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Department of Pacific Affairs · ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
Introduction to Research in the Pacific: Methods and Research Design (6 units, to be proposed for 2016) This course is aimed at HDR students who wish to develop the skills necessary for formulating their doctoral research project. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of research design and methods for conducting social science research in the Pacific as well as developing analytical and writing skills. The course aims to introduce the basic tools and techniques of primarily qualitative field research and to provide practical experience in choosing and using basic methods such as interviewing, collecting genealogy, recording, and structured observations. Students will learn how to define their research problem and questions to guide the research, to choose the most appropriate methods, to conduct research, and to write reports on the results of their research.
Students must pass each each assessment item to pass the course. (null) [LO null]
Participation
Learning outcomes 1, 3, 5
Discussant for a paper written by a fellow student
Learning outcomes 1, 3, 5
Presentation in week two about their initial thinking concerning their doctoral research
Learning outcomes 2, 3, 5, 6
Scenario project leader
Learning outcomes 2, 3, 4, 6
Draft Thesis Proposal (4,000 words)
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
200 Hours across the semester (including 3 week intensive course)
No prescribed text. All required reading and multimedia materials will be provided via Wattle. Preliminary Reading Indicative reading list: Alasuutari, P., L. Bickman, and J. Brannen, eds. (2008). The SAGE handbook of social research methods. London: Sage. Bryman, A. (2012). Social Research Methods, 4th edition, Part 2 Chapter 7— 10, Oxford University Press. Check, J & Schutt, R. K. (2012). Investigating the Educational World: The Process and Practice of Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. Chilisa, Bagele. (2012). Indigenous Research Methodologies. London: Sage. Crotty, Michael. (1998) Foundations of Social Research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. London: SAGE Publications. Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2005). Introduction: The discipline and practice of qualitative research. In N.K. Denzin and Y.S. Lincoln (Eds.) The SAGE handbook of qualitative research. pp 1-32. Sage Publications. DeLyser, D. (2008). Teaching qualitative research. Journal of geography in higher education 32(2): 233-244. Dickson-Swift, V., James, E. L., & Liamputtong, P. (2008). Undertaking sensitive research in the health and social sciences. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Gegeo, D. W. (2008). Shifting paradigms in Pacific scholarship: Towards island-based methodologies, epistemologies and pedagogies. Paper presented at Building Pacific Research Capacity and Scholarship 2008, Fono Fale Pasfika, Auckland: University of Auckland. Hammersley, M. & Atkinson, P. (1995). Ethnography: Principles in practice. Psychology Press. Kovach, Margaret. (2010). Indigenous Methodologies: Characteristics, Conversations and Contexts. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Liamputtong, P. (2009). Qualitative research methods, 3rd edition. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. McFall-McCaffery, J. (2010). Getting started with Pacific research: Finding resources and information on Pacific research models and methodologies. MAI Review, 1. Park, A. (2006). ‘Using Survey Data in Social Science Research in Developing Countries’, in Perecman, E., & Curran, S. R. (Eds.). A hand