SOCIOLOGY 614: QUALITATIVE METHODS
Fall 2015, Monday 5.30-8.15 p.m. 303 Maxwell Hall
Instructor: Prema Kurien
Office: Maxwell Hall, 317
Email: pkurien@syr.edu
Office Hours: W 10.45-12.15 and by appointment
Teaching Assistant: Mauricio Torres
Office: Eggers 044
Email: mttorres@syr.edu
Office Hours: M 3-5; T 12-2 and by
appointment
Description
This is a graduate-level introduction to qualitative methods in sociology, with a focus on
participant observation and in-depth interviewing. It is designed for graduate students in the
sociology department or others with some related disciplinary background. Readings and class
sessions will focus on both theoretical foundations and techniques of qualitative research. Class
sessions will be devoted to discussion of assigned readings, practical exercises, and student
research projects. By the end of the course you will design and complete a qualitative project, but
you also will also learn how to write a journal article (modeled on articles in the Journal of
Contemporary Ethnography, a highly ranked inter-disciplinary journal that publishes
ethnography) based on qualitative research.
Books
Participant Observation: A Guide for Fieldworkers by Kathleen M. Dewalt and Billie R. DeWalt,
Altamira, 2011 (2nd edition).
Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data by Herbert J. Rubin and Irene S. Rubin, Sage
2012 (3rd edition).
The other readings for the course will be available on Blackboard.
Course Requirements
Research Project:
Other than attending class regularly, doing the readings, and participating in class discussions,
the major course requirement is to design and conduct a research project using ethnographic
fieldwork (participant observation and interviews). As part of this you will 1) pick a research site
and visit it at least four times during the semester 2) write detailed fieldnotes and a summary
memo after each field visit 3) interview for a minimum of 45 minutes each, at least four people
connected to your project. (The number of site visits and interviews are a guide. Depending on
your project you could do more participant observation and fewer interviews or vice-versa.
However, you are unlikely to get enough data to do a good paper unless you follow these broad
guidelines) 4) Write a summary memo after each interview and then transcribe each of these
interviews 5) Collect documents relating to your project (newsletters, reports etc) that can
provide additional data.
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In qualitative projects, the research focus and design evolve so please do not conduct random,
unfocused interviews but instead, use the themes that come up in the first interview to select
further people to be interviewed and to structure the second interview and so on until you
complete the project. Think about suitable observation sites for your project and be willing to
change this as your project evolves. Your summary memos of your interviews and fieldnotes
should reflect on the themes that come up and will enable you to adjust and develop your
research design. This in turn will help you to write a focused final paper.
You will collect data every week and prepare fieldnotes, interview questionnaires, interview
transcriptions, summary and analytical memos, discuss your work with Reece, the TA and in
class, and submit a final paper (an analytical discussion of your project and findings) at the end
of the semester. You are expected to turn in your fieldnotes and interview transcripts (both with
summary memos) during the semester on a regular basis. Please leave a hard copy of your
fieldnotes and interview transcripts in Reece’s box and send me a soft copy by email. If you turn
the material in at the end of the semester or all in a bunch toward the end of the course, you run
the risk of getting a poor grade because a) I will take points off for lack of timely submission b)
you will not have received feedback during the semester and so your project and paper may not
meet my expectations. You should be prepared to discuss your project with the group at any time.
You will exchange your field-notes, interview transcriptions, and draft findings with one or two
of your classmates who will provide comments to you (dates are marked on the syllabus).
The final paper (around 30-35 pages, double spaced) should include a brief review of some
literature relevant to your topic and also locate your project and its findings within this literature.
This paper should be modeled on articles presenting ethnographic analysis in the Journal of
Contemporary Ethnography. Please look at this journal, Qualitative Sociology, and Ethnography
for articles on topics that you are focusing on so you see how qualitative/ethnographic articles
are written in your area of interest.
I will break down the research project into stages with a variety of smaller assignments to guide
you along and provide feedback during the semester. Some of these smaller assignments will be
graded.
