Syllabus

Sociology 320: Introduction to Qualitative Research
Thursday 2-4:50, 150 Hamilton Hall

Dr. Rosa Haritos
Office: 269 Hamilton Hall
Office Hours: 11:00 – 12: 00 Thursday and by appointment
Phone: 962-6876 (direct) or 962-5502 (secretary, Margaret Gibbs)
Email: Haritos@email.unc.edu (check daily –morning and late afternoon)

Objectives

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to various theoretical and methodological concepts of qualitative evaluation. This is a hands-on course that offers students the opportunity to learn specific qualitative skills, with an emphasis on analysis, interpretation/re-presentation, and contextualization. Theories and techniques will be mastered in a number of ways: readings and class discussions, in class evaluation of short student projects that center upon issues related to fieldwork, interviewing, focus groups, and narrative analysis techniques. In addition, we will discuss and explore (in a lab session) several qualitative computer software programs.

Requirements

There are four required projects for the course:

	Field notes: Students are required to do at least two hours of fieldwork for a period of three weeks. (see syllabus) Students are to hand in about 10 typed, double-spaced pages of notes and a short analytic memo. I will read all sets of your field notes and students will be asked to provide their classmates with written and oral constructive comments on two of the three sets of field notes.
	Narrative thought paper: 5 page typed, double spaced thought paper on a narrative (provided by instructor)
	Focus Group paper: 5-8 page typed, double spaced paper using data collected by student or instructor
	Interviews: 2 taped interviews conducted by student (related to fieldwork if possible). Students will be expected to transcribe and provide brief commentary/analysis. [Transcribers will be made available through IRSS, as are tape recorders. If you can purchase a tape recorder, all the better!]

In addition, students will have an opportunity to work with several qualitative computer programs (NUDIST4, ATLAS/ti, NVIVO). Students are to use data collected throughout semester, prior data, or data provided by instructor. Class time will be spent discussing readings (first hour) and attention will then turn to student projects.

There is a class web page for the course found at http://www.unc.edu/~haritos. There is also a class listserver, ID provided during 2^nd week of class, which will enable us to reach one another, exchange field notes and other commentaries.

Texts and Readings

The following texts are required:

David Silverman, Doing Qualitative Research: A Practical Handbook. Sage, 2000.
Norman K. Denzin and Yvonne S. Lincoln (eds.), Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials. Sage, 1998.
Elliot G. Mishler, Research Interviewing. Harvard, 1986.
Robert K. Merton et al., The Focused Interview: A Manual of Problems and Procedures. Free Press, 2^nd edition, 1990.
William Foot Whyte, Street Corner Society: The Social Structure of an Italian Slum. University of Chicago, 1943. (Any edition is acceptable)

Following texts are recommended:

Anselm Strauss and Juliet Corbin, Grounded Theory in Practice. Sage, 1997.
Anselm Strauss and Juliet Corbin, Basics of Qualitative Research. Sage, 1998.

There are also several required readings on reserve at the Sociology Library (second floor of Hamilton Hall)

Schedule

January 18: Brief Introduction of what course is about

January 20: Reality and its Representation [NB – Copies for this week provided in class]

"The Foundations of Knowledge in Everyday Life: Reality, Social Interaction, and Language", pp. 19-46 in Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann, The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. 1967. Doubleday.

Arthur J. Vidich, Stanford M. Lyman, "Qualitative Methods: Their History in Sociology and Anthropology", pp. 23-59 in Denzin and Lincoln (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research. [Note – for Spring semester, article is replaced with Chapter 1 in Strauss & Corbin, Basics of Qualitative Research]

Norman K. Denzin, Yvonne S. Lincoln, "Introduction: Entering the Field of Qualitative Research", pp. 1-17 in Denzin and Lincoln (eds.), Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials. 1998.

January 27: Thinking of where to Begin in the Field:

Egon C. Guba and Yvonne S. Lincoln, "Competing Paradigms in Qualitative Research", pp. 105-117 in Denzin and Lincoln (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research. Reserve

David Silverman, Doing Qualitative Research (hereafter referred to as DQR), "The Research Experience I and II", pp. 14-51; "Selecting a Topic", pp. 61-73; "Keeping a Record", pp. 191-195.

Anselm Strauss and Juliet Corbin, Part I: Basic Considerations, pp. 1-36 in Basics of Qualitative Research. Reserve.

February 3: Grounded Theory

Strauss and Corbin. 1994. "Grounded Theory Methodology: An Overview", pp. 273-285 in Denzin and Lincoln (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research. Reserve

Clifford Gertz, "Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture", pp. 37-59 in Robert M. Emerson, Contemporary Field Research: A Collection of Readings. 1983. Little Brown and Company. Reserve.

Isabelle Baszanger. 1997. "Deciphering Chronic Pain", pp. 1-34 in Strauss and Corbin (eds.) Grounded Theory in Practice. Reserve

DQR, "Theory in Qualitative Research; Choosing a Methodology; Selecting a Case;" pp. 75-112

First set of field notes due

February 10: Ethnography and Understanding Member’s Worlds –

Paul Atkinson and Martyn Hammersley. 1994. "Ethnography and Participant Observation", pp. 247-261 in Denzin and Lincoln (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research. Reserve.

Howard S. Becker, 1986, Writing for Social Scientists. Chicago University Press. Chapters 4, 5, 8: "Editing by Ear; Learning to Write as a Professional; Terrorized by the Literature." This group of articles is listed under "Becker" on Reserve.

