UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI -- SAINT LOUIS

 SYLLABUS

Qualitative Methods in Social Research
Sociology 4331 Section 001
Spring 2012

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Instructor: Dr. Peter Marina

Course Description: This course is designed to introduce you to qualitative methods in sociological research. The purposes of this course is twofold: One, provide training in field methods engaging in sociological research, in particular “fieldwork,” with emphasis on such qualitative methods as participant-observation, intensive interview, content analysis, and oral history, among others. Two, establish a forum to direct student work and creative energies towards social, environmental, and political issues in the public sphere. This approach allows the student/scholar to discover “communities,” create channels of communication, find ways of continual engagement and project development, and bring knowledge beyond the immediate workings of the community and into the realm of culture. The place of these kinds of techniques in social research, as well as the issues raised by them, will be considered. Students will participate in individual or group research projects using one or more of the methods discussed. This class is essential for anyone who wants to advance as a student/scholar.

Attributes: Upper Undergrad/Graduate Level, College of Arts & Sciences

Prerequisite: Prerequisites: SOC 1010 and junior standing or consent of instructor.

Required books:

Giampietro Gobo. Doing Ethnography (Introducing Qualitative Methods series). Sage Publications, 2008

Becker, Howard. Tricks of the Trade: How to Think about Your Research While You're Doing it. (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing). University of Chicago Press, 1998

Emerson, Fretz, and Shaw. Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes, University of Chicago Press, 2011

Duneier, Mitch. Sidewalk. Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1st edition, 2000

Highly Recommended Book for Class

Margaret LeCompte and Jean Schensul, Designing and Conducting Ethnographic Research: An Introduction (Ethnographer's Toolkit, Second Edition) Altamira Press; Second Edition, 2010

Bearman, Peter. Doormen (Fieldwork Encounters and Discoveries). University Of Chicago Press 2005

Other Recommended/Outside Readings

Becker, Carol. The Subversive Imagination. Routledge 1994.

Burawoy, Michael. Ethnography Unbound. Berkeley: University of California Press 1991.

Clifford, James. The Predicament of Culture. Harvard University Press 1988.

Duneier, Mitchell. Sidewalk. Farrar, Strauss an Giroux. 1999.

Emerson, Robert M., et al. Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. University of Chicago 1996.

Humphries, Laud. Tearoom Trade: Impersonal Sex in Public Places. Aldine 1975.

Lippard, Lucy. The Lure of the Local. New Press, 1997.

Malinowski, Bronislaw. Argonauts of the Western Pacific. 1922.

Marcus, Geroge E. Ethnography Through Thick and Thin. N.J. Princeton University Press 1998.

Miles, Malcolm. Art, Space and the City. Routledge, 1997.

Sanjek, Rober. Fieldnotes: The Making of Anthropology. Cornell University Press, 1990.

Smith, Carolyn D, and W. Kornblum. In the Field: Readings on the Field Research Experience. Praeger, 1996.

L. Schatzman and A. Strauss. Field Research, Prentice Hall. 1973.

Wacquant, Loic. Body and Soul: Notebooks of an Apprentice Boxer. Chicago. University of Chicago Press, 2004.

Waterston, Alisse. Love, Sorrow and Rage: Destitute Women in a Manhattan Shelter. Temple University. Press. 1999.

Williams, Terry. Crackhouse: Notes from the End of the Line. Addison-Wesley, 1992.

Willis, Paul. The Ethnographic Imagination. Cambridge. Polity Press, 2000.

Recommended Books on the Craft of Qualitative Research

Berg, Bruce L., Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences, Allyn&Bacon, 2008.

Creswell, John W., Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five
 Approaches, Sage Publications, 2006.

Gerring, John, Case Study Research: Principles and Practice, Cambridge University
 Press, 2006.

Given, Lisa M (ed.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods, Sage Publications, 2008.

Gillham, Bill, Observation Techniques: Structured To Unstructured (Real World
 Research), Continuum, 2008.

Krueger, Richard A., Casey, Mary Anne, Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for
 Applied Research, Sage Publications, 2008.

Kvale, Steinar, Brinkmann, Svend, InterViews: Learning the Craft of Qualitative
 Research Interviewing, Sage Publications, 2008.

