Methodologies of Research
Why specialize in Methodologies of Research (MoRe)?
Every ISS Major offers the opportunity to specialize in Methodologies of Research (MoRe). This specialization aims to prepare ISS Master's students for a career in development research or future doctoral studies. The specialization constitutes a rigorous training on epistemological and methodological principles and equips students with practical knowledge of a range of quantitative and qualitative data generation techniques. Such a broad methodological grounding is increasingly becoming a requirement for doctoral studies anywhere and this specialization offers such training as part of the ISS Master's programme.
The specialization has a strong interdisciplinary slant given that development studies draws upon the integration of insights from sociology, anthropology, political science, economics as well as other social sciences, and thus requires bringing together these various disciplinary traditions, including their methodological practices in the process of research.
Specialization in MoRe is an entry requirement for students wishing to enroll in a fast-track (3 year) PhD programme at the ISS. Students in this specialization will therefore find themselves working alongside ISS doctoral students who also enrolled in some of the constituting courses.
Check other webpages for more information on the ISS PhD programme, on the current PhD Researchers of ISS and on the ISS research themes.
MoRe teaching team
Karin Astrid Siegmann (coordinator), Senior Lecturer Labour & Gender Economics
Arjun Bedi, Professor of Development Economics
Kees Biekart, Associate Professor in Political Sociology
Des Gasper, Professor
Wil Hout, Professor
Roy Huijsmans, Lecturer Children & Youth Studies
Mahmood Messkoub, Senior Lecturer
MoRe main courses
Course 4223 “Development Research: Comparative Epistemologies and Methodologies” is mandatory for the specialization. Besides, students wishing to specialize in MoRe will have to choose two 4 ECT methods courses from the list below, of which one qualitative and one quantitative in orientation. More information on these courses can be found in the academic calendar.
Qualitative research methods
3207 Qualitative Interviewing
3303 Ethnographic Techniques and Cross-cultural Reflexivity in Case Studies
3304 Discourse Analysis: Principles and Methods (likely to be split into two 3.5 ECT courses)
3305 Techniques for Case-study Research
3306 Participatory approaches and action research
Quantitative research methods
3103 Regression and Data Analysis
3209 Techniques for Understanding Quantitative Secondary Data
3310 Doing your Own Survey
MoRe readings & resources
Sumner, A. and M. Tribe (2008) International Development Studies: Theories and Methods in Research and Practice. Los Angeles, London, New Delhi: Sage.
Sage Research Methods Online database, accessible (via ISS computers/VPN connections) here: srmo.sagepub.com
