Checking date: 25/04/2024


Course: 2024/2025

Master Thesis
(17751)
Master in Political and Electoral Analysis (Plan: 385 - Estudio: 344)
EPC


Coordinating teacher: ORRIOLS GALVE, LLUIS

Department assigned to the subject: Social Sciences Department

Type: Master Final Project
ECTS Credits: 6.0 ECTS

Course:
Semester:




Objectives
- To have and understand knowledge that provides a basis or opportunity to be original in the development and / or application of ideas, often in a research context - That students know how to apply the knowledge acquired and their ability to solve problems in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their area of study - That students can integrate knowledge and to face the complexity of formulating judgments based on information that, being incomplete or limited, includes reflections on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments - That students should know how to communicate their conclusions and the knowledge and ultimate reasons that sustain them to specialized and non-specialized audiences in a clear and unambiguous way - That students have the learning skills that allow them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous. - Ability to plan and carry out autonomously an investigation in the field of public opinion or political behaviour. - Ability to interpret and integrate information from the political and social environment to be able to effectively analyse from incomplete information contexts. - Ability to apply the theoretical and methodological knowledge specialized in the discipline in a practical way to the current political and social phenomena. - Mastery of the necessary tools for obtaining data and empirical information, especially of a quantitative nature, the evaluation of its validity and relevance, and its effective use in political analysis. - Ability to adequately convey in the analyses the inherent uncertainty of political and social phenomena - Ability to elaborate and communicate political analysis in a clear manner and present it to both specialized and non-specialized publics. - Ability to demonstrate critical sense in the analytical arguments of their own as well as of others. - Be able to develop and evaluate research designs for the analysis of political behavior. - Ability to understand and analyze in a rigorous way the demographic surveys in the field of political behavior. - Mastery of quantitative data analysis instruments (very particularly from surveys) to apply them to the study of political behavior. - Knowledge of visualization and data presentation tools: ability to present quantitative analysis in a rigorous, clear and effective way. - Ability to use advanced analytical techniques and presentation of empirical results for the preparation of professional and consulting reports to explain new political and social phenomena. - Mastery of the theoretical and methodological tools to analyze the main determinants of political behavior (electoral and non-electoral) in the democracies of our environment. - Ability to analytically and professionally apply the latest advanced theories on the behavior of public opinion and new political and social phenomena. - Ability to propose strategies and action plans to political parties both in political and electoral competition and in government. - Ability to prepare, present and adequately defend in public a Master's Final Project, original and rigorous, related to one or some of the subjects of the degree LEARNING RESULTS: After studying the subject, the student will have been able to carry out a complete investigation whose final output will be a document (report, scientific article, or working document) with the quality standards of a professional analyst. For this, the student: 1. It will come to dominate a specific topic in the field of political and electoral analysis. 2. Put into practice the knowledge acquired in methodology and analysis techniques. 3. Will be able to formulate a document with a rigorous theoretical base based on the knowledge of the discipline of political behavior. 4. Produce and / or use the most adequate quantitative data to address the political phenomenon studied. 5. Analyze the available data with appropriate advanced investigation techniques. 6. Write the document in a rigorous manner, based on empirical evidence and showing high competence in the visual presentation of the results. 7. Present and defend the results of their work in a court composed of at least one teacher of the master.
Skills and learning outcomes
Description of contents: programme
1. To choice of a relevant political phenomenon to analyze. 2. Link the political phenomenon with existing knowledge in the field of political behavior. 3. Prepare a research design that allows to analyze effectively and rigorously the phenomenon selected for the study. 4. Operationalize concepts and select and / or generate data. 5. Analyze the data to carry out the work. 6. Organize the structure of the work. 7. Write the work and visually present the data in an effective and rigorous way. 8. Defend the work in public and answer the questions that are asked. The Final Master's Project will be presented and defended in public session before a tribunal.
Learning activities and methodology
- Each student enrolled will be assigned an academic tutor for the development of their Final Master's Project (TFM). - General methodological orientation sessions will be established for the completion of the TFM during the second semester. - The students must proceed to the Defense of the TFM that they have presented before an evaluating court. The Defense of the TFM will be held orally on specific dates, which will be known sufficiently in advance, within the general ordinary and extraordinary period foreseen by the university.
Assessment System
  • % end-of-term-examination 100
  • % of continuous assessment (assigments, laboratory, practicals...) 0




Basic Bibliography
  • Elster, J.. Explaining social behavior: More nuts and bolts for the social sciences. Cambridge University Press. 2015
  • Leedy, P.D. y J.E.Ormrod . Practical research : planning and design (10ª ed.). Pearson. 2014
Detailed subject contents or complementary information about assessment system of B.T.
Additional information

The course syllabus may change due academic events or other reasons.