher)

Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Barbara. Part 1, What Is Research Design?

The Context of Design. New York University, Spring 2006, pp. 1-16.

Tutorial 1: Recommended Readings

Gall, Meredith; J. Gall and W. R. Borg (2007), Educational Research:

An Introduction. 8th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Tutorial 1: Discussion questions

1. How do you choose a topic and then narrow it down to a
manageable scope?
a. How do you create a research problem that will guide your
research? How do you develop your research question?
16

BA European Studies

b. How do you evaluate the clarity and significance of the

claim that answers your research question and serves as
the main point of your report?
2. How do you use the three kinds of sources (primary, secondary
and tertiary)? How reliable are your sources? How do you use
your sources productively?
3. What is a Research Design and how does it differ from a research
method you have studies in previous courses?
4. The purpose of Research design: is to reduce the ambiguity of
much research evidence. We can always find some evidence
consistent with almost any theory. However, we should be
sceptical of the evidence, and rather than seeking evidence that is
consistent with our theory we should seek evidence that provides
a compelling test of the theory. There are two related strategies for
doing this: eliminating rival explanations of the evidence and
deliberately seeking evidence that could disprove the theory.
Discuss each strategy in detail and give examples.

17

ASSIGNMENT 2: LITERATURE REVIEW, THEORIES AND

CONCEPTS IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Theories and concepts present a systematic way of understanding events,

behaviors and/or situations. Theory is a set of interrelated concepts,
definitions, and propositions that explains or predicts events or situations
by specifying relations among variables. In this tutorial, we will examine
what is a theory, why do we need theories in research, what are the
building blocks of a theory, how to evaluate theories, how can we apply
theories in research, and also presents illustrative examples of theories
frequently used in European Studies. Moreover, we will discuss what is a
literature review and why it is needed.
A literature review surveys books, scholarly articles, and any
other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or
theory, and by so doing, provides a description, summary, and
critical evaluation of these works in relation to the research
problem being investigated. Literature reviews are designed to
provide an overview of sources you have explored while
researching a particular topic and to demonstrate to your
readers how your research fits within a larger field of study.
A literature review may consist of simply a summary of key sources, but it
usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and
synthesis, often within specific conceptual categories. A summary is a
recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a reorganization, or a reshuffling, of that information in a way that informs
how you are planning to investigate a research problem.
The analytical features of a literature review might:

Give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old

interpretations,

Trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major

debates,

Depending on the situation, evaluate the sources and advise the

reader on the most pertinent or relevant research, or

Usually in the conclusion of a literature review, identify where gaps

exist in how a problem has been researched to date.

State or at least point to - how your paper (in this case: research
design) seeks to address that gap.

The purpose of a literature review is to:

Place each work in the context of its contribution to understanding

the research problem being studied.

Describe the relationship of each work to the others under

consideration.

Identify new ways to interpret prior research.

Reveal any gaps that exist in the literature. Frequently your

research question is related to addressing one or more of these gaps
which is why writing a literature review is not just an academic
exercise, but vital to the argument you are making in your paper
which directly answers to the research question you pose.

Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous

studies.

Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort.

Explain why fulfilling a need for additional research is important.

Locate your own research within the context of existing literature

[very important] and how your own paper may addresses some
of the need for further research or gap you identified during your
review.

The structure of a literature review should include the

following:

An overview of the subject, issue, or theory under consideration,

along with the objectives of the literature review,

Division of works under review into themes or categories [e.g.

works that support a particular position, those against, and those
offering alternative approaches entirely],

An explanation of how each work is similar to and how it varies

from the others,

Conclusions as to which pieces are best considered in their

argument, are most convincing of their opinions, and make the
greatest contribution to the understanding and development of
their area of research.

The critical evaluation of each work should consider:

Provenance -- what are the author's credentials? Are the author's

arguments supported by evidence [e.g. primary historical material,
case studies, narratives, statistics, recent scientific findings]?

Methodology -- were the techniques used to identify, gather, and

analyze the data appropriate to addressing the research problem?
Was the sample size appropriate? Were the results effectively
interpreted and reported?

Objectivity -- is the author's perspective even-handed or

prejudicial? Is contrary data considered or is certain pertinent
information ignored to prove the author's point?

