https://at-ceu.studyguide.timeedit.net/modules/DSPS6660?type=COREThis course is designed for PhD students who are beginning their dissertation projects. The aim of the course is to give students the tools to conceptualize their theses in terms of appropriate epistemological, ontological, and methodological assumptions. They will also be challenged to sharpen their research questions in the context of live debates in their discipline, and present a convincing research design-including a discussion of method or methods, the data collection and management, and the empirical analysis and write-up. In doing so, this course focuses on the issues, problems, and strategies related to theory development, conceptualizing analytical frameworks, surveying different strategies of "small-N" qualitative and "large-N" quantitative or statistical analysis. Many of these techniques can and should be further developed in subsequent courses in the PhD program, depending on the features of the students' projects. In class, students will read and discuss examples of both positivist and non-positivist research and debate how well they have crafted their research projects. Across the different approaches, we unpack in very practical terms how to "do" theory formation and hypothesis testing; concept measurement; descriptive and causal inference; longitudinal, comparative and case study research; field data collection; working with texts and analyzing qualitative data; and, finally, how to approach the dissertation proposal, write winning grant proposals, plan fieldwork/deskwork, and develop a plan for the write-up. Students will be asked to write one short and one longer draft of their dissertation proposal, for which they will be given extensive feedback. Throughout the course, we do not avoid issues of epistemology-how we know what we know and how to adjudicate competing "truth" claims. However, the course mainly serves as a practicum or "how to" seminar aimed at unpacking how research is conducted across varying sub-fields of comparative politics, political theory, international relations, political economy, and public policy. For the most part, we set aside or bracket broader epistemological and ontological debates in order to learn/refine techniques for researching and analyzing social phenomena on a practical level. This course is divided into three main parts that cover: (1) the goals of social science and elements of research design; (2) selection and adaptation of different methodologies for conducting research; and (3) writing proposals and planning the collection and analysis of primary and secondary data. We also discuss practical tips for publishing, applying for grants, and preparing for and approaching the job market.