Бакалавриат
2025/2026
Научно-исследовательский семинар
Статус:
Курс обязательный (Политология и мировая политика)
Где читается:
Санкт-Петербургская школа социальных наук
Когда читается:
1-й курс, 3, 4 модуль
Охват аудитории:
для своего кампуса
Преподаватели:
Борисенко Максим Сергеевич
Язык:
английский
Кредиты:
2
Контактные часы:
20
Course Syllabus
Abstract
This course is a freshmen introduction into the craft of academic research. During the course we will discuss what the research is and how working with academic literature contributes to producing original research. Moreover we will cover issues of modern technologies in academia and a career of political scientist.
Learning Objectives
- The main goal of this course is to introduce students to the basic steps of conducting and academic research.
- As a subgoal the course aims at developing the skill of navigating, reading and understanding the research literature.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Students learn what academic research is and what role does it play in political science.
- Students explore what place does literature review take in a single research. Student learn what goals does literature review aims to reach.
- Students learn how to download, use and administrate citation manager systems.
- Students learn how to operate in the university library and how to use the electronic resources
- Students learn the different ways to organize and structure a literature review
- Students learn which parts does research include and how fo they compose in a single paper.
- Students explore the definitions of academic integrity and plagiarism. Students learn to differ the types of plagiarism. Students grasp how to avoid plagiarism in academic reserach the penalties for breaking the rules.
- Students learn what academic research is and what role does it play in political science
- Students learn the different functions and possible origins of political science researchers.
- Students learn about different types of research question and puzzles. Students leard difference between research question, research problem and research topic.
- Students learn what is hypothesis and how do scholars use different theroies in their literature reviews and in their research.
Course Contents
- DG1. Introductory session. What is research?
- DG2. How to read a research paper
- DG3. Who is a political science researcher?
- DG4. Working in a library. Working with electronic resources
- DG5. Plagiarism
- DG6. Academic integrity
- DG7. Citation manager: Using the Zotero Software
- DG8. What is literature review?
- DG9. Research topic, research question and research problem
- DG10. Theories and hypotheses
- Years 2-4
Assessment Elements
- In-class testsIn-class tests represent a set of quizzes taking place at the beginning of each seminar. Each test includes from 1 to 5 open and multiple-choice questions.
- Interim assignmentThis assignment is designed to check both skills of using Zotero and identification of research questions. At certain point srudents have to divide in groups of 2-3 people and choose a topic. Then the topic have to be approved by the instructor. After that students will have to make list of 20 bibliographic references of books and academic papers in Chicago author-date style (this one: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-2.html ) made in Zotero on the approved topic. The document also have to include a research question. Requirements: 1. Division into teams until DG5 Approval of the topic with the instructor until DG7 Deadline of submission: DG 8 before class Each day of overdue will result in subtraction of 1 point from the grade for this task 2. Requisites: a. amount of sources: 20 sources, at least 75% in English language b. types of sources: books and academic papers c. correspondence of sources to the topic of the Literature Review
- Literature reviewA literature review is a group written assignment on a topic proposed by the team themselves and approved by the tutor. Groups consisnt of 4-5 people. Teams have to be formed untill DG5, before the class, topics have to be approved until DG 9 before the class. Deadline of the submission is 20th of June 23:59. For each day of overdue – minus 1 point of final grade. Requirements: a. amount of words: i. body of review: 2000 words ( ± 10% from both verges). Bibliography is NOT included in this amount. Abstract is NOT included in this amount. For every 100 words above maximum one point will be subtracted. ii. abstract: 150 words b. amount of sources: ≥ 15 academic sources (grey-zone and non-academic sources can be used only if there is already 15 academic sources in the text) c. type of sources: books and academic papers (no less than 10 sources should be written and published in English) d. Style of references: Chicago (author-date). This implies in-text citation. Not footnote citation. If you refer to russian-language texts you should insert them in the bibliography list in russian. At the bottom of the bibliography e. font: Times new roman, size: 12, alignment is by width.
Interim Assessment
- 2025/2026 4th module0.15 * In-class tests + 0.15 * In-class tests + 0.35 * Interim assignment + 0.35 * Literature review
- 2026/2027 2nd moduleDue to the 2nd year
- 2027/2028 4th moduleDue to the 3rd year
- 2028/2029 2nd moduleDue to the 4th year
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Halperin, S. (DE-588)171616154, (DE-627)061837849, (DE-576)177909633, aut. (2012). Political research methods and practical skills Sandra Halperin and Oliver Heath.
- Political research: methods and practical skills, Halperin, S., 2012
- The craft of research, , 2016