Minnesota State University at Moorhead Winter 2003
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On the Qualitative Way…
“The issue is epistemological. If we are going to cling –as, in my opinion, we must– to the injunction to see things from the native’s point of view, where are we when we can no longer claim some unique form of psychological closeness, a sort of transcultural identification, with our subjects? What happens to verstehen when einfuhlen disappears? -Clifford Geertz, Local Knowledge: Further Essays in Interpretive Anthropology, Basic
Books.
“The epistemology of the social sciences demand the distinction between researchers and researched, observer and observed, and, at the most abstract level, between subject and object. Indeed, the very notion of a science is possible only to the extent that these distinctions can be sustained. Insofar as one cannot suppose a determinate reality standing independent of the efforts to observe it, the fundamental grounds of science are threatened with dissolution.” –Melvin Pollner and Robert M. Emerson, ‘The Dynamics of
Inclusion and Distance in Fieldwork Relations’, in Contemporary Field Research: A Collection of Readings,
Robert M. Emerson (Editor), Waveland Press.
“In the demystification framework, researchers believe that the very act of obtaining knowledge creates the potential for change because the paucity of research about certain groups accentuates and perpetuates their powerlessness. Researchers on women’s employment note that “there is little data…on Hispanic or Native
American women, or on the employment situation of other groups such as disabled or lesbian women.”
Because the needs and opinion of these groups are not known, their views have less influence on the conditions under which they live. Thus, the study of certain groups is political because it demystifies.
Feminist research “raises consciousness” when those in power are taken aback by the audacity of a feminist research project, especially if the very questions asked challenge vested interests.” -Shulamit Reinharz,
Feminist Methods in Social Research, Oxford.
“The first and fundamental rule is to consider social facts as things.” –Emile Durkheim, The Rules of
Sociological Method, Routledge.
“I have discovered that using qualitative methods means learning to live with uncertainty, ambiguity, and confusion, sometimes for weeks at a time. It also means carving a path by making decisions, with only the vaguest guideposts and no one to give you gold stars and good grades along the way. It has its rewards.
Yet, there were times in the field that I would have killed for an inviolable rule to follow –an SPSSX command to punch into the computer and let the results spill out. I found it exhausting, as well as exhilarating, to be constantly trying to figure out what to do next. It is unlikely that qualitative work will ever have specific research rules to punch into a computer, but it can –and in my opinion should- offer novice researchers more concrete guidance on matters of data collection, data analysis, and the writing of qualitative work.” –Annette Lareau, ‘Common Problems in Fieldwork: A Personal Essay’. In Journey
Through Ethnography: Realistic Accounts of Fieldwork. Westview.
“Qualitative researchers hear mixed messages. On one hand, they are told that their emotions can hinder good research. On the other, they are told that they will not understand their participants unless they form attachments with them. Consequently, most of us act like quasi-positivists: We allow ourselves to have
particular feelings, such as closeness with participants, and try to deny or get rid of emotions we deem inappropriate. Fieldworkers, then, do emotion work, molding their feelings to meet others’ expectations.” -
Sherryl Klienman and Martha A. Copp, ‘Emotions and Fieldwork’, in Qualitative Research Methods Series, #
28. Sage
Required Texts:
Atkinson, Robert. 1998. “The Life Story Interview.” Qualitative Research Methods Series, # 44. Sage. (**)
Bartunek, Jean M. and Meryl Reis Louis. 1996. “Insider/Outsider Team Research.” Qualitative
Research Methods Series, # 40. CA: Sage Publications.
Gubrium, Jaber F. and James A. Holstein. 1997. The New Language of Qualitative Method. NY:
Oxford.
Kleinman, Sherryl and Martha A. Copp. 1993. “Emotions and Fieldwork.” Qualitative Research
Methods Series, # 28. CA: Sage Publications.
Mason, Jennifer. 2002. Qualitative Researching (2 nd Edition). CA: Sage Publications.

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Recommended Texts:
Berg, Bruce L. 1995. Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences (Second Edition). Allyn and Bacon.
Bernard, Russell H. 1995. Research Methods in Anthropology (Second Edition). Altamira.
Denzin, Norman K. and Yvonna S. Lincoln (Editors). 2000. Handbook of Qualitative Research
(Second Edition). CA: Sage Publications.
Devereux, Stephen and John Hoddinott. 1993. Fieldwork in Developing Countries. Rienner.
Emerson, Robert M. 1983. Contemporary Field Research. Waveland.
Geertz, Clifford. 1983. Local Knowledge: Further Essays in Interpretive Anthropology. Basic Books.
Lareau, Annette and Jeffrey Shultz. 1996. Journeys Through Ethnography: Realistic Accounts of
Fieldwork. Westview.