Short Memos on the Readings:
You should write a brief memo (1-2 double spaced pages) on the readings for each class. The
memo should summarize all the readings (very briefly – about 1-2 sentences each), comment on
them and discuss whether they relate to where you are in your project (and if so, in what ways).
These memos will help you think through the process of qualitative research and relate it to your
project and you will find that they will be a very important resource as you develop your own
research project later on. They will also allow me to determine whether the readings “work” for
you and whether you are progressing in your research.
Please upload this under the “Discussion” section of Blackboard by noon on the Sunday
before each class. I will plan to review these before class to organize my presentation and the
class discussion around your comments. Please bring a printed copy to class to use for your
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discussion and turn in to me to be graded at the end of class.
The memo will only be graded on the basis of whether it is adequate (+) or not (-). All
“adequate” notes will be given full credit (about 2 %). You are required to turn in 8 such memos
(Note: you can turn in more than 8 if you do not get full credit on any of them and want to
improve your grade – I will count the best 8. However you cannot turn in notes for a class
session retroactively. Note that there are 12 classes with readings so you will need to do your 8
memos on these classes.
Class participation and presentation:
This is a graduate class and I expect and require active participation from students. As graduate
students you are not just passive, silent, consumers of information. You must actively engage
with the readings, issues, guest presentations, and practical exercises. Your class participation
grade will be based on the contribution you have made (by your questions, comments and
answers) toward the learning experience of your classmates. Please note: this is a regular course,
so if you want course credit, you have to attend class regularly (more than 2 absences during the
semester are unacceptable), do the readings, and participate in class discussions. Doing the
readings and attending class is NOT “busy work.” If you do not want to do this work, you
should consider doing your research project without trying to get course credit for it.
Leading Class Discussions: One or two members of the class will be responsible for leading each
of the weekly class discussions. You are to offer a very brief synopsis and a critical evaluation of
the readings and the issues. Also briefly discuss how it relates to your own project. Please do not
take more than 4 minutes each on your presentations. Your job is to facilitate, lead, and direct the
discussions, not to monopolize the conversation! Feel free to use innovative pedagogical
methods for your class presentation and to divide up the class into groups for discussion.
Faith Tradition Observances
Syracuse University does not have non-instructional days for any religious holiday and students
must notify instructors by the end of the second week of classes when they will be observing
their religious holiday(s).
Academic Integrity
Syracuse University’s academic integrity policy reflects the high value that we, as a university
community, place on honesty in academic work. The policy defines our expectations for
academic honesty and holds students accountable for the integrity of all work they submit.
Students should understand that it is their responsibility to learn about course-specific
expectations, as well as about university-wide academic integrity expectations. The university
policy governs appropriate citation and use of sources, the integrity of work submitted in exams
and assignments, and the veracity of signatures on attendance sheets and other verification of
participation in class activities. The policy also prohibits students from submitting the same
written work in more than one class without receiving written authorization in advance from both
instructors. The presumptive penalty for a first instance of academic dishonesty by an
undergraduate student is course failure, accompanied by a transcript notation indicating that the
failure resulted from a violation of academic integrity policy. The presumptive penalty for a first
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instance of academic dishonesty by a graduate student is suspension or expulsion. SU students
are required to read an online summary of the university’s academic integrity expectations and
provide an electronic signature agreeing to abide by them twice a year during pre-term check-in
on MySlice. For more information and the complete policy, see http://academicintegrity.syr.edu.
Plagiarism (passing off someone else's work or ideas as your own) will not be tolerated in this
course. In addition to a bibliography, students are expected to cite/acknowledge all sources in the
text of the paper. In cases where you are directly using the words of someone else, this should
always be in quotes and you should cite the exact page and source of the quotation. Even if you
rewrite someone else's material or ideas in your own words, you must cite the page number(s)
and source. I will go over this in class. Please see me if you need further clarification.
