Social Science Research

This module introduces students to what methodology is, connecting to the ontological and epistemological debates with considerations for realistic research design in the social sciences and related fields. The module emphasises the interconnectedness between concepts and theory with data collection and analysis. Students are introduced to the different ontological and epistemological ways in which social science research is framed. Their role in research design will be considered, especially with a view to the different sources of knowledge that are available and appropriate. Students will then examine research methodologies across onto-epistemological approaches. On the basis of this, students will be able to submit a research outline at the end of the module. In the context of thinking about methodology, students will also address ethical questions about the relationship and power dynamics between the researcher and research subjects as well as those engaged in knowledge production outside of academia.

The rise of digital platforms, datafication and Artificial Intelligence are rapidly transforming the societies we live in. How can we best approach and understand these changing landscapes, and can old theoretical frameworks still help us make sense of the media world we live in today? This module is designed to introduce students to some of the key concepts and advanced debates relevant to the study of contemporary communications and media. Providing students with relevant theoretical background as well as practical examples from contemporary media environments, the module revisits some of the classic theoretical debates in the field and brings them into dialogue with recent technological, social, cultural and political developments.

The aim of this module is to outline the major conceptual and empirical questions raised by work on the media and cultural industries, media and cultural policy; to examine the changes that have taken place in the media and cultural industries under the impact of cultural, social, political and technological change since the 1970s and to explore the questions these changes raise for public policy. A series of practical case studies in the media and cultural industries will allow students to gain a good understanding of professional work in these sectors.

This module aims to provide students with knowledge of a range of issues drawn from contemporary international politics that are discussed in multilateral fora. It develops a problem-solving approach and impresses upon students the policy relevance of the discipline of International Politics. This module encourages students to explore a central characteristic of international life through introductory lectures into selected contemporary issues and practice relevant workshops. This is done through the development of conceptual knowledge, and the application of skills of analysis.

This module introduces criminology and criminological theory through a range of issues, case study examples and topical debates. It introduces students to the key theoretical approaches within criminology that act as a framework for understanding areas such as victimisation, mental health, criminal justice, youth justice psychology and the law and violence.

The module encourages students to analyse critically a range of criminology and social issues and problems in contemporary Britain, and the arrangements that have been devised to meet them.

The aims of this module are to:
- Understand the theoretical concepts of strategy and strategic management in relation to organisations using data and data analysis to build and implement their strategies
- Explore and evaluate methods used by organisations to determine strategic options
- Develop an understanding of the uses of data and data analysis as drivers for strategic change
- Develop skills in business environmental analysis and strategic planning
- Develop an understanding of the importance of risk management and corporate social responsibility when formulating a new data driven strategy

The aims of this module are:

To provide students with an in-depth understanding of the principles of data analysis in the context of analytics and management science problems.

To enable students to develop numerical reasoning, analytical skills and competency to apply a range of statistical models to datasets and interpret their results.

To provide students with practical experience of analysing real world datasets using leading analytics software tools.

To provide a firm basis for the Customer Analytics module in semester 2.

The aim of this module is to enhance student understanding of the main aspects of the development of sport in local, national and global contexts.

The aim of this module is to provide students with a critical understanding of the psychological and cultural principles that inform effective exercise promotion in clinical populations within community and healthcare settings.

The aim of this module is for the student to:
- critically examine theory, research and practice in understanding self-regulation and associated developmental and interpersonal processes in sport and physical activity.

The aim of this module is to provide students with a critical understanding of the psychological and cultural principles that inform effective exercise promotion in clinical populations within community and healthcare settings.

The central aim of this module is for students to develop an advanced understanding of the central role of International Financial Centres (IFCs), and the clusters of financial services and advanced producers services contained therein, to the development of a globalised financial system.

The aim of this module is to develop an understanding of alternative climate pathways, to use data and tools to define probable climate futures (with a focus on the UK over the 21st century), and to rehearse strategies for communicating future change.

The rise of digital platforms, datafication and Artificial Intelligence are rapidly transforming the societies we live in. How can we best approach and understand these changing landscapes, and can old theoretical frameworks still help us make sense of the media world we live in today? This module is designed to introduce students to some of the key concepts and advanced debates relevant to the study of contemporary communications and media. Providing students with relevant theoretical background as well as practical examples from contemporary media environments, the module revisits some of the classic theoretical debates in the field and brings them into dialogue with recent technological, social, cultural and political developments.