Persuasiveness -- which of the author's theses are most convincing

or least convincing?

Value -- are the author's arguments and conclusions convincing?

Does the work ultimately contribute in any significant way to an
understanding of the subject?

Development of the Literature Review

Four Stages:
1.
Problem formulation -- which topic or field is being
examined and what are its component issues?
2.
Literature search -- finding materials relevant to the
subject being explored.
3.
Data evaluation -- determining which literature makes a
significant contribution to the understanding of the topic.
4.
Analysis and interpretation -- discussing the findings
and conclusions of pertinent literature.
Ways to Organize Your Literature Review
- Chronological of Events
If your review follows the chronological method, you could
write about the materials according to when they were
published. This approach should only be followed if a clear
path of research building on previous research can be
identified and that these trends follow a clear chronological
order of development. For example, a literature review that
focuses on continuing research about the emergence of
German economic power after the fall of the Soviet Union.
However, even here, the literature review is not just a list of
bullet points in sentence form tracing the chronological
order of events. It synthesis and orders the information
according to broader categories.
- By Publication
Order your sources by publication chronology, then, only if
the order demonstrates a more important trend. For
instance, you could order a review of literature on
environmental studies of brown fields if the progression
revealed, for example, a change in the soil collection
practices of the researchers who wrote and/or conducted the
studies.
- Thematic [conceptual categories]
Thematic reviews of literature are organized around a topic
or issue, rather than the progression of time. However,
progression of time may still be an important factor in a
thematic review. For example, a review of the Internets
impact on American presidential politics could focus on the
development of online political satire. While the study
focuses on one topic, the Internets impact on American
presidential politics, it will still be organized chronologically
reflecting technological developments in media. The only
difference here between a "chronological" and a "thematic"
approach is what is emphasized the most: the role of the
Internet in presidential politics. Note however that more

authentic thematic reviews tend to break away from

chronological order. A review organized in this manner
would shift between time periods within each section
according to the point made.
- Methodological
A methodological approach focuses on the methods utilized
by the researcher. For the role of the Internet in American
presidential politics, one methodological approach would be
to look at cultural differences between the portrayal of
American presidents on American, British, and French
websites. Or the review might focus on the fundraising
impact of the Internet on a particular political party. A
methodological scope will influence either the types of
documents in the review or the way in which these
documents are discussed.

Writing Your Literature Review

Once you have settled on how to organize your literature review,
you are ready to write each section. When writing your review,
keep in mind these issues.

Use Evidence: A literature review section is, in this

sense, just like any other academic research paper. Your
interpretation of the available sources must be backed up
with evidence [citations] that demonstrates that what you
are saying is valid.

Be Selective: Select only the most important points in

each source to highlight in the review. The type of
information you choose to mention should relate directly
to the research problem, whether it is thematic,
methodological, or chronological. Related items that
provide additional information but that are not key to
understanding the research problem can be included in a
list of further readings.

Use Quotes Sparingly: Some short quotes are okay if

you want to emphasize a point, or if what an author stated
cannot be easily paraphrased. Sometimes you may need to
quote certain terminology that was coined by the author,
not common knowledge, or taken directly from the study.
Do not use extensive quotes as a substitute for your own
summary and interpretation of the literature.

Summarize and Synthesize: Remember to summarize

and synthesize your sources within each thematic
paragraph as well as throughout the review. Recapitulate
important features of a research study, but then synthesize
it by rephrasing the study's significance and do not
forget to relate it to your own work. You are writing
the review to point out a gap which you will address
in your work.

Keep Your Own Voice: While the literature review

presents others' ideas, your voice [the writer's] should
remain front and center. For example, weave references to
other sources into what you are writing but maintain your
own voice by starting and ending the paragraph with your
own ideas and wording.

Use Caution When Paraphrasing: When paraphrasing a

source that is not your own, be sure to represent the
author's information or opinions accurately and in your
own words. Even when paraphrasing an authors work,
you still must provide a citation to that work.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

These are the most common mistakes made in reviewing social
science research literature.

