Course Coordinator:Peter Innes (pinnes@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society
UniSC Sunshine CoastUniSC Moreton BayUniSC Fraser Coast |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Online |
Online | You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement. |
Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
This course equips you with the knowledge and skills you need to evaluate, conduct and commission social research. In order to understand how social data are produced and analysed, the connections between theoretical orientations, methodology and methods of social research are explored. You will examine and also apply popular research methods and develop and evaluate a research proposal. Controversial debates concerning ethics, the relationship of science to social research, issues of validity, and research with minorities are also examined.
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Learning materials – Pre-recorded concept videos and associated activity | 1hr | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – On campus tutorial - 2 hours | 2hrs | Week 1 | 10 times |
| Online | |||
| Learning materials – Pre-recorded concept videos and associated activity | 1hr | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Interactive 2 hour Zoom tutorial | 2hrs | Week 1 | 10 times |
Fundamentals of Social Research: Methodology and Method
Sampling
Human Ethics and Social Research
Quantitative Designs: Surveys and Data Analysis
Qualitative Designs: Interviews and Data Analysis
The Methodology of Reflection and Practice
200 Level (Developing)
12 units
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
| 1 | Critical understanding of the nature and purposes of social research and its contribution to knowledge and theory in the social sciences. |
Knowledgeable Empowered |
| 2 | Critical understanding of current methodological debates and issues in social research and the ethical dimensions of research practice. |
Knowledgeable Ethical |
| 3 | Capacity to apply the key methods of social research. | Knowledgeable |
| 4 | Advanced capacity to develop, design and evaluate coherent strategies in social research. |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Any 2 courses or enrolled in Program AR707 or AR708
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Timely and detailed feedback is provided for each assessment. Feedback is provided both within text and general comments to build scholarly skills. Students are able to seek feedback through face-to-face discussion with the course coordinator. Tutorials will include extended discussion and review of the assessment task requirements and scope.
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Quiz/zes | Individual | 25% | 1 hour |
Week 5 | Online Test (Quiz) |
| All | 2 | Case Study | Individual | 40% | Take-home exercises, due 1 week later |
Refer to Format | Online Submission |
| All | 3 | Case Study | Individual | 35% | Structured template/question response; 2hr exam. |
Week 12 | Online Test (Quiz) |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Online test | |||||||
| Goal: | To demonstrate emerging knowledge of the concepts, theories and issues regarding social research; Correct use and interpretation of sampling calculations with 95% confidence intervals; Correct use and interpretation of Australian Bureau of Statistics Census (or Other) data tables. |
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| Product: | Quiz/zes | ||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||
| Format: | The short-answer (e.g. enter analysis results from correct analyses of an ABS Census Table) and/or multiple choice test will be delivered online through Canvas in Week 5. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Problem solving, Applying technologies |
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| All - Assessment Task 2:Workshop exercises (Take-home) | ||||||||||
| Goal: | To critically apply and demonstrate your emerging knowledge of social research methods |
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| Product: | Case Study | |||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||
| Format: | Submit online responses to take-home questions; provided in key weeks 6 to 12 (see assessment Task 2 for detail). |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies |
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| All - Assessment Task 3:Research Proposal Development and Evaluation | |||||||||||||
| Goal: | To critically apply your knowledge to demonstrate your capacity to evaluate choices in the context of a coherent research strategy (i.e. linking course content and thinking to an existing piece of research). |
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| Product: | Case Study | ||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||
| Format: | The online exam quiz is accessed through Canvas and completed using Cadmus Exams within the Cadmus Lockdown Browser. You must install the Lockdown Browser (PC or Mac) prior to the exam with the link provided. The Lockdown Browser provides a secure testing environment by restricting access to other browsers, programs, or external resources during the assessment. All required materials, including the take-home resources: paper and any appendices (PDF format), will be accessible within the Cadmus Exam itself. This format ensures exam integrity and authenticity of your responses. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies |
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A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Required | Maggie Walter | 2019 | Social Research Methods | n/a | Oxford University Press, USA |
Not applicable
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.
The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
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For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.
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