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This advanced methodology course provides an overview of qualitative research methods, paying particular attention to research design as well as to the practical and ethical issues faced while conducting qualitative research in Central and Eastern Europe. The course consists of a survey of the various forms that qualitative research may assume and is taught by members of staff who have hands-on experience in using these selected methods in Central and Eastern Europe. The aim of the course is to help students translate their research ideas into feasible research projects, i.e. to identify and employ the appropriate research tools and methods in the framework of their project. The combination of traditional lecturing alongside discussions and practical workshops will allow students to gain both a theoretical understanding as well as practical experience of various qualitative research methods, incl. participant observation, ethnography, interviewing, experimental ethnography, critical discourse analysis, action research. All students are expected to have read key reading materials before the class and should be able to answer questions.

This 15-credit, Term 2 module will cover the following topics, which may be subject to variation depending on developments in academic research and the interests of the class:

• Epistemological choices behind qualitative research
• Ethics and Research Design
• Methods such as:
  • Ethnography
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • Action Research
  • Interviews and Focus Groups

Teaching Delivery

This lecture will be taught through a 2-hour long seminar, this will be a combination of lecturing and different group seminar activities. An important component of teaching delivery is a series of worksops (usually toward the end of the term), where the students will present in groups their research designs and ideas for a qualitative project.

This module has historically been popular. If you try to register on this module, we would advise exploring additional options, just in case.

By the end of the module, you should be able to:

1. Define your research question
2. Design your own project
3. Critically reflect on other qualitative research projects
4. Be able to use specific qualitative methods in practice
5. Understand the role of ethics in qualitative research

Recommended Readings

All readings for this module will be posted on the Moodle page and/or available at the ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº library.