General description

An introductory course on science, academic research in general, research process, research integrity, and basic research skills. The course is intended to all new international Master’s degree students, but it will serve also international Doctoral students.

Learning outcomes

Having completed the course, the student will have an understanding of the nature of science and scientific research and be aware of the importance of basic decisions related to methodology and ethical issues concerning his/her own Master´s or Doctoral thesis project. He/she will be able to read research reports in a critical and informed way, evaluating factors of reliability, according to the approach used in a certain field. The student will be able to study in an ethically sound way, and, when making his/her own research, he/she can recognize essential ethical matters and questions. The student will be able to tell the difference between scientific discourse and neighboring discourses and write his/her thesis in suitable style.

Contents

The course consists of two main themes: What is science and How to do research.

The former theme includes following questions: What is science and what distinguishes science from other types of human activities (e.g. sport, religion, art, technology). What is knowledge and through what kinds of processes is scientific knowledge achieved? How do reasoning and argumentation work in research? What does responsible conduct of research consist of and why is misconduct so detrimental? Which ethical issues should be considered in research? How is the originality of students’ theses checked in the University?

The latter theme includes questions such as: How is reality approached and conceptualized in science? Why are specific research methods necessary? On which basis should research methods be chosen and what kinds of prerequisites and consequences are there to take into consideration? What are the basic distinctions between qualitative and quantitative methods? What are the bases of scientific communication and how can scientific writing be learnt?

Teaching methods

Teaching method	Contact	Online
Lectures	24 h	0 h

Twice a year in study periods I (autumn) and III (winter). An intensive course e.g. 2 times a week à 4h, for three weeks = 24 h)

2 ECTS: Active participation in lectures and a learning diary OR
5 ECTS: Active participation in lectures and an extended learning diary based on lectures and literature

Teaching language

English

Evaluation

Numeric 1-5.

Further information

Recommended year of study
In Master’s degree programmes: First year of studies.
In Doctoral programmes: In the beginning of studies, as agreed with the supervisor.

Belongs to following study modules