Social Science Mechanics: A Graduate Training Module that "Looks Under the Hood" at Innovative Research Designs

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss an attempt to address a gap in graduate-level pedagogy, with an approach rooted in retrospective assessment of a major research piece. In a series of talks, scholars reflect on how articles or books were originally framed, the trade-offs that were necessary to push the investigation along, the methodological challenges and non-findings that had to be faced – but may not have been published – and the evolution of the piece as it went through the stages of peer review. This approach to exposing graduate students to the entirety of the research process is termed Social Science Mechanics: A Look under the Hood at Innovative Research Designs. Using survey data, we find that students and faculty are highly interested and benefit from such an approach.