Norman, Denzin K. and Yvonna S. Lincoln. 2000. Handbook of Qualitative Research (2 nd Edition).
CA: Sage.
Milinki, Andrea. 1999. Cases in Qualitative Research: Research Reports for Discussion and
Evaluation. Pyrczak Publishers.
Morse, Janice M. 1992. Qualitative Health Research. Sage.
Reinharz, Schulamit. 1992. Feminist Methods in Social Research. NY: Oxford.
Reinharz, Shulamit. 1995. On Becoming a Social Scientist. Transaction Publishers.
Spradley, James P. 1979. The Ethnographic Interview. Harcourt, Brace, & Jovanovich.
Stebbins, Robert A. 2001. “Exploratory Research in the Social Sciences.” Qualitative Research
Methods Series, # 48. Sage.
Strauss, Anselm and Juliet Corbin. 1990. Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory
Procedures and Techniques. Sage.
Thomas, Jim. 1993. “Doing Critical Ethnography.” Qualitative Research Methods Series, # 26. Sage.
Ziller, Robert C. 1990. Photographing the Self: Methods for Observing Personal Orientations. Sage.
Scholarly Supplements:
Ambert, Anne-Marie, Adler, Peter, Adler, Patricia A., and Daniel F. Detzner. 1995.
“Understanding and Evaluating Qualitative Research.” Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 57:
879-893.
Annelles, Merilyn. “Grounded Theory Method: Philosophical Perspectives, Paradigm of Inquiry, and Postmodernism.” Qualitative Health Research, Vol. 6, No. 3 (August): 379-393.
Becker, Howard. 1974. “Photography and Sociology.” Studies in Visual Communication, Vol. 1, No.
1: 1-19.
Cheek, Julianne. 1996. “Taking a View: Qualitative Research as Representation.” Qualitative
Health Research, Vol. 6, No. 4 (November): 492-505.
Johnson, Burke R. 1997. “Examining the Validity Structure of Qualitative Research.” Education,
Vol. 188: 282-292.
Karp, David. 1973. “Hiding in Pornographic Bookstores: A Reconsideration of the Role of Urban
Anonymity.” Urban Life & Culture, Vol. 1, No. 4 (January): 427-451.
Krefting, Laura. 1991. “Rigor in Qualitative Research: The Assessment of Trustworthiness.” The
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, Vol. 45: 214-222.
Murray, Peter J. 1997. “Using Virtual Focus Groups in Qualitative Research.” Qualitative Health
Research, Vol. 7, No. 4 (November): 542-549.
Vigilant, Lee G. 2001. “Liquid Handcuffs: On the Meaning and Uses of Methadone.” In Liquid
Handcuffs: The Phenomenology of Recovering on Methadone Maintenance. Dissertation Abstracts.
Content & Introduction:
This course is a critical meditation on the multitudinous qualitative approaches in the social sciences
(Feminist ethnography, participant observation, fieldwork, depth interviewing, etc.). The central foci, however, are on participant observation, and ethnographic & depth interviewing. “WE” study the epistemological foundation(s) that informs much of qualitative researches in the social sciences. “WE” consider the pitfalls and ethical concerns that are nascent to qualitative approaches. “WE” acquire the rudiments of conceptualization, research design, structured observations, data analyses, and presentation.
“WE” extend the customary qualitative boundary by considering procedures in cultural domain analysis, pilesorting techniques, and folk taxonomies and paradigms. While this course is reading, researching, and
(w)riting intensive, it promises to be one of the most original courses in your college career.

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Grades & Course Requirements:
This class is designed to give students first-hand knowledge of qualitative methodologies in the social sciences. To that end, there are no formal examinations, and final grades will be assigned through
contractual obligation: I will outline the work requirements for several grade levels, and YOU will decide what level of work is appropriate given your employment, school, and family commitments. By this, students who would like the rudiments of qualitative research (epistemology, methods, & theory), but are unable to conduct original research due to time constraints, will not feel pressured into conducting
“research” in order to pass the class: good (Qualitative & quantitative) research demands time and longsuffering fortitude. If you decide to carry out original research, my standards are exacting. Students should think carefully about their contractual obligations and be prepared to fulfill them. Contracts are due at the beginning of the 2 nd class period. Regardless of which contract you choose, I expect consistent class attendance (no more than two absences) from you and informed participation: a failure to do so will result
in a lower final grade. With regard to informed participation, I will assign readings (for presentations) to various individuals throughout the semester. Here, I expect that you will be prepared to share your insights with the group.
Contractual Obligations for the Grade “A”
The “A” contract is designed around three core ideas. First, it is important for researchers to have a solid grounding in the epistemological and methodological underpinnings of qualitative approaches in social research. The “A” contract provides this grounding. Your participation, through regular attendance (no more than 2 absences) and three (3) critical summaries (3-5 pgs.) will constitute 30% of your final grade.
