This module is designed to be an integral component of the new RT masters courses which the University has introduced. Through this module Masters and PhD students will gain a broad knowledge of a range of research skills which they can apply in a variety of research contexts.

This module aims to give research students a knowledge of the basic principles of research design and strategy. It will enable them to demonstrate their capacity to: formulate their research question, analyse them and where appropriate, formulate testable hypothesis; explain why their research questions are significant, what kinds of question theirs epistemologically are and why they are adopting their chosen modes/methods of enquiry; and assess the implications of the outcomes of their research. To this end, this module provides students with a sytematically guided opportunity to familiarise themselves with certain key issues in the philosophy of social science and of history, such as: causation and multi-causality; modes of explanation and understanding; the nature of historical knowledge; sampling, sampling error and generalizability; society/history as social/historical constructs; critical functions of social science.