Course description
The course accompanies the course “Institutions and Organizations in Japan” (hereafter “Institutions”). In this seminar we will focus mainly on methodological, technical and practical issues of social scientific research on Japan. Participants will develop research competence in the fields of sociology/political science of Japan by becoming acquainted with various methods of information gathering (general and Japan-specific) and processing, as well as research techniques. In addition, you will apply these skills practically by conducting small research exercises in class or as assignments. We will also discuss methodological issues based on your work and the “Institutions” class.
Upon successful completion, seminar participants will be able to conduct research in the field of social science and in using a variety of international and Japanese sources on social and political development in Japan. Participants will also receive support for dealing with methodological issues related to their module research paper. Research exercises are geared toward the successful completion of the research paper and guide the participants through the various steps of academic paper-writing.
Requirements (will count for 25% of module grade for AEAS 1)
- Participants are expected to attend the course regularly, to read the required texts, and prepare the class assignments.
- Participants are required to conduct research independently in the context of several small research exercises. Research strategies and results will be reviewed and discussed in class.
Course material
All readings for the course are posted on Moodle (together with the material for the “Institutions” class) and students are expected to download and print the course materials themselves as appropriate.
Start
"Research" starts on 14th April 2016.
"Institutions" starts on 15th April 2016. |
