Political Science

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

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Module Code: POU33174

Module Name: Qualitative Research Methods 2025-26

ECTS Weighting: 5
Semester/Term Taught: Semester 2
Contact Hours: 11x2h core sessions, 5x1h tutorials
Module Personnel: Dr Matthias Dilling

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Explain how qualitative methods draw inferences about political phenomena and for what research questions they are most suitable,
Describe and apply concepts and tools for the assessment of competing explanations in single-case and small-N research, and evaluate individual pieces of evidence for their probative value,
Outline and appraise strategies to select cases for qualitative research,
Examine different types of data used in qualitative research and what researchers need to consider in terms of research ethics and integrity
Critically review and assess empirical studies that use a qualitative or mixed-methods research design, and
Plan qualitative research within the guidelines of an assignment prompt.

Module Learning Aims

This module introduces students to the logic of inference, concepts, tools, and evidence used in qualitative research. It aims to empower students to use this knowledge and skills to critically examine and evaluate empirical research into a wide range of political phenomena.

Module Content

The quest for internal validity in the social sciences points researchers toward understanding causal processes within specific cases. Careful data collection and analysis within well-selected cases importantly boosts the confidence we can have in our conclusions and is at the centre of qualitative research methods

This module aims to introduce students to the logic of inference, concepts, techniques, and data used within qualitative methods in political science. It covers themes like ontology, process tracing, small-N comparisons, and using archival, interview, and ethnographic data when assessing competing explanations in within-case analyses. The format includes 11 core sessions that combine lecture- and seminar-style elements and 5 tutorials to link the covered material to research practice.