Celia J. Orna, "Temporality and Identity Loss due to Alzheimer’s Disease", pp. 171-196 in Corbin and Strauss (eds.), Grounded Theory in Practice. Reserve

Second set of field notes due – exchange notes with assigned classmate

February 17: Some Issues in Fieldwork: Ethics, Relational and Personal Process

R.K. Merton, 1972, "Insiders and Outsiders: A Chapter in the Sociology of Knowledge". American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 78, No.1, July: 9-46. Reserve.

Michelle Fine. 1994. "Working the Hyphens: Reinventing Self and Other in Qualitative Research", pp. 70-82 in Denzin and Lincoln (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research. Reserve

ASA Ethics Guidelines –students from other fields asked to provide class with guidelines.

Maurice Punch. 1994. "Politics and Ethics in Qualitative Research" pp. 83-97 in Denzin and Lincoln (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research. Reserve

Third set of field notes due – exchange notes with assigned classmate

February 24: Theory and Evidence (Reality) in Field Research

Kathy Charmaz, "The Grounded Theory Method: An Explication and Interpretation", pp. 109-126 in Robert M. Emerson, Contemporary Field Research. Little Brown and Company. Reserve

Patricia A. Adler and Peter Adler, "Observational Techniques", pp. 79-109 in Denzin and Lincoln, eds., Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials.

DQR, "Beginning Data Analysis; Developing Data Analysis", pp. 119-154.

Anselm Strauss and Juliet Corbin, "Some Basic Coding Procedures", pp. 57-120 in Basics of Qualitative Research. Reserve

March 2: Descriptive Case Study Approach -

DQR: Chapter 8, "Selecting a Case," pp. 102-113.

Robert Stake, "Case Studies", pp. 236-247 in Denzin and Lincoln (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research.

Whyte, Street Corner Society. (entire book)

Ethnicity and Health Data Set distributed- due next week

March 9: Narratives: Storied Lives and Interpretive Practices-

Peter K. Manning and Betsy Cullum-Swan, "Narrative, Content, and Semiotic Analysis", pp. 246-274 in Denzin and Lincoln (eds.) Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials.

Elliot G. Mishler. 1986. Research Interviewing: Context and Narrative. (entire book)

Elliot G. Mishler, 1995, "Models of Narrative Analysis: A Typology" Journal of Narrative and Life History, 5(2): 87-123. Reserve.
Thought paper on narrative due

March 16: Spring Break, No Class

March 23: The Focused Interview

Robert K. Merton, Marjorie Fiske, and Patricia L. Kendall.1990. The Focused Interview: A Manual of Problems and Procedures. (entire book)

R.K. Merton, 1987, "The Focussed Interview and Focus Groups: Continuities and Discontinuities" Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 51: 550-566. Reserve.

Focus group project discussed in class

March 30: Focus Groups

David L. Morgan and Richard A. Krueger. 1998. The Focus Group Kit. (2 copies of kit on reserve – readings will be announced)

Data analysis: Student Projects or Data Sets Due

April 7: Research Interviews

Andrea Fontana and James H Frey, "Interviewing: The Art of Science", pp. 47-78 in Denzin and Lincoln (eds.) Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials.

Kathy Charmaz. 1997. "Identity Dilemmas of Chronically Ill Men", pp. 35-63 in Corbin and Strauss (eds.), Grounded Theory in Practice. Reserve

Lora Bex Lempert. 1997. "The Line in the Sand: Definitional Dialogues in Abusive Relationships", pp. 147-170, in Corbin and Strauss (eds.), Grounded Theory in Practice. Reserve

Interview discussed in class

April 14: Interpretation and Construction through Combination of Data Sources:

Adele Clarke, 1997. "A Social Worlds Research Adventure: The Case of Reproductive Science", pp. 63-94 in Strauss and Corbin (eds.), Grounded Theory in Practice. Reserve

Susan L. Star and Geoffery C. Bowker, "Of Lungs and Lungers: The Classified Story of Tuberculosis", pp. 197-228 in Strauss and Corbin (eds.), Grounded Theory in Practice. Reserve

Ian Hoddler, "The Interpretation of Documents and Material Culture", pp. 110-129 in Denzin and Lincoln (eds.) Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials.
First interview due (transcript and analysis)

April 21: No Class Students are expected to work on their second research interview

April 28: Writing Up

David L. Altheide and John M. Johnson, "Criteria for Assessing Interpretive Validity in Qualitative Research", pp. 283-312 in Denzin and Lincoln (eds.) Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials.

Laura Richardson, "Writing: A Method of Inquiry", pp. 345-371 in Denzin and Lincoln (eds.) Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials.

DQR, 197-25

Second interview due (transcript and analysis)

May 4: Qualitative Research and Computer Assisted Analysis

Thomas J. Richards and Lyn Richards, "Using Computers in Qualitative Research", pp. 211-245 in Denzin and Lincoln (eds.) Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials.

A. Michael Huberman and Matthew B. Miles, "Data Management and Analysis Methods", pp. 179-210 in Denzin and Lincoln (eds.) Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials.

Lyn Richards, 1999."Qualitative Computing and Qualitative Sociology: The First Decade". URL: http://www.qsr.com.au/qualresou/PAPERS/lynricha.htm

Lab Day – Brief Introduction to software programs for use with any of your class data/prior datasets.