Institution: see Organisers & Supporters

Programme of study: International Research Workshop

Lecturer: Dr. Jonathan Mole (Europa-Universität Flensburg)

Date: see Workshop Programme

Max. number of participants: 20

Credit Points: 5 CP for participating in the whole IRWS

Language of instruction: English

Contents: Writing an academic text is a complex task. It requires knowledge of a range of accepted writing conventions and the ability to construct sentences that are not only idiomatically and grammatically correct but also suitably connected to one another. An awareness of the requirements and a degree of practice are necessary.

This workshop is primarily for people who are in the process of writing an academic text in English – a proposal, abstract, article, thesis etc. It allows you to obtain individual feedback on a text you submit before the workshop. In the workshop, assistance will be given to enable you to self-correct any issues which have been highlighted (structure, understanding, logic, language etc.). In addition, an overview of the important characteristics of academic English writing will be discussed. If required, exercises will be available to highlight topics such as academic style (formality, impersonal and objective language, passive voice, caution, nominalisation); structure of a sentence, paragraph and document level; reporting verbs and their forms; coherence and cohesion; and citation and reference styles.

A requirement of students: Please supply a maximum of 2 pages of text at least two weeks before the workshop begins. English language skills at CEFR level B2/C1 are required.

Recommended literature and pre-reading: None.

You must register for the International Research Workshop to participate in this course.

Institution: see Organisers & Supporters

Programme of study: International Research Workshop

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Daniel Schnitzlein (Leibniz University Hannover & Innside Statistics)

Date: see Workshop Programme

Max. number of participants: 20

Credit Points: 5 CP for participating in the whole IRWS

Language of instruction: English

Contents: Results of scientific research are often (and increasingly) complex and hard to understand for a non-scientific audience. However, at the same time, the transfer of results from academic research to an outside-academia recipient, for example, politics, private foundations or private firms providing research funding, but also the interested public, gets more and more important. Probably the most important skill in this context is the ability to create good visualization of your main (quantitative data-based) results.

Today, data are everyday companions in almost all scientific and professional fields. The graphical representation of data is both an elementary step in the analysis process and an important component in communicating the results. The course Principles of Data Visualization trains this ability and leads you away from the standard diagrams of common office/statistics packages to clear and concise data representations with the help of many practice-oriented examples. The course consists of 50% lectures and 50% hands-on sessions. The methods trained in this course are applicable to all visualization tasks independent of the applied software package. The exercises in the hands-on sessions can be carried out using your preferred software tool.

Requirement of students: Basic knowledge of empirical (quantitative) social and economic research is beneficial but not strictly necessary.

You must register for the International Research Workshop to participate in this course.

Institution: see Organisers & Supporters

Programme of study: International Research Workshop

Lecturer: Dr. Jonas Buche (Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture)

Date: see Workshop Programme

Max. number of participants: 20

Credit Points: 5 CP for participating in the whole IRWS

Language of instruction: English

Contents: Since publishing the seminal work “The Comparative Method” by Charles Ragin in 1987, set-theoretic methods and especially Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) have become a common research strategy in the social sciences. Set-theoretic methods analyse cases concerning identifying sufficient and necessary conditions and assume set relations to be equifinal, conjunctural and asymmetric. Since so-called fuzzy sets have been introduced to the method, there has been a rising interest in QCA as a welcome alternative to both small-n case studies and large-n statistical analyses. In short, QCA is recommended if ‘if…then’ hypotheses are analysed, if the goal is to derive sufficient and necessary conditions, if a comparison is planned, and if there is a mid-sized number of cases (between 10 and 60+).

The course offers a comprehensive introduction to QCA and is conceptually and technically oriented. It starts off with an overview of the basics of set theory and demarcates QCA as a case-oriented method from both the quantitative and the interpretive-qualitative research paradigms. The single elements are built into the Truth Table Algorithm through the notion of necessary and sufficient conditions and truth tables. However, this algorithm is not free of problems. Therefore, some pitfalls and strategies on how to overcome them are presented. The software tool fsQCA will be introduced and applied to published studies on the third day.

A requirement of students: No prior knowledge is required. We will use the software fsQCA, which can be downloaded at www.fsqca.com.

Recommended literature and pre-readings:

• Buche, Jonas. 2017. “Assessing the Quality of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) – Evaluation, Improvement, Application”. Hannover: Leibniz Universität (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323749578_Assessing_the_Quality_of_Qualitative_Comparative_Analysis_QCA_Evaluation_Improvement_Application)
• Cebotari, Victor, and Maarten P. Vink (2013). “A Configurational Analysis of Ethnic Protest in Europe.” International Journal of Comparative Sociology, Vol. 54(4), 298-324.
• Schneider, Carsten Q./Wagemann, Claudius, 2012. Set-Theoretic Methods for the Social Sciences. A Guide to Qualitative Comparative Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

You must register for the International Research Workshop to participate in this course.

