The course aims to show students how to produce manageable research questions and hypotheses, and how to formulate an appropriate research method and how to design a scientific study by integrating various research approaches from different disciplines in social sciences and by holding ethical standards.
The course covers quantitative and qualitative methods used in communication and media research. It demonstrates how quantitative research methods, including surveys and content analysis, on the one hand and qualitative research methods, such as field observations, focus groups, and in-depth interviews, on the other, can be used to answer questions regarding media production and reception processes, media effects on individuals and on society and textual analysis. It also covers the relation between scientific ethics and the research process with a brief introduction to general ethical theories and principles.