Research Methods in Media and Cultural Studies

• Credit value: 0 credits at Level 7
• Tutors: Simone Wesner and others to be confirmed

This compulsory, unassessed module is for all full-time MA students in their first year and all part-time MA students in their second year. It consists of four workshops, which are designed to help you begin the process of research, building towards the submission of your dissertation proposal.

indicative module content

• Session One: Starting research
  In this session we will look at problems and concerns surrounding starting and conducting research. We will review the key aspects of writting an academic piece of research and how to go about gathering evidence. We will consider the main types of research questions and the differences between a variety of research approaches.

• Session Two: Using the library for research and referencing and avoiding plagiarism
  In the first part of the session we will investigate common research paradigms and link these to our personal understanding of what research is and how it is carried out. In the second half of the session we will look at referencing and how to avoid assessment offences such as plagiarism.

• Session Three: Negotiating the process of research
  In this workshop we will look specifically at data collection and discuss ethical implications of research. Taking the questions and concerns from the two previous sessions, we will address specific data collection methods that match with the paradigms and methodologies that are of interest to the group.

• Session Four: Structuring your research and answering a question
  In this final session we will discuss how best to analyse data that you will collect for your research coursework or your dissertation. 

By the end of these workshops, you will be able to:

• understand what a research question should contain and how to formulate one
• understand the differences between paradigms, methodologies and methods and identify the research material needed to answer a research question
• reference your work properly and avoid plagiarism
• select relevant frameworks, processes and approaches for undertaking research projects for personal and work related enquiries, and specifically for your own MA dissertation project.