RLB90 Qualitative Methods in the Study of Religions

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2017
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Michaela Ondrašinová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Zdeňka Pitrunová (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. David Zbíral, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Šárka Londa Vondráčková
Supplier department: Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each even Tuesday 15:50–17:25 pracovna
Prerequisites
The participation in this course presumes the basic knowledge about the character of social scientific research and the differences between quantitative and qualitative approaches, and basic competences to design a research project.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to familiarize students with fundamental issues of doing qualitative research in the field of religious studies, and develop their abilities to collect and interpret qualitative data. The course focuses on a qualitative interview (semi-structured and narrative interview) as a research method, but selected issues related to ethnographic research are discussed too. By lectures, discussions on the compulsory readings, and individual research practice during the semester, students are guided to acquire deeper knowledge about qualitative research process and practical skills for fieldwork and data analysis.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, students will be able to:
  • choose an appropriate type of qualitative interview with regard to the research aims;
  • propose good questions suitable for a qualitative interview;
  • realize a qualitative interview;
  • prepare a transcript of an interview;
  • do elementary analytical operations with qualitative data;
  • evaluate and revise research questions and methods on the basis of research experience and first interpretations of gained data.
    • Syllabus
    • Introduction to the course, sharing experiences with doing qualitative research.
    • A researcher in the field: relations and research ethics.
    • Semi-structured interviews.
    • Narration, experience, identity: narrative interviews, oral history.
    • Practice: realization of an interview and reflexive description of the interview situation.
    • Workshop: discussion about students’ research projects and their realization.
    • Practice: transcription of an interview.
    • Coding qualitative data.
    • Analysis of data and writing a study; member reactions to a study.
    Literature
      required literature
    • KVALE, Steinar and Svend BRINKMANN. Interviews : learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2009, xviii, 354. ISBN 9780761925422. info
    • HAMAR, Eleonóra. Vyprávěná židovství : o narativní konstrukci druhogeneračních židovských identit (Narrated Judaisms: On Narrative Construction of Second-Generation Jewish Identities). Vyd. 1. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 2008, 243 s. ISBN 9788074190049. info
    • EMERSON, Robert M., Rachel I. FRETZ and Linda L. SHAW. Writing ethnographic fieldnotes. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995, xviii, 254. ISBN 0226206815. URL info
      recommended literature
    • Ethnographic fieldwork : an anthropological reader. Edited by Antonius C. G. M. Robben - Jeffrey A. Sluka. Second edition. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, a John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication, 2012, xv, 654. ISBN 9780470657157. info
    • FLICK, Uwe. An introduction to qualitative research. 3rd ed. London: SAGE Publications, 2006, xii, 443. ISBN 1412911451. info
    • Qualitative research methods. Edited by Darin Weinberg. 1st pub. Malden: Blackwell Publishers, 2002, viii, 342. ISBN 0-631-21762-2. info
    • SILVERMAN, David. Interpreting qualitative data :methods for analysing talk, text and interaction. 1st ed. London: Sage Publications, 1997, x, 224 s. ISBN 0-8039-8758-7. info
    • KOHLER-RIESSMAN, Catherine. Narrative analysis. Newbury Park: SAGE Publications, 1993, vii, 79 s. ISBN 0-8039-4754-2. info
    Teaching methods
    Class discussions about readings, lectures, research tasks, final essay.
    Assessment methods
    The final evaluation has the form of colloquium. Before the colloquium and as its prerequisite, students have to fulfil the following tasks:
    1) Submission of a report about the realization of an interview during the semester (evaluated as accepted/not accepted).
    2) Presence at classes: students are supposed to be present at at least 50 % of classes, and to participate at discussions of these classes.
    Final essay and colloquium
    Students submit final essays in the examination period. Colloquium has the form of discussion about students’ essays. The final evaluation is dependent on the quality of the final essay (70 %), and the quality of oral presentation of the essay and ability to discuss critical feedback to the essay (30 %).
    Language of instruction
    Czech
    Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
    Study Materials
    The course is taught once in two years.
    Information on course enrolment limitations: Zápis mimo religionistiku je podmíněn souhlasem vyučující.
    Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
    The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2005, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2015, Spring 2021.
    • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2017, recent)
    • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2017/RLB90