Scientific Methods for the Humanities

Here is a much needed introductory textbook on empirical research methods for the Humanities. Especially aimed at students and scholars of Literature, Applied Linguistics, and Film and Media, it stimulates readers to reflect on the problems and possibilities of testing the empirical assumptions and offers hands-on learning opportunities to develop empirical studies. It explains a wide range of methods, from interviews to observation research, and guides readers through the choices researchers have to make. It discusses the essence of experiments, illustrates how studies are designed, how to develop questionnaires, and helps readers to collect and analyze data by themselves. The book presents qualitative approaches to research but focuses mostly on quantitative methods, detailing the workings of basic statistics. At the end, the book also shows how to give papers at international conferences, how to draft a report, and what is involved in the preparation of a publishable article.

Keith Oatley, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto:
The idea that there is an impenetrable divide between science and the arts is happily dying. In its place the authors have written this valuable book, which is equally open to scientists and artists. It shows how empirical methods can be used not just to analyze, but to illuminate works of literature and the other arts. Wonderfully thoughtful and helpfully instructive, this will become the preferred book for everyone who wants to approach the arts in a spirit of inquiry.