ASTK15653U COURSE: Academic Interviewing

Volume 2015/2016
Education

Bachelor level: 10 ECTS

Master level: 7.5 ECTS

 

Elective course - SRM

Bachelor students can only sign up for this course if they are enrolled at political science

 

 

Content

Interviews are becoming an increasingly popular method in political science. Today, undergraduate and graduate students alike boldly venture into collecting, sorting and analysing information, obtained "straight from the horse's mouth". This tendency is indeed praiseworthy, as the academic interview offers a great opportunity for the student to show initiative, display academic independence and demonstrate critical thinking. Unfortunately, the academic interview is not as uncomplicated as some like to think and during the process many find themselves bewildered and greatly challenged by practicalities of the craft and the methodological implications related to its conduct. Well into their research, students often begin wondering: 'How do I sufficiently prepare and best conduct the interview?', 'What do I do, if the interviewee does not answer my questions?', 'How can I avoid contaminating my material?', and 'Is it really possible to ensure reliability and validity in processing interview material?'. These questions and many more will be confronted in during our course, which has been designed with the purpose of equipping students, intending to apply interviews in their research, with the knowledge and skills required in properly preparing, conducting, evaluating and processing academic interviews. 

 The course includes 14 sessions (2 * 45 min), structured in the following manner:

1. Introduction.

2. On Questions and Answers.

3. On Methodology.

4. On Ethics and Context.

5. Hands-on I: Designing an Interview Guide.

6. Interview Preparation.

7. Interview Conduct. (+ Mid-term evaluation)

8. Interview Evaluation.

9. Hands-on II: Academic Interviewing.

10. Initial Processing.

11. Further Processing with Coding Software.

12. Hands-on III: Processing the Interview.

13. Reflections.

14. Closing Lecture.

Learning Outcome

The aim of the course is to enable the student to: o Describe the purposes of applying interviews as an academic method. o Present the philosophical, ethical and contextual implications of conducting interviews. o Identify and compare various types of academic interviews and the methodological approaches they reflect. o Devise and design an interview guide, reflecting the student's methodological approach. o Conduct an academic interview in accordance with the guide mentioned and provide a transcription sample as documentation. o Critically evaluate the interview and briefly outline the initial processing of the interview, incl. analysis and reporting. o Relate the interview to a greater research design, i.e. either an existing or a proposed research project. o Reflect on the both theoretical and practical implications of the interview itself, and of the application of academic interviews overall. 

Reading List (968 pages in total)

Beitin, 2012, "Interview and Sampling – How Many and Whom" in Gubrium et al. The Sage Handbook of Interview Research – The Complexity of the Craft, p. 243-255 (13 pages)

Borer & Fontana, 2012, "Postmodern Trends: Expanding the Horizons of Interviewing Practices and Epistemologies" in Gubrium et al. The Sage Handbookof Interview Research – The Complexity of the Craft, p. 45-60 (16 pages)

Campbell et al, 2013, "Coding in-Depth Semistructured Interviews: Problems of Unitization and Intercoder Reliability and Agreement" in Sociological Methods and Research 42(3), p. 294-320 (17 pages)

Carter & Bolden, 2012, "Culture Work in the Research Interview" in Gubrium et al. The Sage Handbook of Interview Research – The Complexity of the Craft, p. 255-269 (15 pages)

Cook, 2012, "Stigma and the Interview Encounter" in Gubrium et al. The SageHandbook of Interview Research – The Complexity of the Craft, p. 333-344 (12 pages)

Faircloth, 2012, "After the Interview" in Gubrium et al. The Sage Handbook ofInterview Research – The Complexity of the Craft, p. 269-277 (9 pages)

Finlay, 2012, "Five Lenses for the Reflexive Interviewer" in Gubrium et al. TheSage Handbook of Interview Research – The Complexity of the Craft, p. 317-333 (17 pages)