Institution: see Organisers & Supporters

Programme of study: International Research Workshop

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Daniel Schnitzlein (Leibniz University Hannover & Innside Statistics)

Date: see Workshop Programme

Max. number of participants: 20

Credit Points: 5 CP for participating in the whole IRWS

Language of instruction: English

Contents: The course provides an overview of the theoretical basics and empirical evidence of questionnaire design. The cognitive process of survey responding, challenges of designing effective survey questions, including proper question wording and optimal response formats, and pretest techniques for evaluating survey questions will be discussed. A practical part will accompany the lecture.

You must register for the International Research Workshop to participate in this course.

Institution: see Organisers & Supporters

Programme of study: International Research Workshop

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Florian Reith, Helmut-Schmidt-University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg

Date: see Workshop Programme

Max. number of participants: 20

Credit Points: 5 CP for participating in the whole IRWS

Language of instruction: English

Contents: Case study research is frequently applied in the social sciences. The ubiquity of the  case study research contrasts with the scarcity of theoretical reflection on its core methodological aspects. Moreover, it is often unclear what these core methodological aspects actually are, as the term is used in different ways by (qualitative and quantitative) researchers. Furthermore, the benefits of comparative analysis are often underestimated. In this course, participants will have the opportunity to learn more about what case study research is, its strengths and weaknesses, and how we should approach the core question in designing a case study: a selection of cases. The course combines lectures with practical exercises and discussions of students’ projects.

A requirement for students: Please be prepared to discuss your own projects. Please bring
your laptop computer

Recommended literature and pre-readings:

• Gerring, J. (2007). Case Study Research: Principles and Practices (pp. 17-63).
  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• George, A. L., & Bennett, A. (2005). Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social
  Sciences (pp. 1-34). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Rueschemeyer, D. (2003). Can One or a Few Cases Yield Theoretical Gains? In J.
  Mahoney and D. Rueschemeyer (Eds.), Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social
  Sciences (pp. 305-337) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Yin, R.K. (2009). Case Study Research. Design and Methods. Los Angeles: Sage

You must register for the International Research Workshop to participate in this course.

Institution: see Organisers & Supporters

Programme of study: International Research Workshop

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Sylvia Rohlfer (CUNEF University)

Date: see Workshop Programme

Max. number of participants: 20

Credit Points: 5 CP for participating in the whole IRWS

Language of instruction: English

Contents: Regardless of discipline and the original research project, the literature review is a key part of a thesis or article. However, writing a literature review is the most daunting part of writing. Doctoral students often comment that the literature seems (and often is) massive. Hence, it might be helpful to be as systematic as possible when completing this task.

This course will give you practical insights and advice on how to write a literature review effectively. This will include tips, tricks and tools to improve your reading and sorting of the references, synthesise the literature, summarise existing debates and provide advice on presenting reviews effectively. We will also consider your writing habits. The sessions will be practical and require active involvement by students working in groups and getting focused feedback on individual projects.

There are no pre-readings for the course, but participants will be required to complete smaller tasks outside the allotted workshop hours. Before the seminar, participants should send an extended abstract of their research project (two pages max. and in English/German/Spanish) to srohlfer@cunef.edu.

You must register for the International Research Workshop to participate in this course.

Institution: see Organisers & Supporters

Programme of study: International Research Workshop

Lecturer: Dr. Gilberto Rescher (University of Hamburg)

Date: see Workshop Programme

Max. number of participants: 20

Credit Points: 5 CP for participating in the whole IRWS

Language of instruction: English

Contents: This workshop offers a comprehensive introduction to Grounded Theory, considering its possible application in manifold fields and contexts of study and the feasibility of combining it with diverse research techniques (mainly qualitative and ethnographic ones). The focus will be on the basic methodological stance and the entire process, starting with the research design, the collection of material with an explorative character, up to the multi-layered process of analysis, which leads to the results theorisation with a so-called medium range. The workshop is as much oriented to “beginners” interested in learning about the basic epistemological perspective of Grounded Theory and its practice as to participants that already have deeper knowledge about Grounded Theory or even have already applied this methodology in research and wish to discuss specific aspects or questions that arose in research practice. Experience has shown that this diversity of participants means that all groups can benefit from each other’s experiences and questions, but also doubts. Accordingly, the workshop will be adjusted to participants’ needs.

