Comunication and media studies - Phd student seminar 1600-SZD-SDOK-KSIM
By the end of the course, students will:
• Present their own or planned empirical material for research purposes,
• Understand the strengths and limitations of various data collection methods,
• Identify examples in the literature that illustrate ways of presenting empirical findings,
• Become familiar with basic tools that support data analysis (e.g., NVivo, Excel, Atlas.ti),
• Prepare a methodologically sound text fragment based on their own data,
• Critically reflect on problems related to formulating research goals, hypotheses, and methodological approaches.
Course Content
1. Presentation of empirical material
o Student work with collected or planned empirical data.
o Discussion of scope and analytical potential.
2. Data collection methods and critical evaluation
o Methods such as interviews, content analysis, surveys.
o Strengths and limitations of selected approaches.
3. Examples from the literature
o Identification and discussion of how similar data are presented in academic texts.
o Focus on writing style and structural conventions in results sections.
4. Tools for analyzing and presenting data
o Overview and basic use of tools such as NVivo, MAXQDA, Excel, or Atlas.ti.
o Workshop practice based on examples and students' own data.
5. Research problems and methodological construction
o In-class discussion of challenges related to students' own research.
o Feedback and consultation on research objectives, hypotheses, and methods/tools.
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge: Knows and understands:
WG_1 – world achievements, covering theoretical foundations as well as general issues and selected specific issues of a given scientific or artistic discipline, to a degree allowing revision of existing paradigms
WG_2 - main development trends of the scientific or artistic disciplines which are the object of studies
WG_3 - methodology of scientific research
Skills: Can:
UW_1 - use knowledge of various scientific or artistic disciplines to creatively identify, formulate and innovatively solve complex problems or perform research tasks, and specifically: define the purpose and subject of research and formulate a research hypothesis, develop and creatively use research methods, techniques and tools, draw conclusions from research results
UW_2 – make a critical analysis and evaluation of the results of scientific research, expert activity and other creative works and their contribution to the development of knowledge
UK_1 - communicate on specialist topics to a degree enabling active participation in the international research community
UK_3 - initiate a debate
UK_4 - participate in the scientific discourse
Social competences: Is ready to:
KK_1 - critically evaluate the achievements of a given scientific or artistic discipline
KK_2 - critically evaluate own contribution to the development of a given scientific or artistic discipline
KK_3 - recognise the importance of science in solving cognitive and practical problems
KO_1 - fulfil social obligations of researchers and creators
KR_1 - maintain and develop the ethos of research and creative communities, including: conducting scientific activity independently, respecting the principle of public ownership of research results, taking into account the principles of intellectual property protection
Assessment criteria
Description of requirements related to participation in classes, including the
permitted number of explained absences: 1 absence allowed
Principles for passing the classes and the subject (including resit session): Tasks completed during class
Methods for the verification of learning outcomes; Activity during classes. - Obligatory presentation of one presentation discussing the progress of scientific work (according to the indicated assumptions).
Evaluation criteria:
• Participation and engagement (40%)
Participation in presentations, group discussions, and workshops.
• In-class assignments (30%)
Practical tasks including literature identification and empirical text analysis.
• Submission of a written fragment (30%)
A draft section of a scientific text presenting empirical data, structured according to scholarly models and accompanied by methodological reflection.
Bibliography
• Connaway, L. S., & Radford, M. L. (2016). Research methods in library and information science (6th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.
• Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
• Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. (1995). Writing ethnographic fieldnotes. University of Chicago Press.
• Given, L. M., Case, D. O., & Willson, R. (2023). Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior (5th ed.). Emerald Publishing.
• Hartel, J. (2020). Writing-up ethnographic research as a thematic narrative: The excerpt-commentary-unit. Library & Information Science Research, 42(3), Article 101037. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2020.101037
• Tashakkori, A., Johnson, R. B., & Teddlie, C. (2020). Foundations of mixed methods research: Integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches in the social and behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: