CfP for 2-Day Workshop on Research Methods in the Social Sciences

Dr. Richard Maass

Old Dominion University

June 16-17, 2021 at 6:00-8:00 PM Tbilisi Time  

This workshop aims to help participants understand the major methodological options available for testing hypotheses in the social sciences and to envision how those methods might be applied in their own research projects. Looking ahead to the writing of a senior thesis, master’s thesis, or doctoral dissertation, we will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of various types of research methods and which types might be best suited to participants’ own research projects. These two virtual sessions will focus on qualitative methods, quantitative methods, and mixed methods. While exploring specific research methods such as case study analysis, archival research, linear and logistic regression, and nested analysis, we will address core principles of research methods including case selection, correlation, statistical significance, and the validity and reliability of data. This workshop may be of interest to early graduate and advanced undergraduate students.

This workshop, while independent, is thematically connected to the workshop, “Research Design in the Social Sciences.” Interested applicants are encouraged to take both workshops. For more information, see: https://arisc.org/2-day-workshop-on-research-design-in-the-social-sciences/    

Minimum requirements for eligibility:

  • Represent a field in the social sciences
  • Be an early graduate student or an advanced undergraduate student
  • Have English-language proficiency

Applicants must submit the following set of documents:

  • Statement of Interest in English. Please explain your specific interest in research design and research methods, as well as what you hope to get out of the workshop
  • Short (2 page) CV in English with the contact details of one reference

Applications must be submitted in one combined file (MS Word or PDF) no later than June 11, 2021 to TbilisiResearchWorkshop[at]gmail.com. In the subject line of the e-mail, please indicate: “Workshop on Research Design.” Applicants who meet the requested criteria will be admitted on a first-come first-serve basis. For additional details, please contact georgia[at]arisc.org

Richard W. Maass is Associate Professor of Political Science at Old Dominion University. His research and teaching focus on U.S. foreign policy, international security, international law, and race and foreign policy. He is the author of The Picky Eagle: How Democracy and Xenophobia Limited U.S. Territorial Expansion (Cornell University Press, 2020) and the co-editor of The United States and International Law: Paradoxes of Support across Contemporary Issues (forthcoming from the University of Michigan Press, 2022).

Funding for this workshop is provided by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs through a grant to the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). The event is sponsored by American Research Institute for the South Caucasus (ARISC). ARISC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or status as a covered veteran.