Golafshani, 2003, "Understanding Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research" in The Qualitative Report 8(4), p. 597-607 (11 pages)

Holstein & Gubrium, 2003, "Inside Interviewing: New Lenses, New Concerns" in Holstein & Gubrium Inside Interviewing – New Lenses, New Concerns, SAGE, p. 3-30 (28 pages)

Hamblin, 1958, "Questions" in The Australian Journal of Philosophy 36(3), p. 159-168 (10 pages)

Harvey, 2011, "Strategies for Elite Interviews" in Qualitative Research 11(4), p. 431-441 (11 pages)

Herzog, 2012, "Interview Location and Its Social Meaning" in Gubrium et al. TheSage Handbook of Interview Research – The Complexity of the Craft, p. 207-219 (13 pages)

Kaiser, 2012, "Protecting Confidentiality" in Gubrium et al. The Sage Handbookof Interview Research – The Complexity of the Craft, p. 457-464 (8 pages)

Kartunen 1977, "Syntax and Semantics of Questions" in Linguistics andPhilosophy 1, p. 382-420 (39 pages)

Kvale & Brinkmann, 2015, "Conducting an Interview" in Kvale & Brinkmann InterViews – Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing, p. 149-166 (18 pages)

---, 2015, "Epistemological Issues of Interviewing" in Kvale & Brinkmann InterViews – Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing, p. 55-82 (28 pages)

---, 2015, "Ethincal Issues of Interviewing" in Kvale & Brinkmann InterViews –Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing, p. 83-102 (20 pages)

---, 2015, "Interview Analyses Focusing on Language" in Kvale & Brinkmann InterViews – Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing, p. 249-266 (18 pages)

---, 2015, "Interview Analyses Focusing on Meaning" in Kvale & Brinkmann InterViews – Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing, p. 231-248 (18 pages)

---, 2015, "Interview Quality" in Kvale & Brinkmann InterViews – Learning theCraft of Qualitative Research Interviewing, p. 189-203 (15 pages)

---, 2015, "Interview Variations" in Kvale & Brinkmann InterViews – Learningthe Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing, p. 167-188 (21 pages)

---, 2015, "Introduction to Interview Research" in Kvale & Brinkmann interViews– Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing, p. 3-24 (22 pages)

---, 2015, "Preparing for Interview Analysis" in Kvale & Brinkmann InterViews –Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing, p. 215-230 (16 pages)

---, 2015, "The Qualitative Research Interview as Context" in Kvale & Brinkmann InterViews – Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing, p. 103-122 (20 pages)

---, 2015, "Thematizing and Designing an Interview Study" in Kvale & Brinkmann InterViews – Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing, p. 125-148 (24 pages)

Lillrank, 2012, "Managing the Interviewer Self" in Gubrium et al. The SageHandbook of Interview Research – The Complexity of the Craft, p. 281-294 (14 pages)

Mahoney & Goertz, 2006, "A Tale of Two Cultures: Contrasting Quantitative and Qualitative Research" in Political Analysis 14(3), p. 227-249 (22 pages)

Marzano, 2012, "Informed Consent" in Gubrium et al. The Sage Handbook ofInterview Research – The Complexity of the Craft, p. 443-456 (14 pages)

Nikander, 2012, "Interviews as Discourse Data" in Gubrium et al. The SageHandbook of Interview Research – The Complexity of the Craft, p. 397-413 (17 pages)

Platt, 2012, "The History of the Interview" in Gubrium et al. The Sage handbookof Interview Research – The Complexity of the Craft, p. 9-26 (18 pages)

Potter & Hepburn, 2012, "Eight Challenges for Interview Researchers" in Gubrium et al. The Sage Handbook of Interview Research – The Complexity of theCraft, p. 555-570 (16 pages)

Riesman & Benney, 1956, "Asking and Answering" in The Journal of Business 29(4), p. 225-236 (11 pages)