Disability-Related Accommodations
If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office of
Disability Services (ODS), http://disabilityservices.syr.edu, located at 804 University
Avenue, room 309, or call 315-443-4498 for an appointment to discuss your needs and the
process for requesting accommodations. ODS is responsible for coordinating disabilityrelated accommodations and will issue “Accommodation Authorization Letters” to
students with documented disabilities as appropriate. Since accommodations may require
early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact ODS as soon as
possible.
Our community values diversity and seeks to promote meaningful access to educational
opportunities for all students. Syracuse University and I are committed to your success and
to supporting Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and the Americans
with Disabilities Act (1990). This means that in general no individual who is otherwise
qualified shall be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to
discrimination under any program or activity, solely by reason of having a disability.
You are also welcome to contact me privately to discuss your academic needs although I cannot
arrange for disability-related accommodations.
Some General Notes
1. Attendance is required and you will suffer a grade penalty (beyond the class participation
grade) for more than 2 absences.
2. As a general rule, late work will not be accepted and "incompletes" will not be given.
Exceptions will be made only in the cases of serious (and verified) personal emergency.
3. Please check your syr. email accounts regularly (or link your other account to this email) since
Blackboard messages will be sent to that account and such messages will be my means of
communicating with everyone in class.
Here is a breakdown of your grade distribution for the class.
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1. Final paper
35%
2. Number, timely submission, and quality of
fieldnotes and interview transcripts
3. Weekly memos
15%
4. Class presentations and participation
15%
5. Research design paper
5%
6. Draft of findings
15%
15%
The main assignments for the course
By September 14
1) You must pick a research topic and a site.
2) You must make initial contact with a “gate-keeper” at the site.
Formulation of Research Proposal (Class presentation on Sept 21 if you have not done this
earlier)
On September 21 you should make a short presentation in class about your proposed project.
You should do the readings on research design for that day and as per the readings, talk about
your research question, the smaller sub-questions, the reasons for your interest in the question
(practical, theoretical), the data sources and methods, justification, what you expect to find,
possible practicalities and ethical issues.
Research Design Paper (Due on Sept 28).
Based on your presentation and the feedback you got on it, as well as some preliminary reading
on your topic, you should write a 4 page, single spaced paper. Here are some suggested
guidelines. While you do not have to follow the organization and length specifications for the
individual sections, please make sure that you cover all of these topics in your paper.
a) Introduce your project (give enough context for me to understand it). What is your main
research question and some sub-questions? What is the reason for your interest in the question?
What are your hunches? What does the literature on the topic seem to indicate? 1 ½ pages (cite
the literature sources in your text and give the full references in a bibliography at the end).
b) Identify your methods, including the type of questions you will ask and how you will ask them
and explain why they are appropriate to address your research question (½ page).
c) Describe your research site, how you will gain access at your site, what your role will be, what
procedures you will follow to draw samples of people to interview, how you will minimize bias
by trying to access a range of variation broad enough to challenge your hunches and generate new
ones, what kinds of documents you will try to locate etc. (1 ½ pages)
d) What are some of the practical and ethical issues that you anticipate will arise as you do your
research? (½ page).
e) End by providing a planned schedule of activities and your timeline so you can finish your
data collection in time for your findings paper.
Draft findings section (Due on Nov 16) AROUND 12-20 DOUBLE SPACED PAGES
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This important exercise is to help you to develop a clear focus and argument for your final
paper. This in turn will help you identify the particular literature that you need to read up on for
your paper. It should also serve as a means for you to evaluate whether you need more
documentation for some issues, in which case you will need to do some interviews focused on
these topics or develop strategies to conduct participant observation to obtain more data on
these issues.
Go over the readings for October 26. They tell you how to code your fieldnotes and interviews.
Make sure that you review Gretchen Purser’s article again since this will remind you about what
the findings section of a qualitative article should look like. Find at least one article that uses
qualitative methods related to your topic from Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Qualitative
Sociology, or Ethnography and read it carefully. This should provide guidance on how a
qualitative article on your topic should be organized and written.
Go over the data you have collected so far, code them, and identify the key themes. Under these
key themes, identify a few sub-themes. Pull out all the material from your fieldnotes/interviews
that document each theme (e.g. quotes from interviews or participant observation, observations
from fieldnotes). This is your documentation or your evidence.