This module examines the impacts of digital technologies on media and cultural industries and how they matter to society. Also, it offers students an introduction to the economic sociology of digital media.

The aim of this module is to develop knowledge and understanding of a range of methodologies for the analysis of media users and institutions. The module focuses on critically discuss how qualitative and quantitative methodologies are applied, identifying their strengths and shortcomings.

Talk and social interaction shapes and mediates all our personal, professional and institutional relationships, but is often neglected as a focus of empirical analysis. This course provides a practical introduction to analysing spoken, embodied, and mediated social interaction in a range of institutional settings using Conversation Analysis (CA). Students will learn to analyse institutional talk such as emergency dispatch, media interviews, classrooms, and counselling sessions in relation to the broadest category of 'everyday talk'. The overall aim is to enable students to analyse and improve communication in applied and institutional settings.

The aim of this module is to develop an understanding of alternative climate pathways, to use data and tools to define probable climate futures (with a focus on the UK over the 21st century), and to rehearse strategies for communicating future change.

The aim of this module is to understand how the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relate to each other and model how they interact; with a special focus on the quantitative analysis of Climate, Land, Energy and Water systems (CLEWs).

The aims of this module are:
- to introduce various different research programmes, or theoretical traditions, that have been adopted to study education over the past 60 years, using mathematics education as a case study;
- to consider the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to studying education, and to understand associated historical debates.

The module aims to teach students how to design and conduct in-depth qualitative research, drawing upon creative and participatory methods and approaches. These have been developed primarily to research under-researched groups, but this module explains how these have wider application for many research projects, contexts and groups.

The aims of this module are to reinforce students' skills in designing and interpreting statistical tests and using statistical software and to introduce the methods and theory for the design and analysis of social science and humanities research.

The main aim of this module is to define and critically examine key concepts and theories that help understand how media and communication are involved in shaping our sense of identity, belonging and community. It will have a particular focus on the changes brought by digital media in constructing hierarchies of belonging and the forms of inclusion and exclusion that are linked to these.

Through lectures, classroom discussions and practical tasks students will focus on a range of cultural and social identities including gender, class, ethnicity and sexuality and examine the impacts that different communication technologies (press, cinema, radio, television, social media) have had on the representation and evaluation of groups across time. Through this, students will be able to appreciate both the changes prompted by digital communication as well as the persistence of old forms of representation, discrimination and exclusion.

The module is designed to introduce students to research methods that are applied for the analysis of media and communication content and output, both on traditional as well as on new, digital platforms. Apart from providing the students with critical overview and discussion of strengths and weaknesses of these methods, both quantitative and qualitative, the module enables them to explore their practical application in adjacent workshops.

The main aim of this module is to define and critically examine key concepts and theories that help understand how media and communication are involved in shaping our sense of identity, belonging and community. It will have a particular focus on the changes brought by digital media in constructing hierarchies of belonging and the forms of inclusion and exclusion that are linked to these.

Through lectures, classroom discussions and practical tasks students will focus on a range of cultural and social identities including gender, class, ethnicity and sexuality and examine the impacts that different communication technologies (press, cinema, radio, television, social media) have had on the representation and evaluation of groups across time. Through this, students will be able to appreciate both the changes prompted by digital communication as well as the persistence of old forms of representation, discrimination and exclusion.

The aim of this module is to consider both traditional and advanced approaches to ethnographic research. By exploring recent debates and innovations in ethnography alongside practical sessions on adapting ethnography for contemporary challenges and applied settings, the module will equip students with a detailed knowledge of the methodological concerns underpinning ethnographic fieldwork allowing them to integrate ethnographic principles into their own qualitative research projects.

The aims of this module are:

to develop a critical appreciation of the theory and practice of managing big data and its significance for business in the global environment

to develop an awareness of the skills required for managing big data in different sectors

to understand how big data can be used to address real world issues

to understand how business opportunities can be identified and exploited using big data and big data analytics

to explore the range of software tools available for managing large data sets.

