The postgraduate seminar is held throughout the entire period of study and includes modules aimed at mastering the skills of developing the design of a political science research and preparing a dissertation research program, mastering the skills of academic writing and preparing scientific articles, discussing the theoretical and empirical part of a dissertation research. The seminar introduces modern approaches and methods for conducting political science research in line with the positivist and interpretive paradigms, teaches the basic principles of academic writing, develops practical skills in planning research and presenting its results in the form of texts and oral presentations. Within the framework of the seminar, graduate students have unique opportunities to discuss dissertation research at different stages, from the formation of an idea and the development of methodology to testing the results.
Learning Objectives
The Research Seminar provides a setting for discussing and elaborating the design of PhD research and its results on various stages of 3 years PhD course
Expected Learning Outcomes
A student knows the main approaches in the field and can use the main methods in political science
Know the formal structure of research work;
Students will be able to summarize and paraphrase pieces of academic writing in their research field
can critically access the academic relevance of the research problem;
is able ro formulate a research problem for the future thesis. It able to support the statement of research problem by relevant arguments based on analysis of the literature;
knows the principles of analysis of relevant literature; can do its screening to reveal the research problem;
is able to access critically an academic relevance and originality of the research problem proposed by colleagues;
is able to provide arguments for the proposed research problem;
is able to chose the strategy for the proposed research;
is able to elaborate a design of the proposed research;
is able to formulate the research problem and research question;
is able to write a research proposal as text;
knows how types of research questions correspond to research strategies;
is able to discuss the choice of research question, strategy, theories, concepts, methods proposed by colleagues;
is able to distinguish between different kinds of theory. Understands their role in research;
is able to explain the functions of concepts, theories, hypothesis and models in different types of social research;
is able to discuss the design of research for future thesis;
is able to access critically designs of research proposed by colleagues;
can formulate a correct research question;
understands what kind of data is relevant for unswering the proposed research question;
Know the basic difference between ‘positivist’ and ‘interpretivist’ research traditions
Understand the notion of ‘causality’ in the framework of Rubin causal model
Understand how experimental research designs work and how one can go about designing an experiment for a specific research question
Understand quasi-experimental research designs, such as difference-in-difference and regression discontinuity
Understand how observational studies differ from experimental and quasi-experimental studies and what can be learned from observational studies
Understand how and why Weberian ‘ideal types’ define a debate within political science over what research can understand and can (and cannot) explain
Understand the presuppositions of arguments, questions and narratives about the practice of politics and how these have been applied in interpretive research design
Understand the presuppositions to a ‘positivist – interpretivist’ choice with regards to the evaluation of ‘case study research’ in political science
Understand and evaluate, by way of comparison, the research design of ‘case studies’ on the politics of legitimation
Being able to produce a consistent chapter covering theorical background and methodological choices of the PhD research
Able to present and discuss a research in progress
Course Contents
С чего начать, или нулевой цикл исследовательского проекта / How do we start, or Doing pre-research
Постановка исследовательской проблемы / Statement of the research problem
Разработка дизайна исследования. Исследовательский вопрос и стратегии исследования. Подготовка программы исследования / Research design. Research question and research strategy. Writing a research proposal
Инструменты научного исследования: понятия, теории, гипотезы, модели / Analytic tools of a social research: Concepts, theories, hypothesis, models
Presentation of research proposal for PhD dissertation
Эмпирические данные и дизайн исследования / Data and research design.
‘Positivist’ research
Experiments
Quasi-experiments
Understanding Ideal Types
Questions, Arguments & Narratives
Evaluation of Case Studies
Особенности научной статьи / How to write an article for an academic journal
Научные статьи бывают разными / Different types of academic articles
Структура научной статьи / The structure of an academic article
Коммуникация с журналом. Двойное слепое рецензирование / Communication with the journal. Double blind peer review
Редактирование и стилистические ошибки ? Copyediting.
Теоретические и методологические основания диссертационного исследования / Theoretical background and methodology of PhD research
Обсуждение предварительных результатов исследования / Discussing preliminary results of the PhD research
Assessment Elements
Research proposal / Программа диссертационного исследования
Программа исследования подлежит обсуждению и утверждению Академическим советом Аспирантской школы. Текст составляется на языке, на котором предполагается писать текст диссертации. Объем – 20-30 тыс. знаков (без учета списка цитируемой литературы). Рекомендуемый формат ссылок – затекстовый (ссылки на список работ, ранжированных по алфавиту)
Research proposal is to be discussed and approved by the Academic Council of the Doctoral School. The language of the text (Russian or English) should correspond to the language of the thesis. For citation, use references to the list of relevant publications sorted in the alphabet order.
The rationale for selecting a given research topic the PhD thesis / Обоснование темы диссертации
The topic of research should be proposed by the doctoral student in coordination with their academic supervisor. The rationale for selecting a given research topic for PhD thesis is to be submitted to the Academic Council of Doctoral School of Political Science for a discussion and subsequent approval. The final version of the rationale is stored on the doctoral student’s file as an integral part of the individual curriculum. The text is to be written in Russian or English, depending on the language of future thesis. The length is 3000-4500 words (plus references). / Обоснование темы диссертации служит основанием для обсуждения и последующего утверждения темы аспиранта Академическим советом школы. Научный руководитель осуществляет аспиранту помощь в выборе темы и работе над ее обоснованим. Обоснование, одобренное Академическим советом, вносится в личный кабинет аспиранта и становится частью индивидуального учебного плана. Текст составляется на языке, на котором предполагается писать текст диссертации (русском или английском). Объем – 15-20 тыс. знаков (без учета списка цитируемой литературы).
