INTRODUCTION TO QUALITATIVE METHODS
SYA 6936
Monday 9am to 12noon
Instructor: Deana Rohlinger
Office: 221 Pepper
Office Hours: Monday 12pm to 1pm, Wednesday
12pm to 1pm and by appt.
Phone: 644-2493
E-mail: drohling@fsu.edu
Teaching Assistant: Teresa Roach
Office: 509 Bellamy
Office Hours: Monday 2:30 to 4:30pm
and by appt.
E-mail: tar09c@fsu.edu
Course Description: This seminar will introduce you to a variety of qualitative methods, including field
research, interviewing, archival and historical research and content analysis. This course is divided into
three segments. In the first segment of the course, you will learn about the development of qualitative
methods, qualitative research design and ethics, and develop a research project. In the second segment
of the course, you will conduct field research, interviews, archival research and content analysis. In the
final segment of the course, you will learn how to analyze qualitative data and apply these techniques to
the data you collected. The course culminates in an analytical paper based on the research you
conducted throughout the semester.
Course Objectives:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Understand how to design and carry out a qualitative research project (create a qualitative
research manual)
Understand and apply research ethics
Identify and explain a variety of qualitative research techniques
Collect, organize and analyze qualitative data through in-class activities and independent
research
Analyze qualitative data and connect analyses to theory
Appreciate the methodological rigor of qualitative research
Required Book:
Warren, Carol and Tracy Xavia Karner. 2010. Discovering Qualitative Methods: Field Research,
Interviews, and Analysis (2nd edition). New York: Oxford University Press.
Additional readings will be available through the course website.
Research Projects: This semester you will learn about qualitative research by participating in a
semester-long “group” project, which will culminate in an individual course paper. These projects are
“group” projects insofar as you will be able to work with two or three other students on a common
research topic. This means that you will work collectively with others in the class to create qualitative
research tools (such interview schedules and content analyses) and group members will share data.
However, each group member must individually complete the course assignments and hand in an
original final paper. As such, each member will need to stake his/her specific analytical interests (e.g.,
1
gender, sexuality, emotion, race) at the beginning of the semester so that an adequate amount of data
is collected. Specific guidelines for the final paper will be handed out later in the semester.
Course Assignments: There are several course assignments that are designed to teach you about
qualitative research ethics and to help you collect (and analyze) your data. All assignments are due at
the beginning of class, unless otherwise noted. Please bring two copies of all of your assignments to
class (since we will be discussing them) and e-mail a copy to your group members (this applies to data
assignments only).
1. Obtain your NIH certification (Due 9/13). The National Institute of Health provides a free,
online course that addresses the principles used to define ethical research involving human
subjects as well as the regulations, policies and guidance that describe the implementation of
those principles. There are seven modules total and four are followed by a quiz. The course
takes approximately 3 hours to complete. If you pass the course, you will receive a certification,
which you need to print and hand end as evidence that you completed the course.
2. Submit an IRB proposal (Due at the end of class on 9/13). All research using human subjects
must go through the Institutional Research Board for approval. In order to complete the form,
you must design your project and construct your basic research questions, outline your
interview questions, and address important ethical issues. We will go over the form in class and I
will provide you with some examples. Outside of class, you and your group will draft your IRB
form. Inside of class, we will revise your form and it will be submitted electronically.
3. Field research assignment (Due 10/18). For this assignment, you will observe a group for at
least 90 minutes and write up complete field notes (7-12 single spaced pages) as well as a
reflection on the experience. We will discuss this assignment in greater detail in class. Be
advised that writing field notes generally is a time consuming process and you should anticipate
that it will take between 4 and 6 hours to complete this aspect of the assignment.
4. Interview assignment (Due 11/1). This assignment requires you to conduct, tape record and
transcribe an interview and to write a reflection outlining the process of interviewing (and what
aspects you found particularly difficult), themes that emerged during the interview, and any
other interesting observations you have. Transcribing an interview is a time consuming process
and you should expect it to take 3 to 4 hours to transcribe one hour of interview.
5. Archival assignment (Due 11/15). For this assignment you will conduct archival research, write
up notes on relevant documents, and draft a memo reflecting on the archival process and its
surprises and challenges. In some ways, archival work is the most difficult insofar as you never
know what you are going to find (and sometimes cannot find what you want). You should be
prepared to spend several hours reading and writing notes on archival documents in order to
successfully complete this assignment.
2
6.
Content analysis assignment (Due 11/22). This assignment requires you to identify and
systematically code documents (e.g., images, advertisements, billboards, news media, television
programs magazines and so on) so that you can make some general observations about data.
While content analysis can be time consuming to conduct (depending on how much data you
are coding), a great deal of time is spent identifying and determining how elements (variables)
will be systematically examined. Since several people will be using the same content analysis,
you will schedule time outside of class to conduct a coding session and calculate your intercoder
reliability. You will hand in a copy of your variables (including how they were operationalized) as
well as a summary of what you found in the content analysis.
7. Course paper (Due 12/6 at 5pm). The above data collection assignments will culminate in a
analytical paper. The paper will be discussed in greater detail in class.
