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Second term
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Prerequisites
Identical coursesResearch Seminar (B-KUL-S0B66A)
Cannot be taken as part of an examination contract
Brans Marleen | Lammers Wouter (cooperator) | Meert Arthur (cooperator) Aims
Throughout this course the students acquire the following knowledge, skills and attitudes:
- Students recognize the importance of an empirical foundation for knowledge acquisition.
- Students can find, select, critically assess and use correct references for relevant and complex resources.
- Students understand that, on each parameter of research design, possibilities of choice exist, having a differentiated impact on the potential scientific contribution and practical feasibility, and make pragmatic research choices informed by these likely impacts.
- Students know the methods and tools for doing research in political sciences.
- Students know the different phases of scientific research and know the opportunities and limits of each of them.
- Students can conduct scientific research independently.
- Students take into account the ethical rules of scientific research.
- Students can independently and in team plan an assignment, execute it, meet deadlines and make a constructive contribution to a common result.
- Students master the language of positivist social science: research objective, social relevance, research questions, theory, hypothesis, dependent variable/outcome, independent variables/conditions.
- Students can communicate, clearly and unambiguously, their analysis and rationale underpinning these, by giving a presentation and writing a scientific paper, in academic language.
- Students can accept criticism from peers and adapt to it. Students can be critical themselves.
These aims are communicated to the students at the beginning of the semester.
Previous knowledge
Given the general MEPP requirements, the students have already achieved the following learning goals before the start of this course:
- Students have a basic understanding of either public administration and policy, or of European organizations and politics.
- Students have sufficient proficiency in the English language.
Other requirements for students are:
- Students understand social reality, its problems, values and standard systems particularly within their field of study.
- Students have general and applied academic skills, such as writing papers, learning abstracting, reasoning, communicating, analysing data, designing research.
- Students can critically deal with conceptual frameworks.
- Students can sufficiently work independently.
- Students have basic knowledge on methodology and can interact in methodological questions or debates.
Recommended preparatory readings:
- Pollitt, C. (2016). Advanced introduction to public management and administration. Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Van Thiel, S. (2014). Research methods in public administration and public management: An introduction. Routledge.
- Bryman, A. (2012, 5th edition). Social research methods. Oxford University Press.
Is included in these courses of study
Activities
5 ects. Research Seminar (B-KUL-S0B66a)
EnglishFormat: Practical
39 
First termBrans Marleen | Lammers Wouter (cooperator) | Meert Arthur (cooperator) Content
The Research Seminar follows the path taken to successfully conduct scientific research, and explains the different sequential steps. Hence, the course starts with an explanation of what a research problem is and an evaluation of different research designs, then moves to strategies for answering research questions, how to collect data, and how to analyse data. The last part of the course is geared towards the ability of students to express the purpose of their research, and defend their research design.
Course material
A reading list made available via Toledo. The list will include mandatory, additional readings as well as PowerPoint-presentations/knowledge clips related to the content of the course.
Recommended preparatory readings:
- Pollitt, C. (2016). Advanced introduction to public management and administration. Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Van Thiel, S. (2014). Research methods in public administration and public management: An introduction. Routledge.
- Bryman, A. (2012, 5th edition). Social research methods. Oxford University Press.
Format: more information
The research seminar is organised in three parts.
During the first part, students acquire knowledge on four themes: (1) management of the thesis project, (2) research problem, aims and questions, (3) literature review and theoretical framework, and (4) methodology and operational aspects. For each theme, a range of topics are addressed through recorded presentations in support of text material (mandatory and additional readings made available via Toledo). The recorded presentation are to be watched prior the corresponding discussions sessions and classes. Students are also expected to read the mandatory material before the seminar. During this first part, students are also expected to make the necessary appointments and choices to have one’s own thesis topic and supervisor.
The second part consists of a series of seminars where students will prepare and discuss the learning goals based on the theory learned via the first part of the research seminar and the corresponding mandatory readings. During the class, students actively engage in exercises related to the themes discussed and their Start Note.
During the third part, students individually finalize, present and discuss the draft of their “Start Note for the Master Thesis”. Individual feedback is provided, leading to improving the draft to a final version, which serves as a basis for the evaluation.
More detailed information on the assignments, readings and deadlines corresponding to the three parts of the research seminar are available on Toledo.
The Start Note is an iterative project which is worked on throughout the duration of the course.
This course is organized according to the principles of blended learning, in which contact education (face-to-face) and online learning are combined. More information is available via Toledo.
Guidance and support:
Questions that arise as part of the learning activity should be directed to the course instructors during class hours.
Evaluation
Evaluation: Research Seminar (B-KUL-S2B66a)
Explanation
Characteristics of the evaluation
The evaluation of this course consists of three partial evaluations:
- Participation during contact hours, attendance and assignments
- Individual presentations and peer-review
- An individual paper (draft and final Start Note)
Determination of the end result
The evaluation is done by the didactic team, as communicated on Toledo and in compliance with the examination regulations. The result is calculated and expressed as an integer number out of 20.
The final result is a weighted number, defined as follows:
- The master’s thesis supervisor attributes a maximum score of 10/20 to each student based on the quality of the Start Note.
- The Research Seminar lecturer attributes a maximum score of 10/20 to each student, of which
- 6/10 is attributed based on the quality and relevance of the Start Note;
- 2/10 is attributed based on attendance, assignments and active participation during contact hours;
- 2/10 is attributed based on the quality of the individual presentation and peer-review.
Taken together, these scores result in a maximum score of 20/20 granted for the course.
All deadlines must be respected. Negotiation about any deviation is impossible. In case of any exceptional circumstances, students are required to contact the faculty’s ombudsperson prior to the respective deadline. If (one of) the deadline(s) is not met, the complete course will be evaluated as a ‘not taken’ (NA) unless a new submission deadline has been determined due to exceptional circumstances.
If the student does not participate in one (or more) out of several partial evaluations of the course, the student receives a ‘not taken’ (NA) for the complete course.
Students are fully responsible for submitting papers and assignments free of fraud and plagiarism (http://www.kuleuven.be/education/regulations/) and are requested to comply with the Faculty’s relevant regulations. Plagiarism will be sanctioned with the sanctions mentioned in the University’s Regulations on Education and Examinations.
Information about retaking exams
If a student fails the course, he/she is allowed a second chance to present and to hand in the start note, no later than one month after communication of failure. The reason for the short time period is that the paper is the same as the start note, and is seen as important for the successful completion of the master dissertation. Achieved results for participation in class and the individual presentation (maximum 4/10) will be taken into account for the retake exam.