Methods I: Research Design and Qualitative Methods

Abstract

This seminar covers basic issues of research design as well as qualitative methods. It starts with general problems such as defining research questions, analyzing causality, defining and operationalizing concepts, case selection, and control. The qualitative methods covered in this seminar range from methods of comparative analysis to within-case analysis.

Objective

This MACIS core seminar covers basic issues of research design as well as qualitative methods. It starts with general problems such as defining research questions, analyzing causality, defining and operationalizing concepts, selecting cases, and controlling for alternative explanations. The qualitative methods covered in this seminar range from methods of comparative analysis such as Mill's methods and QCA to within-case analysis (congruence and process-tracing methods). It is the objective of the seminar to familiarize students with the problems of research design involved in any social science research project (be it qualitative or quantitative) and with designs and methods appropriate for small-n research.

Content

see http://www.cis.ethz.ch/education/macis/courses

Resources