Research Fields I — Syllabus

Department of Political Science

Fall 2026 · 7.5 credits

Teacher: Sirus Dehdari — sirus.dehdari@statsvet.su.se

Content

The course aims to (i) deepen students’ understanding of what constitutes a research field in the social sciences, with a specific focus on political science; (ii) discuss strategies for systematically reading and delineating a field; and (iii) build skills in identifying relevant literature.

The course also discusses the purpose of writing a “previous research” or “state of the art” section in academic texts, and how the practice of reviewing literature relates to the broader research process and research design.

The course is a first step toward writing the research review relevant to your dissertation project, continued in Research Fields II.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

  • Identify and delineate a research field relevant to their own doctoral project
  • Formulate the central debates, fault lines, and open questions within that field
  • Distinguish between literature that informs theoretical expectations and literature that reports previous findings
  • Assess whether a research gap is genuinely worth pursuing
  • Produce an annotated bibliography that could seed a full literature review

Examination

The course is examined through:

  • Active participation in seminars and discussions
  • A reading list on a selected research field, comprising approximately 700 pages
  • A written annotated bibliography on the selected research field
  • An oral presentation of the selected research field

Schedule

Seminar 1 — Course introduction: what is a research field, how do you find one, and why does it matter? Guidelines for the annotated bibliography. Wednesday October 7, 9:45 - 11:45 (F702)

Seminar 2 — How research fields are outlined and presented in practice: discussion of two recent department dissertations, with a guest discussion with a recently graduated PhD about situating their project in a particular research field. Friday October 16, 13:00 - 15:00 (F702)

Seminar 3 — Feedback and discussion on drafts of annotated bibliographies. Friday October 23, 13:00 - 15:00 (F702)

Individual meetings with faculty members to discuss reading lists and add readings (scheduled between Seminars 3 and 4).

Seminar 4 — Presentation and discussion of final annotated bibliographies. Tuesday November 3, 13:00 - 15:00 (F702)

Deadline for circulating final annotated bibliographies: Date TBD