In this module, you’ll take a journey across the social research process, exploring what social research is, how it’s conducted, and why it’s important. Social research forms a crucial part of efforts to shape and improve societies, and you’ll consider the many different ways that social researchers use their research to make a difference. You’ll also learn about gender, race and social class, which are core themes. The module has been designed to leave you feeling curious, inspired, and empowered to think critically about the process of producing knowledge about the social world.
What you will study
This module is divided into the following four blocks of study:
In Block 1, you’ll begin with an overview of the social research process, exploring what social research is, how it is conducted, and why it is important. You’ll consider important issues, including the factors that drive decisions about what social research receives funding and what doesn’t, how personal and political values might influence social research projects, and who benefits from social research and who doesn’t.
In Block 2, you’ll examine the early stages of the social research process, which involves a researcher’s choice of topic, research questions, aims and objectives. You’ll think carefully about how these choices connect with other important decisions during the planning phase of social research, including decisions around research design. You’ll move on to study a number of different research methods and approaches for generating or collecting data, including ethnography, focus groups, interviews, visual and online methods, questionnaires, and participatory action research.
In Block 3, your attention will shift from data collection to data analysis. You’ll consider various techniques that social researchers use to analyse their data, whether that’s data in quantitative (numeric) form or qualitative (non-numeric) form, such as text, images and sounds. You’ll also think critically about what different types of data can and can’t reveal about the social world.
In Block 4, you’ll explore what social researchers do in the latter stages of social research. You’ll learn about the different ways in which researchers write up and present their research, such as through the production of books, journal articles, blogs, podcasts, radio interviews and much more. You’ll be introduced to the topic of research ethics, considering what makes a research project ethical or unethical. Finally, you’ll explore the many different ways that social researchers attempt to use their research to make a difference in the world around them.
Along the way, you’ll also learn about gender, race and social class, as these are core themes that help to structure content throughout the module
Entry requirements
As this is an OU level 2 module, it would be an advantage if you have completed an OU level 1 module in social science as a solid foundation.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
marking your assignments and offering detailed feedback to help you improve
providing individual guidance, whether that’s for general study skills or specific module content
guiding you to additional learning resources
facilitating online discussions between your fellow students in the dedicated forums.
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Assessment
Course work includes:
4 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs)
1 Interactive computer-marked assignment (iCMA)
End-of-module assessment
What's included
You’ll be provided with two core textbooks that take you through the social research process from beginning to end. You'll also have access to a module website, which includes:
a week-by-week study planner
module materials
audio interviews and video recordings
interactive activities
an assessment guide
access to online tutorials and forums.
Computing requirements
Primary device – A desktop or laptop computer with at least 8 GB of RAM and a quad-core processor (2.4 GHz minimum speed). It’s possible to access some materials on a mobile phone, tablet or Chromebook; however, they will not be suitable as your primary device.
Peripheral device – Headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone for online tutorials.
Operating systems – Windows 11 or the latest supported macOS.
Internet access – Broadband or mobile connection.
Browser – Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are recommended; Mozilla Firefox and Safari may be suitable.
Our OU Study app operates on supported versions of Android and iOS.
Software – Any additional software will be provided or is generally available for free.
If you have a disability
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying DD215 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.
Future availability
Social research: crime, justice and society starts once a year – in October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2027.
We expect it to start for the last time in October 2032.