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Qualitative Methods in Social Research
(SC352-W: A Contract-Based Writing Intensive Research Course)
Minnesota State University at Moorhead Fall 2008
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 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. UK: Oxford University Press.
The first and fundamental rule is to consider social facts as things. – Emile Durkheim, The Rules of Sociological Method.
Routledge.
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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:
Charmaz, Kathy. 2006. Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide Through Qualitative Analysis. Thousand Oaks,
CA: SAGE Publications.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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 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.
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
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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 two
absences) from you and informed participation: more than two (2) 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 web.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)
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. If you
need special accommodations (for assignments) due to a disability, please contact Greg Toutges in the Disability Services
Office CMU114 (Tele: 477-5859): 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 2 absences), as a discussant leader (2Xs),
and three (3) critical summaries (3-5 pgs.) will constitute 25% of your final grade. 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 of
someone of a different gender and ethnicity from your own. 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
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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 between 15 - 25 pages in length 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 2 absences) & 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 (3-5 pgs. & one CS per section)
 Three (3) mini-ethnographies & content analysis (5-10 pgs.)
● Original Qualitative Research Project (15-25 pgs.)
Contractual Obligations for the Grade B
 Consistent class attendance (no more than 2 absences) & 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 (3-5 pgs. & one CS per section)
 Three (3) mini-ethnographies & content analysis (5-10 pgs.)
Contractual Obligations for the Grade C
 Consistent class attendance (no more than 2 absences) & informed participation as discussant leader (2Xs)
 Two (2) critical summaries of selected articles (one CS per section) (3 – 5 pages in length)
 Two (2) mini-ethnographies & content analysis (5 - 10 pages in length)
 An auto-photographic (folk) taxonomy
● Human Participation Protections Education for Researchers
Themes and Reading Assignments
(Aug. 26th- 28th):
The Toa 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. (**)
(Sept.
2nd
–
4th):
The Epistemological Foundations of Qualitative Research
1.
Kathy Charmaz. Constructing Grounded Theory, Chapter 1 (An Invitation to
Grounded Theory, pg. 1)
2.
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 committee at MSUM is going to require
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 outside links that you may link to when
conducting the course that may influence your time). Once you’ve completed the
course, print off multiple copies of your certificate (and be sure to pass one along
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to me for credit). Of course, 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:
http://cme.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/learning/humanparticipant-protections.asp
Due Date: September 4th 2008.
______________________________________________________________________
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.
3. Thomas A. Schwandt. Three Epistemological Stances for Qualitative Inquiry:
Interpretivism, Hermeneutics, and Social Constructionism.
Handbook of
Qualitative Research, 2000. CA: Sage.
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.
(Sept. 9th – 198h):
Brute Being: The Question of Emotions in Social Research
1.
Prosser & Schwartz. Photographs within the Sociological Research
Process. AQR, pg. 334.
2.
Kath Weston. Fieldwork in Lesbian and Gay Communities. AQR, pg. 177.
3.
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. (**)
4.
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
________________________________________________________________________
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.
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4.
Howard Becker. 1974. Photography and Sociology. Studies in Visual
Communications, Vol. 1, No. 1: 1-19. (**)
Assignment # 2
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 5-10
frames, I want you to do a psycho-ethnography of yourself. Tell your personal narrative (or
any particular story about yourself) in photos, and be prepared to share 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: Sept. 16th & 18th
(Sept. 23rd & 25th):
Critical Approaches in Qualitative Researching
1.
Kathy Charmaz. Constructing Grounded Theory, Chapter 2 (Gathering Rich
Data, pg. 13).
2.
bell hooks. Culture to Culture: Ethnography and Cultural Studies as Critical
Intervention. AQR, pg. 149.
3.
Sprague & Zimmerman. Overcoming Dualisms: A Feminist Agenda for
Sociological Methodology. AQR, pg. 39.
________________________________________________________________________
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.
3.
Elizabeth Lindsey. The Impact of Homelessness and Shelter Life on Family
Relationships. Cases of Qualitative Research, pg. 29.
(Sept. 30th – Oct. 9th):
So Happy Together: Collaboration in (Unobtrusive) Qualitative Research Design
1.
Kathy Charmaz. Constructing Grounded Theory, Chapter 3 (Coding in
Grounded Theory Practice, pg. 42).
2.
