Qualitative Analysis I

Catalog description

This course introduces graduate students to a wide array of methodological approaches and available tools for qualitative research. The course starts with an overview of broader debates around philosophy of science and the possible demarcation between history and social science. It then moves on to discuss the epistemological foundations underlying the qualitative/quantitative divide in social sciences and whether methodological eclecticism is possible and desirable. After assessing the role of theory and concept formation in qualitative research, the focus then shifts to more specific questions around research design and methods. We discuss the merits and problems of single case studies and small-N comparative research designs, as well as historical, interpretive and critical approaches. In the last third of the course, we explore some of the specific tools of collecting and analyzing qualitative evidence. Though not an exhaustive list, we cover interviews and ethnographic fieldwork, discourse and content analysis and program evaluation. The course runs as a seminar with active student participation and assignments to encourage hands-on learning, and ends with student presentations on their respective research proposals.