Speakers: Professor Michael Hout, Department of Sociology, UC Berkeley; Professor Marc Swyngedouw, Centre for Sociological Research, University of Leuven.
This was the second of two workshops in which we explored and discussed strategies for embedding quantitative methods (QM) into the wider undergraduate (UG) curriculum. Most substantive modules in our UG social sciences teaching primarily draw on ethnographic and qualitative research, where QM gets a fleeting mention, if at all. Even if they make it into the reading list, students are often advised ‘not to worry about the statistics’, and ‘just focus on the conclusion’. We firmly believe that QM should not be taught only in research methods module, but have a strong presence in the wider curriculum. Our speakers guided us on how to embed QM in substantive modules. This enabled students to develop an appreciation and robust understanding of interesting research using QM in a wide range of social science topics.