Methodological Seminars
We are excited to announce a series of methodological seminars for the upcoming academic year.
The seminar series features engaging sessions spread across the academic year, each exploring a different research method with guidance from expert speakers.
Participants will receive reading materials beforehand and can look forward to interactive discussions and informative presentations on various aspects of each method, from its practical application to its challenges and inspirations.
How to ParticipateRSVP: Please confirm your attendance via Google Form (https://forms.gle/wDNAdKQYwq2dNJTu8)
Platform: Seminars will be held on Zoom
Information: Detailed information and links will be sent one week before each event
We look forward to your participation in these engaging and informative seminars!
Upcoming SeminarsSeminar 1: Mixing Methods: Discourse Analysis, Case Studies, and Interviews
- Date: October 25, 2024
- Time: 16:00-18:00 (London)
- Speaker: Anya Kuteleva
Why limit yourself to a single research method? This seminar focuses on integrating qualitative research methods in the context of political science. We will explore how to effectively combine discourse analysis, which examines political language and narratives; case studies, which provide in-depth investigations of specific political events or phenomena; and interviews, which offer valuable insights from actors and stakeholders. The seminar will discuss the strengths and challenges of each method and provide guidance on how to synergistically blend them for comprehensive political research.
About the speaker: Anya Kuteleva is a senior lecturer in International Relations at the University of Wolverhampton and the Editor in Chief of Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science. Her interdisciplinary work connects international relations, development studies, energy security, and feminist-informed approaches to politics. She is the author of "China's Energy Security and Relations with Petrostates: Oil as an Idea" (Routledge 2021) and has published in leading journals.
Seminar 2: Focus Groups: Motivations, Data Collection, and Analysis- Date: November 21, 2024
- Time: 16:00-18:00 (London)
- Speaker: Anne-Marie Houde
Focus groups, positioned at the intersection of ethnography and interviews, have become an essential tool for social scientists conducting impactful research on political issues. Yet, this method presents some challenges that render it less common despite its important potential for data collection. This talk will shed light on this sometimes underappreciated technique and discuss why to do focus groups and for what type of research, what can be gained through their use, what are some of its shortcomings and disadvantages, and how to organise and conduct them.
About the speaker: Anne-Marie Houde is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Oxford. Her research sits at the intersection of emotion research in international relations, European studies, and political psychology. Her work has been published in various outlets, such as the Review of International Studies, International Political Sociology, the Journal of European Public Policy, the Journal of Common Market Studies, and Political Psychology.
