The aim of this course is to introduce PhB students to research issues in the Arts and Social Sciences and explore ideas surrounding research. The course will include discussion of how and why we undertake research, examining the character of research and various intellectual positions. The history and evolution of disciplinary approaches will be explored, alongside the place of interdisciplinary research.  Students will have the opportunity to consider the work of various scholars and theorists and their impact on ways of thinking about research.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. critique ways of thinking about research in the Arts and Social Sciences
2. explain a wide range of intellectual positions and theoretical approaches to research
3. discuss, identify and classify disciplinary approaches to research
4. prioritise and appraise their own ways of thinking about their research

Critical Reflection on how the Arts and Social Sciences are presented on ANU’s website – 500 words – 10% (LOs 1 and 3)

Essay on a key scholar/text – 2000 words – 35% (LOs 1, 2 and 3)

Seminar Paper on a key issue in the Humanities and the Social Sciences – 2500 words – 45% (LOs 2, 3 and 4)

Seminar Participation - 10% (LOs 1, 2, 3 and 4)

 3 hour seminar and 7 hours of private study/preparation per week.

Enrolment in the Bachelor of Philosophy degree program (College Consent)

Alec Fisher, Critical Thinking: An Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011

Nicholas Walliman, Research Methods: The Basics, Oxford: Routledge, 2011

ARTS 1101 is compulsory for any student entering the PhB program.