Research Methods in Politics — DU B.A. (Prog) with Political Science as Major Discipline Previous Year Question Papers

1. What is political enquiry? What role does objectivity and interpretation play in political analysis and research? 2. Analyse the epistemological differences between Quantitative and Qualitative approaches in social science research. Which approach, in your opinion, provides a more comprehensive understanding of political phenomena? 3. Explain the essential steps involved in formulating a research problem. How does a well-structured research design contribute to the success of a political inquiry? Examine the importance of a Review of Literature in conceptualizing research. 5. Analyse the Empirical method in the study of politics with specific reference to 6. "Discourse analysis is not just about words but about the power dynamics they represent." Critically examine this statement. 7. Discuss the 'History of Ideas' as a methodology. Evaluate Quentin Skinner's contribution to understanding meaning and context in intellectual history. 8. Discuss the elements of ethnographic research. Outline the contributions of ethnography in enriching political science research. 9. Critically examine the ethical considerations in social science research. Discuss the importance of avoiding plagiarism and publication misconduct in academic writing. 10. Write short notes on any two of the following: Formulating a hypothesis C. Importance of citation and sources d. Identification of research gap