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Research and Information Criticality - MAN00019C

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  • Department: The York Management School
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: C
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25

Module summary

This module will guide students into becoming more sophisticated consumers of numerical, textual and visual information. Students will inspect case studies in the form of multiple media such as text, imagery and film and analyse how our perceptions of data can be misled, including but not limited to the narrative of statements and presentation of graphs.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2024-25

Module aims

This module will guide students into becoming more sophisticated consumers of numerical, textual and visual information. Students will inspect case studies in the form of multiple media such as text, imagery and film and analyse how our perceptions of data can be misled, including but not limited to the narrative of statements and presentation of graphs.

Module learning outcomes

  • Manage business, management and organisational information by using suitable methods to collect, collate and evaluate relevant data sources.

  • Understand empirical problems and analyse real world scenarios, linking method to practice.

  • Critically evaluate the quality of numerical, textual and visual evidence, and identify gaps and inadequacies to overcome ambiguity.

  • Understand the application of qualitative and quantitative data, and recognise how an understanding of one enriches the understanding of the other.

  • Be able to look for and integrate other sources of data on the same topic to achieve a more rounded interpretation than the original story.

  • Understand the ethical dimensions of data and be able to put into practice ethical behaviour in conducting, analysing and producing accounts of useful and ethically responsible research.

Module content

During workshops, students will assess a variety of research sources to look at at what the intended “take away” message is, how the actual discussion matches to that message, and how our perceptions around the facts can be manipulated through conflation of terms, subtle rewordings of statements, the construction of narrative, imagery presented, misleading graphs and other such techniques.

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Module feedback

Feedback will be given in accordance with the University Policy on feedback in the Guide to Assessment as well as in line with the School policy.

Indicative reading

Blastland M. and Dilnot, A. (2008). The Tiger That Isn’t. London: Profile Books.

Huff, D. (1954). How to Lie with Statistics. London: Penguin Books.

A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Management Research -

https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/a-very-short-fairly-interesting-and-reasonably-cheap-book-about-management-research/book236749#contents

Management and Business Research -

https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/management-and-business-research/book243175#contents


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.