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Research Project in Political Science I

Research Project in Political Science I

Code	11315
Year	1
Semester	S1
ECTS Credits	10
Workload	TP(45H)
Scientific area	Ciência Política
Entry requirements	N.A.
Mode of delivery	Face to face and videoconferencing.
Work placements	UBI and UA.
Learning outcomes	This course unit has been designed with the primary objective of promoting scientific autonomy. It provides students with the necessary tools for the autonomous planning and development of original research in political science, particularly in the search for and critical analysis of information associated with the development of thesis projects. The aim is to highlight the diversity of research programs, enabling doctoral students to utilize them according to their respective interests. An in-depth study of the most common programmes accepted by the scientific community in the development of strategies and the selection of means adapted to the specific problems posed by the thesis topics is complemented by exposure to the main debates in the areas of the doctorate, situating the research questions with a view to developing projects that represent original contributions.
Syllabus	MODULE I – Paradigms and Research programmes in Political Science 1. The behavioralist revolution 2. Rational choice and the economy of politics 3. Neo-institutionalism 4. Interpretativism 5. Post-structuralism MODULE II – Contemporary debates 1. Comparative politics and institutions: mimetism or differentiation 2. Political philosophy in the 20th century: new questions and approaches 3. Governance and public policy: the return of the state or hollowing-out? 4. The value of political communication and the new media
Main Bibliography	Chalmers, A. (2013). What is this Thing Called Science?, 4th ed. Milton Keynes: Open University Press Gibbons, M.T., ed. (1987). Interpreting Politics. Oxford: Blackwell Gomes, W.; Maia, R. (2008), Comunicação e Democracia: Problemas e Perspetivas, São Paulo, Paulus. Goodin, R. & Klingemann, H., eds. (1996). A New Handbook of Political Science. Oxford: Oxford University Press King, G. (1989). Unifying Political Methodology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press March, J. & Olsen, J. (1989). Rediscovering Institutions. New York: Free Press Margolis, M. & Resnick, D. (2000). Politics as Usual: The cyberspace “Revolution”. Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage Publications. Marsh, D. & Stoker, G. (2010). Theory and Methods in Political Science, 3rd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Peters, B. . (2011). Institutional Theory in Political Science, 3rd ed. London: Pinter Rosenau, P.M. (1992). Post-modernism and the Social Sciences. Princeton: Princeton University Press
Teaching Methodologies and Assessment Criteria	The teaching methodologies to be adopted in this course—presentations and discussions of the various stages of the project—aim to engage students' critical thinking and capacity for reflection, which are essential for advanced training in preparing a thesis project. Assessment a) Submission of the preliminary research proposal (9%) and its presentation and discussion (1%); b) Delivery of the traditional literature review (24%) and presentation and discussion of the same (1%); c) Submission, presentation and discussion of the final version of the 1st-semester thesis project (65%).
Language	Portuguese. Tutorial support is available in English.