KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE COURSE PROPOSAL OR REVISION,
Cover Sheet (10/02/2002)
Course Number/Program Name INCM 9103/International Conflict Management
Department College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Degree Title (if applicable) Ph.D. in International Conflict Management
Proposed Effective Date Fall 2010
Check one or more of the following and complete the appropriate sections:
X New Course Proposal
Course Title Change
Course Number Change
Course Credit Change
Course Prerequisite Change
Course Description Change
Sections to be Completed
II, III, IV, V, VII
I, II, III
I, II, III
I, II, III
I, II, III
I, II, III
Notes:
If proposed changes to an existing course are substantial (credit hours, title, and description), a new course with a
new number should be proposed.
A new Course Proposal (Sections II, III, IV, V, VII) is required for each new course proposed as part of a new
program. Current catalog information (Section I) is required for each existing course incorporated into the
program.
Minor changes to a course can use the simplified E-Z Course Change Form.
Submitted by:
Approved
Volker Franke Ph.D.
Faculty Member
_____
Date
Not Approved
Department Curriculum Committee Date
Approved
Approved
Approved
Approved
Approved
Approved
Not Approved
Department Chair
Date
School Curriculum Committee
Date
School Dean
Date
GPCC Chair
Date
Dean, Graduate College
Date
Not Approved
Not Approved
Not Approved
Not Approved
Not Approved
Vice President for Academic Affairs Date
Approved
Not Approved
President
Date
KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE COURSE/CONCENTRATION/PROGRAM CHANGE
I.
Current Information (Fill in for changes)
Page Number in Current Catalog
Course Prefix and Number
Course Title
Credit Hours
Prerequisites
Description (or Current Degree Requirements)
II.
Proposed Information (Fill in for changes and new courses)
Course Prefix and Number INCM 9103_____________________________
Course Title Qualitative Methods
Credit Hours 3-0-3
Prerequisites Admission to the Ph.D. program
Description (or Proposed Degree Requirements)
This course will focus on qualitative techniques including case study,
participant observation, discourse analysis, in-depth interview, and
sampling techniques. Students will apply these techniques using statistical
software packages.
III.
Justification
This course provides the student with the knowledge to excel in research
methods which is the core component of the Ph.D. in International
Conflict Management. From the reading and understanding of a diverse
set of literature the student of this course will also be able to apply
appropriate methodological approaches to conflict-related global issues.
This course will provide the student the ability to address problems from a
sophisticated base of substantive and methodological approaches.
IV.
Additional Information (for New Courses only)
Instructor:_Volker Franke, Ph.D.
Text:
Prerequisites: Admission to the Ph.D. program
Objectives:
 Be familiar with the methodological and epistemological debates concerning
qualitative research
 Understand ethical concerns involved in qualitative research
 Conceptualize research projects utilizing qualitative methods
 Formulate working hypotheses, design interview schedules and observation
templates
 Conduct qualitative research and collect, analyze and interpret qualitative data
Instructional Method
-Class discussion, projects
Method of Evaluation
-Research
V.
summary, exercises, research paper, field notes, participation
Resources and Funding Required (New Courses only)
Resource
Amount
Faculty
Other Personnel
Equipment
Supplies
Travel
New Books
New Journals
Other (Specify)
TOTAL
Funding Required Beyond
Normal Departmental Growth
The costs are included in the overall cost for the new Ph.D. program and are not separate.
VI. COURSE MASTER FORM
This form will be completed by the requesting department and will be sent to the Office of the
Registrar once the course has been approved by the Office of the President.
The form is required for all new courses.
DISCIPLINE
COURSE NUMBER
COURSE TITLE FOR LABEL
(Note: Limit 16 spaces)
CLASS-LAB-CREDIT HOURS
Approval, Effective Term
Grades Allowed (Regular or S/U)
If course used to satisfy CPC, what areas?
