Research Philosophy

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 7
• Convenor and tutor: Konstantinos Chalkias
• Assessment: a 4000-word essay (100%)

This module will provide research students with a foundation in the philosophy of social science. It will expose you to a range of research paradigms while providing you with greater insight into the assumption underlying your own research approach. You will be exposed to foundation texts that have informed our understanding of research philosophy, gain an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of these research paradigms, and be able to communicate and discuss issues related to research philosophy. You will also be able to identify these paradigms at work in management and business research and the quality criteria associated with them. This will provide you with a firm foundation to understand and write about the research paradigm guiding your own research projects and prepare you for both qualitative and quantitative methods courses.

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• demonstrate knowledge of the foundational research philosophy texts and perspectives
• identify the research paradigm guiding a particular piece of research, including your own
• critique research from different research perspectives, based on a knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of each research approach
• communicate and discuss issues related to philosophy of social science.