This course deals with mixed-methods and multimethod research (MMR) in the social sciences. We will discuss the broader understanding of combining qualitative and quantitative methods (mixed methods) and the narrower approach of nested analysis. The course aims to reflect the diversity of MMR studies in the discipline to accommodate participants' projects. The relative emphasis we put on specific variants of MMR designs will be adapted to the methods participants are applying in their own research.

The goal of the course is to understand the different varieties in which MMR can be done. We discuss the unique advantages and methodological and practical challenges confronted in mixed-method research.

Topics include the variety of mixed-method designs that are available; the use of concepts in the qualitative and quantitative analysis, case selection for qualitative research, the compatibility of theoretical expectations in the qualitative and quantitative analysis. The discussions are illustrated with examples from different fields of political science. By the end of the course, participants will able to realize their own mixed-methods study in a systematic manner, and to critically evaluate published MMR studies.

A detailed syllabus for this course is available for download here.

Participants will find the course useful if:

 

The course has about 4 hours of classroom discussion per day about 2 hours that we spend on exercises, tutorials and assignments. The exercises will involve the analysis and discussion of published mixed-methods studies and the participants' projects. Participants are encouraged to apply concepts and insights from the course to their own projects and to discuss ideas for revising them and their further development.