400001 FK Introduction: From Research Proposal to Successful Public Presentation (2023W)

IMPORTANT: The introduction course is taught in three groups. Please sign up for the two groups taught by Dowling/Staritz, if your dissertation is using in particular qualitative research methodology such as interviews, focus groups, text analysis or ethnographic fieldwork. Theory-oriented dissertations are also welcome.

ALSO: The first (13.10.) and the last (15.12.) session will start at 09:00! Please ignore the information above that says otherwise.

This course is a new format in the doctoral programme in Social Sciences and is dedicated to the preparation of a research proposal and its public presentation to the Faculty. The research proposal creates a framework for the dissertation project, a kind of roadmap that can be changed in the course of the research. It should show to what extent the concept of the project is coherent in terms of content, theory and methodology and whether the project is feasible in principle.

In the course, the structure of a research proposal is presented and discussed according to the respective disciplinary conventions and expectations. The participants are supported in the different stages of their research proposal development and in preparing for the public presentation.

In the process of developing the research proposal, the following questions have to be addressed:
• How must a research problem and question be formulated so that it can be answered within three years?
• What are the basic theoretical assumptions on which a project is based?
• Which knowledge about the object of study is necessary to start the project?
• How can the state of the art, i.e. the relevant literature in the field of study be determined?
• What is the overall goal of the research?
• How will the empirical research be designed?
- Which methodological approach and which method(s) can be used to address the research questions?
- What data are available, or how can access to a research field be established and empirical data be collected?
- How should the empirical material be analysed?
- Which ethical aspects have to be considered when collecting and analysing the data?

Further topics can be discussed such as:
• How can I prepare for the public presentation at the Faculty?
• Work schedule, time management
• Thesis by publication or monograph
• Structure of the doctoral teaching programme
• How to work with supervision teams
• Research Ethics Pre-screening for PhD projects as part of the public presentation at the Faculty
• Good academic practice

The course alternates between small group discussions, inputs from the course leaders, presentations of the draft research proposals by participants, peer feedback and feedback from the course leaders.

The course is aimed at doctoral candidates in the Social Sciences who are at the beginning of writing their research proposals, but also at those who are already more advanced and would like to register for the public presentation at the Faculty in the same semester.

The course can only be attended by students who have not yet passed the public presentation at the Faculty.

Depending on the language in which the thesis is to be written, submissions can be made in English or in German.