SOC2103 - 01 - Qualitative Methods

In this course, students will conduct their own projects based on in-depth interviewing, participant observation or content analysis. Thus, students will gain hands-on experience with research design, data collection, analysis and presentation. To provide students with the knowledge and tools necessary to conduct qualitative research, the course will introduce readings on qualitative research methods as well as recent sociological studies based on these methods. Students will discuss the goals of qualitative research, its epistemological underpinnings and its strengths. Students will learn how to formulate a sociological research question, and to choose the appropriate method(s) to answer the question. The course will also introduce techniques for analyzing qualitative data, including coding and memo-writing. In addition, we will discuss issues of validity and ethical concerns.