RESEARCH-BASED PROGRAMME - SOCIAL SCIENCES
PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES
The purposes of this eight week online synchronous course are to introduce students to key concepts in research methods, and to develop skills in the design of empirical research used in social science. Students will work in small groups to design and implement a research project, including collecting data via interviews or a short survey, and will write a report. The aim is for students to apply various research designs in conducting rigorous research to produce trustworthy evidence, and to have the ability to critically evaluate the reliability of research findings.
The main output of the course is a group-based research paper in groups of 4 students based on their original research. Guidance will be provided throughout the course by the teaching assistant. In addition, students will receive detailed and constructive written feedback on their draft research paper by the lead instructor prior to finalisation. The final research reports will be due a week after the last tutorial.
Upon completion of the course, students should
1. have an in-depth knowledge of research designs for descriptive, exploratory and explanatory research, with a strong understanding of their potentials and limitations;
2. be able to put together a research proposal and develop data collection tools, on a given research topic in their chosen fields;
3. gain some practical experience and develop soft and hard skills in applying analytical techniques with data sets.
PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS
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| Welcome message from Dean of NUS SCALE |
Tutorials conducted over Zoom |
PRE-REQUISITES
Undergraduate students major in social sciences (economics, sociology, public policy, law, political sciences, etc) and have completed at least two semesters before joining the programme.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Undergraduate students major in social sciences
MODE OF DELIVERY
34 hours of Synchronous sessions including lecture and tutorial sessions
MODE OF ASSESSMENT
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Dr Caroline Brassard
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Lee Kuan Yew School Of Public Policy
National University of Singapore
Dr. Caroline Brassard has been teaching at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, since 2002, on topics such as development economics, econometrics, research methods, and policy analysis. She has been teaching for SCALE NUS since 2018 on courses introducing public policy, teaching and learning, and humanities and social sciences topics. Caroline has also been an academic adviser at the Centre for Peace and Justice, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh since 2017. Her research focuses on development policy lessons from disasters in urbanizing contexts, notably in Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Indonesia. She co-edited a book on Urban Spaces and Gender in Asia: Perspectives on Social and Economic Inclusion (with Divya U. Joshi, by Springer 2020). She is currently editing a book on Social Inclusivity and Empowerment in Asia. Her earlier books include “Natural Disaster Management in the Asia-Pacific: Policy and Governance” (co-edited edited with David Giles and Arn Howitt) by Springer in 2015. Prior to joining NUS, Caroline worked as a development economist in Madagascar for UNICEF, in Bangladesh for CARE and in Vietnam. Caroline holds a PhD in Economics from the University of London.
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CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
Successful participants who complete all requirements of the programme including passing the assessment will receive a certificate of completion issued by NUS SCALE.
A sample of the certificate of completion can be found here:
Participants from the project team with the highest score for the group project will also receive a commendation letter. A sample is shown below:
UPCOMING SESSIONS
For enquiries, please contact us at sgprogrammes@nus.edu.sg