Jeffrey L. Kidder. 2006. “It’s the Job that I Love:” Bike Messengers and
Edgework. Sociological Forum, Vol. 21, No. 1 (March): 31-54.
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.
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. (**)
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: Thursday, 2nd October.
(Oct. 16th – 21st):
Getting the Story Right: The Crisis of Re-presentation
1.
Kathy Charmaz. Constructing Grounded Theory, Chapter 4 (Memo-Writing,
pg. 72)
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2.
Katherine Borland.
“That’s Not What I Said”: Interpretive Conflict in Oral
Narrative Research. AQR, pg. 522.
3.
Charles A. Gallagher. “White Like Me?” Methods, Meaning, and Manipulation
in the Field of White Studies. AQR, pg. 203.
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.
(Oct.
21st
–
31st):
So Happy Together II: Collaboration in (Unobtrusive) Qualitative Research
Design (The Content Analysis)
1.
Kathy Charmaz. Constructing Grounded Theory, Chapter 5 (Theoretical
Sampling, Saturation, and Sorting, pg. 96).
2.
Harmon & Boeringer. A Content Analysis of Internet-Accessible Written
Photographic Depictions. AQR, pg. 402.
3.
Mann & Stewart. Introducing Online Methods. AQR, pg. 367.
4. Kubrin, Charis E. 2006. “I See Death Around the Corner”: Nihilism in Rap
Music. Sociological Perspectives, Vol. 48, Issue 4: 433-459.
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: Friday, 24th October 2008 at 12:00p.m.
(Nov.
4th
–
7th):
The Ethics of Informed Consent in Qualitative Research
1.
Barrie Thorne. “You still Takin’ Notes?” Fieldwork and Problems of Informed
Consent. AQR, pg. 159.
2.
Kath Weston. Fieldwork in Lesbian and Gay Communities. AQR, pg. 177.
Recommended:
1.
Annette Lareau. Common Problems in Fieldwork: A Personal Essay.
Journey Through Ethnography: Realistic Accounts of Fieldwork. Westview.
(Nov. 11th – 20h):
The Role of Theory in Grounded Approaches
1.
Kathy Charmaz. Constructing Grounded Theory, Chapter 6 (Reconstructing
Theory in Grounded Theory Studies, pg. 123).
2.
Adina Nack. 2000. Damaged Goods: Women Managing the Stigma of
STDs. Deviant Behavior, Vol. 21, No. 2 (March): 95-121.
Recommended:
1.
Gubrium & Holstein. The New Language of Qualitative Method, Chapter
2 (Naturalism). Oxford.
2.
Kathy Charmaz. Grounded Theory: Objectivist and Constructivist
Methods. Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2000. CA: Sage. (**)
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_______________________________________________________________________
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: Friday, 14th November 2008 at 12:00p.m.
(Nov.
25th)
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.
Or (You can write an ARP on one of these topics for Dec. 4th but not both.)
(Nov. 25th)
Phenomenology for the Masses: Re-presenting Perceptions
1. 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).
Recommended:
1. 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.
2. 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.
(Nov. 2nd – Dec. 4th):
Telling Stories: The Depth Life-Narrative Interview
1.
Kathy Charmaz. Constructing Grounded Theory, Chapter 7 (Writing the
Draft, pg. 151).
2.
Robert Atkinson. The Life Story Interview. Qualitative Research Methods
Series # 44. Sage. (**)
3.
Miller & Crabtree. Depth Interviewing. AQR, pg. 185.
_________________________________________________________
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 grandparent, and write a brief life-history of her/his life. Try to find out as
much as you can about grandma/pa in the span of 1 hour. Tape-record your
session, transcribe your interview, and then write a summary life-history in 5-10
pages. Due Date: Tuesday, 2nd Dec. 2008 beginning of class. If your
grandparents are deceased, try to find another elderly source in your family
(great uncle or aunt, etc.).
(Dec.
9th):
Research Presentations
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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 Tuesday, January 23rd. 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:
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.
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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
Instructor:
Dr. Lee Garth Vigilant (Associate Professor) A.M. and Ph.D. Boston College.
Electronic Mail:
vigilant@mnstate.ed
Website:
web.mnstate.edu/vigilant
Office Location/Times:
Lommen Hall 102-E (M & W 11:30a.m. – 4:30 p.m.) Other Times by Appointment
Telephone:
218/477-2034 (Office)
Cover:
From The New College of Sociological Pataphysics: Carni Banality. (Photographic Collage,
2005)