Start by writing a few paragraphs about your topic and main argument that you plan to make in
your paper (which should be based on what your evidence seems to indicate). Include the
literature review that you have done so far that is relevant to your findings to show how your
findings relate to the literature. This is what you will expand into the introduction and literature
review sections of your final paper.
Next, write a summary of your data and methods (how many field notes, in what kind of
situations, how many interviews, with what types of people, what issues came up). This is a first
draft of your Data and Methods section of your final paper.
Then go on to write a preliminary draft of the “findings section” of your paper by showing what
patterns/themes (and sub-themes) have emerged from your research and how these themes are
related to each other. Write a narrative summary of at least a paragraph for each theme or
sub-theme. Insert your documentation (above) into this section at the appropriate places. This is
key since you need to show me the data/evidence that you are using to make your arguments
(look at the journal article models that we have examined to see how to do this). Please do not
bullet-point the quotes or information but integrate them in a narrative description as in the
journal article models that we have examined.
At the end of the assignment, include a short one paragraph reflection on whether this is what
you expected to find (go back to your research design paper). Why or why not? This paragraph
should not be in your final paper.
Please keep the requirements for the class in mind – i.e. both participant observation and
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interviews – approximately 4 of each at minimum. You can do more of one and less of the
other, but you must have data from both types of research in your final paper.
Other assignments will be discussed or handed out in class. As the course progresses it may
be necessary to make some adjustments in the syllabus.
Aug 31 – INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
(Sign-up to lead class discussions)
Discussion of research topics and sites.
Sept 7– LABOR DAY HOLIDAY – NO CLASS
Sept 14 – INTRODUCTION TO QUALITATIVE METHODS
(Give out field-note samples. Observation and field-note exercise)
Readings: “Introduction” in Emerson (ed), Contemporary Field Research (2001).
Qualitative Interviewing (Text) Ch 2, Research Philosophy
Participant Observation (Text) Ch 3 Becoming a Participant, Ch 5 Becoming an Observer
Sept 21 – INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH DESIGN
Brief presentation of research topic in class for those who did not present earlier
or whose topics have changed
Readings: Participant Observation (Text) Ch 7, Designing Research with Participant
Observation, Ch 8, Informal Interviewing in Participant Observation (skim)
Qualitative Interviewing (Text) Ch 4, Designing Research, Ch 5, Designing for Quality
Charmaz, “Grounded Theory” in Emerson (ed) Contemporary Field Research 2001.
Sept 28 – PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION AND INTERVIEWING
(Give out paper outline hand-out and go over, do preparation for interviews for next
week, give out interview transcript for analysis)
Research Design paper due
Readings:
Gretchen Purser, 2009. “The Dignity of Job-Seeking Men: Boundary Work among Immigrant
Day Laborers.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 38(1): 117-139. Please bring a copy to
class. We will go over it carefully so you learn the structure of a qualitative research article.
Participant Observation (Text), Ch 9, Writing Fieldnotes
Qualitative Interviewing (Text), Ch 6, Conversational Partnerships, Ch 7, The Responsive
Interview as an Extended Conversation.
Oct 5 – DESIGNING AND STRUCTURING THE INTERVIEW
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(Interview exercise in class)
Give out IRB preparation material
Readings: Qualitative Interviewing (Text), Ch 8, Structure of the Responsive Interview, Ch 9,
Designing Main Questions and Probes, Ch 10) Preparing Follow-up Questions
Holstein, James A. and Jaber F. Gubrium. 2003. “Active Interviewing.” In Jaber F. Gubrium and
James A. Holstein (eds.), Postmodern Interviewing. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Pp. 67-80.
Oct 12 – ETHICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Download and go over the Syracuse University IRB form on the SU website. Bring the form to
class.
Readings: Participant Observation (Text) Ch 11, Ethical Concerns in Participant Observation
Introduction to Part IV, and John Van Maanen, “The Moral Fix” in Emerson ed, Contemporary
Field Research, (1988).