Marshall, Catherine, Rossman, Gretchen B., Designing Qualitative Research, Sage
 Publications, 2006.

Silverman, David, Qualitative Research: Theory, Method and Practice, Sage
 Publications, 2004.

Silverman, David, Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods for Analyzing Talk, Text
 and Interaction, Sage Publications, 2006.

Stewart, David W., Shamdasani, Prem N., Rook, Dennis, 2006, Focus Groups: Theory
 and Practice, Sage Publications, 2006.

Yin, Robert K., Case Study Research: Design and Methods, Sage Publications, 2008.

 

Web-based Class?

Although this is not a web-based class, all classes are posted online similar to a web-based class and accessible to all students in the Wimba section of Blackboard. Students are expected to attend all classes and will not receive credit for missing class. Students may use the classes posted online to review lectures and class discussions.

Course Requirements and Grading:

Qualitative Methods in Social Research Wiki Project (25%)
You will keep a web page recording your fieldwork experiences that includes all of your work documenting your research throughout the semester. You will conduct three field reports (oral presentations) and write a final paper on a single topic of your choice related to racialized and minority groups in St. Louis City or county. Each field report should be 7 to 10 double-spaced pages posted online and presented in class. Further, you will at various times throughout the semester contribute comments to other student's wiki page.

Final Paper (25%)
The three fieldwork projects should culminate in a 20 - 25 page final paper to be presented in class and posted online and in the Qualitative Methods in Social Research wiki project site. Papers should relate to the field reports and must engage with the literature selected for this course or related to race and minority studies.

Mid-term and Final Exam (50%)
All essay questions

Other notes on Grading

Weekly Agenda:

Students read prior to class all assigned readings.

Class Papers and Field Reports

Field Report One: Setting the Stage
For your first field report, explain your research topic and working research question (s). Explain your choice of data collection and justify it. Be sure to state the problem (your research question) clearly and concisely. Discuss why your research is important. Put differently, who cares and why? Describe how you will analyze the data (raw materials) collected. How will you develop themes from your collected data and create ideas that engage with the per-existing literature? Remember that your ideas must engage with the relevant academic research on your topic. Your second and third field reports build on this framework.

Field Report Two: Collecting and Analyzing Data
Your second field report will develop your working framework established in the first field report. You are expected to show progress collecting data as you begin to find themes that begin to emerge in your findings. How do themes address the current academic discussion on your topic? You should continue to turn to the academic literature to find out how your ideas (collected from your data that answer your research question) debate, engage, critique, or build on existing literature.

Field Report Three: Interpreting Data and Generating Ideas that Speak to the Literature
The final field report leads up the culmination of a final paper. At this step, you should be interpreting your data to develop themes that are used to generate ideas that help answer your research question. Your final paper should include a statement of the research topic, your research question, a literature review, methods of data collection and analysis, research findings that connect data to the development of your ideas (theory), and some conclusions.

Oral Presentation of Research Project
All students are required to present their research during a scheduled class period. The length of the presentation should be no more then 15 minutes. Students should prepare and rehearse their presentation to do it smoothly and not exceed the time limit. Make your presentation using an outline or note cards; do not read your presentation. The purpose of the oral presentation is to show that you understand key concepts, definitions, main findings, and can effectively communicate your research to a group of peers. Here are suggestions for oral presentation of the research paper:

All students are required to present their research during a scheduled class period. The length of the presentation should be no more than 15 - 20 minutes. Students should prepare and rehearse their presentation to do it smoothly and not exceed the time limit. Make your presentation using an outline or note cards; do not prewrite your whole presentation and then read it. The purpose of the oral presentation is to show that you understand key concepts, definitions, main findings, and can effectively communicate your research to a group of peers. Here are suggestions for oral presentation of the research paper:

Introduction

(a) Indicate what your research topic is and why you chose it (why you felt it was interesting and important).
(b) State your main finding(s).

Method

(a) Describe how you did your research (method of data collection and analysis)
(b) If you had preconceived expectations, opinions, or hypotheses about what you would find out, state what they were.
(c) Describe special problems or difficulties that hindered or limited your research.

