Wk3: Scientific Method

Summarize and discuss the scientific method. How applicable is it to homeland security research? What kinds of topics does homeland security need to address? Choose one topic within homeland security to research. Choose from: Business security, criminal justice, emergency management, public health, transportation security, counterterrorism, cyber-crime, intelligence studies, and federal or local law enforcement. Describe its importance using facts from topical sources and interesting ideas from peer reviewed sources. List at least three research questions about homeland security that you could answer using the scientific method as described in this week’s readings. Try out both descriptive questions (WHAT or HOW) and explanatory questions (WHY or WHEN). See which you like better. Start with a very broad question. Consider how to make it more answerable. Propose a slightly narrower question. Consider what data could be used to answer it. Finally, list at least one very narrow explanatory question. In your replies to your classmates, discuss the feasibility of answering these questions using the scientific method. Using References three below: Comte, A. (1988). Introduction to positive philosophy (F. Ferre, trans.). Hackett Publishing Company (Original work published 1842). Dawes, G. W. (2023). Ancient and medieval empiricism. In E. N. Zalta & U. Nodelman (Eds.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Dowding, K., & Miller, C. (2019). On prediction in political science. European Journal of Political Research, 58(3). The Forecasting Collaborative. (2023). Insights into the accuracy of social scientists forecasts of societal change. Natural Human Behavior, 7. Fraser, J. (2017). Theres no such thing as proof. Forbes. Friesen, B. (2017). What is epistemology? [Video]. Sage Research Methods. Gower, B. (1996). Scientific method: A historical and philosophical introduction. Routledge. Handy, R., & Kurtz, P. (1963, December). A current appraisal of the behavioral sciences: Chapter V: Political science. American Behavioral Scientist, 7, 5768. Hollis, M., & Smith, S. (1990). Explaining and understanding international relations. Clarendon Press. Hollis, S. (2024, March). Contingency, crises, and disasters: Broadening the research agenda. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 31(1). Jacquette, D. (2002). Ontology. McGill-Queen’s University Press. Mertens, D. (2017). Introduction to the transformative paradigm [Video]. Sage Research Methods. Newton, J. (2006). The Sage dictionary of social research methods. Sage Publishing. Powner, L. C. (2014). Empirical research and writing: A political science students practical guide. CQ Press. Punch, K. (2016). Developing effective research proposals (3rd ed.). Sage Publications. Ryan, G. (2018). Introduction to positivism, interpretivism and critical theory. Nurse Researcher, 25(4). Schwandt, T. (2000). Three epistemological stances for qualitative inquiry: Interpretivism, hermeneutics, and social constructionism. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 189213). Sage Publications. Schwartz-Shea, P., & Yanow., D. (2002). Reading methods texts: How research methods texts construct political science. Political Research Quarterly, 55(2). Shermer, M., Hall, H., Pierrehumbert, R., Offit, P., & Shostak, S. (2016, November 1). These truths are not self-evident but theyve been firmly established over and over by scientific research. Scientific American. Small, M. J., Guvenc, U., & DeKay, M. L. (2014). When can scientific studies promote consensus among conflicting stakeholders? Risk Analysis, 34(11). Sousa-Poza, A., & Siangchokyoo, N. (2012, October). Research methodologies: A look at the underlying philosophical foundations of research [Presentation]. International Annual Conference of the American Society for Engineering Management, Virginia Beach, VA. Stanley, L. (2012). Rethinking the definition and role of ontology in political science. Politics, 32(2). Troy, J. (2021). The realist science of politics: The art of understanding political practice. European Journal of International Relations, 27(4). Williams, M., Wiggins, R., & Vogt, P. (2022). Starting with the basics: From research problem to variables. In M. Williams,R. Wiggins, & P. Vogt (Eds.). Beginning quantitative research. Sage Publications.