Course Title: Research Strategies

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Research Strategies

Credit Points: 12

Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
HUSO2361	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Distance / Correspondence or Face-to-Face or Internet	Sem 1 2017
HUSO2361	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face or Internet	Sem 1 2014, Sem 1 2015, Sem 1 2016
HUSO2361	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Internet	Sem 2 2014

Flexible Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
HUSO2361	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face	RSCHYr2018 (All)
HUSO2361	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face or Internet	RSCHYr2017 (RM73), RSCHYr2017 (RW73)
HUSO2361	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face or Internet	RSCHYr2019 (RS91), RSCHYr2019 (RW93)
HUSO2361	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face or Internet	RSCHYr2020 (RW01)
HUSO2361	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face or Internet	RSCHYr2021 (RS13), RSCHYr2021 (RW13), RSCHYr2021 (All)
HUSO2361	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face or Internet	RSCHYr2022 (All)

Course Coordinator: Assoc Professor Cecily Maller

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 9091

Course Coordinator Email: cecily.maller@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: B8.L10.R13

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Required Prior Study 

You should have satisfactorily completed a body of knowledge that includes a training in and understanding of one or more academic/professional disciplines. 

And 

Assumed Knowledge 

You should have Intermediate knowledge of research principles and methods applicable to the field of work or learning. 

Course Description

This course is designed to assist research degree candidates in the College of Design and Social Context to revise and consolidate a research proposal. It caters for research Masters or PhD candidates in the broad field of social sciences and humanities at RMIT.

The course will assist you in specifying a feasible research topic and in identifying an appropriate way of researching it. You will be able to reflect on the nature of your chosen project and approach in a theoretically informed manner, situating it on a broad map of research and practice in the relevant discipline/s. As part of this you will develop general analytic skills in evaluating research design and practice.

The course is built around small seminar groups led by experienced researchers. These intensive seminars develop and practice ways of scholarly engagement with fellow researchers in a community of practice. You will also engage with secondary texts and methodological approaches relevant to your projects. In working together for one semester, you will become deeply familiar with each others’ research  proposals and the challenges these entail. In turn, such discussions will enable greater understanding of the research culture of the relevant discipline. The course content, selected from a bank of shared resources, builds on your capacities relevant to conducting research, and caters for a diversity of projects and approaches. Through participation in the course, you will be able to integrate insights from your own discipline’s communities of practice, scholarly texts and seminar discussions into a deeper understanding of your own research project. At the completion of the course, you will have prepared a preliminary draft of your confirmation of candidature document.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Course Learning Outcomes 

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Critically evaluate a range of research approaches and techniques and be able to create a convincing written rationale for utilising one or more of them in your research
2. Specify a research topic and craft research questions pertinent to your chosen field of study, based on a sound but developing knowledge of the relevant literature and debates
3. Design a research project of appropriate scope for a higher degree by research candidature period
4. Write a literature review which contributes to relevant debates in your field, supports your research project and states clearly the project’s contribution to knowledge.
5. Develop intellectual skills in designing, reflecting on,  critiquing, theorising and communicating research as it is practised in your particular discipline area
6. Presenting information in a manner consistent with publication and presentation in the relevant discipline
7. Explain and critique theoretical propositions, methodologies and conclusions in your own work and that of others.  

Overview of Learning Activities

This course is offered both on campus and online and students are enrolled in one mode or the other. 

The on campus offering involves face-to-face weekly seminars and online communities of practice which will be supplemented by a series of lectures, discussion forums, online resources, and links to SGR and library skill-based workshops and RMIT services. 

In the online offering of the course you will be engaged in learning that involves a range of activities online via recorded lectures and online discussion boards that support the development of your research proposal. 

Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems. 

The core resources for the course are a study guide and a reader. 

There are services available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student portal. 

Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes. 

This course involves two assessment tasks. The final and major task is a draft research proposal suitable for confirmation of candidature in the appropriate discipline, degree and School. The first smaller assessment task involves draft components of the research proposal. 

Assessment Tasks 

Assessment Task 1: Towards a Literature Review and Research Question for Confirmation of Candidature, 50%, CLO1, CLO2, CLO4, and CLO5 (3000-3500 words) 

Assessment Task 2: Towards Your Research Proposal, 50%, CLO3, CLO4, CLO5, CLO6 and CLO7 (4000-4500 words) 

Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks. 

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more. 

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.