Dima Khazem | Five two-hour sessions | Spring: 14:00 - 16:00 (UK time) Wednesday January 22 + February 5, 19 + March 5, 19 (Room W3.05 in the IOE)
 

NB: This course accrues 4 training points.

Critical Realism is one of the meta theories in social sciences; the brainchild of the late Roy Bhaskar who was World Scholar at IOE till 2014. This meta theory is concerned with the philosophy of science, ontology, epistemology, issues of causality or aetiology and questions of normativity.  It includes valuable principles and concepts which can be applied methodologically and creatively to conduct social research. This module will explain what Critical Realism is and focus on its methodological applications with examples from a variety of disciplines. 

Critical Realism has excellent applications within research in curriculum studies, science education, environmental education, sustainability, global learning , education in conflicts and emergencies, peace education and most fields in social science. It may also appeal to students who conduct medical or psychological research for example because it encourages the use of mixed methods but in a non pragmatic way. Critical Realism provides a different theoretical lens through which to form understanding about being, knowing and what we mean by reality and how we understand it from that offered by Positivism and Hermeneutics, and as such, is valuable as research training for any doctoral student.

The fortnightly sessions  will include recorded lectures and two hour face to face seminars, with dedicated methodological discussions within each of the five sessions.

This course is suitable for all doctoral students.  It can help doctoral students decide on their research paradigm, methodological approach and research design before the upgrade. It can also help post- upgrade students develop their methodological understanding and complement their research skills in agreement with the Researcher Development Framework (RDF).