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Faculty Training Programme

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Deciding Which Modules to Take

Which modules should I take?

The Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) (the main funder of UK full-time social science research students) recommends that all social science research students become familiar with both quantitative and qualitative approaches to research and with the philosophy of the social sciences as well as with more specialised subject-specific requirements. Even though you may not plan to use both quantitative and qualitative data in your research, you are likely to find that future employers will expect you to have at least a basic understanding of both approaches and forms of data and even your own reading will often require you to be able to understand and interpret both quantitative and qualitative data.

The Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) (the main funder of UK full-time arts and humanities research students) recommends that students in the arts and humanities should develop generic skills such as written and oral presentation skills (including giving research papers), designing and managing a project, ICT skills, bibliographic skills and contextualising practice-based research, identifying and using web-based resources, record-keeping and record management, and personal and career development.

The Faculty recommends that all first year full time and all first/second year part-time social science research students who have not either already done a specialised research methods Masters degree, taken relevant and comparable modules at Masters degree level or had considerable relevant experience as a research assistant on a funded project, should aim to take and be assessed in the following generic courses:

• Introduction to the Philosophy of the Social Sciences (FASS507) - also available as online distance learning.
• Qualitative Methods in the Social Sciences (FASS510).
• Quantitative Research Methods Introduction (FASS508) or Quantitative Research Methods 1 (FASS509) - online distance learning.
• Quantitative Research Methods 2 (FASS512) - online distance learning.
• Approaches to Qualitative Analysis (FASS513).
• The three thesis writing modules, for students at different stages of their degree (all of which are also available as online distance learning):
  • Thesis Writing (First Year Students) (FASS516).
  • Advanced Thesis Writing (Second Year Students): Refocusing the Thesis (FASS619).
  • Advanced Thesis Writing (Final Year Students): Towards Completion (FASS620)

There are also a number of very short modules and workshops covering issues such as introductions to email and the internet (these are run by Information Systems Services for the University as a whole and you will receive information about them at registration). These are strongly recommended to students who are new to Lancaster. There are also a range of courses run by individual departments and other faculties which are open to all postgraduate students in the University and may be of interest to you.

Full details of the FASS modules, including timing and location, are available via the module list.

How do I go about assessing my training needs?

If you are funded by an Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) studentship or an Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) studentship, your training requirements will have been discussed at the time of your application. You and your supervisor or Masters Course Director should remind yourselves of these when you actually register. For other students, you should discuss your training needs with your supervisor(s), bearing in mind your own previous postgraduate education and relevant research work experience, the research you are planning to undertake and the comments made in the previous section concerning the importance of gaining a range of skills and knowledge about different kinds of research and techniques.

The ESRC’s Training Guidelines for postgraduate training should also be consulted. The guidelines can be found online at http://www.esrc.ac.uk/_images/Postgraduate_Training_and_Development_Guidelines_tcm8-2660.pdf.

For information about the AHRC’s policy of training for postgraduate researchers, consult their research training framework at

http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/What-We-Do/Research-careers-and-training/Documents/Research-Training-Framework-Guide.pdf

The RTP Director, Uta Papen, will also be happy to provide you with advice on your choice of modules and workshops.

Undertaking ethical research

Whatever your research topic - actual or proposed - you should give early consideration to ensuring that your research practice is ethical. No field of social science research is exempt from ethical concerns, no matter how ethically unproblematic it may at first appear. The University's Committee on Ethics in Research promotes bood ethical practice in the Faculty, advises colleagues and departments on the ethical dimensions of research and monitors national and international developments in the area of research ethics, taking action as appropriate. You should:

• Have a look at the web-based resources:
  'Ethical Guidelines for Social Research with Human Participants' http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/fass/resources/ethics/ and
  'Social Science Research Ethics' http://www.lancs.ac.uk/researchethics/
  
• Discuss the ethical dimensions of your research with your supervisor(s).
• Consider taking FASS522: Ethics in Arts & Social Science Research.

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