The course will concern itself with skills and issues related to methods and methodology that are relevant to the different master programs. It will focus on providing an understanding of philosophy of science, as well as on various social science and historical approaches to research design, data collection, and analysis. Interdisciplinary and issues concerning combining quantitative and qualitative approaches will be discussed, and students will be encouraged to reflect on course subjects in relation to work on their own upcoming research. The course will also offer a brief introduction to the use of a statistics software program.

Students should acquire an understanding of theory and practical approaches to research methods within the environment, development and international relations fields, with an interdisciplinary approach. The course should also provide some exercise in practical skills for carrying out a research process: research design and planning data collection, registration, and analysis and written presentation. Students should on completion of the course be able to create a research proposal for their own thesis research.

Lectures and discussion, exercises and assignments in qualitative and quantiative research design and planning, sampling, data collection, registration, analysis, and reporting. Lectures and discussion in methodology

Information and communication in Fronter. Feedback on mandatory hand-ins, support during work on assignments. Support from Writing Center for term paper writing.

A list of compulsory and recommended literature will be made available by the start of the semester. Students will be given some relevant reference materials during the course period.

Bachelor degree or equivalent

Participation in group and individual assignments and hand-ins. Attendance is mandatory at first lecture in autumn and in spring semester. Attendance throughout is in practice mandatory due to compulsory activities carried out in classes. Approval of all mandatory hand-ins is required for receipt of a course grade.

Individual term paper in autumn parallel, counting for 30% of grade; individual mid-term assignment in spring parallel, counting for 30% of grade. Written exam at end of spring parallel, counting for 40% of grade, covering course contents of both semesters. In addition, all mandatory group and individual activities must be approved in order for the student to obtain a grade. All hand-ins, papers, exam are to be given and submitted in English only.

450 hours

Minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway (generell studiekompetanse)

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1x2 lecture hours per week during autumn parallell + 2x2 lecture hours per week during spring parallell (a total of around 80 hours). Lectures and seminars/workshops with practical exercises and simulations of quantitative and qualitative research design and planning, data collection, and analysis. In addition, students will do group and individual independent work. The total number of working hours for students is about 450 hours.

Every student must have access to a portable computer where statistics software program "R" can be downloaded.

An external examiner will be involved in grading exams.