This is the second part of a two-semester course that aims at teaching Master’s students how to conduct an interdisciplinary research project. This year, all research topics relate to demography, health and social policy. Last semester, the students formed groups and conceptualized their research project. This second semester is dedicated to the realization of the proposed group projects under the guidance of the lecturers. As part of their project, the students will have to conduct a quantitative empirical analysis. During the course of the semester, students will frequently present their progress and also give constructive feedback to the other groups. In the last lecture, students will present their final results. All groups will complete a  scientific report of their findings until the end of  the semester.

After the course students will be able to independently:

• develop and plan a research project
• conduct a literature review on a specific research question with regard to all relevant scientific disciplines
• choose a methodological approach that is appropriate for the research question; plan and conduct a quantitative, empirical analysis
• write up a project report including all relevant information and results
• orally present and discuss the research approach and findings

Furthermore, the course promotes the following (soft) skills:

• working in (research) teams
• dealing with conflicts within a team
• ability to independently organize and schedule a project
• ability to deal with and manage scientific challenges

This being a Research Seminar we expect students to attend at least 80% of the time of the scheduled course units for completing the course successfully. Ideally you attend all units fully. If you are unable to fully attend a unit, please let the Lecturer(s) know in advance. The same attendance requirements apply for units held on-site and units that are scheduled as online unit. This is essential for continuos and in-depth exchange within your respective groups as well as for contributing to disucssions across all projects.

The course applies a combination of independent research conducted in

• self-organized student groups
• lectures on different interdisciplinary research approaches, relevant methods and theories
• instruction on the necessary steps and support in the implementation of a research project
• regular discussion of the research progress

Assessments (relative weights in the final grade)

• Written research paper based on the project proposal and research design presented in part I of the course (50%)
• Presentation of the results gained within the research project (30%)
• Active participation during plenary sessions (20%)

Grades (point ranges)

• 1: Excellent (90-100 points)
• 2: Good (80-89 points)
• 3: Satisfactory (65-79 points)
• 4: Sufficient (50-64 points)
• 5: Fail (0-49 points)

Successful completion of:

• PI "Grundlagen der Sozioökonomie"

We strongly suggest the completion of:

• Block "Theorien und Methoden der Sozioökonomie"