Master of Social Research Methods (coursework or coursework and dissertation) (12560)

The University of Western Australia

About

UWA's admission requirements for some postgraduate courses have changed for Semester 2, 2020 to facilitate student access to study during the COVID-19 situation.

In many cases, these changes may not be extended beyond 2020.

Contact Future Students for more information.Social research methods skills are vital across a range of disciplines.

This interdisciplinary master's degree course, and nested graduate certificate and graduate diploma, introduces students to key concepts in social research methods and offers them the opportunity to develop their skills through application.This course provides students with an advanced understanding of a range of qualitative and quantitative research techniques used in the social sciences, from action research to surveys, to more innovative methods such as photovoice.

It also covers the range of methodological approaches and ethical considerations.

Students obtain first-hand experience with some of the methods, and learn to understand and critique social research.

They also learn how to craft a research project, and how to identify sources of funding and write and submit funding proposals.

Examples of research from sociology, anthropology, political science, archaeology, linguistics, history, communications, geography, psychology, education, community development, tourism and other social sciences are used to illustrate research strategies.

Structure

Note: This course is not available in 2020.

KEY TO AVAILABILITY OF UNITS:
S1 = Semester 1; S2 = Semester 2; SS = summer teaching period; N/A = not available in 2020; NS = non-standard teaching period; OS = offshore teaching period; * = to be advised

Students who have not completed a bachelor's degree with a relevant major as recognised by the Faculty, must complete relevant conversion unit(s) up to the value of 24 points, as advised by the Faculty.

Students without a completed bachelor's degree consisting of a relevant major as recognised by the Faculty, must complete conversion units to the value of 24 points as prescribed by the Faculty.

Take all units (24 points):

AVAILABILITY	UNITCODE	UNITNAME	UNIT REQUIREMENTS	CONTACT HOURS
S1	ANTH4103	Knowing Social Realities: Theoretical Foundations	Incompatibility: ANTH7483 Honours Seminar 3 (Anthropology)	seminars: 2 hours per week for up to 10 weeks
NS	SOCS5003	Research Design	Prerequisites: for Social Research Methods students and Science Communication students : none; for other postgraduate course (International Relations, Strategic Communications, Asian Studies, International Development, Public Policy) students: completion of 24 points of their coursework, three core units and one option unit, and have achieved a 70 per cent WAM in those units.	up to 30 hours
N/A	SOCS5005	Social Research Ethics		24 hours—taught intensively and may include evening and/or Saturday classes
NS	SOCS5501	Evaluation		Taught intensively over 6 weeks (second half of S1),

Dissertation students take all units from this group (18 points):

Note: Students must have achieved 70% in SOCS5003 Research Design to be eligible to undertake the following dissertation units.

Group A

AVAILABILITY	UNITCODE	UNITNAME	UNIT REQUIREMENTS	CONTACT HOURS
S1, S2	SOCS5551	Master's Dissertation 1	Prerequisites: Students must have achieved 70 per cent or above in SOCS5003 Research Design and have approval of the course coordinator to undertake this unit.	contact varies but up to 1 hour a week in a one-to-one meeting with a supervisor or in a small teaching and discussion group
S1, S2	SOCS5552	Master's Dissertation 2	Prerequisites: Students must have achieved 70 per cent or above in SOCS5003 Research Design and have approval of the course coordinator to undertake this unit.	contact varies but up to 1 hour a week in a one-to-one meeting with a supervisor or in a small teaching and discussion group
S1, S2	SOCS5553	Master's Dissertation 3	Prerequisites: Students must have achieved 70 per cent or above in SOCS5003 Research Design and have approval of the course coordinator to undertake this unit.	contact varies but up to 1 hour a week in a one-to-one meeting with a supervisor or in a small teaching and discussion group

Coursework students take units to the value of 48 points. Dissertation students take units to the value of 30 points.

Note: Students choosing to undertake a quantitative methods unit can select either PUBH4401 Biostatistics I or EDUC5633 Quantitative Inquiry.

Group B

AVAILABILITY	UNITCODE	UNITNAME	UNIT REQUIREMENTS	CONTACT HOURS
S2	AHEA5801	Aboriginal Health Research and Ethics		lectures/seminars: 3 hours per week
S2	ANTH4101	Advanced Qualitative Methods: Interviews and Focus Groups	Incompatibility: ANTH7481 Honours Seminar 1 (Anthropology)	seminars: 2 hours per week for up to 10 weeks
S1	COMM4105	Research Methods in Media and Communication		seminars: up to 3 hrs per week for 11 weeks
NS	COMM5701	Strategic Communications in a Digital Era		up to 24 hours
N/A	EDUC5633	Quantitative Inquiry		25 hours
S1, S2	ENVT4411	Geographic Information Systems Applications		The total workload for the unit is 150 hours. This includes podcasts for viewing and reading to be undertaken prior to attending a compulsory 1-hour seminar per week where students will be contributing to interactive discussions. Additionally there is a compulsory 2-hour computer practical lab per week for which students will undertake applied use of GIS. Completion of these labs is necessary to enable skills for completing written unit assessment. Independent learning is required throughout the unit.
N/A	HUMA5801	Analysis and Interpretation in the Humanities		3 hours per teaching week
S1, S2	PUBH4401	Biostatistics I	Prerequisites: enrolment in honours or postgraduate courses	lectures: 2 hours per week; tutorials: 1.5 hours per week (for face-to-face mode only)
S2	SCIE4481	Good, Bogus and Corrupted Science	Prerequisites: enrolment in honours or postgraduate course	seminars: 3 hours per week for 12 weeks—theory is provided by the unit coordinators and guest speakers; tutorials: 2 hour per week for 12 weeks—students present cases of bogus and corrupted science in classes, discuss further the material covered in the seminars, and are asked to support their learning with examples of their choice, thus guaranteeing a multidisciplinary flavour to this unit. The advanced academic training and research experience required of the postgraduate and honours students attending this unit provide the grounds for scholarly and informed discussions during the tutorials.
S2	SOCS5001	Engaging Cultural Difference		lectures and workshops: up to 3 hours per week; or intensively (12 x 3-hour sessions over 2 weeks)
S2	SOCS5002	Advanced Qualitative Methods: Ethnography	Incompatibility: ANTH3001 Advanced Qualitative Methods: Ethnography	up to 3 hours per week
N/A	SOCS5004	Engaging Gender		3 hours per week
N/A	SOCS5009	Innovative Social Research Methods		up to 3 hours per week
SS	SOCS5200	Digital Advocacy		1 week (30 hours) intensive split between lectures (15 hours) and practical training (15 hours); project workshops: 4 x 1 hour; final workshop: 8 hours. Summer: delivered intensively.
S2	SOCS5301	Researching the Past	Incompatibility: HIST2220 Making History, HIST3001 Making History	lectures/workshops: 2 hours per week; field trips: up to 3 x 2 hours
NS, S1, S2	WILG5001	Professional Development Practicum A	Prerequisites: Completion of 24 points of post graduate units and approval from the unit coordinator.	150 hours for pre-placement, placement and post-placement activities

See also the rules for the course and the Student Rules.

Entry requirements

4.(1) To be considered for admission to this course an applicant must have—

(a) a Bachelor's degree, or an equivalent qualification, as recognised by UWA;

and

(b) the equivalent of a UWA weighted average mark of at least 50 per cent;

and

(2) (a) completed a Graduate Certificate Social Research Methods or Graduate Diploma in Social Research Methods at UWA.

Institution