Social Science Methods
Short description
This research seminar series focuses on methodological approaches in the social sciences, with a particular emphasis on methods that are less commonly used or that cut across disciplinary traditions.
About the seminar series
Each seminar is devoted to a single method, where the presenter shares experiences of applying it in practice, reflects on its strengths and potential applications, and discusses its limitations and challenges. The point of departure for the seminar can be a published paper, an ongoing project, or a more speculative exploration.
The aim of the series is to foster methodological exchange across subject areas and to stimulate critical engagement with approaches that bridge or transcend conventional divides between qualitative and quantitative research. By engaging with alternative ways of doing research, the seminar offers a space for critical reflection, inspiration, and methodological innovation.
When and where
Unless otherwise noted, all seminars will be held in room F417, Skanstorget 18, at 13:00-14:30.
Seminars will be held in English unless otherwise noted.
Papers are distributed latest one week in advance if not otherwise noted.
Upcoming seminars
Monday 17 November
Title: Computational methods to investigate the relationship between texts, visuals and sound
Where: Stora skansen
This seminar demonstrates how computational methods can be used in the social sciences to investigate the relationship between text, visuals, and sound. This will provide an introduction to researchers wanting to incorporate these types of methods in their work. This is a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative methods, with a broad appeal to researchers across the research spectrum.
This will be illustrated using a study that examines climate misinformation on TikTok. While most computational studies focus solely on text, this approach not only incorporates visuals but also music, a modality that is central but often overlooked on “sound-on” platforms like TikTok. By integrating AI models for text (Sentence-BERT), visuals (CLIP), and audio (OpenL3) within BERTopic, the study analyzes over 7,600 TikToks and uncovers 27 cross-modal topics. The analysis reveals how conspiratorial narratives are constructed across captions, imagery, and music, providing a broad view of misinformation dynamics on short-form video platforms.
Victoria Vallström is a PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Gothenburg. With a background in computer science, she combines technical expertise with sociological research. Her dissertation focuses on climate misinformation on social media, particularly multimodal climate obstruction narratives on short-form video platforms like TikTok.
Monday 24 November
Title: AI-Driven Qualitative Research: Critical Reflections Inspired by MAXQDA
Presenter: Piotr Binder
Where: E202
When: 13.15-15.00
This presentation uses the example of MAXQDA’s AI-driven features—both the desktop-based AI Assist and the web-based Tailwind—to critically reflect on how emerging digital tools are reshaping qualitative analysis. Rather than focusing on software use per se, the talk examines how functions such as AI-supported summarization, automated coding, and code suggestion challenge long-standing methodological principles, particularly those emphasising immersion, close reading, and researcher-led interpretation. By highlighting both the opportunities and tensions introduced by these tools, the session aims to open a broader conversation about the implications of AI-assisted analysis for the rigor, ethics, and everyday practice of qualitative research in the social sciences.
The seminar will be held in English.