Research is an activity through which we confront our thinking about the world with evidence gathered through the systematic consideration of people, things, and/or events. While there are many strategies for pursuing rigorous research, the central emphasis will be on conventional social science data collection techniques, specifically observation, interviews and questionnaires. These techniques are effective building blocks for many useful forms of research. Students will learn about forming researchable questions; identifying, designing and implementing appropriate data collections strategies to answer those questions; and basic data analysis and presentation skills. Particular emphasis will be given to ethics, the positionality of the researcher, power relations and cultural difference. Class time will be largely hands on, with students engaging each other and the professor to explore how to apply lessons from course readings to practical situations. Students will design and conduct research projects that include the collection of observational, interview and survey data leading to the crafting of a project report. The course requires significant out-of-class work time, in particular during the data collection phase of the research project.