9 August 2014
Case Study Research: Method and Practice
This course approaches qualitative case studies from a methodological and practical perspective. The goal is to understand the advantages and challenges of the case study method and to detail the tasks involved in all stages of the research process. The course has three interrelated components (see day-to-day schedule). First, the lecture/seminar segments introduce a specific topic on a basic and advanced level. Second, “lab sessions” give the participants the opportunity to apply the new insights to their own project; this is achieved by discussions about the participants’ projects in small groups and among the entire class. Third, the assignment portion involves in-class discussions of short assignments (simple methodological questions) related to the participants studies and published case studies from different fields within political science. This helps developing an idea about how case studies are presented and done in empirical research. At the end of the course, participants will be able to implement sound case studies and to critically evaluate published research.
NOTE: The course is about case studies as a tool for the generation of causal inferences. The course is NOT about case studies in the hermeneutic, interpretive, etc. tradition eschewing causal terminology and does not discuss actual data collection in much detail, e.g. issues related to the preparation of interviews or archival research.
Course leader
Ingo Rohlfing
Target group
Basic knowledge about research design is helpful, but not required.
Credits info
5 EC
To obtain the full five ECTS credits available, participants must complete their course, which includes a project assignment and an exam, on 9 August 2014. Participants who do not sit the exam can still obtain three ECTS credits by completing the project assignment. Participants who sit the exam but choose not to complete the project assignment can obtain two ECTS credits.
Fee info
EUR 925: ECPR member
EUR 1250: ECPR non-member