RSS01.A1 ​​Concepts and Conceptualization: Building Blocks of Social Science​

​Concepts are fundamental building blocks of social science research. They are our ‘basic units of thinking’, provide insights into shared social realities, inform our theoretical arguments and guide our case selection strategies. However, they are also contested, difficult to construct, elucidate, operationalize or measure, and subject to change over time and space.

This course provides participants with an introduction to the role of concepts in theories, methods, and research design. It does so from a pluralist vantage point and provides insights into both classical concept formation approaches as well as ‘experience-near’ concepts. It addresses fundamental issues of the ontology, semantics and formation of concepts in social science research. Building on key social science concepts as well as participant’s topical interests, we will discuss different types of concepts and concept structures as well as how to judge the validity or credibility of concepts. To do so the course takes an applied perspective and makes use of participative and experiential learning tools to engage participant’s imagination and creativity

The course is structured as follows: each day will start off with a two hour lecture in the morning, followed by a participant-centred session in the afternoon, which applies the theme of the day to participant’s own research projects. To make the most of the course, participants are expected to submit a pre-course assignment based on their own topical interests and to hand in one additional assignment during the course.

Detailed program (pdf, 92 kB)