Findings

(a) Describe the most important thing(s) you found out or learned about your topic.
(b) Consider the use of charts, tables, illustrations, etc. to make your presentation findings more effective.

Discussion

(a) In what ways were you surprised by your findings, or did they confirm what you expected?
(b) Make connections between your research findings and the concepts, theories, and findings we have discussed in class.
(c) Identify any unanswered questions from your research that could be researched in the future.

For an effective presentation, you should prepare a one-page handout to be distributed to the class. It may contain an outline of your whole presentation or you can use it to communicate key concepts, findings, illustrations, and references. Remember that you only have 15 minutes to present your work. Do not ramble; keep it succinct.

Sample Outline for Research Paper.

Generally, your final paper should be divided up into the following eight sections (flexibility is allowed when appropriate):

Article Abstract
State the purpose of the paper, it's scholarly implications, and key findings. Keep it to 150-200 words.

Introduction
Indicate clearly and briefly the purpose of the research. Identify the major issues or problems the paper addresses and the major sources of data used in the paper. Succinctly state the core findings of the paper and how the paper will be organized. Do not report on every little detail and finding; be clear and to the point. This introduction section should be about three pages.

Literature Review
Summarize the current sociological research on the your topic. You should include other scholars' empirical findings, concepts, and theories that link your study with existing scholarly research on the same or similar topic. Search for the current state of sociological research on your topic in appropriate peer-reviewed journals and scholarly books.

Methods Section
If relevant, explain your methods of data collection and analysis. Put differently, describe how the research was done. Identify the types and sources of data collected (participant observation, interviews, journal notes, archives, secondary sources, documents, census material, etcetera). Include data in tables, graphs, and/or figures if you have large amounts of quantitative data. Put each table, graph, or figure on a separate page with a descriptive title over it. In the text of the research paper, refer to the table or figure by number and then explain it. Consult my lists of books in the required and recommended books sections in my sociological writing syllabus.

Sociological Analysis
Provide a general overview of your theoretical argument and then discuss the major findings of your research and data collection. You should show how your findings support your theory and relate to findings of other researchers. Refer to scholarly journals for examples on how to write your findings and implications. This section can be sub-divided into separate units.

Conclusion
Discuss the implications of your research. How is your research and its findings relevant and important to urban sociology? You should offer suggestions for future research.

References
You must have at least 15-20 citations in your reference section. Cites from textbooks, encyclopedia, or other non-scholarly sources do not count. You may include Internet sources when appropriate.

Wiki Project Instructions:
To create (or edit) a page:

Here are some guidelines for using the wikis:

Important Dates

Monday 2/13/2012: Last day to drop a course or withdraw from school without receiving a grade.

Saturday 4/7/2012: Last day a student may drop or withdraw from a course.

Monday 5/7/2012: Final Exam

The UM-St. Louis Grading System
The grading system in all schools, colleges, and other parallel units at UM-St. Louis is based on a four-point scale. The grade value for each letter grade is as follows:

 

A = 4.0

A- = 3.7

B+ = 3.3

B = 3.0

B- = 2.7

C+ = 2.3

C = 2.0

C- = 1.7

D+ = 1.3

D = 1.0

D- = 0.7

 

F = 0.0

 

Classroom Procedures:

Cheating and Plagiarism:

Cheating: The unauthorized use or attempted use of material, information, notes, study aids, devices or communication during an academic exercise. The following are some examples of cheating:

Plagiarism: The act of presenting another person’s ideas, research or writings as your own. The following are some examples of plagiarism:- Copying another person’s actual words without the use of quotation marks and footnotes attributing the words to their source.

Note: Internet plagiarism includes submitting downloaded term papers or parts of term papers, paraphrasing or copying information from the Internet without citing the source, and “cutting and pasting” from various sources without proper attribution. Cheating and Plagiarism will not be tolerated, and if it occurs you will not receive credit for the assignment.

ADA Syllabus Statement

If a student has a disability that qualifies under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requires accommodations, he/she should contact the Disability Access Services Office for information on appropriate policies and  procedures. Disabilities covered by ADA may include learning, psychiatric, physical disabilities, or chronic health disorders. Students can contact DAS if they are not certain whether a medical condition/disability qualifies.    

