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Research Methods in English Studies

Code: 45345 ECTS Credits: 5
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
English Studies: Linguistic, Literary and Sociocultural Perspectives OB 1

Contact

Name:
Maria Rosa Garrido Sarda
Email:
mariarosa.garrido@uab.cat

Teachers

Adriana Soto Corominas
Francesca Blanch Serrat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course. 


Objectives and Contextualisation

  • Compare and contrast different approaches and data collection methods in English Studies.
  • Provide students with key methodological and analytical tools needed to carry out linguistic research at MA level.
  • Understand the principles and practices of linguistic ethnography, experimental linguistics and textual/archival analysis. 
  • Design a study in English linguistics and English literature, taking into account ethical, practical and scientific considerations. 
  • Familiarise students with data collection methods in linguistics.
  • Use textual analysis strategies for different literary genres. 

Learning Outcomes

  1. CA01 (Competence) Develop research projects in the field of English Studies that involve the formulation of questions and/or hypotheses, data collation and their preliminary analysis.
  2. CA02 (Competence) Identify whether there is a gender bias in a research project and set out potential measures to correct this.
  3. CA03 (Competence) Use digital tools for the exploitation of linguistic, literary, and cultural primary sources in the English language.
  4. KA01 (Knowledge) Identify the main differences between the different research paradigms in the field of English language, literature, and cultural studies.
  5. KA02 (Knowledge) Recognise the specific characteristics of academic writing in quantitative/experimental, qualitative/ethnographic linguistic approaches and in literary and cultural analysis.
  6. SA01 (Skill) Conduct statistical and interpretative analyses of distinct types of linguistic, literary, and cultural data.
  7. SA02 (Skill) Critically evaluate the design of the research, the processes for the selection of informants and linguistic, literary, and cultural data collection techniques based on the principles of research ethics.
  8. SA03 (Skill) Apply the principles of text analysis to the interpretation of the various literary genres.
  9. SA04 (Skill) Formulate research questions and hypotheses suitable for research into the English language that are both qualitative and quantitative.
  10. SA05 (Skill) Codify and analyse linguistic and literary data with the help of specific IT programs.

Content

Timetable: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00-11:30

 

Qualitative methods (30th September-16th October 2025)

Dr. Maria Rosa Garrido Sardà

1. Introduction to qualitative methods

2. Research design and ethics

3. Data collection methods

 

Literary Methods (21st October-13th November 2025)

Dr. Francesca Blanch Serrat

1. Introduction to Archival Research

2. Searching for Sources

3. Descriptive Bibliography

4. Textual and Critical Analysis

 

Quantitative methods (2nd-18th December 2025)

Dr. Adriana Soto Corominas

1. Introduction to quantitative methods

2. Research design

3. Data collection

4. Data analysis


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Class discussion 6.25 0.25
Lecture 18.75 0.75
Practical exercises 6.25 0.25
Type: Supervised      
Data collection and treatment 20 0.8
Tutorials 5 0.2
Type: Autonomous      
Portfolio and exam preparation 48.75 1.95
Preparatory reading 20 0.8

Theoretical sessions to introduce concepts and explain processes.

Practical exercises in class.

Class discussion of assigned readings and data collection exercises.

Data collection, processing and analysis.

Tutorials.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Literary methods: Portfolio 40% 0 0 CA03, KA01, KA02, SA01, SA03, SA05
Qualitative methods: Portfolio 30% 0 0 CA01, CA02, KA01, KA02, SA02, SA04
Quantitative methods: Exam 15% 0 0 CA03, KA01, KA02, SA01, SA04, SA05
Quantitative methods: Portfolio 15% 0 0 CA01, CA03, KA01, KA02, SA01, SA02, SA04, SA05

The course mark will be obtained by averaging out the mark for quantitative methods (30%), qualitative methods (30%) and literary methods (40%).

The evaluation items are the following:

Quantitative methods: Exam (15%) and Portfolio (15%). 

Qualitative methods: Portfolio (30%).

Literary methods: Portfolio (40%). 

 

Procedure for reviewing grades awarded: On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

Reassessment: In order to pass the course, students must obtain an average of 5/10. The course average will only be calculated if the mark for each assessment item is at least 3.5/10. Students will be able to retake/rewrite failed items as long as the average mark for the course is equal to or above 3.5/10. The maximum mark for any reeassessed item is 6/10.  

Students will receive a "no-avaluable" ('non-assessed') grade if they fail to submit more than 30% of all assessment activities. 

