B9653 - RESEARCH DESIGN (I)

Learning outcomes

This course aims to familiarize students with their research design and bachelor thesis research. Students will learn basic instrument of academic research in social sciences. They will learn how to find and how to use primary and secondary sources, how to review the literature related to specific topics and themes. The course aims to strengthen students' ability to elaborate different types of academic writings, with particular attention to their structure and formal characteristics, communicative effectiveness, and critical contents. At the end of the course, students will acquire the necessary competences to write executive summaries, research reports, reviews, articles, and literature reviews for specialized academic journals.

Course contents

Language of the course: English.

This course aims to introduce students for what their academic development is designed. This course covers the general philosophical background of academic inquiry as well as specific knowledge about generating an academic/professional profile. More specifically, students will be able to:

• understand and engage theoretical and methodological concepts and perspectives to analyze and understand social scientific research;
• develop a large set of transversal skills which students need to master in their future domestic and international work environments, so that they are equipped to use organizational, language, inter-cultural communication and information skills, when confronted with the challenges of daily professional practice;
• identify research questions, understand academic literature, understand the basics of data collection and analysis.

In this couse, students will be trained in the following dimensions:

• Understand the building blocks of research projects
• Determine the measurement and data collection strategies
• Identify strengths and weaknesses in research designs
• Develop conceptual and analytical skills
• Develop a set of methodological tools and skills
• Utilize academic insights for societal problem-solving

 

This course is reserved exclusively for students in the Bachelor of European Studies (BAES) programme. Students of other programmes are not allowed to take this course in their programme.

For more details about the course, see the BAES programme guide on the KU Leuven's website.

Readings/Bibliography

Recommended reading and study materials will be available on Toledo. The coursebook for Research Design is Loveless, Matthew. 2025. Political Analysis: A Guide to Data and Statistics. Sage. 2^nd edition.

Teaching methods

This course consists of:

• Lectures taught in a blended mode

• On-campus seminars, in which students practically engage with the teaching materials from the lecture. Slides and other materials will be used to supplement frontal teaching. Students are encouraged to participate in class discussions. Seminars are also smaller divisions of the lecture (into smaller groups). This is done to increase the opportunity to engage the course through questions and participation.

Assessment methods

Type: Continuous assessment without exam during the examination period
Assessment method: Multiple choice questions/Open-ended questions/Essay/Project

The evaluation of this course consists of assignments that students need to submit throughout the semester. There is no final exam. The final mark is the avarage of all assignments. Specific instructions for each of these assignments will be disseminated at the start of the course. This includes the structure and length of the assignment, deadlines, and penalties for late submissions.

Assessment will be through weekly evaluations:

• 4 assignments on the material from the course, lectures/seminars, and the book (80% of total). There is a penalty for late submissions and there are no re-takes.
• 6 individual homework e-learning activities (20% of the total, evaluated on the pass/fail basis). No late submissions are accepted and there is no opportunity for re-takes.

Weekly assignments (pass/fail) are light activities associated with some elements of the lectures. The four assignments will ask students to identify key elements, recall and apply concepts discussed in the lectures and seminars to new problems, and synergize information. A final score consists of of weekly (20%) and bi-weekly (80%) assignments for Research Design.

The evaluation is graded by the lecturer(s), as communicated via Toledo. The final result is calculated and expressed with a whole number to 20. The passing grade is 10/20.

When submitting assignments, the agreed deadline is respected. Possible deviations are not negotiable. If special individual circumstances have arisen, one should contact the ombuds service before the deadline. If the deadline is not respected, there is a penalty for late submissions.

Seminar Participation Policy: In-person participation in all five seminars is mandatory. Only one absence will be allowed without penalty. If a student misses more than one seminar, they must submit a critical essay on one of the readings assigned for the seminars in order to access the final exam. The essay, not exceeding 1,000 words, should be coordinated with the instructor and submitted before the final exam date.

Students are responsible for submitting work that is free of fraud. Irregularities, in particular with regard to authorship (e.g. plagiarism and the improper use of genAI), will be punished with the sanctions provided for in the BAES exam regulations. 

Grades based on the 20-point scale will be finally converted into the Italian grading scale (18-30). For a better understanding, grades on the 18-30 scale correspond to the following evaluations of the assignment:

• 18-19: Barely sufficient work.
• 20-23: Sufficient/satisfactory work.
• 24-26: Good work.
• 27-29: Very good work.
• 30-30L: Excellent work.

More details about the assessment criteria used to evaluate the assignment will be provided during the course.

Teaching tools

The slides and other teaching materials will be available on the platform Toledo. The lecture slides are an integral part of the course.

Office hours

See the website of Nicola Maggini

See the website of Paul Matthew Loveless