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Module Specifications

Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title Research Methods
Module Code MPA1093
Faculty Humanities & Social Sciences School Theology, Philosophy & Music
NFQ level 9 Credit Rating 10
Description

This module introduces students to a range of discipline-specific and cross-disciplinary research methods, tools and best practices used in generating knowledge in music, sound, culture and media in the twenty-first century. Students will consider the importance of research design including establishing effective research questions, choosing an appropriate methodological frame, searching for and critically evaluating literature. Through participating in a series of research seminars and engaging with case studies, students will gain knowledge and skills in data gathering, evaluation and analysis, and ethical practices, in addition to developing their own critical and philosophical perspectives on the application of research methodologies to musical, sound, cultural and media contexts.

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of a range of methodological approaches to research and practice in the disciplines of music, sound, culture and media
2. Apply qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method approaches and tools to research in and across these disciplines in an ethically-informed manner
3. Interpret and analyse information from primary and secondary sources and articulate points of view from critical readings
4. Appraise the application of research methods in existing studies and practice
5. Critically evaluate the findings of existing research based on the methodological approach employed and within the context of best practice
6. Construct appropriate research questions and design a suitable research strategy in addressing them


WorkloadFull time hours per semester
TypeHoursDescription
Lectures/Seminars22Online Sessions
Fieldwork100Assigned Readings & Independent Study
Assignment Completion45Project Proposal
Assignment Completion83Research Design Project
Total Workload: 250
Section Breakdown
CRN11918Part of TermSemester 1
Coursework100%Examination Weight0%
Grade Scale40PASSPass Both ElementsN
Resit CategoryRC1Best MarkN
Module Co-ordinatorModule Teacher
Assessment Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
PresentationProject proposal presentation30%n/a
ProjectResearch Design Project70%n/a
Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories;
RC1: A resit is available for both* components of the module.
RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module.
RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element.

* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite None
Co-requisite None
Compatibles None
Incompatibles None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

What is Research?
What is research design? Establishing research questions Library Induction Searching and evaluating literature

Ethical Research Practice
Introduction to theoretical and applied ethics

Artificial Intelligence
Friend or foe in Research?

Analysis of Audiovisual Texts
Working with multimodality Content analysis

Archival Research
Working with cultural artifacts Digital Humanities

Ethnography
Web ethnography

Practice-based research
Audio production and sound design as inquiry Reflective practice and autoethnography

Mixed Methods Research
Applied, public and engaged research

Popular Music and Sound Studies
Analysing popular music and culture

Analysing Fixed Media
Visualisation of sound Listening to sound and acoustic ecologies Intertextual and intermedial analysis

