In relation to the cognitive objectives to be achieved and previously illustrated, the course will be divided into four modules:
1. introduction to social research. The first module will address the basic themes of the social research methodology, analyzing the main epistemological perspectives at the base of the debate on the knowability of social reality. In particular, the currents originated from the positivist matrix and the main methodological approaches deriving from constructivism will be taken into consideration. In this first part of the program the different methodological perspectives will be compared in relation to the modalities of the research, the relationship between the scholar and the object of study, the logic and phases of the research, the detection techniques, the nature and the analysis of the data, as well as the presentation of the results.
2. methods and techniques. Once this introductory part has been exhausted, the second module will examine some of the main research techniques used in the social sciences such as:
- the sample survey.
This detection procedure is characterized by the invariance of the interrogation stimulus to a selected sample of the population. In the program the research design will be analyzed, the operation of the concepts in variables, the construction of the questionnaire and the formulation of the questions, the sampling techniques, the methods of administration, the organization of the survey and the collected data, the different types error;
- techniques for the operation of complex concepts.
In particular, the usability and structure of the following scales will be examined in detail: the Likert scale, the Guttman scalogram, the semantic differential, the sociometric test;
- participant observation.
Among the "qualitative" techniques the participant observation together with the qualitative interview is certainly one of the ways to collect information more used not only in anthropology but also in sociology. During the lessons the main operational concepts are provided to successfully conduct a participant observation and to analyze the qualitative material collected;
- detection through interrogation.
The different types of interviews will be presented, from the structured interview to the free interview, the biographical interview, the focus groups. and how to conduct them.
3. Social data science. The third module focuses on the study of data science research tools and techniques for the study of social phenomena in the digital space. In particular, from a theoretical point of view, the basic theories of internet studies will be illustrated. From a methodological point of view, on the other hand, the intention is to define the phases of the empirical research process in the digital space without neglecting the ethical and deontological issues relating to the management of personal data.
Finally, the various qualitative and quantitative computational analysis techniques will be explored, including web surveys; online focus groups; online qualitative interviews; observation; web scraping; social network analysis; automatic text analysis.