Introduction to social science research and qualitative methods

The course has as objectives: stimulate awareness of the methodological problems and obstacles that scientific researc in general and social research in particular must face in the investigation of phenomena; provide a complete overview on the main research methods of social sciences; stimulate a multidisciplinary approch to the analysis and prediction of social phenomena; provide insight into the main qualitative research methods (ethnographi, interview, observation); provide insight into some of the methods that best lend themselves to interdisciplinari research (psychological experiments, agent based modelling)