POLn6019 Text and Content Analysis

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2021
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
William L Allen (lecturer), Mgr. Otto Eibl, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Otto Eibl, Ph.D.
Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Lucie Pospíšilová
Supplier department: Division of Politology – Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 0/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course explores how social scientists can systematically gather, analyze, and interpret textual and other media content. It introduces guiding principles that motivate content analysis, with particular attention to the advantages and limitations associated with different techniques. Although the course is primarily grounded in political science and communication studies, it also draws upon examples in related fields including sociology, media studies, and linguistics.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be able to: 1. Explain what content analysis aims to achieve, and how this compares and contrasts with other forms of social scientific investigation 2. Describe broad approaches to content analysis, and explain the different assumptions they make 3. Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in research designs using forms of content analysis, particularly with respect to choices made during data collection and analysis
Syllabus
  • Lecture 1: Why Analyze Content? Principles and Theory Lecture 2: Qualitative Approaches – Discourse and Social Semiotics Lecture 3: Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches – Linguistic and Content Analysis
Assessment methods
Students can choose to be assessed in one of two ways, depending on their interests: 1. Submission of a research design proposal (2,500-3,000 words) that uses at least one form of content analysis to answer a social scientific question of the student’s choosing, and could be related to their current dissertation research 2. Submission of a written essay (2,500-3,000 words) responding to one question chosen from a list of prompts provided by the lecturer
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
The course is taught: in blocks.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2020.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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