Qualitative Research Methods

Catalog description

Learn core approaches for collecting, interpreting and analyzing qualitative data within rural sociology. RSOC 514 Qualitative Research Methods (3) This course provides tools often described as qualitative methods of social inquiry. The course covers basic techniques for collecting, interpreting and analyzing qualitative data, paying particular attention to their application within rural sociology. Special focus is given to two methods - ethnographic observation and in-depth interviewing. The course operates on two interrelated dimensions, one focused on the theoretical traditions underlying different approaches to qualitative research, the other focused on the practical techniques. These dimensions are linked through reading and critiquing diverse examples of qualitative research, some clearly exemplary, some problematic. The goal is to understand the promise and possible pitfalls of qualitative social research.