In a 'post-truth' world, how do know what knowledge we can trust? And why do academic research articles often seem so overly technical, and sometimes even quite boring to read? This subject introduces students to research methods in criminology. It explores how to critically read academic research papers, and how to design a research project and write a research proposal. It shows how different approaches to research design lead to different kinds of knowledge, and how theoretical frameworks are linked to research methods. A key issue is how the choice of research method is both influenced by underlying assumptions about truth and knowledge, and how this shapes academic disciplines by determining what kinds of research design are acceptable in given fields. Here we explore the underlying differences between qualitative and quantitative approaches research, showing the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. We then explore several qualitative approaches in more depth, and students have an opportunity to create their own original research proposal, selecting a question of interest and developing an appropriate research design for answering it.

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