Mitchell Dunier, 2011, “How Not to Lie with Ethnography” Sociological Methodology 41:1-11.
Qualitative Interviewing (Text) Ch 12, Data Analysis
Oct 19 – FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEWS
Focus group interview in class
Readings: David L. Morgan, “Focus Group Interviewing” from Handbook of Interview
Research.
Kong, Travis S. K., Dan Mahoney, and Ken Plummer. 2003. “Queering the Interview.” In James
Holstein and Jaber Gubrium (eds.), Inside Interviewing: New Lenses, New Concerns. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage. Pp. 91-110.
Small, Mario Luis. 2009. “How Many Cases do I need? On Science and the Logic of case
selection in field-based research. Ethnography. 10:5-38.
Oct 26 - ANALYSIS: Pursuing Meaning and Coding
Readings: “Processing Fieldnotes: Coding and Memoing”, Ch 6 from Emerson et al Writing
Ethnographic Fieldnotes.
Participant Observation (Text) Ch 10, Analyzing Fieldnotes
Qualitative Interviewing (Text), Ch 12 Data Analysis in the Responsive Interviewing Model
Nov 2 – GENDER AND ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH
EXCHANGE FIELDNOTES, please bring two copies of at least one set of fieldnotes. CODING
EXERCISE IN CLASS.
Readings: Participant Observation (Text), Ch 6, Gender and Sex Issues in Participant
Observation
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Schwalbe and Wolkomir, “Interviewing Men” and Reinharz and Chase, “Interviewing Women”
in Handbook of Interview Research
Arendell, Terry 1997, Reflections on the Researcher-Researched Relationship: a Woman
Interviewing Men’ Qualitative Sociology 20, (3) 341-368.
Nov 9 - RACE AND CLASS AND INTERVIEWING
EXCHANGE INTERVIEWS IN CLASS, please bring two copies of an interview transcript.
CODING EXERCISE IN CLASS. Reviewers for draft findings papers assigned.
Readings: Leila Lomba DeAndrade 2000. Negotiating from the Inside: Constructing Racial and
Ethnic Identity in Qualitative Research, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 29(3):268-290.
Cannon et al. 1988 “Race and Class Bias in Qualitative Research on Women.” Gender and
Society, 2(4).
Riessman, Catherine Kohler, 1987. “When Gender is not Enough: Women Interviewing
Women.” Gender and Society, 1(2):172-207
Nov 16: No class -- DRAFT FINDINGS PAPER DUE. Copies for me and two classmates.
Hard copy for me – ask your reviewers about their preferences.
Please email comments on Draft Findings to your classmates (with a copy to me) by Nov 22
THANKSGIVING BREAK
Nov 30: WRITING ETHNOGRAPHY – 1 (Writing Workshop)
Readings:
Qualitative Interviewing (Text) Ch 13 Sharing the Results
Kurien, “Being Young, Brown, and Hindu: the Identity Struggles of Second-Generation Indian
Americans” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, August 2005.
Kurien, “Gendered Ethnicity: Creating a Hindu Indian Identity in the U.S.” American
Behavioral Scientist, Vol 42 (4):648-670.
Miriam Shoshana Sobre-Denton, 2012 “Stories from the Cage: Autoethnographic Sensemaking
of Workplace Discrimination, Gender Discrimination, and White Privilege.” Journal of
Contemporary Ethnography, 41 (2): 220-250.
Dec 7: OTHER TYPES OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH AND WRAP UP
Brief presentations by students (what did you learn about qualitative research and about your
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topic plus course feedback– not more than 4 minutes each).
Hanna E. Brown, 2013. “Race, Legality, and the Social Policy Consequences of AntiImmigration Mobilization.” American Sociological Review, 78(2) 290–
314.
Douglas S. Massey and Magaly Sanchez R, 2007. Latino and American Identities as Perceived
by Immigrants. Qualitative Sociology, 30: 81-107.
FINAL PAPER DUE ON DEC 14 via email.
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