1
Qualitative Methods in Social Research
[SC352-W: A Contract-Based Writing Intensive Applied Research Course]
Minnesota State University at Moorhead Spring 2015
Thought Leader: Dr. Lee Garth Vigilant
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 demands 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.
Fieldwork, then, is a process of intersubjective construction of liminal modes of communication. Intersubjective means
literally more than one subject, but being situated neither quite here nor quite there, the subjects involved do not share a
common set of assumptions, experiences, or traditions. Their construction is a public process. – Paul Rabinow,
Reflections On Fieldwork in Morocco. Quantum Books.
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.
2
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. UK: Oxford University Press.
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 shouldoffer 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:
Hesse-Biber, Sharlene Nagy. 2004. Approaches to Qualitative Research. UK: Oxford University Press.
Recommended 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. CA: Sage Publications.
Bernard, Russell H. 1995. Research Methods in Anthropology (Second Edition). Altamira.
Bryant, Anthony and Kathy Charmaz (Editors). 2007. The SAGE Handbook of Grounded Theory. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Charmaz, Kathy. 2006. Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide Through Qualitative Analysis. Thousand Oaks,
CA: SAGE Publications.
Creswell, John W. 2007. Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. Thousand Oaks,
CA: SAGE publications.
Denzin, Norman K. and Yvonna S. Lincoln (Editors). 2000. Handbook of Qualitative Research (2nd Ed.). CA: Sage.
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.
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. Sage.
Lareau, Annette and Jeffrey Shultz. 1996. Journeys Through Ethnography: Realistic Accounts of Fieldwork. Westview.
3
Lofland, John, Snow, David, Anderson, Leon, and Lofland, Lyn H. 2006. Analyzing Social Settings: A Guide to Qualitative
Observations and Analysis. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
Norman, Denzin K. and Yvonna S. Lincoln. 2000. Handbook of Qualitative Research (2nd Edition). CA: Sage.
Milinki, Andrea. 1999. Cases in Qualitative Research: Research Reports for Discussion and Evaluation. Pyrczak.
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 CA: 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.
Duck, Waverly. 2009. “ Senseless Violence: Making Sense of Murder.” Ethnography, Vol. 10, No. 4 (December): 417434. (**)
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.
Kubrin, Charis E. 2006. “ I See Death Around the Corner” : Nihilism in Rap Music. Sociological Perspectives, Vol. 48,
Issue 4: 433-459.
Murray, Peter J. 1997. Using Virtual Focus Groups in Qualitative Research. Qualitative Health Research, Vol. 7, No. 4
(November): 542-549.
Smith-Windsor, Jamie. 2004. The Cyborg Mother: A Breached Boundary. CTHEORY: Theory, Technology, and Culture,
Vol. 27, Nos. 1-2 (Article # 137). www.ctheory.net
Staiger, Annegret. 2005. “ Hoes can be hoed out, players can be played out, but pimp is for life” – The Pimp
Phenomenon as Strategy of Identity Formation.” Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 407-428.
Trammel, Rebecca and Scott Chenault. 2009. “ We Have to take these guys out” : Motivations for Assaulting
Incarcerated Child Molesters.” Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 32, Issue 4: 334-350. (**)
Vigilant, Lee G., Anderson, Tyler C. and Lauren Wold Trefethren. 2014. “ I’ m Sorry You Had a Bad Day, But Tomorrow
Will Be Better:”
Stratagems of Interpersonal Emotion-Management in Narratives of Fathers in Christian
Homeschooling Households. Sociological Spectrum, Vol. 34, No. 4: 293-313.
Vigilant, Lee G., Trefethren, Lauren Wold and Tyler C. Anderson. 2013. “ You Can’ t Rely on Somebody Else to
Teach Them Something They Don’ t Believe” : Impressions of Legitimation Crisis and Socialization Control In
Narratives of Christian Homeschooling Fathers. Humanity and Society, Vol. 37, No. 3: 1 -23.
Vigilant, Lee G. 2008. “ I Am Still Suffering:” The Dilemma of Multiple Recoveries in the Lives of Methadone
Maintenance Patients. Sociological Spectrum, Vol. 28: 278-298.
Vigilant, Lee G. 2005. “ I Don’ t Have Another Run Left With It” : Ontological Security in Illness Narratives of
4
Recovering on Methadone Maintenance.” Deviant Behavior, Vol. 26, No. 5 (October): 399-416.
