What is Research?
Full course description
During this course, you will delve into the fundamentals of conducting academic research and writing research papers. Through practical exercises, you will learn to transform broad interests into focused, research-worthy questions. The primary focus of the course is on developing proficiency in two key components of academic research papers: the introduction and the literature review section. These skills are indispensable for the entire BA program. The ability to succinctly summarize arguments by other scholars, correctly reference them, and connect them to your own research inquiries are essential skills for university students. Throughout the course, you will integrate these skills by writing the first sections of a full academic paper
Course objectives
The objective of this course is to learn about research by doing research
We will practice analysing and writing:
- an introduction to a research paper
- a literature review section for a research paper
In the process of doing this, you will improve your skills in:
1. formulating a research question
2. Searching for sources in a systematic way
3. Building on other scholars’ research by correctly paraphrasing and citing
4. Evaluating sources of information for your research
5. Using correct referencing in your writing (according to American Psychological Association, APA7) and avoiding plagiarism.
Prerequisites
none/not applicable
Recommended reading
Booth, W.C., Colomb, G.G., & Williams (2016). The craft of research (3th ed.). The University of Chicago Press