Philosophy in Agro-Ecology and Food Systems

The course unit on Research Methodology is arranged in two components: fundamentals and advanced methods. The first component is essentially a review of work in statistical methods covered at Master’s degree level. This provides a foundation for the second component which deals with the theoretical and paradigmatic status of research methods.

This course is divided into five topic areas that include:
i) Review of Fundamentals
ii) Research Design
iii) The Scientific Method
iv) Field and laboratory-based experimental Methods
v) Research ethics and misconduct

These will provide PhD students with the basic theoretical and practical knowledge and applied skills required to successfully identify research problems, use scientific approaches to conduct research and generate new knowledge in their areas of study. This course does not only focus on research methods, but also on the theoretical analysis of the body of methods and principles associated with particular branches of knowledge. It encompasses concepts such as paradigms, theoretical and conceptual models, and quantitative and qualitative techniques. The course shall also cover ethical issues in research.