Hence, we will first discuss basic concepts and procedures such as research design, data collection, coding, categorisation, memo writing, theoretical sampling and theoretical saturation. Afterwards, these concepts will be clarified through practical exercises using examples ideally provided by the participants. Therefore, participants with concrete research projects (be they planned or already put into practice) are invited to share their ideas, design and material to (further) develop the research practice among the group. If you are interested in presenting examples, please contact Gilberto Rescher in English, German, Spanish or Portuguese (gilberto.rescher@uni-hamburg.de).

Gilberto Rescher will also stress his own research experiences in areas such as diversity, politics, migration and gender, with a focus on Latin America, to show how grounded theory can be used as an important guideline for research and analysis in a broader methodological framework. Accordingly, also exemplary cases from the literature will be drawn upon.

For successful participation, engaging in a qualitative, exploratory paradigm and a discussion of the cases presented in the workshop is necessary.

In addition to your registration, please answer the following questions (English or German):

• What is your current status (e.g. PhD student?)
• What is the focus of your interest in Grounded Theory?
• What sort of content and feedback do you expect?

As a brief preparation for the workshop, the short text on Anselm Strauss or on Grounded Theory can be read in one of the editions of “Qualitative Forschung: Ein Handbuch” by Flick et al.

You must register for the International Research Workshop to participate in this course.

Institution: see Organisers & Supporters

Programme of study: International Research Workshop

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Fabian Hattke (University of Bergen, Norway)

Date: see Workshop Programme

Max. number of participants: 20

Credit Points: 5 CP for participating in the whole IRWS

Language of instruction: English

Contents: This course aims to familiarize participants with the basic characteristics of qualitative research. The course introduces methodological and practical aspects of different forms of qualitative research, like case studies, discourse analyses, interviews, observations, and qualitative meta-syntheses. The course covers various issues, including the philosophy of science, research designs, theory building, and sampling strategies. It also discusses practical challenges like developing research questions, using different coding approaches, using technical tools, and using ethical questions.

Recommended literature and pre-readings:

• Adler, P. S., Forbes, L. C., & Willmott, H. (2007). Critical management studies. Academy of Management Annals, 1(1), 119-179.
• Alvesson, M., & Karreman, D. (2000). Varieties of discourse: On the study of organizations through discourse analysis. Human Relations, 53(9), 1125-1149.
• Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2014). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Sage publications.
• Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 532-550.
• Flick, U., von Kardoff, E., & Steinke, I. (Eds.). (2004). A companion to qualitative research. Sage.
• Hoon, C. (2013). Meta-synthesis of qualitative case studies: An approach to theory building. Organizational Research Methods, 16(4), 522-556.
• Mayring, P. (2004). Qualitative content analysis. A companion to qualitative research. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 1, 159-176.
• Sandelowski, M., & Barroso, J. (2006). Handbook for synthesizing qualitative research. Springer Publishing.
• Wodak, R., & Meyer, M. (Eds.). (2015). Methods of critical discourse studies. Sage.
• Yin, R. K. (2017). Case study research and applications: Design and methods. Sage publications.

You must register for the International Research Workshop to participate in this course.

Institution: see Organisers & Supporters

Programme of study: International Research Workshop

Lecturer: Tobias Gramlich (Hesse State Statistical Office)

Date: see Workshop Programme

Max. number of participants: 20

Credit Points: 5 CP for participating in the whole IRWS

Language of instruction: English

Contents: Stata is a statistical program package widely used (not only) in the social and economic sciences; it is used for data management, statistical graphics, and quantitative data analysis. Statistical concepts will not be part of the course, so participants should have basic knowledge of statistics. The course should enable participants to prepare their data for analysis, perform adequate analysis using a statistical computer program, and document these tasks to keep them reproducible.

For Beginners with no or very little Stata knowledge!

Course topics cover:

• “What You Type Is What You Get”: Basic Stata Command syntax
• Getting (and Understanding) Help within Stata: Stata Built-in Help System
• Basic Data Management: Load and Save Stata Datasets, Generate and Manipulate Variables, Describe and Label Data and Variables, Perform Basic uni- and bivariate Analyses, and Change the Structure of your Data.
• Basic Stata Graphics: Scatterplot, Histogram, Bar Chart
• Working with “Do-” and “Log-” Files

A requirement for students: Statistical concepts will not be part of the course, so participants should have some basic knowledge of statistics.

Recommended literature and pre-readings: None.

You must register for the International Research Workshop to participate in this course.