Indicative Reading List

Books:
  • Allen, M. (Ed.): 2017, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods, SAGE, London,
  • Armstrong, P., & Lowndes, R.: 2018, Creative Teamwork Developing Rapid, Site-Switching Ethnography, Oxford University Press, Oxford,
  • Beard, D., & Gloag, K.: 2004, Musicology: The key concepts, Routledge, London,
  • Bennett, A., & Waksman, S. (Eds.): 2014, The SAGE Handbook of Popular Music, SAGE, London,
  • Berger, A.A.: 2011, Media and Communication Research Methods: An introduction to qualitative and quantitative approaches, SAGE, California,
  • Bijsterveld, K.: 2016, Ethnography and Archival Research in Studying Cultures of Sound. In Sound as Popular Culture: A research companion, The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA,
  • Bickman, L., & Rog, D.J. (Eds.): 2008, The SAGE Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods, SAGE, London,
  • Bolt, B., & Barrett, E.: 2010, Practice as Research: Approaches to creative arts enquiry, I.B. Tauris, New York,
  • Clarke, E., & Cook, N. (Eds.): 2004, Empirical Musicology: Aims, methods, prospects, Oxford University Press, Oxford,
  • Cogan, R.: 1984, New Images of Musical Sound, Harvard University Press, Harvard,
  • Creswell, J.W., & Poth, C.N.: 2016, Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing among five approaches, SAGE, London,
  • Cyr, J., & Goodman, S.W.: 2024, Doing Good Qualitative Research, Oxford University Press, Oxford,
  • Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (: 2017, The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research, SAGE, London,
  • Dignam, B.: 2023, Visualising Vocal Sound Using Spectrogram Technology. In PRESTO - Practices and Resources for Equipping Schools to Teach Music Online, Kodaly Hub: https://kodalyhub.com/presto, Budapest,
  • Elliott, A.: 2021, Contemporary Social Theory: An introduction., Routledge, London,
  • Fielding, N.G., Blank, G., & Lee, R.M.: 2017, The SAGE Handbook of Online Research Methods, SAGE, London,
  • Hanninen, D.A.: 2019, Images, Visualization, and Representation. In The Oxford Handbook of Critical Concepts in Music Theory, Oxford University Press, Oxford,
  • Kostka, V., de Castro, P.F., & Everett, W.A. (Eds.): 2021, Intertextuality in Music: Dialogic composition, Routledge, London,
  • Kramer, D.: 2016, Postmodern Listening. In Postmodern Music, Postmodern Listening :115-150, Bloomsbury Academic, London,
  • Krüger, S.: 2009, Ethnography in the Performing Arts: A Student Guide. Available at: https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/543/1/ Book_Ethnography-in-the-Performing-Arts-A-Student-Guide.pdf, John Moores University, Liverpool,
  • Landy, L.: 2007, Understanding the Art of Sound Organization, The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA,
  • Leavy, P.: 2020, Method Meets Art: Arts-based research practice, Guilford Publications, New York,
  • Licata, T. (Ed.): 2002, Electroacoustic Music: Analytical perspectives, Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut,
  • Lincoln, Y.S., & Guba, E.G.: 1994, Naturalistic Inquiry, SAGE, California,
  • Moore, N., Salter, A., Stanley, L., & Tamboukou, M.: 2016, The Archive Project: Archival research in the social sciences, Routledge, London,
  • Patten, M.L.: 2016, Understanding Research Methods: An overview of the essentials, Routledge, London,
  • Pelto, P.J.: 2016, Understanding Research Methods: An overview of the essentials, Routledge, London,
  • Smith, H., Dean, R.T.: 2009, Practice-led Research, Research-led Practice in the Creative Arts, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh,
  • Sterne, J. (Ed.): 2012, The Sound Studies Reader, Routledge, London,
  • Stewart, R.: 2023, How to Do Research and How to Be a Researcher, Oxford University Press, Oxford,
  • Walliman, N.: 2022, Research Methods: The basics, Routledge, Oxon,


Articles:
  • Barber, John F.: 2016, Digital Storytelling: New opportunities for humanities scholarship and pedagogy, Cogent Arts & Humanities, 3(1), 1181037, 0
  • 2003: Displaced Soundscapes: A survey of network systems for music and sonic art creation, Leonardo Music Journal, 13: 53-59, 0, 1
  • Ethical Issues and Best Practice Considerations for Internet Research: Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 97(3): 34-39, 0, 1, Nowak, A.
  • Lithuanian Musicology: 23, 46-54, 0, 1, Nowak, R., & Bennett, A., 2014
  • 8(4): 426-4, 0, 1, Rauh, A., 2020, Review of The Cambridge Companion to Music in Digital Culture
  • 0: 1, Roberts, L., 2015, Navigating the ‘archive city’: Digital spatial humanities and archival film practice, Convergence, 21(1): 100-115,
  • 1: Skains, R.L., 2018, Creative Practice as Research: Discourse on methodology, Media Practice and Education, 19(1): 82-97,
  • Smalley, D.: 1997, Spectromorphology: Explaining sound-shapes, Organised Sound, 2(2): 107-126,
Other Resources

  • 2: Website, SAGE Journals Online, Action Research Journal, SAGE
  • 0: 2, Website, Taylor & Francis Online, Communication Research and Practice,
  • https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rcrp20: 1, Website, SAGE Journals Online, Ethnography Journal
  • SAGE: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/eth, 2, Website, Taylor & Francis Online, 0
  • Taylor & Francis: https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/tsrm20, 2, Website, Taylor & Francis Online, 0
  • Taylor & Francis: https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rjic20, 1, Website, SAGE Journals Online, 0
  • SAGE: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/rea, 2, Website, SAGE Journals Online, 0
  • SAGE: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/smr, 1, Website, Cannam, C., Landone, C., & Sandler, M., 2010
  • https://www.sonicvisualiser.org/sv2010.pdf:

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