Vigilant, Lee G. 2004. "The Stigma Paradox in Methadone Maintenance: Naive and Positive Consequences of a
"Treatment Punishment" Approach to Opiate Addiction." Humanity and Society, Vol. 28, No. 4.
Wilson, William Julius. 2009. “ The Role of Theory in Ethnographic Research” in Ethnography, Vol. 10, No. 4
(December) pp. 549-564. (**)
Wood, Namaan and Susan Ward. 2010. “ Stigma, Secrets, and the Human Condition: Seeking to Remedy Alienation in
PostSecret’ s Digitally Mediated Environment.” Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 33, Issue 4, pp. 578-602. (**)
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 ethical quandaries 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 <photographic> cultural
domain analysis and folk taxonomies. While this course is reading, researching, and (w)riting intensive, it promises to be
one of the most original courses in your college career.
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. I expect the quality of your written products to be
commensurate to your selected contracts. I will ask you to undertake revisions if the quality of your written products (ARP,
mini-ethnography, or research paper) are not on-the-level of your stated contract. Contracts are due at the beginning of
the 2nd class period. Regardless of which contract you choose, I expect consistent class attendance (no more than one
absence) from you and informed participation: more than one (1) absence 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 you (as a discussant leader, on a minimum of two occasions) to prepare a one-page outline of your reading (or,
preferably, some summary questions) to share with the group for handout.
Dragon Core Competencies (Writing Intensive Course Designation)
Qualitative Research Methods (SC352) carries a writing intensive course designation (“ W” ), and addresses all six (6)
written communication competencies of the Dragon Core Curriculum (see www.mnstate.edu/acadaff/writingmatters.) The
Dragon Core writing competencies (modified and paraphrased for our purposes) that are extended in Qualitative
Research Methods are as follows:
(1)
SC352 employs a “ coherent writing process”
that includes the opportunity to submit early drafts for
editing. (I encourage you to submit rough-drafts of all written products. I ask only that you submit your
drafts at least a week before the stated due dates.)
(2)
SC352 encourages you to consult with the professor (or the Write Site) to “ produce quality written
products.”
(3)
SC352 requires the synthesis of scholarly readings in your Analytic Reaction Papers (ARPs).
(4)
SC352 calls for the use proper citation of sources (American Sociological Style) in your ARPs and term
paper. You will cite both text and electronic materials.
5
(5)
SC352 requires that you make logical and cogent arguments when writing ARPs. (See instruction on
grading procedure.)
(6)
SC352 requires the use of correct grammar and spelling in all written products.
Writing serves an important role in qualitative methods in sociology since this approach views anathema the tendency to
reduce all human experiences to numbers and statistical descriptors. Good writing, or what the late ethnographer Clifford
Geertz calls "thick description", is the corner stone of good qualitative research. To this end, writing and writing exercises
serve an important function and play a prominent role in this course. This advanced seminar requires close and careful
reading and writing. As a requisite of the writing intensive designation, students enrolled for credit will submit at least one
early draft of either a selected mini-ethnography (and you have four (4) mini-ethnographies to choose from) and/or your
final research paper. For students doing the research project (A-Contract), please feel free to select one mini-ethnography
in addition to your final paper for drafting and revisions.
I expect academic honesty in your writing assignments and researching procedures: see your Student Handbook.
Students with disabilities who need an accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact Greg Toutges, Director of
Disability Services at 477-4318 (voice) or 1-800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY), Flora Frick 154 at your earliest convenience so
that
accommodations
are
implemented
in
a
timely
fashion.
Find
information
on
Disability
Services
at
web.mnstate.edu/disability. I am pleased to make these arrangements on your behalf.
Contractual Obligations for Grade A
This 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 to social research. The A contract provides
this grounding. Your participation through regular attendance (no more than 1 absence), as a discussant leader (2Xs),
and three (3) critical summaries (3-5 pgs.) will constitute 25% of your final grade. Late critical summaries are not
accepted! Second, qualitative methodologies are learnt best in experiential approaches. To this end, students will carry
out one (1) content analysis project and 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 with a parent. These three (mini) ethnographies and content analysis will
constitute 40% of your final grade. 5% of your final grade will come from an auto-photographic meditation that enucleates
YOU: your cultural domain, folk taxonomies, and values. Each participant enrolled for credit will undergo National Cancer
Institute’ s training for Human Participation Protection. This online course should be completed at the earliest possible
time in the semester, and will constitute 5% of your final grade (Please submit a copy of your certification once
completed). Finally, you have an original research paper of 15 pages in length (excluding bibliography) where you apply
the methodologies (participant observation, photographic cultural domain analysis, depth interviewing, content analysis,
etc.) studied in this course to an interesting concern. This final paper will constitute 25% of your final grade. There is no
group-option for the final paper.
