This course provides an introduction to and an overview of the scientific method and how it applies to and is used in the social sciences. A brief overview of epistemological, ontological, and methodological issues relevant to the production of knowledge in the social sciences is followed by a more in-depth discussion of how these reflect in empirical research in the social sciences. We will discuss the formation of research questions and puzzles based on different philosophical foundations of research and the logics that underpin qualitative and quantitative analysis. The course content will bring together more abstract material with examples of concrete research projects at the GIGA.
Dates
The course will take place online over three Friday afternoons, 4, 11 and 18 December 2020 (1-5 pm).
About the lecturers
Merike Blofield is director of the GIGA Institute for Latin American Studies. Belén González is junior professor in sustainable governance at the Leuphana University Lüneburg and Research Fellow at the GIGA Institute for Latin American Studies. Adam Scharpf is research fellow at the GIGA Institute for Latin American Studies.