Class participation: Class participation is critical for a successful learning experience. Please come to
class prepared to discuss the reading and your project. You will be asked to give two or three short
presentations during the semester that summarizes a particular method and the relevant issues and
procedures regarding the method. These summaries should be typed up and a copy provided to
everyone in class. When writing the summaries, keep in mind that we are constructing a course
qualitative research manual that you can refer to throughout your career. As such, the summaries
should be short (around 1 page single spaced) and instructive.
Seminar grades:
Your final grade will be based on the quality of your performance with respect to the course
assignments and responsibilities. The allocation of points is as follows:
The six assignments -- 35%
Presentations – 5%
Course paper – 40%
Participation – 20%
In academia, the ability to convey your ideas in a clear and concise manner is extraordinarily important.
Thus, I stress the importance of writing in this course. It is to your benefit, then, to write and check your
work before handing them in to me. Your work will be evaluated as follows:
•
Check minus- indicates that your assignment is unclear, unfocused, underdeveloped,
and/or does not meet the assignment guidelines.
•
Check- indicates that your assignment is satisfactory.
•
Check plus- indicates that your assignment is particularly insightful, thoughtful,
articulate, and an excellent example of quality academic writing/work.
**** This syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change.
3
Course Policies and Student Responsibilities:
•
•
Students are expected to be on time and attend all classes having completed the week’s reading
and formulated thoughtful questions and/or comments. To do well in any graduate seminar,
preparation for and attendance to class is absolutely necessary. I consider missing more than
two classes during the semester poor attendance. Missing three or more classes and/or
consistent lateness will adversely affect your grade.
Students are expected to listen and respond to each others’ comments and concerns in a
respectful and scholarly manner. Scholarly comments are:
• Respectful of diverse opinions, analysis, and methodologies.
• Invite and are open to follow up questions and/or discussion about the assumptions
upon which comments are grounded.
• Related to and advance the class and course material (rather than reflect personal
beliefs).
• Delivered in normal tones (rather than yelling and interrupting).
Unprofessional behavior will be penalized and may include being downgraded and/or
dismissal from class.
•
•
Late assignments and papers will not be accepted.
Missing work is not sufficient reason for a grade of Incomplete (I). An incomplete will not be
given except under extenuating circumstances at the instructor’s discretion. Remember that the
College of Social Science guidelines require that students seeking an “I” must be passing the
course.
Academic Honor Code. The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University’s
expectations for the integrity of students’ academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations
of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout
the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their
pledge to “. . . be honest and truthful and . . . [to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida
State University.” (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at
http://dof.fsu.edu/honorpolicy.htm.) Any form of academic dishonesty will result in a "zero" for that
particular assignment or an "F" for the course, at the instructor’s discretion, and may be reported to the
university administration for further disciplinary action as specified in the Academic Honor Policy.
Cheating and Plagiarism. The Provost and legal counsel of Florida State University warn us that any
uses of others' copyrighted materials without proper acknowledgement is unlawful and may lead to
criminal prosecution. To this end, please be scrupulous in using the work of others by giving full and
appropriate credit to the sources and materials that you use. Please use care when taking words and
phrases from others. If you use a string of three or more exact words from another source, you must
place the words in quotes and cite the author, year and page number. Be a stickler about citing; cite
more rather than less; cite early rather than late. Do NOT appropriate the concepts, phrases, or ideas of
other people without giving them credit. If you do so, you risk losing your good name and getting into
legal trouble. Any form of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, will result in a "zero" for that
4
particular assignment or possibly an "F" for the course and may be reported to the University Judicial
Office. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated.
Your paper would be considered as plagiarized in part or entirely if you do any of the following:
•
•
•
Submit a paper that was written by someone other than you.
Submit a paper in which you use the ideas, metaphors or reasoning style of another, but do not
cite that source and/or place that source in your list of references.
Submit a paper in which you "cut and paste" or use the exact words of a source and you do not
put the words within quotation marks, use footnotes or in-text citations, and place the source in
your list of references.
Disabilities. Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should:
(1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; and
(2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type.
This should be done during the first week of class. This syllabus and other class materials are available in
alternative format upon request. For more information about services available to FSU students with
disabilities, contact the:
Student Disability Resource Center
874 Traditions Way
108 Student Services Building
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167
(850) 644-9566 (voice)
(850) 644-8504 (TDD)
sdrc@admin.fsu.edu
http://www.disabilitycenter.fsu.edu/
5
Course Schedule
Week 1 (8/23): Introduction to the Course
Week 2 (8/30): Introduction to Qualitative Methods
Week 3 (9/6): Labor Day. No Classes.
Week 4 (9/13): Research Design and Ethics
Week 5 (9/20): Field Research
Week 6 (9/27): Field Research
Week 7 (10/4): Interviewing
Week 8 (10/11): Archival and Historical Research
Week 9 (10/18): Content Analysis
Week 10 (10/25) Content Analysis
Week 11 (11/1) Evaluating Qualitative Data
Week 12 (11/8) Evaluating Qualitative Data
Week 13 (11/15) Presenting Qualitative Work
Week 14 (11/22) Presentations
Week 15 (11/29) Presentations
Week 16 (12/6) Course paper is due via e-mail at 5pm.
6