The aim of this course is to provide students with a broad introduction to the methodological foundations and tools to study communications. The course includes discussions on various research methods such as quantitative, qualitative, and critical cultural studies and the essential principles of scientific ethics. Students will learn how to identify problems to study, develop hypotheses and research questions, specify independent and dependent variables, check for the validity and reliability of studies and design research projects. Students are also introduced to the process of conducting their own research. Students will be exposed to the broad range of designs used in communication research from field experiments, surveys, content analysis, focus groups, participant observation, social role analysis, rhetorical analysis, (critical) discourse analysis, and in-depth interviewing.
