Handbook

What do social researchers actually do? What methods are in the sociologist’s toolbox? How does a social scientist “craft” a research project? Who said data can’t be fun?! In this skills-based subject, we’ll explore these questions and more, revealing how sociological research can illuminate the social world, inform policy-making, test theories, and address key social problems. You will gain practical insights into the tools, processes, and practices of social research. We’ll cover the core concepts and components of research design, and explore a variety of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research approaches. You will gain hands-on experience by designing and conducting a mixed method mock social research project. Through this project, you’ll learn to design effective research questions, select appropriate methods for data collection and analysis, and design ethical research practices. Practical activities will develop your essential skills and applied understanding of quantitative research—such as sampling, survey design, analysing descriptive and inferential statistics using programs like Jamovi or SPSS—as well as qualitative research, including recruitment, crafting interview questions, conducting interviews or focus groups, and performing qualitative data analysis with software like NVivo. This subject is core to the Sociology Major and Minor.