 Consistent class attendance (no more than 1 absence) & informed participation as discussant leader (2Xs)
 An auto-photographic (folk) taxonomy
 Human Participation Protections Education for Research Teams
 Three (3) critical summaries of selected articles marked articles (**) (3-5 pgs. & one CS per section)
 Three (3) mini-ethnographies (Interesting Social Setting, Religious Observation, Life-Story Interview) AND
content analysis (5-10 pgs.)
● Original Qualitative Research Project (15 pgs.)
Contractual Obligations for the Grade B
 Consistent class attendance (no more than 1 absence) & informed participation as discussant leader (2Xs)
 An auto-photographic (folk) taxonomy
 Human Participation Protections Education for Research Teams
6
 Three (3) critical summaries of selected marked (**) articles (3-5 pgs. & one CS per section)
 Three (3) mini-ethnographies (Interesting Social Setting, Religious Observation, Life-Story Interview) AND
content analysis (5-10 pgs.)
Contractual Obligations for the Grade C
 Consistent class attendance (no more than 1 absence) & informed participation as discussant leader (2Xs)
 Two (2) critical summaries of selected marked (**) articles (one CS per section) (3 – 5 pages in length)
 Two (2) mini-ethnographies AND content analysis (5 - 10 pages in length)
 An auto-photographic (folk) taxonomy
● Human Participation Protections Education for Researchers
Themes and Reading Assignments
(January 12th):
The Epistemological Foundations of Qualitative Research
1.
Hesse-Biber and Levy. Distinguishing Qualitative Research. AQR, pg. 1.
2.
R. Burke Johnson. Examining the Validity Structure of Qualitative Research.
Cases in Qualitative Research, pg. 160. (Required Reading)
3.
Guba & Lincoln. Competing Paradigms in Qualitative Research: Theories
and Issues. AQR, pg. 17.
Assignment # 1: National Institute of Health (NIH) Human Subjects Training
As part of my commission as an I.R.B. member, I am required to get training and
certification from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on issues related to the
protection of human subjects in research. The certification process involves
reviewing several case studies, and taking a series of multiple choice tests after
each chapter in the training. The I.R.B at MSUM requires that EVERYONE
conducting research involving human subjects undertake this training AND show
proof of successful completion by certification. It should take anywhere from 1 to
3 hours to complete, depending on how immersed in the course one gets (there
are several links for additional reading material that may influence your time).
Once you’ ve completed the course, print off multiple copies of your certificate
(and pass one along to me for credit with your student ID number on the form).
Your certification can be presented whenever you approach an IRB (Institutional
Review Board) in the future, for those of you interested in graduate training and
research. This assignment is mandatory for everyone enrolled for credit. The
Address:
phrp.nihtraining.com/users/login.php
or
http://web.mnstate.edu/irb
(Click on Online Training for Principal & Co-Investigators)
Due Date: Wednesday, 14h January, 2015 by 4:00pm. (Please make sure to
write your Student ID on your certificate.)
(Research Proposals for A-Contracts: Due by 3rd class period)
______________________________________________________________________
Recommended:
1. Margaret Hughes. Turning Points in the Lives of Young Inner-City Men Forging
Destructive Criminal Behaviors: A Qualitative Study . Cases in Qualitative
Research, pg. 1.
2. Gubrium & Holstein. The New Language of Qualitative Method, Chapter 1.
7
3. Thomas A. Schwandt. Three Epistemological Stances for Qualitative Inquiry:
Interpretivism, Hermeneutics, and Social Constructionism.
Handbook of
Qualitative Research, 2000. CA: Sage.
(January 26th):
Brute Being: The Question of Emotions in Auto-ethnographic Research
1.
Prosser & Schwartz. Photographs within the Sociological Research
Process. AQR, pg. 334.
2.
Sprague & Zimmerman. Overcoming Dualisms: A Feminist Agenda for
Sociological Methodology. AQR, pg. 39.
3.
Kath Weston. Fieldwork in Lesbian and Gay Communities. AQR, pg. 177.
(**Critical Response, henceforth CR)
4.