The aims of this module are to develop the skills which allow the student to:
- understand relevant economic concepts and tools and their relevance to environmental sustainability and net zero
- identify and assess how complex economic, regulatory, engineering, institutional and environmental factors influence the potential feasibility and likely success of government policies, commercial strategies, and technologies aimed at improving sustainability and achieving net zero.
- develop report writing and presentation capabilities in preparation for future employment, with a focus on making underlying complex analysis understandable to the target audience.

The aims of this module are to examine and translate evidence relating to mental health and exercise in athlete and other populations.

The aim of this module is for students to develop knowledge on the interdisciplinary nature of behavioural medicine and its impact on health - encompassing the development and integration of behavioural, psychosocial, and biomedical science knowledge and techniques relevant to non-communicable chronic diseases.

The aims of this module are to examine and translate evidence relating to mental health and exercise in athlete and other populations.

The aim of this module is for students to develop knowledge on the interdisciplinary nature of behavioural medicine and its impact on health - encompassing the development and integration of behavioural, psychosocial, and biomedical science knowledge and techniques relevant to non-communicable chronic diseases.

The central aims of this module are to: (1) develop a diversity of perspectives to examine the contemporary financial system; and (2) critically consider the relations between the global financial system and climate change.

Climate services is a growth industry involving the translation of climate science into usable formats that support high-consequence decision-making, operating rules, and design of long-lived assets, despite deep uncertainty about the future. The aim of this module is to understand diverse sources of climate risk information and, through practical exercises, learn to implement appraisal frameworks used to operationalize climate science, within complex institutional, ethical and governance landscapes.

This module addresses the ways in which social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp. and Snapchat are changing the ways in which political actors, citizens, and journalists interact with each other, advance their goals, and exercise power. We will engage with contemporary arguments and debates about the democratic implications of social media by drawing on state-of-the-art theory and cutting-edge research, as well as case studies of relevant contemporary events and controversies.

The module will enable students to understand how social media are used by citizens, political actors, and journalists to access, distribute, and coproduce content that is relevant to public affairs and provide opportunities for political learning, persuasion, mobilization, and engagement. It will use both theory and empirical research to shed light on how social media are enhancing and hindering practices and structures of citizenship and democratic politics.

The module is designed to introduce students to research methods that are applied for the analysis of media and communication content and output, both on traditional as well as on new, digital platforms. Apart from providing the students with critical overview and discussion of strengths and weaknesses of these methods, both quantitative and qualitative, the module enables them to explore their practical application in adjacent workshops.

The module is designed to introduce students to research methods that are applied for the analysis of media and communication content and output, both on traditional as well as on new, digital platforms. Apart from providing the students with critical overview and discussion of strengths and weaknesses of these methods, both quantitative and qualitative, the module enables them to explore their practical application in adjacent workshops.

The aim of this module is to consider both traditional and advanced approaches to ethnographic research. By exploring recent debates and innovations in ethnography alongside practical sessions on adapting ethnography for contemporary challenges and applied settings, the module will equip students with a detailed knowledge of the methodological concerns underpinning ethnographic fieldwork allowing them to integrate ethnographic principles into their own qualitative research projects.

Climate services is a growth industry involving the translation of climate science into usable formats that support high-consequence decision-making, operating rules, and design of long-lived assets, despite deep uncertainty about the future. The aim of this module is to understand diverse sources of climate risk information and, through practical exercises, learn to implement appraisal frameworks used to operationalize climate science, within complex institutional, ethical and governance landscapes.

The aim of this module is to understand policy options and their economic impacts on Sustainable Development, with a focus on greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation and adaptation in the energy sector.

The aim of this module is to introduce students to domains of strategic communication in the real world in which professional parties, such as crisis negotiators, politicians, and healthcare practitioners, must provide information, make decisions, persuade, and influence others in real time for a range of purposes. The module will explore social interactional research approaches to investigating and understanding what constitutes effective practice, and how communication shapes engagement and behaviour through case studies and recorded live interactions. Students will learn the theory and methods of conversation analysis and how to apply it to diverse settings with the overall aim of understanding and improving the effectiveness of communication in these situations.

The module is designed to introduce students to research methods that are applied for the analysis of media and communication content and output, both on traditional as well as on new, digital platforms. Apart from providing the students with critical overview and discussion of strengths and weaknesses of these methods, both quantitative and qualitative, the module enables them to explore their practical application in adjacent workshops.

The aim of this module is for students to design, conduct, analyse and report an original empirical study within their chosen field/pathway.