ENVP40170 Research for Environmental Pol

Academic Year 2022/2023

The aim of this module is to provide students with the essential skills to produce an independent piece of research.

The first step in any research project is the literature review. Students will learn how to produce a critical systematic review of the published academic literature on a subject approved of their choice and subject to approval by the module co-ordinator. This will involve a high degree of autonomous student learning including extensive reading, critical thinking, and writing on a specific academic topic potentially related to the focus of the student's thesis. The aim of this part of the module is for students to produce an academic review paper similar to the standard required for an international journal.

The module also introduces students to the key concepts and principles of research design and methods. Students will learn about different approaches to research design both in terms of the underlying philosophy and practice and the basic approach to research methods. The module introduces students to both quantitative and qualitative research methods and students will conduct a small-scale research project in this module as preparation for the thesis. The module requires that students read critical, practical, and theoretical literature on research methodology and prepares students for undertaking a range of research related projects and, in particular, their Master’s thesis.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of the module, students should be able to:
- Undertake critical reading and critical writing.
- Evaluate critically the academic literature on a specific topic.
- Write a literature review paper similar to the standard required for an international academic journal.
- Understand the key principles of good research design.
- Be able to identify the appropriate design approach for a social science project.
- Understand a number of key research methods, including: Qualitative interviews and other qualitative designs; Surveys; Experiments; Secondary data analysis.
- Be able to produce basic descriptive and inferential statistics.
- Be able to use one research method to produce a small-scale research project.

Indicative Module Content:

- (Systematic) Literature review techniques
- Critical analysis of academic writing
- Introduction to Research Philosophies
- Introduction to Qualitative Research
- Introduction to Survey Design
- Introduction to Experiments
- Introduction to Secondary Data Analysis
- Introduction to Data Analysis


Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24

Specified Learning Activities

16

Autonomous Student Learning

160

Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The key teaching and learning approaches used in the module include:
- Lectures on the basics of research
- Lectures with research-informed teaching
- Reflective learning
- Case-based learning
- Participate in-class learning
- Student presentations 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Multiple Choice Questionnaire (Short): MCQ related to core aspects of the second part of the module Unspecified n/a Graded No

25

Essay: You will produce a literature review of circa. 5,000 words for this module Unspecified n/a Graded No

50

Assignment: Project related to applied research methods Unspecified n/a Graded No

25


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Individual written feedback will be provided on each literature review and applied project. Online feedback will be provided on the MCQ.

Name Role
Dr Finbarr Brereton Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Luke Kelleher Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Hamidreza Rabiei Dastjerdi Lecturer / Co-Lecturer