Waskul, Dennis, Vannini, Phillip, and Wiesen, Desiree. 2007. “ Women and
their Clitoris: Personal Discovery, Signification, and Use.”
Symbolic
Interaction, Vol. 30, No. 2: 151-174. (**CR)
5.
Jamie Smith-Windsor. 2004. The Cyborg Mother: A Breached Boundary.
CTHEORY: Theory, Technology, and Culture, Vol. 27, Nos. 1-2 (Article #
137). http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=409 (**CR)
6.
Kevin Penn.
2013. “ Simple Acts of Kindness” . Clinical Journal of
Oncological Nursing, Vol. 17, No. 1 (February). (**CR)
________________________________________________________________________
Recommended:
1.
Arthur P. Bochner & Carolyn Ellis (Editors). 2002. Ethnographically
Speaking: Autoethnography, Literature, and Aesthetics. AltaMira Press.
2.
Sherryl Kleinman & Martha A. Copp. Emotions and Fieldwork. Sage.
3.
Douglas Harper. Reimagining Visual Methods: Galileo to Neuromancer.
Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2000. Sage.
4.
Howard Becker. 1974. Photography and Sociology. Studies in Visual
Communications, Vol. 1, No. 1: 1-19. (**)
Assignment # 2
An Auto(Photographic)Ethnography:
In 5-10 photographs, I want you to do a psycho-
ethnography of yourself. Share a personal narrative (or any particular story about yourself)
in photos, and be prepared to discuss your collage with the class. The guiding question for
this photo-ethnography is What does it mean to be ME? (See, Robert C. Ziller.
Photographing THE SELF: Methods for Observing Personal Orientations (Sage: 1990). Due
Date: 26th January at 4:30pm.
(Research Proposals for “A-Contract” due by September 15th)
(February 2nd):
Critical Ethnographies on Crime, Deviance, and Poverty
1.
bell hooks. Culture to Culture: Ethnography and Cultural Studies as Critical
Intervention. AQR, pg. 149.
2.
Waverly Duck. 2009. “ Senseless Violence: Making Sense of Murder.”
Ethnography, Vol. 10, No. 4 (December): 417-434. (**CR)
3.
Megan Comfort, Olga Grinstead, Kathleen McCartney, Philippe Bourgois,
and Kelly Knight. 2005. ” You Can’ t Do Nothing in This Damn Place” :
Sex and Intimacy Among Couples With an Incarcerated Male Partner.
Journal of Sex Research, Vol. 42, No. 1 (February): 3-12. (**CR)
4.
Elizabeth Lindsey. The Impact of Homelessness and Shelter Life on Family
8
Relationships. Cases of Qualitative Research, pg. 29. (**CR)
5.
William Julius Wilson. 2010. “ Why Both Social Structure and Culture
Matter in a Holistic Analysis of Inner-City Poverty.” Annals of the American
Academy of Political Science, Vol.: 629: 200-219. (**CR)
________________________________________________________________________
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.
(February 9th & 16th):
So Happy Together: Collaboration in (Unobtrusive) Qualitative Research Design
1.
Jeffrey L. Kidder. 2006. “ It’ s the Job that I Love:” Bike Messengers and
Edgework. Sociological Forum, Vol. 21, No. 1 (March): 31-54. (**CR)
2.
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. (**CR)
Recommended:
1.
Bartunek & Louis. Insider / Outsider Team Research. Sage.
2.
Janet Theophano & Karen Curtis. Reflections on a Tale Told Twice.
Journeys Trough Ethnography: Realistic Accounts of Fieldwork. Westview.
Assignment # 3 (Mini-ethnography)
Ethnography of an interesting social setting . Working collaboratively in a group of two or
three members, you will go to an interesting social setting together and observe the rituals of
interaction & performance. Each group member is expected to take extensive “ field”
notes -with coding procedures- and produce a collaboratively written report of your
observations in 5– 10 pages. Please attach copies of your individual field observations and
codes (for each group member) to the final report. Since this is a team project, you will be
assessed as a group. Due Date: Monday, 9th February at 4:30p.m.
(February
23rd):
Getting the Story Right: The Crisis of Interpretation & Re-presentation
1.
Katherine Borland. “ That’ s Not What I Said” : Interpretive Conflict in
Oral Narrative Research. AQR, pg. 522. (CR)
2.
Charles A. Gallagher. “ White Like Me?”
Methods, Meaning, and
Manipulation in the Field of White Studies. AQR, pg. 203.
