Research Theory and Design aims to provide students with a foundation in the theoretical elements of research design in Sociology. The course will assist students in formulating the research problem that will guide their thesis research. The course explores different ways of viewing, speculating upon and problematizing sociological issues through an examination of a selection of foundational texts in sociology.  The design of the course is based on the proposition that the persistent division between theory and method in Sociology is both necessary and problematic. The course therefore approaches theory as incorporating a methodological and practical dimension. However it also highlights the importance of reflection on truth claims and  approaches to knowledge production when investigating research design. 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
1. Develop familiarity with a small selection of foundational texts in Sociology
2. Critically analyze what it means to formulate a research problem in Sociology
3. Construct their own research problem and identify literature relevant to that problem

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

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Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

The information provided is a preliminary Class Outline. A finalised version will be available on Wattle and will be accessible after enrolling in this course. All updates, changes and further information will be uploaded on the course Wattle site and will not be updated on Programs and Courses throughout the semester. Any questions or concerns should be directed to the Course Convenor.

Course Structure

The material in the course offers an introduction to the following areas:

1. Sociological Problems

2. Forming a Problem

3. Your Thesis Problem

There are, then, three modules to the course. Modules 1 and 2 will contain readings that provide the foundations for the course. Module 3 involves you identifying the problem that your own thesis seeks to address and the core literature to which your thesis responds and contributes. All readings are available as PDF files in the corresponding module topic box of wattle. Essential readings are highlighted in yellow in the module information file. Please note carefully what pages you are expected to read – anything more read is a bonus, but you are not expected to be doing masses of reading for this course.

Your involvement in this online course will involve:

- reading the materials in Modules 1 & 2

- collating an Annotated Bibliography of 15 readings that are central to your own thesis problem

- writing a 4000 word Essay, which is strongly based in the appropriate scholarly literature, on the question ‘What is My Research Problem?’

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Research Theory and Design (SOCY 8101) aims to provide you with a foundation in the theoretical elements of research design in Sociology. While the principal product of HDR research remains the PhD thesis, the coursework units provide basic grounding in the disciplinary traditions with respect to theory and method, whilst advancing your progress in the completion of the thesis. While this is the more theoretically focused unit of the two, the design of the course is based on a simple proposition about research design: namely, that the very persistent division between theory and method in Sociology is both necessary and problematic. You will no doubt have encountered and perhaps promulgated the idea that theory and method are two distinctly separate things. You may have met sociologists who insist they are not interested in method, or others who distance themselves from the supposedly abstract world of theory. But what do such common statements presume and how sustainable are they? Examining the roots of the word ‘theory’ (Greek: theoria), we can see that, in its origins, theory involved both contemplation and speculation, with a certain privilege given to the visual sense and the act of viewing; literally, theory for the Greeks meant ‘looking at a show’. Much more recently, in the twilight of the modern age, theory implies something which is empirically verifiable, something which bears a strong relationship to ‘the facts.’ What do we mean by ‘method? The idea of method was first used in the 15th century, but the word derived from the Latin ‘methodus’ (meaning ‘way of teaching or going’), itself derived from the Greek ‘methodos’ (meaning ‘a pursuit’ or ‘following after’). Since its origins, then, the idea of method has referred to a systematic mode of pursuing and enquiring into truth, though again this takes on distinct meanings with modern science. The wager that structures this course is the idea that all theory has a methodological dimension. If we pay attention to the original and most general meanings of these terms, we can see that theory implies a kind of viewing place, and that all method (even the most scientific and seemingly neutral kind) involves ways of pursuing and enquiring. Theory makes certain claims about truth and about how knowledge should proceed. It also has genuinely practical implications; the theoretical perspectives through which one frames the world will have a constitutive role in what that world looks like. Similarly, all method will be motivated by the manner of viewing the problem that you have adopted. SOCY 8101 and SOCY 8102 (Advanced Social Research Methods) thus act as complementary courses. SOCY 8101 will assist you in formulating the research problem that will provide your unique way of viewing, speculating upon and problematizing your chosen issue. SOCY 8102 will assist you in selecting the methods of enquiry that will best enable you to address your problem systematically.  Course StructureWith this general orientation to the philosophy of the course in mind, the remainder of the material in the course offers an introduction to the following areas:Sociological ProblemsForming a ProblemYour Thesis Problem There are, then, three modules to the course. Modules 1 and 2 will contain readings that provide the foundations for the course. Module 3 involves you identifying the problem that your own thesis seeks to address and the core literature to which your thesis responds and contributes. All readings are available as PDF files in the corresponding module topic box of wattle. Essential readings are highlighted in yellow in the module information file. Please note carefully what pages you are expected to read – anything more read is a bonus, but you are not expected to be doing masses of reading for this course.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Learning Outcomes
Annotated Bibliography, including 15 core texts (3000 words)	45 %	2,3
2. 4000 word Essay	55 %	1,2,3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website. Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Annotated Bibliography, including 15 core texts (3000 words)

