Qualitative Methods

This course is designed as an introductory doctoral seminar to the qualitative research process. We will examine the family of research strategies that fall under the rubric of qualitative inquiry (such as auto-ethnography, ethnography, narrative analysis, text or discourse analysis, visual analysis, case study, grounded theory, oral/life history, focus groups, phenomenology, symbolic interactionism, participatory action research, etc.). Course topics include: the role of qualitative research in social work and applied domains, critical examination of the ontological, epistemological and theoretical underpinnings of qualitative approaches, framing qualitative research questions, positionality and the role of the researcher, ethical and political issues unique to qualitative work, research design (we will select one or two for in-depth coverage), collecting and managing non-numeric empirical evidence, approaches to analysis, computer assisted software, issues in writing up qualitative studies, finding scholarly publication and conference outlets for qualitative work and criteria for assessing the quality of qualitative studies. Student projects will include work with the three primary sources of empirical evidence in qualitative designs: interviews, observations, and documents (or other social artifacts). Throughout the term particular emphasis will be placed on meaning-making, perception, and stand-point in knowledge creation and development.