Students are required to employ non-sexist language in their written and oral productions. For guidelines on how to do this, they are advised to check thewebsite of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA): https://www.linguisticsociety.org/resource/lsa-guidelines-nonsexist-usage. Appropriate use of language will be part of the assessment criteria.

 
VERY IMPORTANT - PLAGIARISM. In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place.
 
In the event of several irregularitiesin assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject. Irregularities refer, for instance, to copying in an exam, copying from sources without indicating authorship, or a misuse of AI such as presenting work as original that has been generated by an AI tool or programme. These evaluation activities will not be re-assessed.

AI USE POLICY: This subject entirely prohibits the use of AI technologies in all of its activities. Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade will be awarded a 0 without the possibility of reassessment. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken. 

Students are required to employ gender inclusive language in their written and oral productions. For guidelines on how to do this, they are advised to check the website of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA): https://www.linguisticsociety.org/resource/guidelines-inclusive-language. Appropriate use of language will be part of the assessment criteria. 

 
Single-assessment option: This module does not incorporate the single-assessment option. 
 

Bibliography

Qualitative Methods 

Block, David (2024). Interviews in Applied Linguistics: Autobiographical Reflections on Research Processes. Routledge.

Blommaert, Jan & Dong Jie (2010) Ethnographic Fieldwork: A Beginner’s Guide. Multilingual Matters.

Boellstorff, Tom, Nardi, Bonnie, Pearce, Celia, and Taylor, T.L. (2012). Ethnography and virtual worlds: A handbook of method. Princeton University Press

Briggs, Charles L. (1986). Learning how to ask: A sociolinguistic appraisal of the role of the interview in social science research. Cambridge University Press.

Bucholtz, Mary (2000) The politics of transcription. Journal of Pragmatics, 32, 1439-1465.

Cameron, Deborah (2001). Working with spoken discourse. Sage

D’Arcy, Alexandra and Young, Taylor Marie (2012). Ethics and social media: Implications for sociolinguistics in the networked public. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 16(4), 532-546.

Heller, Monica, Pietikäinen, Sari. & Joan Pujolar (2018) Critical Sociolinguistic Research Methods. Routledge. 

Mason, Jennifer (2017) [3rd Ed.] Qualitative Researching. Sage.

Sanjek, Roger (1990). A Vocabulary of Fieldnotes. In Roger Sanjek (Ed.) Fieldnotes: The Makings of Anthropology (pp. 92-138). Cornell University Press.

Talmy, Steven (2010). Qualitative interviews in applied linguistics: From research instrument to social practice. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 30(1), 128-148.

Tusting, Karin (Ed.) (2019). The Routledge Handbook of Linguistic Ethnography. Routledge.

Wei, Li and Melissa G. Moyer (Eds.) (2008). The Blackwell Guide to Research Methods in Bilingualism and Multilingualism. Blackwell.

 

Quantitative methods 

Hakemulder, Frank, van Peer, Willie, & Zyngier, Sonia. (2014). Muses and measures: Empirical researchmethods for the humanities. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
 
Levshina, Natalia. (2015). How to do linguistics with R. John Benjamins
 
Podesva, Robert J., & Sharma, Devyani. (Eds.). (2014). Research methods in linguistics. Cambridge University Press.
 
 
 
Literary Methods
 
Bod, Rens, Jaap Maat and Thijs Weststeijn. (2010). The Making of the Humanities, Vol. I and II. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.
 
Bowers, Fredson. (2023). Principles of Bibliographical Description. Winchester and New Castle, Delaware: St Paul's Bibliographies, Oak Knoll Press, The Bibliographical Society of the University of Virginia.
 
Chadwick, T., & Vermeulen, P. (2020). "Literature in the New Archival Landscape", Lit: Literature Interpretation Theory, 31(1), 1–7. 
 
Driscoll, Matthew James and Elena Pierazzo. (2016). Digital Scholarly Editing. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers. 
 
Eve, Martin Paul. (2022). The Digital Humanities and Literary Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 
 
Fraistat, Neil and Julia Flanders, eds. (2013). The Cambridge Companion to Textual Scholarship. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
 
Greetham, D. C. (1994). Textual Scholarship: An Introduction. New York, London: Routledge. 
 
Kusch, Celena. Literary Analysis: The Basics. (2016). New York, London: Routledge. 

 

 


Software

Students are not expected to download any software prior to the start of the course. Instructions will be provided on how and when to install the required software during the semester. 
 

Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(TEm) Theory (master) 1 English first semester morning-mixed