3.
Lee Garth Vigilant, Lauren Wold Trefethren, and Tyler C. Anderson. 2013.
“ You Can’ t Rely on Somebody Else to Teach Them Something They
Don’ t Believe” : Impressions of Legitimation Crisis and Socialization
Control In Narratives of Christian Homeschooling Fathers. Humanity and
Society, Vol. 37, No. 3: 1 -23. (**CR)
4.
Documentary: Margaret Mead and Samoa (1988)
_________________________________________________________
Recommended:
1.
Carolyn Ellis and Arthur P. Bochner. Autoethnography, Personal Narrative,
Reflexivity: Researcher as Subject.
Handbook of Qualitative Research,
2000. CA: Sage.
2.
Derek Freeman. 1983. Margaret Mead and Samoa: The Making and
Unmaking of an Anthropological Myth. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press.
9
3.
Lois W. Banner. 2003. Intertwined Lives: Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict,
and Their Circle. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
(March 2nd & 9th):
So Happy Together II: Collaboration in (Unobtrusive) Qualitative Research
Design (The Content Analysis)
1.
Harmon & Boeringer. A Content Analysis of Internet-Accessible Written
Pornographic Depictions. AQR, pg. 402.
2.
Mann & Stewart. Introducing Online Methods. AQR, pg. 367.
3.
Caleb Mason. 2012. “ Jay-Z’ s 99 Problems, Verse 2: A Close Reading
With Fourth Amendment Guidance For Cops and Perps.”
Saint Louis
University Law Journal, Vol. 56: 567-585. (**CR)
4.
Kubrin, Charis E. 2006. “ I See Death Around the Corner” : Nihilism in
Rap Music. Sociological Perspectives, Vol. 48, Issue 4: 433-459. (**CR)
5.
Naaman Wood and Susan Ward. 2010. “ Stigma, Secrets, and the Human
Condition: Seeking to Remedy Alienation in PostSecret’ s Digitally
Mediated Environment.”
Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 33, Issue 4, pp. 578-
602. (**CR)
Assignment # 4: Content Analysis:
Web-Based Content Analysis: Working collaboratively in groups of two or three members,
you will conduct a content analysis of a web-based site or phenomenon, and write a 5-10
page summary of your findings. Some examples from recent classes are: (1) content
analysis of course evaluations on “ Rate My Professor.com” ; (2) content analysis of drug
company websites (for diseases that are over-medicalized, i.e., impotence, P.M.S., balding,
etc.); (3) content analysis of pro-choice or pro-life political websites; (4) content analysis of
the websites of prisoners in state and federal prisons, and (5) content analysis of pro-samesex marriage and/or anti-same-sex marriage political sites. Make sure to select something
sociologically interesting. Due Date: Monday, 2nd March at 4:30p.m.
(March 23rd):
The Ethics of Informed Consent (With Special Emphasis on Vulnerable Subjects)
1.
Barrie Thorne. “ You still Takin’
Notes?”
Fieldwork and Problems of
Informed Consent. AQR, pg. 159.
2.
Rebecca Trammel and Scott Chenault. 2009. “ We Have to take these
guys
out” :
Motivations
for
Assaulting
Incarcerated
Child
Molesters.” Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 32, Issue 4: 334-350. (**CR)
3.
American Sociological Association’ s (ASA) Code of Ethics.
4.
Staiger, Annegret. 2005. “ Hoes can be hoed out, players can be played
out, but pimp is for life”
– The Pimp Phenomenon as Strategy of Identity
Formation.” Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 407-428. (**CR)
Recommended:
Annette Lareau. Common Problems in Fieldwork: A Personal Essay. Journey
Through Ethnography: Realistic Accounts of Fieldwork. Westview.
(March 30th & April 13th):
The Role of Theory in Grounded Approaches
1.
Adina Nack. 2000. Damaged Goods: Women Managing the Stigma of
STDs. Deviant Behavior, Vol. 21, No. 2 (March): 95-121. (**CR)
2.
William Julius Wilson. 2009.
“ The Role of Theory in Ethnographic
Research” in Ethnography, Vol. 10, No. 4 (December) pp. 549-564. (**CR)
Recommended:
1.
Gubrium & Holstein. The New Language of Qualitative Method, Chapter
2 (Naturalism). Oxford.
10
2.
