ASOK15611U Qualitative Methods: From Theory to Practice
MA Research Methodology and Practice (MSc Curriculum 2015)
Course package (MSc Curriculum 2015):Welfare, inequality and mobility, Knowledge, organisation and politics and Culture, lifestyle and everyday life
MA course in methods in social sciences (MSc Curriculum 2005)
Specialiseringslinje: Metode
BA-Undergraduates from foreign countries (exchange students) can
sign up for this course.
The course focuses on the discipline and practice of Qualitative Research and its challenges in relation the following issues: ontology, epistemology, theory, research design, methods, analysis and interpretation. The course examines different approaches to qualitative research, qualitative research designs and methods as well as and analytical and interpretation tools and approaches. Special focus will be on methodological strategies combining observation, semi-structured interviews and/or biographical methods.
TENTATIVE OUTLINE
The course consists of the following fourteen units.
Unit 1: Course Overview
Unit 2: Qualitative Research and Social Research Strategies
Unit 3: The Discipline and practice of Qualitative Research
Unit 4:Theoretical approaches in Qualitative Research
Unit 5: Discussing empirical research based on contrasting theoretical approaches: realism and constructivism
Unit 6: Research Designs and research questions in Qualitative research
Unit 7: Defining Research Questions in Qualitative Research
Unit 8: Ethnography and participant observation
Unit 9: Interviewing as research: overview
Unit 10: Narrative and episodic interviewing
Unit 11: Group interviewing and focus groups
Unit 12: Qualitative analysis and interpretation
Unit 13: Qualitative analysis and interpretation
Unit 14: Writing Research Reports
The primary goal of the course is to provide each student with knowledge of the discipline and practice of Qualitative Research and its challenges (ontology, epistemology, theory, research design and methods, and analysis and interpretation) and develop personal experience in conducting qualitative research on a topic of his/her own interest. At the end of the course, the student should be able to:
define a research problem suitable for qualitative investigation
carry out a qualitative study, including making informed chocies of relevent qualtative methods
make an analysis of the data produced
evaluate the quality of the data produced
discuss the validity of the study
Curriculum is 800 pages (10 ECTS) and app. 700 pages (7,5 ECTS)
Requirement readings/syllabus will be distributed during the first session. The course readings related to each class will be available in Absalon. In addition to scientific journal articles, the course literature will be based on book chapters of the following list:
Bauer M and Gaskell G (Ed.) (2000): Qualitative Researching with
Text, Image and Sound –A practical handbook. London: Sage
Publications.
Bryman, A. (2012): Social Research Methods. 4th Edition. New
York: Oxford University Press.
Denzin, N. K. and Lincoln, Y. S. (2003) Collecting and Interpreting
Qualitative Materials. London: Sage Publications.
Denzin, N. K. and Lincoln, Y. S. (2011) The Sage Handbook of
Qualitative Research. Sage.
Flick, U. (2009) An Introduction to Qualitative Research, London:
Sage.
Holstein, J. A. and Gubrium J. F. (2008) Handbook of
Constructionist Research. Guilford Press.
Huberman M and Miles M B (2002) The Qualitative Researcher's
Companion: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Sage.
Maxwell, J.A. (2012) A Realist Approach for Qualitative Research,
SAGE Publications
Seale, C., Gobo, G., Gubrium, J. F. and Silverman, D. (2004).
Qualitative research practice. London: Sage.
Silverman, D. (1997): Qualitative Research – Theory, Method and
Practice. London: Sage Publications.
Steinar, K. (1996): InterViews: An Introduction to Qualitative
Research Interviewing. London: Sage Publications.
Tanur J M (Ed.) (1992): Questions about Questions. New York:
Russell Sage Foundation. ISBN 0871548429.
definition of research problem; research design and methodology; field work tools (such as interviews lay out or observation guidelines); and analysis of empirical findings. In
addition, students will be encouraged to carry team work in their research.
Workload
The number of lecture hours are the same for both 7,5 and 10 ECTS courses.
7,5 ECTS
Lectures: 28
Course preparation: 74
Exercises: 50
Exam Preparation: 54
Total: 206
10 ECTS
Lectures: 28
Course preparation: 100
Exercises: 75
Exam Preparation: 72
Total: 275
BA-Undergraduates from foreign countries can sign up for this course.
- Category
- Hours
- Course Preparation
- 74
- Exam Preparation
- 54
- Exercises
- 50
- Lectures
- 28
- Total
- 206
The Deadline for signing up for courses is June 1 for the autumn
semester and November 1 for the spring semester. Deadline for
signing up for Summer school is June 1.
When signing up you are automatically signed up for exam.
International exchange students must sign up by filling in an
application form which you find
here:
course registration.
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Written assignmentIndividual/group. See further details in the curriculum
- Exam registration requirements
Sociology students must be enrolled under MSc Curriculum 2015 to take this exam.
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
Internal examiners
- Exam period
Submission dates and time will be available at KUnet, www.kunet.dk. Exchange students and danish full degree guest students please see the homepage of Sociology; http://www.soc.ku.dk/english/education/exams/ and http://www.soc.ku.dk/uddannelser/meritstuderende/eksamen/
Criteria for exam assesment
Please see the learning outcome.
- Credit
- 10 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Written assignmentIndividual/group. See further details in the curriculum
- Exam registration requirements
Sociology students must be enrolled under MSc Curriculum 2005 to take this exam.
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
- Exam period
Submission dates and time will be available at KUnet, www.kunet.dk. Exchange students and danish full degree guest students please see the homepage of Sociology; http://www.soc.ku.dk/english/education/exams/ and http://www.soc.ku.dk/uddannelser/meritstuderende/eksamen/
Criteria for exam assesment
Please see learning outcome
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- ASOK15611U
- Credit
- See exam description
- Level
- Full Degree MasterFull Degree Master choice
- Duration
- 1 semester
- Placement
- Spring
- Schedule
- 2016
See timetable - Continuing and further education
- Price
- Study board
- Department of Sociology, Study Council
Contracting department
- Department of Sociology
Course responsibles
- Maria da Paz Ventura Campos Lima (4-7d80737c50837f733e7b853e747b)
Lecturers
Maria Lima, mpcl@soc.ku.dk