The Rules of the Game. CAST Research Methods

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Although its name may suggest otherwise, this is no ‘methods and techniques’ course in the traditional sense. Instead, the course is a combination of small research-learning projects (in Dutch: leeronderzoek) with lectures and workshops by researcher-teachers who elaborate on topics relating to the research methods in which they are experts. The course thus consists of two, closely related, parallel lines. The first concerns the research-learning projects in which small groups of 2-3 students do research, and discuss their progress weekly with each other and the senior researcher- teachers. The second line is formed by (1) a series of lectures about methodological issues and dominant methodological approaches, and by (2) small training workshops to learn research skills such as interviewing, ethnographic observation, narrative analysis, and archival studies. The explicit confrontation of the research-learning projects with the methodological reflection and training allows to address the variability in cultures among different scholarly styles, including styles of writing, reviewing, referencing, and arguing in for example historical, sociological, literary or philosophical studies. Each research-learning project will result in a paper, to be presented at a symposium that may also be attended by staff, societal partners and students beyond CAST.