Kathy Charmaz. Grounded Theory: Objectivist and Constructivist
Methods. Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2000. CA: Sage. (**)
_______________________________________________________________________
Assignment # 5 (mini-ethnography)
Ethnography of a Religious Setting. Visit an unfamiliar religious service and carefully
observe the rituals of the ceremony (IMPORTANT: Do not to take written 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. In this assignment, I want
you to construct a grounded-theory from your observations. There is a group option here.
Due Date: Monday, 30th March at 4:30p.m.
(April
20th):
Focused Research: Re/reading Group Discourse
1.
David L. Morgan. Focused Groups. AQR, pg. 263
2.
McDermott and Rothenberg. Why Urban Parents Resist Involvement in their
Children’ s Elementary Education. AQR, pg. 286. (**CR)
Or (You can write an ARP on one of these topics for Dec. 4th but not both.)
(April
20th):
Qualitative Research on Addiction and Recovery: A Phenomenology
1. Vigilant, Lee G. 2008. “ I Am Still Suffering:” The Dilemma of Multiple
Recoveries in the Lives of Methadone Maintenance Patients. Sociological
Spectrum, Vol. 28: 278-298. (**CR)
Dope Sick Love (2005)
3.
Ethnographic Documentary: The Renaud Brothers’
4.
Ethnographic Documentary: Michael Negroponte’ s From Heroin to
Methadonia (2005)
Recommended (**CR):
5.
Vigilant, Lee G. 2005. “ I Don’ t Have Another Run Left With It” :
Ontological Security in Illness Narratives of Recovering on Methadone
Maintenance.” Deviant Behavior, Vol. 26, No. 5 (October): 399-416.
6.
Vigilant, Lee G. 2004. "The Stigma Paradox in Methadone Maintenance:
Naive and Positive Consequences of a "Treatment Punishment" Approach
to Opiate Addiction." Humanity and Society, Vol. 28, No. 4 (January).
(April
27th)
Telling Stories: The Depth Life-Narrative Interview
1.
William L. Miller and Benjamin F. Crabtree. Depth Interviewing, AQR, pg.
185.
2.
Robert Atkinson. The Life Story Interview. Qualitative Research Methods
Series # 44. Sage. (**) [Not an option for critical response.]
3.
Lee Garth Vigilant, Tyler C. Anderson, and Lauren Wold Trefethren. 2014.
“ I’ m Sorry You Had a Bad Day, But Tomorrow Will Be Better:”
Stratagems of Interpersonal Emotion-Management in Narratives of Fathers
in Christian Homeschooling Households. Sociological Spectrum, Vol. 34,
No. 4: 293-313. (**CR)
_________________________________________________________
Recommended:
1. William G. Tierney. Undaunted Courage: Life History and the Postmodern
Challenge. Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2000. CA: Sage. (**)
Assignment # 6 (Life-Story Interview)
A Depth Life-history Interview: Using the depth interview method, converse with
your mom or dad (or both), and write a brief life-history of her/his life. Try to find
11
out as much as you can about your mother/father in the span of 1 hour. Taperecord your session, transcribe your interview verbatim, and then write a brief
summary life-history in 5-10 pages. Due Date: Monday, 27th April at 4:30pm. If
your parents are deceased, try to find another life-story source in your family
(uncle or aunt, etc.). Make sure to submit the three (3) parts to this assignment:
(May
4th)
1.
Life-Story Summary Narrative (5 pages)
2.
Verbatim Transcription (Typed) of the Interview
3.
Signed Informed Consent Form
Life Story Interview Comments, Course Evaluations, and Research
Presentations
Further Instructions on Due Dates and Grading Criteria for Analytical Reaction Papers and
Qualitative Research Project
Due Dates: Analytic Reaction Papers for a particular set of readings will come due on the day those readings
are discussed. For instance, if you decide to write an ARP for the topic “ Brute Being: The Question of Emotions in
Social Research,”
then the due date for that essay is Monday, January 26th. Late analytic papers are not accepted, so
please plan to read and write ahead of the listed due dates for your essay topics.
What makes an “ A”
paper? An “ A”
paper is a concept-driven, clearly written & organized, concisely
worded, and cogently argued piece. A concept-driven paper is one that demonstrates an advanced understanding of the
methodology under study. This paper explicates and critiques the study’ s methodology and its limitations. An “ A”
paper is clearly written and organized. It has an introduction that proposes the thesis or central idea. The body of the
paper develops the ideas in its introduction, while the transitions between paragraphs are smooth and logical. Of course,
each paragraph contains sentences with related points and these ideas flow in a coherent way. On a related note, an
“ A” paper makes statements that are supported with evidence. The criticisms contained in these papers are not merely
based on unsupported conjectural or emotive sentiments (i.e., “ I really don’ t agree with the study’ s findings.” ).
