Social Research

 

Head of the specialization: dr Wouter de Raad

 

The competencies taught in this Social Research Specialization provide an excellent basis for careers in Academia and organizations where analytical and critical skills are valued. It focuses on general academic skills that are applicable in academia, business and non-profit organizations. The ability to gather and interpret data, to communicate empirical findings, and to work effectively in a team are among the most highly valued competencies that employers seek in University graduates. In this specialization the focus is on methods that are used in social sciences such as Social Psychology, empirical Sociology and Political Science, and which are also commonly used in many non-academic, commercial and non-commercial organizations.

This specialization is a part of the university’s research excellence initiative (IDUB) in the form of a grant to the Faculty of Psychology. This specialization is a Faculty wide specialization therefore, not an exclusive WISP specialization. All courses are conducted entirely in English, and some of the courses will be conducted or co-conducted by visiting professors.

Considering the methods-oriented content of this specialization, students are expected to have a good amount of motivation and ambition, as well as basic background in methods and statistics.

Number of available places: 16

In case the number of applicants is larger than the number of places, a selection will be made on the basis of the average grades of the following obligatory courses:

• Statistics I, II and III
• Research methods
• Experimental psychology
• Social Psychology

For this specialization, students are expected to have a laptop capable of running statistical software, and to be able to bring it to class at times. A regular, relatively recent laptop should be sufficient.

As this specialization focuses on applied research methods, the aim is that students will be embedded in actual ongoing research. Students are therefore expected to complete their master’s thesis research with a supervisor from CBU – Centrum Badań nad Uprzedzeniami / Centre for Research on Prejudice.

 

Overview of courses:

Year 4 – Semester 1

Course title	hours	ECTS
Current Topics in Political Psychology – a Methodological Approach	15	2
Experimental Design in Social Research	15	2
Introduction to Statistics with R	30	4
Questionnaire Design	15	2
Total	75	10

 

Year 4 – Semester 2

Course title	hours	ECTS
Programming in Python for Social Scientists	15	2
Data Reporting and Visualization	15	2
Advanced Regression	30	4
Current Topics in Political Science	15	2
Qualitative Research Design and Mixed Methods	30	4
Critical Academic Writing	15	2
Total	120	16

 

Year 5 – Semester 1

Course title	hours	ECTS
Advanced Data Exploration Methods – Dimension Reduction, Exploratory Factor Analysis and Clustering Analysis	30	4
Computational Social Science: An Introduction to Data Science	30	4
Current Topics in Sociology – A Methodological Approach	15	2
Survey Methods	15	2
Third Variables: Mediation and Moderation	15	2
Total	105	14

 

Year 5 – Semester 2

Course title	hours	ECTS
Bayesian Statistics in Social Sciences (elective course*)	15	2
Current Topics in Cross-Cultural Research	15	2
Longitudinal Data Analysis with SEM (elective course*)	15	2
Multilevel Modeling (elective course*)	15	2
Structural Equation Models – Introduction	15	2
Structural Equation Modeling – Continuation (elective course*)	15	2
Applied Social Research Methods – Field Trip	30	4
Total	120	16

* students must complete at least two of the elective specialization courses

 

/updated 19.10.2023/