Riessman, 2012, "Analysis of Personal Narratives" in Gubrium et al. The SageHandbook of Interview Research – The Complexity of the Craft, p. 367-379 (13 pages)

Roulston, 2010, "Considering Quality in Qualitative Interviewing" in QualitativeResearch 10(2), p. 199-228 (29 pages)

Seale & Rivas, 2012, "Using Software to Analyze Qualitative Interviews" in Gubrium et al. The Sage Handbook of Interview Research – The Complexity of theCraft, p. 427-440 (14 pages)

Silver & Lewins, 2014, "Basic Retrieval of Coded Data" in Silver & Lewins Using Software in Qualitative Research – A Step-by-step Guide, p. 186-204 (19 pages)

---, 2014, "Early Steps in Software: Practical Tasks and Familiarisation" in Silver & Lewins Using Software in Qualitative Research – A Step-by-step Guide, p. 106-133 (28 pages)

---, 2014, "Exploration and Data-level Work" in Silver & Lewins Using Softwarein Qualitative Research – A Step-by-step Guide, p. 134-157 (24 pages)

---, 2014, "Managing Processes and Interpretations by Writing" in Silver & Lewins Using Software in Qualitative Research – A Step-by-step Guide, p. 229-256 (28 pages)

---, 2014, "Qualitative Coding in Software: Principles and Processes" in Silver Lewins Using Software in Qualitative Research – A Step-by-step Guide, p. 158-185 (28 pages)

---, 2014, "Qualitative Data Analysis and CAQDAS" in Silver & Lewins UsingSoftware in Qualitative Research – A Step-by-step Guide, p. 9-34 (26 pages)

---, 2014, "Working with Coding Schemes" in Silver & Lewins Using Software inQualitative Research – A Step-by-step Guide, p. 205-228 (24 pages)

Struyker Bourdier, 1988, "Toward A History of the Question" in Meyer Questionsand Questioning, p. 9-33 (25 pages)

Talmage, 2012, "Listening to, and for, the Research Interview" in Gubrium et al. The Sage Handbook of Interview Research – The Complexity of the Craft, p. 295-305 (11 pages)

Wang & Yan, 2012, "The Interview Question" in Gubrium et al. The SageHandbook of Interview Research – The Complexity of the Craft, p. 231-242 (12 pages)

Weiss, 1994, "Interviewing" in Weiss Learning from Strangers, p. 61-120 (60 pages)

---, 1994, "Issues in Interviewing" Weiss Learning from Strangers, p. 121-150 (30 pages)

---, 1994, "Preparation for Interviewing" Weiss Learning from Strangers, p. 39-60 (22 pages)

---, 1994, "Writing the Report" Weiss Learning from Strangers, p. 183-206 (24 pages)

The course is offered to both BSc- and MSc-level students. However, to ensure common grounds
and overall conducive teaching, students are recommended to have a clear intention of applying
interviews in their BSc- or MSc-thesis or in another upcoming academic assignment.
The course is designed as a combination of lectures and student participation, including class discussions, exercises in pairs, role playing, as well as small individually written assignments and oral presentations. Given the practical nature of teaching academic interviewing as craft, the course relies heavily on cooperative learning and students are expected to engage actively in discussions and exercises. Three lectures (referred to as 'Hands-on' I, II and III) are dedicated to practical exercises, which will serve the purpose of matching theory with practic
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 28
  • Course Preparation
  • 56
  • Exam
  • 75
  • Exam Preparation
  • 28
  • Exercises
  • 4
  • Preparation
  • 15
  • Total
  • 206
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Written assignment
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Criteria for exam assesment
  • Grade 12 is given for an outstanding performance: the student lives up to the course’s goal description in an independent and convincing manner with no or few and minor shortcomings
     
  • Grade 7 given for a good performance: the student is confidently able to live up to the goal description, albeit with several shortcomings
     
  • Grade 02 is given for an adequate performance: the minimum acceptable performance in which the student is only able to live up to the goal description in an insecure and incomplete manner