GLCb1010 Qualitative Methodology in Action

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/1. 7 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mag. phil. Raffaella Pagogna (lecturer)
Mgr. Madeline Paradise (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mag. phil. Raffaella Pagogna
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: doc. Mgr. et Mgr. Adéla Souralová, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The main objective of the course is to inform students about the character of qualitative research and its specificities. The students should become aware about the main technics of qualitative reasearch (interviews, observations, qualitative analysis). At the same time, they will learn how to build and design qualitative research, from formulating the topic to writing the empirical work. The students will formulate their own research projects and realize them during the semester.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, a student will be able to:
- identify the characteristics of qualitative research
- define the technics of qualitative research
- use the technics of qualitative research on the basic ground
- formulate research question in qualitative research
- design qualitative research proposal
Syllabus
  • Week 1: Qualitative methodology: principles and characteristics
  • Week 2: Research design: Develop research questions and the appropriate methodology
  • Week 3: Technics of qualitative research 1: interviews
  • Week 4: Technics of qualitative research 2: ethnography and (non) participant observations
  • Week 5: The researcher and research participants: Field access and positionality and power in research process/ Research project question/proposal due before class, peer feedback due before Week 6 class
  • Week 6: Recording data and taking field notes + Peer discussion and Feedback on research proposals
  • Week 7: Reading week
  • Week 8: Data analysis in qualitative research
  • Week 9: Writing empirical papers
  • Week 10: Troubleshooting project/ consultations
  • Week 11 & 12: No class (public holidays): Data analysis paper due May 5th
  • Week 13: Workshop: Final presentation of findings
Literature
  • Altheide, D.L. Reflections: Ethnographic content analysis. Qual Sociol 10, 65–77 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00988269
  • HAMMERSLEY, Martyn and Paul ATKINSON. Ethnography : principles in practice. Fourth edition. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2019, xii, 280. ISBN 9781138504462. info
  • EMERSON, Robert M., Rachel I. FRETZ and Linda L. SHAW. Writing ethnographic fieldnotes. Second edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2011, xxiii, 289. ISBN 0226206831. info
  • SILVERMAN, David. Doing qualitative research : a practical handbook. 3rd ed. London ;: SAGE, 2010, xiv, 456. ISBN 9781848600348. info
  • KVALE, Steinar. Doing interviews. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2007, xix, 157. ISBN 9780761949770. info
  • PUNCH, Keith. Developing effective research proposals. 1st pub. London: SAGE Publications, 2000, vii, 125. ISBN 0761963561. info
  • KVALE, Steinar. Interviews : an introduction to qualitative research interviewing. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 1996, xvii, 326. ISBN 080395820X. info
Teaching methods
project wiriting, class discussion, individual consultations, presentations
Assessment methods
research project, realization of research, empirical paper, final presentation
Language of instruction
English
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2025/GLCb1010