RLBcA013 Introduction to Research Methodology in the Study of Religions

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s) (plus 2 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Jakub Cigán, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Jana Valtrová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Jakub Cigán, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Kristýna Čižmářová
Supplier department: Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites (in Czech)
RLBcA001 Introduction to Religion
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/50, only registered: 0/50
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The main aim of the course is to familiarize students with basic principles, practice and problems of systematic scientific research in the study of religion. It surveys essential instruments of quantitative and qualitative research and concerns on matter of relation between researching subject and object of the study, connection between theory and method, and the whole research process from an articulation of research problem and proposing research questions to planning and designing research project.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, students will be able to:
  • use basic instruments of formalized logical reasoning
  • explain the nature of science as a specific endeavor focused on production and cumulation of knowledge
  • differentiate between science and other ways of theorizing and problem solving
  • understand link between theory and empirical knowledge
  • understand nature of scientific defining and problem solving
  • differentiate basic approaches to production of social-scientific knowledge (quantitative, qualitative, mixed) and decide between various research strategies and choose the appropriate one with regard to research questions
  • clarify relations between concepts of objectivity, value neutrality and scientist’s conditionality
    • Syllabus
    • 1. Introduction to the course
    • 2. What is (social) science and systematic research?
    • 3. Social scientific research: theory, methodology, and paradigm
    • 4. What is scientific problem and how to formulate it?
    • 5. Quantitative and qualitative approaches
    • 6. Quantitative research methods: experiment and questionnaire
    • 7. Qualitative research methods: participant observation, interview, text
    • 8. Coding and qualitative data analysis
    • 9. Historical research methods
    • 10. Seminar: Methodology and research aim achieving
    • 11. Ethics and politics of social scientific research
    Literature
      required literature
    • BABBIE, Earl R. The practice of social research. Fourteenth edition. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2016, xxiv, 566. ISBN 9781305104945. info
    • DISMAN, Miroslav. Jak se vyrábí sociologická znalost : příručka pro uživatele. 3. vyd. Praha: Karolinum, 2000, 374 s. ISBN 9788024601397. info
    • SILVERMAN, David. Ako robiť kvalitatívny výskum : praktická príručka. Translated by Martin Štulrajter. Bratislava: Ikar, 2005, 327 s. ISBN 8055109044. info
      recommended literature
    • DÜLMEN, Richard van. Historická antropologie : vývoj, problémy, úkoly. Translated by Josef Boček. 1. vyd. v čes. jaz. Praha: Dokořán, 2002, 116 s. ISBN 8086569152. info
    • STRAUSS, Anselm L. and Juliet M. CORBIN. Základy kvalitativního výzkumu : postupy a techniky metody zakotvené teorie. Translated by Stanislav Ježek. Vyd. 1. Brno: Sdružení Podané ruce, 1999, vi, 196. ISBN 808583460X. info
    Teaching methods
    Lectures, class discussion
    Assessment methods
    Examination

    Oral exam prerequisites:
  • submission of one assesment (15 points maximally)
  • final test (15 points maximally)
    • Final test aims at methodological terminology.

  • research project proposal (30 points maximally)

    • Oral examination (40 points maximally) concerns on presentation, defence and debate on student’s research project proposal.


    Colloquium

  • submission of one assesment (15 points maximally)
  • final test (15 points maximally)
  • research project proposal (30 points maximally)
    • Language of instruction
    Czech
    Follow-Up Courses
    Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
    Information on completion of the course: Posluchači religionistiky povinně ukončují zkouškou.
    The course is taught annually.
    The course is taught: every week.
    General note: Studenti religionistiky povinně zapisují ve 2. semestru studia.
    Information on course enrolment limitations: Zápis mimo religionistiku je podmíněn souhlasem vyučujícího.
    Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
    The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
    • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
    • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/RLBcA013