Second, qualitative methodologies are learned best in experiential approaches. To this end, students will carry out three (3) “mini-ethnographies”: one at an interesting social setting where you observe the rituals of interaction and public performance; an ethnography of an unfamiliar religious service, where you take detailed notes on symbolic rituals (paying keen attention to gendered interactions, social roles, and the order of events); and finally, a depth life-history interview of a senior citizen of a different gender and ethnicity from your own. These three (mini) ethnographies will constitute 20% of your final grade. 10% of your final grade will come from an auto-photographic meditation that enucleates “YOU”: your cultural domain, and folk taxonomies and values. Finally, You have an original (mini) research paper of between 10 -
25 pages in length where you apply the methodologies (participant observation, photographic cultural domain analysis, depth interviewing, content analysis, etc.) that “WE” have studied in the course to an interesting concern. This final paper will constitute 40% of your final grade.
 Consistent class attendance & informed participation
 Three (3) critical summaries: selected “blue books” or articles
 Three (3) “mini-ethnographies” and presentations
 An auto-photography (folk) taxonomy
 Original Qualitative Research Project (10-25 pgs.)
Contractual Obligations for the Grade “B”
 Consistent class attendance (no more than 2 absences) & informed participation
 Two (2) critical summaries of selected (your choice) “blue books” or articles
 Two (2) “mini-ethnographies” and presentations
 An auto-photographic (folk) taxonomy
Contractual Obligations for the Grade “C”
 Consistent class attendance (no more than 2 absences) & informed participation
 One (1) critical summary of selected (your choice) “blue book”
 One (1) “mini-ethnography” & presentation
 An auto-photographic (folk) taxonomy
(10%)
(20%)
(20%)
(10%)
(40%)
(Jan. 14 - 16 th ):
(Jan. 21 st - 23 rd ):
Introduction: Getting to Know/You/S(he)/“WE”
The Methodological Foundations of Qualitative
Research
1.
Gubrium & Holstein’s The New Language of Qualitative
Method, Chapter 1.
2.
Jennifer Mason’s Qualitative Researching, Chapters 1& 2.

(Jan. 28 th - 30 th ):
(Feb. 4 th – 13 th ):
(Feb. 17 th – 27 th ):
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______________________________________________________
Recommended:
1. “Turning Points in the Lives of Young Inner-City Men
Forging Destructive Criminal Behaviors: A Qualitative Study.” Cases in
Qualitative Research, pg. 1. (**)
2. Thomas A. Schwandt, “Three Epistemological Stances for Qualitative
Inquiry: Interpretivism, Hermeneutics, and Social Constructionism.”
Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2000. CA: Sage. (**)
Critical Approaches in Qualitative Researching
1.
Jennifer Mason, Qualitative Reaching, Chapter. 3.
2.
“The Impact of Homelessness and Shelter Life on Family
Relationships.” Cases of Qualitative Research, pg. 29. (**)
_________________________________________________________
Recommended:
1.
Jim Thomas. 1993. Doing Critical Ethnography. Sage Publications.
2.
Joe L. Kincheloe and Peter McLaren, “Rethinking Critical Theory and Qualitative Research.” Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2000.
CA: Sage. (**)
“Brute Being”: The Question of Emotions in Social
Research
1.
Sherryl Kleinman & Martha A. Copp, Emotions and Fieldwork,
(All). [Blue Book]
2.
The New Language of Qualitative Method: Chapter 4
(Emotionalism).
3.
Jennifer Mason, Qualitative Interviewing, Chapter 6.
4.
Howard Becker. 1974. “Photography and Sociology.” Studies in
Visual Communications, Vol. 1, No. 1: 1-19. (**)
_________________________________________________________
Recommended:
1. Douglas Harper, ”Reimagining Visual Methods: Galileo to
Neuromancer.” Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2000. Sage. (**)
Assignment # 1
An Auto(Photographic)Ethnography: This assignment requires a camera
(you might purchase a “throw-away” camera if you don’t have ready access to one). In 10 frames, I want you to do a psycho-ethnography of yourself. Tell your personal narrative in photos, and be prepared to share your research with the class. The guiding question for this photoethnography is ‘What does it mean to be “ME”?’ (See, Robert C. Ziller’s text Photographing THE SELF: Methods for Observing Personal Orientations
(Sage: 1990), for a good guide) Due Date: Feb. 11 th
“So Happy Together:” Collaboration in Qualitative
Research
1.
Bartunek & Louis, Insider / Outsider Team Research (All). [Blue
Book].
2.
