mir120 - Evaluating und Developing Research Methods for Transcultural Contexts (Complete module description)

Contact: 110hrs / Independent studies: 180hrs / Assignments: 130hrs

mir110

LO3• acquired knowledge about and experience with research methods, methodology and knowledge
production and be able to reflect their significance, unpredictability and interdependencies in
transcultural contexts;
LO4• gathered competence to design a research agenda, to develop research projects and to conduct
them in a self-reflexive manner in a diverse team;
LO7• developed an understanding of theories, concepts and policies related to at least one of the
programme’s foci (i.e. gender, diversity and intersectionality; development, conflict and justice;
representation, power relations and knowledge production; education and citizenship) and
acknowledges their cross-cutting and strategic relevance in the field of migration and intercultural
relations;
LO10to LO 16enhanced proficiency in several languages, applied in research, interaction in the field and academic
writing, thus further accentuating his/her bi-/multilingual profile;
• practical expertise to present and structure an argument in academic English based on enhanced
reading and writing skills in various genres;
• acquired competence in handling new media and communication technology in a critical and
reflexive way scrutinising its indications and connotations;
• the ability to condense and visualise work results in order to present it to various audiences;
• developed competence in self-management including the ability to prioritize, set goals and make
decisions in individual and group work processes;
• the ability to identify and critique discriminating forms of verbal and non-verbal communication,
reflecting power relations and his/her own biases aiming at self-reflective interaction;
• developed competence to initiate, lead and/or participate in team work in inter/transcultural
contexts orienting themselves in unfamiliar areas, countries and contexts.

The different parts of the module aim at giving students an orientation about methodology and qualitative as well as quantitative methods and at providing them with research tools applicable in the field of migration studies, incl. improved writing skills in English. Seminars, lectures and tutorials are complemented by a range of elective workshops by Oldenburg scholars and international guest scholars.

The seminars offered explore the potentials and limits of various research methods from the social sciences, ethnography and cultural studies for research in the field of migration studies. In so doing, the module equips students with a set of tools for the analysis of migration processes and/in transcultural contexts, while critically assessing the formative potential of methodologies and methods in processes of, e.g., knowledge production at the same time. In teams and supported by scholars, students conceptualise their own small-scale research projects: they select a research topic, agree on a research question, develop an adequate theoretical and methodological framework, analyse their data and critically evaluate their findings.

In addition, academic writing support is provided in different formats – starting with a half-day workshop in October and continuing as individual support throughout the semester.

see syllabus

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October to January

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