METHODOLOGY OF POLITICAL RESEARCH
Academic Year 2026/2027 - Teacher: Fulvio ATTINA'Expected Learning Outcomes
The course trains students to design a research project of their choice.
Course Structure
The eight sessions consist of two face-to-face meetings and a homework assignment in between the two meetings. In the first session, the students are given instructions on how to design the research project. The homework assignment is to fill in the template for the session and to send it to the teacher (attinaf@unict.it). The students' templates will be reviewed in the seminar day.
Required Prerequisites
No prerequisites
Attendance of Lessons
the GLOPEM rule of not missing more than 12 hours of compulsory attendance
Detailed Course Content
Methodology, scientific knowledge, and the research process.
Empirical study of politics
The scientific methods
Theories, hypotheses, variables, and units
Conceptualisation, operationalization, and measurement
Elements of research design
Qualitative methods
Quantitative methods
Textbook Information
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Lamont Christopher, and Mieczysław P. Boduszyński (2025), Research Methods in Politics and International Relations (London: Sage).
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
The final grade is the instructor's assessment of the student's research project design. An oral examination on the textbook will only be given to students who decline the final grade based on their overall performance in the course.
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
What is the theory and what is the hypothesis of your research project?
What is the design of your research?