Sources in your literature review do not clearly relate to the

research problem;

You do not take sufficient time to define and identify the most
relevant sources to use in the literature review related to the
research problem;

Relies exclusively on secondary analytical sources rather than

including relevant primary research studies or data;

Uncritically
accepts
another
researcher's
findings
and
interpretations as valid, rather than examining critically all aspects
of the research design and analysis;

Does not describe the search procedures that were used in

identifying the literature to review;

Only includes research that validates assumptions and does not

consider contrary findings and alternative interpretations found in
the literature.

Tutorial 2: Essential Readings

Shively Phillips, W. (2012), The Craft of Political Research, 9th Edition,

Pearson. (Chapter 2: Political Theories and Research Topics)

Van Evra, Stephen (1997), Guide to Methods for Students of Political

Science, Ithaca, United States. (Chapter 1: HYPOTHESES, LAWS,
AND THEORIES: A USER'S GUIDE)

Randolph, Justus J. A Guide to Writing the Dissertation Literature

Review, Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation. Vol. 14, No.
13, June 2009

One or both of the following two example texts:

1. Dickson, Vaughan and Myatt, Tony The Determinants of

Provincial Minimum Wages in Canada, Journal of Labour
Research, vol. 23, 57-68, 2002.
2. Anonymised review from a high quality student paper, taken
from a history course at the University of Mary Washington.
Available on Eleum, together with all other essential
readings.

Tutorial 2: Recommended Readings

Craig Leonard Brians, Lars Willnat, Jarol Manheim, and Richard

Rich, Empirical Political Analysis: Quantitative and Qualitative Research
Methods 8th edition (Boston: Longman, 2011), pp. 88-115.

Tutorial 2: Discussion Questions

1. What is a literature review? What are the different types of
literature review? How is a literature review structured?
2. Discuss Coopers Taxonomy of Literature review.
3. What are the basic principles of theory in social sciences? Do we
need theory, and if so, why?
4. What are the basis for hypotheses and their components? Discuss
the relationship between theory and hypothesis.
5. Present an evaluation of each others Area Studies literature review
on the basis of this assignment, and compare it to one of the two
examples of literature reviews listed under essential readings (one
historical, one contemporary).
a. What type of literature review do you have in front of you?
b. Evaluate your peers literature review and one of the
examples given under essential readings according to Table
3 by Boote and Beiles on page 12 of Randolph, Justus J. A
Guide to Writing the Dissertation Literature Review,
Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, vol. 14, June
2009.
c. As far as the Area Studies paper you are reviewing is
concerned: how closely related is the review you read to the
research question the student posed?

d. Which shortcomings did you find in your peers review and

in the example text you read?
e. Which recommendations for improvements would you make
for each?

ASSIGNMENT 3: PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF RESEARCH

DESIGN

For this assignment, you are expected to have worked at home in groups
of 2-3 students. In order to prepare for this tutorial, please together select
one of the four themes below that are related to previous courses (such as
Comparative Politics and International Relations):
1- Whats gone wrong with Democracy?
2- Terrorism in Europe
3- Migration in Europe
For those wanting to work on a more historical topic with contemporary
political relevance (broadly related to Idea of Europe and Bloody
Diversity):
4- Russias Victory Day Celebration
As a starting point, read the relevant Economist essay (this will give you
some ideas on the topic you select: democracy, terrorism, migration, the
politics of history): all Economist essays are available on ELEUM under
Essential readings.
Deduce a theme that you want to study and do further readings on it in
order to be able to develop a research puzzle.
Following the research you conduct on the topic, you are expected to
prepare a power point presentation for 15 minutes in which you try to
answer the following questions related to the topic and to address the
topic from either a qualitative, quantitative or historical research design:
1- Develop a research problem, research question and main argument
or hypothesis on one of the themes discussed in one of the essays
below.
2- Look for relevant literature (at least 3 studies) on one of the topics
and prepare a short literature review
a. You could rely on the previous courses (such as Comparative
Politics, International relations, etc.)
3- Draft at least two hypotheses or arguments or explanations on the
basis of the literature review you developed
4- Discuss the independent (explanatory) variables and the dependent
variable (phenomenon to be explained)
5- What do you think is the optimal method to collect data on the
topic and how will you analyze it?

6- If you select specific case(s), why did you select these cases; what
are the advantages and disadvantages of this selection?

This tutorial will see every group give their powerpoint presentation.

