08829 - Social Research Methodology

Academic Year 2020/2021

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Planning and managing of educational intervention in social distress (cod. 9228)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will be able: - to describe the social characteristics of administrative territories (regions, provinces, municipalities) using official statistics; - to detect and evaluate the social hardship by carrying out a basic research; -  to critically analyse, from a methodological point of view, a research report ; - to carry out empirical research using the survey method; -  to carry out empirical research analysing the official statistics.

Course contents

1. The paradigms of social research

2. Quantitative and qualitative research

3. The empirical translation of the theory

4. Survey method

5. Official statistics

6. Participant observation

7. Qualitative interview

8. Monovariate analysis

9. Bivariate analysis

Readings/Bibliography

Corbetta P., Metodologia e tecniche della ricerca sociale, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2014 (second edition):

chap 1, chap. 2, chap. 3, chap. 5, chap. 6, chap. 8, chap. 10, chap. 11 chap. 13 (all except sections 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 9.1, 9.2, 11.1), chap. 14 (all except sections 3, 4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 7.2, 7.3)

Teaching methods

Lessons will be delivered in a mixed way (in presence and remotely). During the course some lessons will be dedicated to practical exercises and data analysis exercises.


Assessment methods

Written examination consisting of questions and exercises.


Teaching tools

Videoprojector, PC, IOL platform.

Office hours

See the website of Pasquale Colloca