Jennifer Mason, Qualitative Researching, Chapter 5.
3.
David Karp. 1973. “Hiding in Pornographic Bookstores: A
Reconsideration of the Role of Urban Anonymity.” Urban Life &
Culture, Vol. 1, No. 4 (January): 427-451. (**)
_________________________________________________________
Recommended:
1. Janet Theophano & Karen Curtis, ‘Reflections on a Tale Told
Twice’ in Journeys Trough Ethnography: Realistic Accounts of Fieldwork.
Westview. (**)
Assignment # 2 (Mini-ethnography)
A mini-ethnography of an interesting social setting: Working collaboratively in a group of two or three members, you will go a social setting together

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(March 4 th - 6 th ):
(March 11 th – 13 th ):
(March 25 th – April 4 th ):
(April 8 th - 17 th ): and observe the rituals of interaction & performance. Each group member is expected to take extensive “field” notes, and produce a collaboratively written report of your observations in 5 – 10 pages.
Since this is a team project, you will be graded as a group. Due Date:
Feb. 25 th
Post /Empirical: The Influence of Local Knowledge(s) and the Crisis of (Re)presentation
1.
Gubrium & Holstein’s The New Language of Qualitative
Method: Chapter 5 (Postmodernism) & Chapter 6 (Analytical Choices)
2. Jennifer Mason’s Qualitative Researching, Chapter 7.
_________________________________________________________
Recommended:
1. Carolyn Ellis and Arthur P. Bochner, “Autoethnography, Personal
Narrative, Reflexivity: Researcher as Subject.” Handbook of Qualitative
Research, 2000. CA: Sage. (**)
‘After the Crisis:’ Methodological Issues in
Postmodernism
1.
“Examining the Validity Structure of Qualitative Research.”
Cases in Qualitative Research, pg. 160. (**)
2. Jennifer Mason’s Qualitative Interviewing, Chapter 9.
Recommended:
1.
Annette Lareau, ‘Common Problems in Fieldwork: A Personal
Essay, in Journey Through Ethnography: Realistic Accounts of
Fieldwork. Westview. (**)
Grounded Theory and its Contributions to Qualitative
Methods
1. Gubrium & Holstein’s The New Language of Qualitative Method,
Chapter 2 (Naturalism).
2. Jennifer Mason’s Qualitative Interviewing, Chapter 8.
Recommended:
3. Kathy Charmaz, “The Grounded Theory Methods: An Explication and Interpretation.” In Contemporary Field Research: A Collection of
Readings. Westview. (**)
4. Kathy Charmaz, “Grounded Theory: Objectivist and Constructivist
Methods.” Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2000. CA: Sage. (**)
Assignment # 3 (mini-ethnography): An Ethnography of a Religious
Setting: You are required to attend an unfamiliar religious service. Your goal is to carefully observe the rituals of the ceremony (IMPORTANT:
Do not to take notes while the service is being conducted). A detailed description of the rituals, social roles, and gendered praxis of the community is expected of you: 5 - 10 pages in length. Due Date: April
2 nd
“Telling Stories”: The Depth Life-Narrative Interview
1.
Robert Atkinson’s “The Life Story Interview.” Qualitative
Research Methods Series # 44. Sage. (**)
2. Jennifer Mason’s Qualitative Interviewing, Chapter 4.
_________________________________________________________
Recommended:
1. William G. Tierney, “Undaunted Courage: Life History and the
Postmodern Challenge.” Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2000. CA:
Sage. (**)
Assignment # 4 (mini-ethnography)
A Depth Life-history Interview: Using the depth ethnographic interview, you are required to converse with a senior citizen of a different gender

7 and ethnicity/”race” than your own, and write a brief life-history of this person. Try to find out as much as you can about this person in the span of 1 hour. Tape-record your session, transcribe your interview, and then write a summary life-history of this person in 5-10 pages. Due
Date: April 15 th
(April 22 snd - 24 th ) A Phenomenology for the Masses: Re/presenting
Perceptions
1.
Gubrium & Holstein’s The New Language of Qualitative
Method, Chapter 3.
2. Vigilant, L. G. 2001. Liquid Handcuffs: The Phenomenology of Recovering on Methadone Maintenance.
Research Presentations (Papers Due on April 25 th ) (April 25 4h – May 6 th ):
Instructor:
Electronic Mail:
Website:
Office Location/Times:
Telephone:
Lee Garth Vigilant, BA, California State University at Bakersfield; A.M.,
Boston College; Ph.D., Boston College.
Vigilant@mnstate.edu
web.mnstate.edu/vigilant
Lommen Hall 102-I (M/W/F 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.)
218/236-2036 (Office); 218/790-5561 (Cellular)
Cover: Untitled (Collage: Black on White ’03)