Learning Support Programs courses which are
required as prerequisites
INCM
9103
Qualitative Methods
3-0-3
Fall 2010
Regular
APPROVED:
________________________________________________
Vice President for Academic Affairs or Designee __
VII Attach Syllabus
INCM 9103: Qualitative Methods
Ph.D. Program in International Conflict Management
Kennesaw State University
I. Professor Contact Information
Volker Franke, Associate Professor of Conflict Management
Department of Political Science and International Affairs, MD 2205, Bldg. 22, Rm. 3002
Phone: 678-797-2931, Email: vfranke@kennesaw.edu
II. Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions
Admission to the Ph.D. program
III. Course Description
This course will focus on qualitative techniques for designing and conducting social science research on issues
relevant to the study of conflict, including case study, participant observation, discourse analysis, in-depth interview,
and sampling techniques. The course covers the “nuts and bolts” of qualitative research: gathering data through
interviews, focus groups, observation and archival research; strategies for recording, coding and analyzing
qualitative data; and evaluating and presenting qualitative research.
IV. Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students should:
 Be familiar with the methodological and epistemological debates concerning qualitative research
 Understand ethical concerns involved in qualitative research
 Conceptualize research projects utilizing qualitative methods
 Formulate working hypotheses, design interview schedules and observation templates
 Conduct qualitative research and collect, analyze and interpret qualitative data
V. Textbooks and Materials
Required Books:
Barbour, Rosaline. 2007. Doing Focus Groups. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
DeWalt, Kathleen M. and Billie R. DeWalt. Participant Observation: A Guide for Fieldworkers. Alta Mira Press,
2001.
Druckman, Daniel. Doing Research: Methods of Inquiry for Conflict Analysis. London: Sage Publications, 2005.
Emerson, Robert M., Rachel I. Fretz and Linda L. Shaw. Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 1995.
George, Alexander L. and Andrew Bennett. 2005. Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences.
Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Paffenholz, Tania and Luc Reycheler. Aid for Peace: A Guide to Planning and Evaluation for Conflict Zones.
Baden-Baden: Nomos, 2007.
Patton, Michael Quinn. Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. 3rd ed., London: Sage Publications, 2002.
Sham, Paul, Walid Salem and Benjamin Pogrund (eds.). Shared Histories: A Palestinian-Israeli Dialogue. Left
Coast Press, 2005.
Silverman, David. Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods for Analyzing Talk, Text and Interaction, 3rd ed. London:
Sage Publications, 2006.
Van Maanen, John. Tales from the Field: On Writing Ethnography. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988.
Weiss, Robert S. Learning from Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studies. Free Press, 1995.
Additional Readings (required):
Punch, Maurice. “Politics and Ethics in Qualitative Research” in N. Denzin and Y. Lincoln (eds.) The Landscape of
Qualitative Research: Theories and Issues. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 1998: 156-184.
Peritore, N. P. “Reflections on Dangerous Fieldwork,” American Sociologist, 21 (4), 1990: 359-372.
Woliver, L. R. “Ethical Dilemmas in Personal Interviewing,” PS: Political Science and Politics, 35 (4), 2002: 677678.
Selection of Readings for Research Summaries (to be expanded):
Assefa, Hizikias and Paul Wahrhaftig. The MOVE Crisis in Philadelphia: Extremist Groups and Conflict
Resolution. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1990.
Bergen, Peter L. Holy War, INC.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden. New York: Simon & Schuster,
2002.
Chang, Iris. The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. London: Penguin, 1997.
Conroy, John. Belfast Diary: War as a Way of Life. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1995.
Docherty, Jayne Seminare. Learning Lessons from Waco: When the Parties Bring Their Gods to the Negotiation
Table. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2001.
Geertz, Clifford. 1973. The Balinese Cockfight. In The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books.
Goffman, Erving. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1959.
Marx, Anthony. Making Race and Nation: A Comparison of the United States, South Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1998.
Miedzian, Myriam. Boys will be Boys: Breaking the Link between Masculinity and Violence. New York: Doubleday,
1991.
Pelton, Robert Young. Licensed to Kill: Hired Guyns in the War on Terror. New York: Random House, 2007.
Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. New York: Penguin,
1985.
