SOCIOL 310 : Researching Social Problems
Arts
2024 Semester Two (1245) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
By their third year of a sociology degree, students have read and engaged with the results of academic research. However, many students have not considered how these research results were produced and how research processes affect the quality of research results and outputs. This course will provide students with a critical understanding of how social scientific research is created, as well as opportunities to engage in critical discussions about what makes research reliable and trustworthy. Students will learn about methodologies, methods and research dissemination strategies in sociology. In course discussions and assignments, students will be asked to consider questions of researcher positionality, research ethics, academic integrity, the politics of research, and the politics of citation. This course will be beneficial for all students, particularly those considering postgraduate research and those with an interest in using social scientific research as a tool in contemporary social struggles.
Course Requirements
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | People and Place |
| Capability 2: | Sustainability |
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
| Capability 7: | Collaboration |
| Capability 8: | Ethics and Professionalism |
Learning Outcomes
- Engage in critical self-reflection with the support of our Course Agreements/Practices and the Social Location Exercise. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)
- Gain a critical understanding of academic integrity and its importance to research. (Capability 3, 4 and 8)
- Develop skills in academic integrity and academic appreciation. (Capability 3, 4, 7 and 8)
- Develop skills in finding, organizing, formatting and analysing academic texts of relevance to your research project. (Capability 3 and 8)
- Design a strong social scientific research question and pair it with a relevant methodology. (Capability 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
- Articulate your researcher positionality. (Capability 1, 3, 4, 6 and 8)
- Align a research question and methodological approach with data collection methods and research dissemination strategies. (Capability 3 and 4)
- Hold a command of ethical research strategies. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)
- Produce a comprehensive research proposal on a topic of your choice. (Capability 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Internal assessment | 100% | Group & Individual Coursework |
| 100% |
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15-point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15-point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures, a 1-hour tutorial, 3-4 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 3-4 hours of work on assignment preparation.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials will not be available as recordings.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
Learning Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
No changes
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.