58勛圖

IR5852 Research Methods for Terrorism and Extremism

Academic year

2026 to 2027 Semester 2

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

15

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 11

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Availability restrictions

Available to students studying the online MLitt in Terrorism, Extremism and Political Violence

Module coordinator

Dr D Muro

Dr D Muro
This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module Staff

Dr Diego Muro

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

This module provides an advanced introduction to social science research methods tailored to the study of terrorism and extremism. It guides students through the full research cycle: formulating and refining research questions, conducting literature reviews, developing concepts and hypotheses, and choosing appropriate qualitative and quantitative designs (e.g. interviews, surveys, documentary and data analysis). Attention is paid to ethics, access and security in high-risk research environments, as well as issues of validity, reliability and research communication. Through practical exercises and critical engagement with cutting-edge scholarship, students learn to evaluate data sources, reflect on positionality and bias, and translate methodological debates into concrete research choices. By the end of the module students will be able to design a rigorous, ethically sound project that can underpin their MLitt dissertation or future professional research.

Assessment pattern

Coursework = 100%

Re-assessment

Coursework = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

No fixed weekly contact hours but asynchronous teaching.

Scheduled learning hours

6

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

138

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.

Intended learning outcomes

  • Critically evaluate the main research designs and methodological debates in terrorism and extremism studies, assessing their strengths, limitations and underlying assumptions.
  • Formulate clear, researchable questions and hypotheses on terrorism- and extremism-related topics, operationalise key concepts, and justify case selection and overall research design.
  • Apply appropriate qualitative methods (e.g. interviews, documentary and textual analysis) to high-risk or sensitive settings, reflecting on issues of access, sampling, trust, and researcher safety.
  • Interpret and assess quantitative evidence from surveys and existing datasets, demonstrating an understanding of sampling, measurement, basic descriptive statistics, and common sources of bias.
  • Communicate complex arguments and policy implications clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences via written formats, demonstrating ethical awareness and critical judgment.