1st LCSS PhD Conference 2013: Methodological Choices and Challenges

Apr 19, 2013 09:00

19 April 2013 – King’s College London, UK

1st LCSS PhD Conference 2013: Methodological Choices and Challenges

LCSS held its first PhD Conference on Methodological Choices and Challenges on 19 April 2013 at King’s College London. The aim of the conference was to bring PhD students from different disciplinary backgrounds together and create an opportunity to share their experience in choosing their methodologies and the challenges they encounter in this process. It was great to see that the conference achieved this goal.

The conference was composed of 12 panel sessions on a wide range of topics such as ‘challenges in choosing appropriate research methodologies’, ‘data collection and analysis’, ‘undertaking ethnographic research and related ethical issues’, ‘mixed methodologies’, ‘research in education’, ‘gender research methodologies’, ‘methodological dominance and new methods’, ‘interdisciplinary research’ and ‘technology and academic research’. We had 45 presenters with very interesting topics and their presentations generated great discussion. Our keynote session was highly attended and the talks attracted great interest and led to perceptive questions from the audience. Our first keynote speaker Prof Penny Green, Head of Research at the Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London talked on the dialectics of state crime. Prof Kenneth Benoit, our second keynote speaker Head of Department of Methodology at the London School of Economics and Political Science talked about methodology in social sciences. Dr Fahri Karakas’s Professional Development Workshop drew a huge interest and our participants found it very helpful.

Last but not least, congratulations to our prize winners! Our congratulations go to Lakshmi Priya Rajendran from University of Sheffield for the Best Paper Prize, to Sarah Bekaert from City University for the First Runner Up for the Best Paper Prize, to Arnaud Vaganay from the LSE for the Second Runner Up for the Best Paper Prize, to Laura German from University of Southampton, Namrata Bhattacharya from University of Wolverhampton and Didem Güneş Yɪlmaz from Queen’s University Belfast for the Mention Award, and to Nela Brown and Tony Stockman from Queen Mary University of London for the Best Poster Prize.

We would like to thank to our keynote speakers, all our participants and chairs for making this conference an interesting and academically stimulating experience.

Call for Proposals

LCSS PhD Conference 2013 on Methodological Choices and Challenges provides an opportunity for current PhD students and recent graduates from all social science disciplines to share their research methodologies and the challenges they encountered in every step of their research. The aim is to provide the opportunity for PhD students to debate and reflect on their methodological choices, and to consider alternative methods, approaches tools and sources. We encourage submissions on both qualitative and quantitative research methods, on interdisciplinary approaches and on innovative research methodologies. We also welcome papers that address the relationship between research and policy. Papers are required to present a methodological issue within the context of a substantive research project.

We invite contributors to address one or more of the following topics and discuss these in relation to their own research:

  • Methodological choices: What are the challenges in choosing appropriate research methodologies? How do methodological choices influence formulation of the research question and research design? What are the key challenges in identifying the type of research methodology and what are the ways of overcoming these challenges?
  • Types of methodology: What are the advantages and disadvantages of quantitative and qualitative methods in a range of disciplinary contexts? In what type of research settings do these types of methodological tools provide most useful outcomes?
  • Methodological dominance: What is the dominant methodology adopted in your field and in the study of specific cases? Is there scope for considering the introduction of new methodologies in your field?
  • Fieldwork: What aspects of social sciences research require fieldwork? What are/were the important issues to consider when preparing for fieldwork?
  • Data collection and being in the field: What are the key challenges in undertaking fieldwork in relation to data collection? What types of data collection methods are appropriate for specific research topics?
  • Data analysis: What is the relation between specific types of data and analysis? How is it possible to ensure that outcome of data analysis support research hypothesis?
  • Ethical issues: What are the types of ethical issues involved in specific research methodologies? What ethical issues are important to consider when adopting specific research methodologies?
  • Presentation of research outcomes: What are the ways of facilitating implementation of research outcomes in the wider literature and among policy-makers? How can you ensure that your research reaches the wider public? What strategies have you employed; and what challenges face creating ‘impact’?

Submissions should take the form of an abstract of no more than 350 words, outlining your study and the methodological issue(s) you address. You should also submit a short biography.
Prizes will be awarded for the best paper and poster presentations.

The final program for the conference will include keynote speeches and special professional development workshops alongside with a number of PhD panels and poster presentations.

Registration

PhD Conference 2013

Conference programme and abstracts can be downloaded here…

Venue

Strand Campus, King’s College London

Contact

Please send any enquiries to the conference administrator, Mr Ozdemir Ahmet, at {o.ahmet [at] socialstudies.org.uk}

People

Keynote Speakers:

Prof Penny Green, King’s College London (KCL), The Dickson Poon School of Law

Prof Kenneth Benoit, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Head of the Department of Methodology

Advisory Board

Conference Coordinator:

Ms Ferya Tas, King’s College London (KCL), London Centre for Social Studies (LCSS)

Advisory Committee:

Prof Penny Green, King’s College London, The Dickson Poon School of Law
Prof Kenneth Benoit, London School of Economics and Political Sciences, Head of the Department of Methodology
Prof Benjamin Bowling, King’s College London, The Dickson Poon School of Law
Prof Lucinda Platt, Institute of Education, University of London
Prof Peter Lieven, King’s College London, War Studies Department
Dr Fahri Karakas, University of East Anglia, Norwich Business School, London Centre for Social Studies
Dr Raya Kardasheva, King’s College London, Department of European & International Studies
Dr Zeynep Kaya, London School of Economics, Department of International Relations, London Centre for Social Studies
Dr Shaminder Takhar, London South Bank University, Department of Social Sciences
Dr Zeynep Engin, London Centre for Social Studies
Dr Claudia Aradau, King’s College London, War Studies Department
Dr Sevket Hylton Akyildiz, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
Dr Kriti Kapila, King’s College London, King’s India Institute
Dr Humeria Iqtidar, King’s College London, Department of Political Economy
Dr Zerrin Ozlem Biner, University of Cambridge, Department of Social Anthropology
Dr Fabian Zhilla, King’s College London, The Dickson Poon School of Law

We thank The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London for their contributions to this conference.

Partners

The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London, UK