Dr. Nancy
Baym
115 Bailey
Office Hours: 10-10:50 M & W and by appointment
864-9876
nbaym@ku.edu
Mailbox: Communication Department Office, 102 Bailey
This course is intended to provide a broad overview of qualitative research methods. The goals are to:
¥ familiarize you with the theoretical grounding and aims of qualitative communication research.
¥ provide practical instruction in how to design, carry out, and write up qualitative research projects.
¥ promote critical thinking regarding the quality of qualitative research.
¥ encourage research leading to conference presentations and publication.
There is a reading packet for the course available in the front office (102 Bailey). Some readings are also online (these have websites listed in the course schedule that follows). There are three required books:
Lindlof, T.R. & Taylor, B. C. (2002). Qualitative Communication Research Methods. Second Edition. Sage.
Denzin, N. & Lincoln, Y. (2003). Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials. Second Edition. Sage.
Silverman, David (2005). Doing Qualitative Research: A Practical Handbook, Second Edition. Sage.
Assignments
10 % Identify a scene and appropriate methods for its study. In this paper you should identify and describe a scene for qualitative research, pose at least one research question concerning that scene, and identify the method(s) you anticipate would be most appropriate for its study. Length approximately 5-7 pages.
10% Conduct, write up, and report on a Participant-Observation
10% Conduct, write up, and report on an Interview
10% Transcribe, write up, and report on a bit of Discourse
10% Review of a book, article, or series of related articles from a project that uses qualitative methods. In this review you should (1) identify the research questions (2) identify the method(s) used to pursue this and (3) using the criteria for assessing qualitative methods described in the readings, assess the strengths and weaknesses of the project. Approximately 3 pages.
50% Research Proposal. Write a full length proposal for a qualitative research paper. This should include a discussion of the research problem, specific questions, literature review that provides rationale for your question(s), a specific proposed research design, a rationale for that design, and the strategies you will use to analyze the data. If you are already working on a qualitative project for a thesis or other major project, you can write a full paper instead, being sure to include the above components as well as your analysis of the data.
Monday, August 20: Course Orientation. Ice Breaking. Rapport Building. All That Good Stuff.
Monday, August 27: Introduction to Qualitative Methods
Lindlof and Taylor (2002), Chapter 1 ÒIntroduction to Qualitative Communication ResearchÓ
Denzin and Lincoln (2003), Introduction: The Discipline and Practice of Qualitative Research.Ó and Introduction to Part I: ÒMethods of Collecting and Analyzing Empirical MaterialsÓ
Silverman (2005), Chapters 1-4
Monday, September 3: LABOR DAY, NO CLASS MEETING
Monday, September 10: Theory of Qualitative Methodology
Lindlof and Taylor (2002), Chapter 2 ÒTheoretical Traditions and Qualitative Communication ResearchÓ
Clifford G. Christians and James W. Carey (1989), "The Logic and Aims of Qualitative Research." pp. 354-374 in Guido Stempel and Bruce Westley, eds., Research Methods in Mass Communication. 2nd ed. New York: Prentice Hall.
Geertz (1973). "Thick Description." In The interpretation of cultures. New York, NY: Basic Books, Inc.
Gee (1999), Chapter 3: Situated Meanings and Cultural Models in Introduction to Discourse Analysis. Routledge.
Monday, September 17: Getting Started on a Project
Lindlof and Taylor (2002), Chapters 3 & 4 ÓDesign I: PlanningÓ and ÒDesign II: Getting StartedÓ
Silverman (2005) Chapters 5-11, 13 (by Clive Seale), 16 and 17
Weitzman (2003), ÒSoftware and Qualitative ResearchÓ Chapter 8 in Denzin & Lincoln
Hammersley and Atkinson (1983), Chapter 10 ÒEthicsÓ Ethnography: Principles in Practice , Tavistock Publications.
Sveningsson Elm, M. (in press). How do various notions of privacy influence decisions in qualitative internet research? Responses by Buchanan, E. A., Stern, S. R. In A. Markham & N. Baym (Eds.) Internet Inquiry: Dialogue among Qualitative Researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Monday, September 24: Qualitative Internet Research
Lindlof & Taylor (2002). Chapter 8 ÒQualitative Research and Computer-Mediated CommunicationÓ
Mann & Stewart (2000) Practicalities of Using Computer-Mediated Communication: Chapter 2 pp 17-38. Internet communication and qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Baym, N. & Markham, A. (in press). Introduction: Making Smart Choices on Shifting Ground. In A. Markham & N. Baym (Eds.) Internet Inquiry: Dialogue among Qualitative Researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Hine, C. (in press) How are the boundaries of a project defined? Responses by Kendall, L. and boyd, d. In A. Markham & N. Baym (Eds.) Internet Inquiry: Dialogue among Qualitative Researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Orgad, S. (in press). How does a researcher grapple with the issue of online versus offline in collecting information or making sense of it in qualitative internet analysis? Responses by Bakardjieva, M. and Gahhala, R. In A. Markham & N. Baym (Eds.) Internet Inquiry: Dialogue among Qualitative Researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Monday, October 1: Assessing Quality in Qualitative Research
Scene and Methods paper due
Silverman (2005), Chapter 13 ÒValidity and ReliabilityÓ
Silverman, D. (1989). "Six Rules of Qualitative Research." Symbolic Interaction, 12(2), 215-230.
