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ICES training: Social science methods for natural scientists

ICES is hosting a training course on social science methods for natural scientists.

​Research projects are increasingly interdisciplinary enterprises often with a strong emphasis on stakeholder participation and engagement. As a result natural scientists are being called upon to engage with a broader set of scientific and societal stakeholders and operate in new and challenging environments. In this changing professional context, gaining appropriate research skills is becoming a necessity.

What this means in practice is finding new ways to collaborate, communicate, and engage with stakeholders (in our case fishers), managers and policy makers to broaden the knowledge base and increase the policy relevance of our work. As a result there is a need for targeted training in social science research methods for natural scientists.

By way of professional introduction to the topic, this course will provide ‘hands on’ guidance on the basics required to navigate this challenging landscape. Employing a participant-led ‘learning by doing’ approach the facilitators will guide the participants step by step through the basics of social science methods such as interviewing, participant observation, mapping etc., in a supportive and interactive process designed to develop confidence and capacities.

Application deadline: 1 September 2015
Published on April 14, 2015