Peer-reviewing research proposal prepared by a colleague
Peer-reviewing of rationale for selecting a given research topic the PhD thesis and research proposal prepared by other students
Refining a research question
A revision of the preliminari research question according to the recommendations from the obligatory literature
Constructing theoretical framework
Presentation and discussion of the theoretical framework for the PhD research project
Seminar Participation
Taking part in the discussions of the literature recommended for the seminar.
Seminar Written Answers
A min. 400-word written answer +/- 10% (the question and references should be included in the answer but they are not included in the word count) on the student’s choice of ONE seminar question for any two seminars from the three in each part of the course.
To be submitted to the seminar instructor no later than 24 hours before the seminar i.e. 18:10 the day before.
There is no maximum word count.
Research Design Response Paper
This final assignment will take the form of an essay of 2,500–3,000 words (not including the question and references) to be written at home. The paper can be submitted at any point up to and including the deadline.
План-проспект статьи
Подготовить для обсуждения план-проспект статьи по материалам собственного исследования
Peer-review статьи
Научная статья
Статья должна быть сосредоточена на КОНКРЕТНОЙ задаче, решение которой привносит нечто НОВОЕ в уже имеющееся исследовательское поле.
НОВИЗНА может быть связана с: 1) постановкой проблемы, 2) способом ее решения, 3) развитием существующих или предложением новых теорий, 4) усовершенствованием понятийного аппарата, 5) оригинальной методикой, 6) введением в научный оборот ранее не изученного (и существенно важного) эмпирического материала и др.
Это может быть как research article, так и state of the field или state of the art review.
Статья должна быть оформлена согласно требованиям выбранного журнала
Редактирование научного текста
Редактирование фрагмента текста коллеги
Сопроводительное письмо в редакцию журнала
Необходимо подготовить письмо, сопровождающее представление статьи на рассмотрение журнала
Theoretical framework and methodology of the PhD thesis
Submitting and presenting the section(s) of future thesis presenting theoretical background and methodology of the PhD thesis
Peer-reviewing of the chapter submitted by a colleague
A presentation of the research in progress
PhD students are expected to submit a paper presenting preliminary results of their research for the discission on the research seminar organized by the Doctoral School / Подготовка текста доклада, представляющего предварительные результаты исследования для обсуждения на Научном семинаре аспирантской школы.
Interim Assessment
2023/2024 1st semester
0.025 * Constructing theoretical framework + 0.025 * Constructing theoretical framework + 0.04 * Peer-review статьи + 0.04 * Peer-review статьи + 0.025 * Peer-reviewing research proposal prepared by a colleague + 0.025 * Peer-reviewing research proposal prepared by a colleague + 0.025 * Refining a research question + 0.025 * Refining a research question + 0.15 * Research Design Response Paper + 0.15 * Research Design Response Paper + 0.2 * Research proposal / Программа диссертационного исследования + 0.2 * Research proposal / Программа диссертационного исследования + 0.07 * Seminar Participation + 0.07 * Seminar Participation + 0.08 * Seminar Written Answers + 0.08 * Seminar Written Answers + 0.1 * The rationale for selecting a given research topic the PhD thesis / Обоснование темы диссертации + 0.1 * The rationale for selecting a given research topic the PhD thesis / Обоснование темы диссертации + 0.15 * Научная статья + 0.15 * Научная статья + 0.04 * План-проспект статьи + 0.04 * План-проспект статьи + 0.02 * Редактирование научного текста + 0.02 * Редактирование научного текста + 0.075 * Сопроводительное письмо в редакцию журнала + 0.075 * Сопроводительное письмо в редакцию журнала
2024/2025 1st semester
0.3 * Peer-reviewing of the chapter submitted by a colleague + 0.3 * Peer-reviewing of the chapter submitted by a colleague + 0.7 * Theoretical framework and methodology of the PhD thesis + 0.7 * Theoretical framework and methodology of the PhD thesis
2025/2026 1st semester
1 * A presentation of the research in progress + 1 * A presentation of the research in progress
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
A sequence for academic writing, Behrens, L., 2005
Academic writing and publishing : A practical handbook, Hartley J., 2010
An introduction to the philosophy of science, Bortolotti, L., 2008
Contemporary debates in philosophy of science, , 2004
Designing social inquiry : scientific inference in qualitative research, King, G., 1994
Designing social inquiry : scientific inference in qualitative research, King, G., 2021
Handbook of research design and social measurement, , 2002
Philosophy of science : a contemporary introduction, Rosenberg, A., 2012
Philosophy of science : a new introduction, Barker, G., 2014
Philosophy of science : key concepts, French, S., 2016
Philosophy of science : the central issues, Curd, M., 2013
Philosophy of science and sociology : from the methodological doctrine to research practice, Mokrzycki, E., 2009
Principles of comparative politics, Clark, W. R., 2013
Политология. Методы исследования, Мангейм, Д. Б., 1999
Recommended Additional Bibliography
Academic writing : a handbook for international students, Bailey, S., 2011
Encyclopedia of research design. Vol.1: A-G, , 2010
Encyclopedia of research design. Vol.2: H-P, , 2010
Encyclopedia of research design. Vol.3: Q-Z, Index, , 2010
Преподаватель
Ильин Михаил Васильевич
Course Syllabus
Abstract
Learning Objectives
Expected Learning Outcomes
Course Contents
Assessment Elements
Interim Assessment
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
Recommended Additional Bibliography
Authors