These papers will provide factual materials to buttress criticisms and standpoints. “ A”
papers will contain a strong
conclusion that ties central ideas together. The conclusion does not formulate new points, but rather ends by emphasizing
the main arguments in the body of the essay. An “ A” paper is concisely worded. Your analytic reaction papers, which
are a minimum of three pages in length, should not be verbose and repetitive. Strive for succinctness in your analysis.
Finally, an “ A” paper has a cogent argument: it is logical, convincing, persuasive, and forcefully delivered.
I love to give the “ A”
grade to deserving papers, and I encourage you to submit rough-drafts of all written
assignments (at least one week before the due date) for my perusal. I keep a file of exceptional analytic reaction papers
(ARPs) that is available for your scrutiny. These “ A”
papers serve as examples of the four Cs: clear, concept-driven,
concise, and cogent writing.
Research Paper: The aforementioned criteria also apply to your research project with a few addendums. Your
research paper requires a literature review section where you explicate at least 10 scholarly sources, where at least five
(5) of these sources must come from peer-reviewed social science journals. These sources should be scientific studies
that relate to your subject area and provide a model for your own research. Your references and bibliography will conform
to American Sociological Association style (see the journal American Sociological Review). An example of this citation
style for peer-reviewed journal articles is as follows:
Vigilant, Lee G. 2005. "I Don't Have Another Run Left With It": Ontological Security as a Focal Expression of
Narratives on the Meaning and Practice of Recovery on Methadone Maintenance." Deviant Behavior, Vol. 26,
No. 5 (Sept. - Oct.): 399-416.
Following the ASA style, the author’ s full name is listed, followed by the publication date, the title of the article
(which falls within quotations), the journal name (which is always in italics), the volume and number, month (or season) of
publication, and finally page numbers. The ASA citation style for an edited text and book are as follows:
12
Joel Powell Dahlquist and Lee Garth Vigilant. 2004. "Way Better Than Real: Manga Sex to Tentacle Hentai" (pg.
91-103)." In Dennis Waskul's (Editor) Net.SeXXX: Readings on Sex, Pornography, and the Internet. Peter Lang
Publishers.
Joel M. Charon and Lee Garth Vigilant. 2006. Social Problems: Readings with Four Questions. The Wadsworth
Sociology Reader Series. CA, United States: Thomson Wadsworth.
Finally, I encourage you to submit several drafts of your research paper until the final project is polished. I am
available to assist you in finding good peer-reviewed journal sources in the social sciences as you research your topic.
Please go to my website to read examples of exceptional final papers of recent students in Qualitative Methods:
http://web.mnstate.edu/vigilant/QualMethods.htm
Thought Leader:
Dr. Lee Garth Vigilant (Professor of Sociology) A.M. and Ph.D. Boston College.
Electronic Mail:
vigilant@mnstate.ed
Website:
web.mnstate.edu/vigilant
Office Location/Times:
Lommen Hall 212-J (Soc/CJ Department): M 3-4:00p.m.; T 3-6:00pm; W 36:00pm; TH 3-6:00pm; F (by appointment)
Telephone:
218/477-2034 (Office)
Cover:
From The New College of Sociological Pataphysics: Fargo (2014)
** These articles are available at the MSUM Library for download.
13
Qualitative Methods in Social Research
(SC352-W: A Contract-Based Writing Intensive Research Course)
Minnesota State University at Moorhead Spring 2015
Thought Leader: Dr. Lee Garth Vigilant
Name:
_________________________________________________
Major(s):
_________________________________________________
Phone:
_________________________________________________
E-mail:
_________________________________________________
Contracti
I plan to fulfil the work requirements for the (circle one)…
A-contract
B-contract
C-contract
This contract-based course offers a degree of freedom: You may, for instance, sign up for the Acontract but then decide to drop down to the B-contract if your schedule does not permit you to
complete the obligations for the A; likewise, you may move up from the C-contract to the Bcontract if you have the time and motivation to satisfy the additional constraints for the higher
grade. However, if you sign up for the A-contract, your research proposal (2-3 pgs. in length)
comes due by the third class session (September 15th).
i