Ricks, Thomas. Making the Corps. New York: Scribner, 1997.
Roy, Beth. The Trouble with Some Cows: Making Sense of Social Conflict. Berkeley, CA: University of California
Press, 1994.
Rubinstein, Robert: Peacekeeping Under Fire: Culture and Intervention. Paradigm Publishers, 2008.
Winslow, Donna. The Canadian Airborne Regiment in Somalia: A Socio-Cultural Inquiry. Ottawa: Canadian
Government Publishing.
VI. Course Outlines
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Course Overview & Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Conflict
Management
Read: Silverman, Ch. 1; Patton, Chs. 1-4.
Theory Development
Read: Patton, Chs. 1-4.
Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research.
Read: Silverman, Ch. 9; Punch; Peritore; Woliver.
Case Studies
Read: George & Bennett.
Interviews
Read: Silverman, Ch. 4; Patton, Ch. 7; Weiss; Sham, Salem & Pogrund.
Focus Groups
Read: Barbour.
Ethnography
Read: Silverman, Ch. 3; Druckman, Ch. 8; Van Maanen.
Participant Observation
Read: DeWalt & DeWalt.
Progress Discussion on Student Research Projects
No Readings.
Content & Discourse Analysis
Read: Silverman, Ch. 5; Druckman, Chs. 9-10.
Analyzing Visual Images
Read: Silverman, Ch. 6-7; additional readings tbd.
Evaluation Research
Read: Druckman, Ch. 11; Paffenholz & Reychler.
Interpreting Field Notes and other Qualitative Data
Read: Patton, Ch. 8; Emerson, Fretz & Shaw
Analyzing Qualitative Data using Computer Software
Week 15
Read: TBD.
Student Research Presentations
VII. Grading Policy
Grades will be calculated as follows:
Research Summary:
Exercises:
Research Paper:
Field Notes:
Participation:
10%
30%
40%
10%
10%
The final product for this course is a research paper in which students choose a qualitative approach and apply the
appropriate methods to examine a topic of interest to them with relevance to the field of conflict management (40%).
Accompanying their paper, students will be submitting (as appropriate) their field notes, raw data, interview
transcripts, and coding schemes (10%). Throughout the semester, students will be asked to complete short exercises
(e.g., conduct interviews or focus groups, analyze the content of text, engage in participant observation or analyze
visual images) to hone their skills through practical application. In the aggregate, these exercises will count for 30%
of their final grade. Finally, students will select a qualitative study of their choice (suggestions provided) and
provide a step-by-step summary of the project, including theoretical context, methodology, findings and
implications (in the form of annotated bullets) and present the studies in class as an illustration of the week’s
discussion topic (10%).
VIII. Academic Integrity
Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct, as published in the
Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. Section II of the Student Code of Conduct addresses the University's policy
on academic honesty, including provisions regarding plagiarism and cheating, unauthorized access to University
materials, misrepresentation/falsification of University records or academic work, malicious removal, retention, or
destruction of library materials, malicious/intentional misuse of computer facilities and/or services, and misuse of
student identification cards. Incidents of alleged academic misconduct will be handled through the established
procedures of the University Judiciary Program, which includes either an "informal" resolution by a faculty member,
resulting in a grade adjustment, or a formal hearing procedure, which may subject a student to the Code of Conduct's
minimum one semester suspension requirement.
IX. ADA Statement
Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet the
course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to arrange the necessary accommodations.
Students should present appropriate verification from KSU disAbled Student Support Services. No requirement
exists that accommodations be made prior to completion of this approved University process. Accommodations are
arranged on an individualized, as-needed basis after the needs and circumstances have been evaluated. The
following individuals have been designated by the President of the University to provide assistance and ensure
compliance with the ADA. Should you require assistance or have further questions about the ADA, please contact:
Carol Pope, Asst. Dir. for disAbled Student Support Services
770-423-6443, 770-423-6667F, 770-423-6480TTY
cpope@kennesaw.edu
disAbled Student Support Services Website
http://www.kennesaw.edu/stu_dev/dsss/dsss.html