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2018/2019  KAN-CKOMV1701U  Thesis workout: hands-on experience in the choice and use of methods

English Title
Thesis workout: hands-on experience in the choice and use of methods

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Autumn
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Min. participants 40
Max. participants 60
Study board
Study Board for BSc/MSc in Business Administration and Organizational Communication, MSc
Course coordinator
  • Dorte Madsen - Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC)
  • Hans Krause Hansen - Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC)
Main academic disciplines
  • Communication
  • Management
  • Methodology and philosophy of science
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 13-08-2018

Relevant links
Learning objectives
At the end of the course students are expected to be able to:
  • identify and discuss methodological choices in relation to a specific research question
  • apply the chosen method(s) to a specific research problem
  • reflect on their choice of methodologies considering in the light of philosophy of science positions and
  • further, in the exam paper the student must demonstrate
  • a critical awareness of the choices discussed
  • critical reflexivity for understanding how methodological choices relate to their research questions and are justified in philosophy of science positions
  • communicate their insights in consistent and transparent writing.
Course prerequisites
bachelor's degree
Examination
Thesis workout: Hands-on Experience in the Choice and Use of Methods:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Size of written product Max. 15 pages
including appendix with the student's empirical material
Assignment type Project
Duration Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and second internal examiner
Exam period Winter
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Description of the exam procedure

Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.

feedback session after the exam.

The report may be in Danish or English according to the student's choice
Course content and structure

The overall purpose of this course it to help students activate their methodology insights to create stronger projects.

 

The course aims to:

 

  • further develop students’ skills in making informed and reflective methodological choices in their own project work.

 

  • further develop students’ personal experience in conducting research on a topic of their own interest

 

  • prepare students to take charge of their project processes, to create an overview of their research designs and the methodological choices they have to make, including the consequences of these choices and their justification in positions in the philosophy of science.

 

to provide a training ground for students’ decision-making processes in relation to their individual research study.

 

Themes will include: (details to be further elaborated)

  • Mixed methods
  • Discussing empirical research based on contrasting theoretical approaches: realism and constructivism
  • Research questions in relation to paradigms and disciplines
  • Constructing and interpreting empirical data
  • Different types of interviews including focus groups
  • Document analysis 
  • Structuring and writing research reports, different report genres
  • Quality criteria
Description of the teaching methods
The requirement in the course will be for each student to design and carry out a small-scale research study during the course in which students are required to use a minimum of two different methods of obtaining knowledge about the phenomenon that is the focus of their study.

The course is a mix of overview lectures and class discussions of students’ on-going work and experiences with choosing and applying different methods. Class discussions are designed to help students in this work.
Feedback during the teaching period
Group discussions; peer feedback among students; feedback from teachers built into exam format.

Following the grading of the written product, each student will have 30 minutes feedback from one of the course teachers.
Student workload
lectures 24 hours
hands-on work in the field 30 hours
course readings 80 hours
writing the paper 72 hours
Expected literature

tba
Last updated on 13-08-2018