Research in Sociology
UndergraduateGRF-SGY3562025
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
Discover the advantages and disadvantages of using the face-to-face interview as a research method. Select a topic to investigate and put forward a research plan. Run three qualitative interviews. Combine all your learnings in an in-depth report.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 6 July 2025
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Price from
- $2,124
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Research in Sociology
About this subject
This subject engages you with a very common from of sociological research: the face-to-face interview. At the conclusion of the subject you will:
- understand the notion of epistemology and the ways in which epistemology may shape methodological choices;
- recognize different types of interviews;
- grasp the strengths and limitations of interviews as a research method;
- identify the ethical issues that may arise in semi-structured qualitative interviewing and appreciate issues of subjectivity and reflexivity in the research process;
- know how to conduct and transcribe a semi-structured qualitative interview and write a qualitative research report.
- Introduction to qualitative research
- The what and why of interviewing
- Ethics
- Developing the interview guide
- Selecting, finding and accessing research participants
- Subjectivity and Reflexivity in Interviewing
- Conducting the interview
- Transcription and field notes
- The Literature Review
- Qualitative data analysis
- Qualitative data analysis
- Writing a qualitative research report
This subject provides hands on experience of social research. The particular focus is the semi-structured qualitative interviews. You nominate a research topic and, with the assistance of the teaching team, draft a research plan to investigate that topic. You then undertake three semi-structured qualitative interviews and qualitative data analysis following templates and protocols provided by the research team.
Assessment involves preparation of a research plan, the submission of the first interview transcribed and with preliminary data analysis and personal reflections on the interview process, and a final research report collating the findings from the three interviews.
- Planning Assessment — Research Plan (20%)
- Report — Research Report (50%)
- Discussion Board Participation (30%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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- QS Ranking 2024:
- 18
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 20
Entry requirements
Others
Completion of two other Sociology units.
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
UndergraduateGRF-ART-DEG
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