An Annotated Bibliography is often used as a way of scoping out the available literature on a given topic. In this case the Annotated Bibliography provides you with a way of identifying a very small core of important texts that will inform your thesis (15 sources). Some of these sources will be the key texts in your field (for example, if you are doing a thesis on the topic of risk, Ulrich Beck’s ‘Risk Society’ will undoubtedly be a key text) and others will be sources that inspire you to take a different direction to that which has thus far been taken in Sociology. Please note that there is no ‘right’ list of sources for any particular topic area. This is simply an exercise in identifying sources that are important to you, as part of the process of defining what your specific research problem is.

Your Annotated Bibliography will include the referencing details for a given text, a brief summary of the paper/books content and a brief evaluation of its importance for you.

Here is an example of an entry for an Annotated Bibliography:

Sharpe, S. (2014) ‘Potentiality and Impotentiality in JK Gibson-Graham’, in Rethinking Marxism: A Journal of Economics, Culture and Society 26 (1): 27-43.

In the wake of the dethroning of Marxist political economy as the foundational theoretical perspective in the social sciences, the efforts of scholars to rethink Marxism have received much critical attention in recent decades. In this respect, the work of JK Gibson-Graham has been recognised as making a ground breaking contribution to understanding economic action beyond the dominant paradigm of Capitalism. This excellent paper affirms the importance of Gibson-Graham’s work but departs in crucial respects from the conventional reading of its significance. Where much work on alternative economies focuses on the transformations in human potential that diverse economies produce, Sharpe draws on the work of Giorgio Agamben to highlight the crucial significance of human impotentiality; namely, the importance of exercising our capacity to not act. At a time in which social scientific problems (poverty, environmental damage and the like) are characteristically framed as urgent ones demanding immediate action, this paper makes the highly significant point that the imperative to act may be one of the more damaging aspects of our time. The paper makes an important argument for a certain indirectness in approaching social problems, which will be very useful for my setting up of my own problem regarding how we can approach of the issue of sustainability in the context of the Anthropocene.  

Note that the annotation above both summarises and analyses the reading in the citation. It also involves a very brief reflection on the usefulness of the source for the reader’s project.

The Annotated Bibliography will be assessed by your supervisor and the course convenor and will be marked on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. 

Assessment Task 2

2. 4000 word Essay

This assessment task gives you the opportunity to develop the specific research problem of your thesis and it assesses the impact of SOCY 8101 on your generation of this research problem. Please note that I am using the language of ‘research problem’ – as opposed to, for example, ‘research question’ – quite intentionally, as outlined in Module 2.

Your essay should be a response to the following question: ‘What is my Research Problem?’ In responding to this question, you will be drawing on the literature that you have identified as important to your thesis in your annotated bibliography. You will also be also be indicating the influence of the small selection of foundational works to which you have exposed. Your essay, then, should primarily focus on the particular research problem that you will be pursuing in your PhD but should also involve a reflection on your relationship to the discipline of Sociology. 

The Essay will be assessed by your supervisor and the course convenor and will be marked on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. 

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) as submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

No submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date will be permitted. If an assessment task is not submitted by the due date, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

OR

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students