Students

SOCI2000 – Social Research Methods

2026 – Session 2, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer
Zoin Hassan
zoin.hassan@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
Please email to arrange an appointment
Unit convenor
Hangyoung Lee
hangyoung.lee@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
Room B270, 25B Wally's Walk
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Social research is essential in the contemporary world and an important field of employment for graduates in the social sciences and humanities. This unit gives students an opportunity to develop practical skills designing social and organisational research; and in collecting, analysing and presenting data to address research questions. You will consider the best research methods to use and the problems, limitations and traps likely to be encountered by inexperienced researchers. You will also consider the ethical issues in social research, and the impact of new information technologies on social research. A major emphasis in the unit is on the practice of social research. A series of workshops introduces major methodological techniques, basic qualitative and quantitative approaches, including interviewing, focus groups, textual analysis, and participant observation. Students also receive a basic introduction to SPSS. Research methods useful to community generated research are also explored. No knowledge of statistics is required. The unit is suitable for all students in the social sciences, humanities, media, creative arts or business and finance. It is particularly useful for those seeking interesting and meaningful employment after graduation or for anyone wanting to go on to undertake higher degree research.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: apply knowledge of the major qualitative and quantitative social research methods to answer important social questions.
  • ULO2: use statistical software (such as SPSS or R) to analyse quantitative data, and use thematic analysis to analyse qualitative data.
  • ULO3: articulate important problems and debates that face social researchers, including the scientific status of social research; the strengths and weaknesses of various methods; validity and reliability; and ethical considerations.
  • ULO4: scope a research problem, design research study, pilot your proposed methods, and write a research proposal to address a serious social issue.
  • ULO5: collect and analyse original data (qualitative and quantitative), and to be able to write this up and present it as professional academic research

General Assessment Information

1. Overview of Assessment

Exams/Quizes: 

  • Mid-semester oral exam (20%): Testing weeks 1 to 7.
  • Final oral exam (20%): Testing weeks 1 to 13

There will be two 15-minute online (Zoom) oral exams: one mid-semester and one final. You will receive a list of practice questions in advance. Each oral exam will be a 15-minute Zoom appointment with Jie Zhuo, with flexible scheduling to accommodate all online students.

Group Project:

  • Pilot Study Report and Presentation (Qualitative Analysis) (30%) 
  • Final Report and Presentation (Quantitative Analysis) (30%)

This is a group project. Form your own groups of 1 (i.e. solo) to 6 students in Week 1, and register via link on iLearn. If you don't have a group, please post asking for other group members on iLearn discussion. 

For the first assignment (due in Week 8) you will submit a qualitative (analysing words, not numbers) analysis. For the second assignment (due in Week 13) you will submit a quantitative (i.e. statistical) analysis.

Late Penalty

"Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of '0' (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. This late penalty will apply to non-time sensitive assessment (incl. essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special Consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic"

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Mid-term Exam 20% No 18/09/2026 Individual No Observed
Pilot Study Report and Presentation (Group Project) 30% No 18/09/2026 Individual and Group No Open AI
Final Exam 20% No 06/11/2026 Individual No Observed
Final Report (Group Project) 30% No 06/11/2026 Individual and Group No Open AI

Mid-term Exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 1 hours
Due: 18/09/2026
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

Online exam that assesses material from first half of semester
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • apply knowledge of the major qualitative and quantitative social research methods to answer important social questions.
  • use statistical software (such as SPSS or R) to analyse quantitative data, and use thematic analysis to analyse qualitative data.
  • articulate important problems and debates that face social researchers, including the scientific status of social research; the strengths and weaknesses of various methods; validity and reliability; and ethical considerations.

Pilot Study Report and Presentation (Group Project)

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 18/09/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual and Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open AI

Presentation, pilot study report, with peer evaluation and self evaluation/reflection.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • scope a research problem, design research study, pilot your proposed methods, and write a research proposal to address a serious social issue.

Final Exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 1 hours
Due: 06/11/2026
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

Online exam that assesses material from whole semester
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • apply knowledge of the major qualitative and quantitative social research methods to answer important social questions.
  • use statistical software (such as SPSS or R) to analyse quantitative data, and use thematic analysis to analyse qualitative data.
  • articulate important problems and debates that face social researchers, including the scientific status of social research; the strengths and weaknesses of various methods; validity and reliability; and ethical considerations.

Final Report (Group Project)

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 06/11/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual and Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open AI

Presentation, final written report, with peer evaluation and self evaluation/reflection.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • collect and analyse original data (qualitative and quantitative), and to be able to write this up and present it as professional academic research

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • Academic Success for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

All study material and information required to complete this unit is delivered via iLearn.

You might find this textbook useful:

  • Neuman, W. L. (2013). Understanding Research: Pearson New International Edition. Harlow: Pearson Education UK. 

Read the ebook for free at the MQ Library here: https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.simsrad.net.ocs.mq.edu.au/lib/MQU/detail.action?docID=5175361

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Late Assessment Submission Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of '0' (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. This late penalty will apply to non-time sensitive assessment (incl. essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special Consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/service-desk. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
13/08/2026 Instructions for assessment tasks have been simplified and made easier to understand for students.

Unit information based on version 2026.02 of the Handbook