Qualitative Inquiry in Everyday Life

Course goals

After completing this course students are able to: Understand and explain the principles of qualitative research methods; (a) Outline and (b) apply a qualitative social research strategy; Critically evaluate the suitability of a range of qualitative data collection methods for use with different research questions; Understand and apply the key elements of quality assessment in qualitative social research methods; Select and employ appropriate forms of analysis of different kinds of qualitative data; (a) Design and (b) conduct a small-scale qualitative research project; Report research findings in different formats.

Relationship between assessment and learning goals:
In this course, students are assessed 4 times:

1. Assignment 1: Continuous Assessment through a select number of reading notes. This tests the ability to understand and explain qualitative research methods (1), Outline qualitative research strategy (2a).
2. Assignment 2: fieldnote based on joint visit in the city of Utrecht (4) (5)
3. Assignment 3: this tests the ability to apply theoretical knowledge in practice by designing and implementing a research project (3) (4) (5) (6 (a)) and going out into the field (course goals 2(b) and 6(b)).
4. Presentations: this tests the ability to interpret qualitative research findings and present them to others (7).

Content

This methods course fulfills methodology requirements for theses in ANT, LAW or POL. The purpose of this course is to equip students to critically design, conduct, report, read, and evaluate qualitative research projects and methodologies, e.g., ethnography, grounded theory and discourse analysis. The course has the dual aim of equipping students with conceptual understandings of different methods and the practical skills to put those methods into practice. This course presents the fundamentals of qualitative research methods. It covers the classic sources of qualitative data, such as interviews, focus groups, and participant observation, and deals with modern sources of data, such as visual materials, internet, and social media. It also discusses data analysis methods, in particular thematic analysis and the integrative procedures that support qualitative data-analysis. The course will train students in understanding the life cycle of a qualitative research project, from design to data collection, analysis, reporting and dissemination. Format  The course consists of two parts. Each part contains theoretical and practical elements and is finished with an assessment. In the first part qualitative research methods and its backgrounds are introduced. In the second part, the quality and practice of qualitative research is explored as well as the reporting of the outcomes.