Research Design for Global Affairs

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course provides students with the tools and knowledge to design research projects in global affairs. Students will learn how to identify meaningful research questions, build theoretical and conceptual frameworks, and choose appropriate methods—including qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods—to effectively answer different research questions. The course familiarizes students with key steps in developing research designs, how to make and justify methodological choices in research projects, and how to turn a research design into a research proposal. The course structure moves through the various stages of social science research—from theory building, ethics and IRB, literature review and proposal design, methods for collecting and analyzing data, to research proposal development. This course is required for students in the Global Affairs major.