FSS:SOCb2506 Applying sociology. Qualitativ - Course Information

SOCb2506 Applying sociology. Qualitative methods

The course is not taught in Spring 2024

Extent and Intensity

1/1/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).

Teacher(s)

Olga Zhmurko, M.A. (lecturer), Mgr. et Mgr. Jiří Navrátil, Ph.D. (deputy)

Guaranteed by

Olga Zhmurko, M.A.
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Soňa Enenkelová
Supplier department: Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies

Prerequisites

SOCb2506 Applyed sociology. Qualitative methods

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 0/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

there are 9 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Course objectives

The course presents an overview of the qualitative methods used in the social sciences, focusing on the practical usage of qualitative research tools in social inquiry. The course is aimed at bachelors’ students, who study sociology and other fields within the social sciences. The intent is to build an understanding of the logic of qualitative inquiry in practical usage: academic research, policy making, market research and others. The course provides ontological and epistemological perspectives on qualitative methods, combining them with practice in groups and individually, reading, discussions and peer-to-peer learning methods. The course is aimed to demonstrate in which variety of social fields qualitative methods can be used, along with their prospective outcomes and outputs, their limitations and how to use the strength of qualitative methods and minimize the challenges. By the end of the course, the students will be familiar with a range of qualitative methods (interviews, focus-groups, case-studies, ethnographic research, text analysis and others). They will read key texts in the field, which present different perspectives and approaches, and analyse the differences, as well as their strong sides and limitations. Students will conduct their own practice-oriented research during the course and will have an opportunity to reflect on the challenges and outcomes they have faced during its implementation. By the end of the course the students will be equipped with knowledge and skills on the application of qualitative methods in social inquiry for specific groups and areas.

Learning outcomes

It is expected that by the end of the course the students will be able: - To understand the key purpose of qualitative methods and the ways in which they could be applied; - To explain the purpose and potential scope in the usage of different kinds of qualitative methods in social research; - To identify research questions and find the approaches to address them within qualitative enquiry; - To evaluate the quality of the qualitative methodology design in social studies and works; - To obtain the skills on conduction the basic qualitative inquiry, and reflect on their usage and prospective development. - To define whether qualitative methods are applicable in social inquiry, how modify them to conduct the basic social qualitative inquiry and how to analyze the qualitative data. - To know about the limitations of qualitative methods and successfully use their opportunities in different areas and groups.

Syllabus

• Course content • Introduction to the course and brief overview • Paradigms of qualitative methods of research: - Epistemological points of view on social phenomena and the objects we are studying. - An overview of some theories concerning qualitative research methods. - The importance of understanding different research paradigms • Concepts, theories and approaches within qualitative methods – a brief overview: - Grounded theory - Case studies - Applied Interpretive approach - Feminist qualitative research • Qualitative data collection and analysis - The interview process in qualitative data collection - Participant observation and ethnography - In-depth interviews - Focus-groups and experiments - Design a research methodology: thinking as a sociologist while using qualitative methods - Mixed methods research - Content analysis and coding • Writing up and evaluating qualitative research: narrating, concluding and recommending • Development of project proposal on qualitative methods of research

Teaching methods

The course is designed as a lecture-seminar and student-led seminar format with core readings (most of them available in pdf format in IS) and group or individual project preparation and presentation. The course is designed with a balance of theoretical knowledge combined with practical skill development.

Language of instruction

English

Further Comments

The course is taught: every week.

• Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2024, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2024/SOCb2506