Hammersley (1998). Standards for Assessing Ethnographic ResearchÓ and ÒMaking an assessment: Validity,Ó Chapters 3 & 4 in Reading Ethnographic Research, Second Edition, London: Longman.
Smith & Deemer (2003), ÒThe Problem of Criteria in the Age of Relativism,Ó Chapter 12 in Denzin & Lincoln
Baym (2006). Finding the Quality in Qualitative Internet Research. In D. Silver & A. Massonari (Eds.) Critical Cyberculture Studies. New York University Press.
Monday, October 8: Participant Observation and Ethnography
Lindlof & Taylor (2002). Chapter 5 ÒObserving, Learning and ReportingÓ
Spradley, ÒDoing Participant Observation,Ó ÒMaking an Ethnographic RecordÓ pp 53- 72 in Participant Observation, Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace.
Angrosino and Mays de PŽrez (2003) ÒRethinking Observation: From Method to ContextÓ Chapter 3 in Denzin & Lincoln
Philipsen, G. (1992) Speaking in A Cultural Context. In Speaking Culturally, pp. 3-17. SUNY Press: Albany
Miller, P. J. (1996). Instantiating culture through discourse practices: Some personal reflections on socialization and how to study it. In R. Jessor, A. Colby, & R. A. Shweder (Eds.), Ethnography and human development: Context and meaning in social inquiry, (pp. 183-204). Chicago: The University of Chicago.
Chambers (2003)ÒApplied EthnographyÓ Chapter 11 in Denzin & Lincoln
Monday, October 15: Participant Observation and
Ethnography
Reports
Monday, October 22: Interviewing
Review Paper Due
Lindlof & Taylor (2002). Chapter 6 ÒAsking, Listening, and TellingÓ
Taylor & Bogdan (1984), Chapter 4 ÒIn-Depth InterviewingÓ 73-105Óin Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods: The Search for Meanings. Second Edition. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Markham, A. (1998). The shifting project, the shifting self. In Life online: researching real experience in virtual space , pp. 61-83. Alta Mira Press.
Madriz (2003) ÒFocus Groups in Feminist Research,Ó Chapter 10 in Denzin & Lincoln
Fontana and Frey (2003) ÒThe Interview: From structured questions to negotiated textÓ Chapter 2 in Denzin & Lincoln
Dillon (1990). Notions of questioning,Ó ÒActions of questioning,Ó and ÒAlternatives to questioningÓ Chapters 10, 11, & 12 pp. 131-207 in The Practice of Questioning. London: Routledge.
Monday, October 29: Interviewing
Reports
Monday, November 5: Discourse and Conversation Analysis
Van Dijk (1997), The Study of Discourse, in Discourse as Structures and Processes. Sage.
Tracy, K. (2001), Discourse Analysis in Communication. In D. Schiffrin, D. Tannen, & H.E. Hamilton (Eds.) The Handbook of Discourse Analysis. 725-749. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Ten Have (1999), ÒIntroducing the
Conversation Analysis ParadigmÓ and ÒThree Exemplary StudiesÓ in Doing
Conversation Analysis. Sage
Herring, S. C. 2001. Computer-mediated discourse. In D.
Schiffrin, D. Tannen, & H.E. Hamilton (Eds.) The Handbook of Discourse
Analysis, pp 612-634. Malden: Blackwell.
Silverman (2005), Appendix, page 376.
Monday, November 12: Document and Visual Analysis
Discourse Analysis Reports
Hodder (2003) ÒThe Interpretation of Documents and Material CultureÓ, Chapter 4 in Denzin & Lincoln
Hammersley and Atkinson (1983), Chapter 6 ÒDocumentsÓ in Ethnography. 2nd Ed. Routledge
Gross, L. (1985) Life vs. Art: The Interpretation of
Visual Narratives. Studies in Visual Communication, vol. 11, no. 4, Fall, 1985: 2-11. , http://astro.temple.edu/%7Eruby/wava/worth/gross.html
Ruby, Jay (1996) Visual Anthropology. In Encyclopedia
of Cultural Anthropology, David Levinson
and Melvin Ember, editors. New York: Henry Holt and Company, vol. 4:1345-1351. http://astro.temple.edu/%7Eruby/ruby/cultanthro.html
Monday, November 19: Analyzing Qualitative Data
Lindlof & Taylor (2002). Chapter 7 ÒQualitative Analysis and InterpretationÓ
Silverman (2005), Chapter 12 ÒDeveloping Data AnalysisÓ
Ryan and Bernard (2003) ÒData Management and Analysis MethodsÓ Chapter 7 in Denzin & Lincoln
Hammersley and Atkinson (1983), Chapter 8 ÒThe Process of AnalysisÓ in Ethnography. 2nd Ed. Routledge.
Suddaby, R. (2006). From the editors: What grounded theory
is not. The Academy of Management
Journal, 49, 633-642.
Lindlof & Taylor (2002). Chapter 9 ÒAuthoring and Writing.Ó
Silverman (2005) ÒPart 5: Writing UpÓ and Chapters 27 and 28.
Taylor and Bogdan (1984). Chapter 7 ÒThe Presentation of FindingsÓ, 149-156 in Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods: The Search for Meanings. Second Edition. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Richardson (2003), ÒWriting: a Method of InquiryÓ Chapter 14 in Denzin and Lincoln
Monday, December 3: Final Presentations. Final Papers Due.