Voice Telephone: 314.516.6554

TTY:   314. 516.5212

Course Outline and Required Readings (subject to modification):

Week 1: Introduction to Qualitative Methods

1/23: Introduction: The Fieldwork Perspective, ethnography

Week 2: Qualitative Methodology

1/30: Giampietro Gobo: Part I: Doing Ethnography

Outside Readings/Films:

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Week 3: Collecting Materials

Gaining entrée, ethical dilemmas, first days in the field, participant-observation/observation-participation, What to observe, interviewing (what kinds of questions to ask), crafting ethnographic records

2/6: Giampietro Gobo: Part II: Doing Ethnography

Outside Readings/Films:
Geertz, Notes on the Balinese Cockfight

Howard Becker “The Epistemology of Qualitative Research.” Pp. 317-330 in Robert

M. Emerson, Contemporary Field Research: Perspectives and Formulations

Week 4: First Fays in the Field and Strategies for Getting Organized

2/13: First Field Report Presentations (Wiki)

Week 5:  Writing Ethnographic Field notes and Interviewing

2/20: Emerson, Fretz, and Shaw, Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes (selected chapters)

Outside Readings/Films:

Emerson: Writing Field notes

_________________________________________

Week 6:  Ethnographic Field Strategies

2/27: Emerson, Fretz, and Shaw, Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes (selected chapters)

Outside Readings/Films:

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Week 7:  The Interview Process

3/5: Emerson, Fretz, and Shaw, Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes (selected chapters)

Becker, Howard, Tricks of the Trade: How to Think about Your Research While You're Doing It

Duneier, Mitch, Sidewalk (Part I)

Week 8:  Composing Ethnography

3/12: Emerson, Fretz, and Shaw, Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes (selected chapters)

Becker, Howard, Tricks of the Trade: How to Think about Your Research While You're Doing It

Duneier, Mitch, Sidewalk (Part II)

Outside Readings/Films:

Williams, Terry, Crackhouse: Notes from the End of the Line

_________________________________________

Week 9: Second Field Report

3/19: Second Field Report Presentations Due

Week 10: Spring Break

3/26: No Classes

Week 11: Collecting and Analyzing Materials

4/2: Giampietro Gobo: Part I: Doing Ethnography (Part III)

Becker, Howard, Tricks of the Trade: How to Think about Your Research While You're Doing It

Duneier, Mitch, Sidewalk (Part III and IV)

Margaret LeCompte and Jean Schensul, Designing and Conducting Ethnographic Research: An Introduction (Ethnographer's Toolkit, Second Edition): Chapter 6 (Collecting Ethnographic Data and Chapter) and chapter 7 (Data Analysis: How Ethnographers Make Sense of their Data)

Outside Readings/Films:

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Week 12: Collecting and Analyzing Materials

4/9:  Giampietro Gobo: Doing Ethnography (Part III)

Becker, Howard, Tricks of the Trade: How to Think about Your Research While You're Doing It

Duneier, Mitch, Sidewalk (Part V)

Margaret LeCompte and Jean Schensul, Designing and Conducting Ethnographic Research: An Introduction (Ethnographer's Toolkit, Second Edition): Chapter 6 (Collecting Ethnographic Data and Chapter) and chapter 7 (Data Analysis: How Ethnographers Make Sense of their Data)

Outside Readings/Films:

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Week 13:  The Ethics of Field Work

4/16: American Sociological Society, Code of Ethics. 1984

Humphrey's, L. Tearoom Trade: Impersonal Sex in Public Places

Margaret LeCompte and Jean Schensul, Designing and Conducting Ethnographic Research: An Introduction (Ethnographer's Toolkit, Second Edition): Chapter 10. Protection of Risk to Human Subjects and the Ethics of Ethnographic Fieldwork

Outside Readings/Films:

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Week 14:  Exit Strategies

4/23: Giampietro Gobo: Doing Ethnography (Part III)

Outside Readings/Films:

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Week 15: Final paper Presentations

4/30: Final paper Presentations

 

Final Exams/Papers Due 5/7