Readings
The Economist (March 1, 2014), Whats gone wrong with Democracy?.
The Economist (January 17, 2015), Briefing Terror and Islam.
The Economist (August 29, 2015), Looking for a home.
The Economist (May 2, 2015), Great Patriotic War, again.

ASSIGNMENT 4: INDIVIDUAL FEEDBACK SESSION

This is an opportunity to get feedback from your tutors on your final

paper. Make sure that you select a topic that is of interest to you (see list of
topics below).
For this mandatory meeting, please fill the form (see appendix) and send it
at least 72 hours before the meeting with your tutor in order to get good
feedback. Your tutor will specify the time and date he/she needs to
receive your draft by in order to provide feedback.

BA European Studies

Research Design: Final Paper Guidelines

The basis of good research is a solid research design. Furthermore, methods are often
more fun and easy to learn when they are in the context of advancing ones research.
For these reasons, the major graded assignment in this course is a research design
assignment in which you will propose a design to study a question of interest.
The assignment is 1500 words long. No plus minus 10% rule on the final word counts
applies or exists.
The assignment should include, in this order and clearly using the below categories
(for example as subheadings):
1- Contextual background that will help you introduce your research problem
a. Wider topic / puzzle (why is this topic interesting)
2- Research question, argument or hypotheses
3- Short literature review/theoretical framework or Concept
4- The research design
a. Methodology
b. What types of data / sources needed for this analysis
c. Limitations of this approach chosen
5- List with minimum 10 academic references relevant for this topic
Please select a topic from the following broad themes:
-

The politics of memory construction in Europe (chose a country/episode)

Transitions to democracy in Central and Eastern Europe
European Neighbourhood Policy
East European Countries
Middle East and North Africa
EU Enlargement
Transatlantic relations
EU-Asia Relations
Euroscepticism and eurosceptic parties
Migration to and from Europe
Integrating Minorities in Europe
The EU and terrorism
The Euro Crisis OR: The Greek debt crisis
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BA European Studies

After you have decided on a topic, you can choose any interesting and relevant research
question, but you have to argue for this choice. We do not expect you to have knowledge
of all the relevant theories and prior literature about the topic. You can use course
materials as well as external literatures to argue for the value of your research question,
theory, and research design.
As the focus of this course is on Research design, discuss the nature of the evidence that
you will be evaluating and the form of analysis that you will employ. Since this is the
main topic of the course, this is the section that we will be paying closest attention to. Be
sure you justify your choice of research design. Why did you choose this research design,
and not others? Finally, and very importantly, discuss the possible weaknesses of this
research design. If your research design has flaws or limitations (as all do), acknowledge
these. Your job is not to identify a perfect research design but rather the one that is best
possible, under the circumstances given limited time, resources, access to materials
and so forth.
You can receive Fail, Pass or Excellent Pass for this assignment.
An excellent paper has all the following done very well:

Short and appropriate title (either informative or intriguing)

Clearly articulated research question. An argument for the importance of
studying this question.
Brief discussion of the literature (literature review).
Brief discussion of at least one good theory/concept that speak to this research
question, and ideally multiple.
Explicitly stated testable rival hypotheses (if applicable).
A research design that can help you answer the research question.
Discussion of potential issues in the research design, and how they might be
addressed (case selection, selection biases, data selection method, limited access
to data, measurement issues, etc.)
Appropriate citations to the literature, with a reference list at the end of the
Assignment (not counted in the 1500 words).

Make sure to observe the faculty rules against plagiarism!

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BA European Studies

APPENDIX

Student name:

Student ID:

Please read carefully the guidelines for the final paper (available on pp. 25-26), and
fill in the following:
1. Reason for writing (up to 5 lines)
What is the importance of the research?
Why would a reader be interested in the larger work?
What is your research puzzle?

2. Research Question (up to 2 lines)

3. Theories or Main Concepts (up to five lines)

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BA European Studies

4. Literature Review (up to one paragraph)

5. Potential Methodology (up to 5 lines)

How will you collect the data?
How will you analyze the data you propose to collect?
What are the limitations of your research design?

6. Case Selection (if you are using a case study research) (up to 5 lines)
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BA European Studies

What is the rationale for your case selection?

Please fill in this form and send it to your tutor at least 72 hours before the final
tutorial. Please bring a hard copy of this form to the meeting.

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