Dr Flora Cornish COL8.09 and Prof Martin Bauer COL.8.04

This course is compulsory on the MSc in Social Research Methods. This course is available on the MSc Human Geography and Urban Studies (Research), MSc in Comparative Politics, MSc in Conflict Studies and MSc in Gender (Research). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

This course presents the fundamentals of qualitative research methods. It prepares students to design, carry out, report, read and evaluate qualitative research projects. Students learn how to collect data using methods including interviewing, focus groups, participant observation, and documentary and historical work. The challenges and opportunities of new media including visual images and Internet research are discussed. We then cover analysis, using thematic, content, discourse, and semiotic analysis. Issues of research design, quality indicators, epistemology and ethics are addressed. The course has the dual aims of equipping students with both conceptual understandings of current academic debates regarding qualitative methods, and the practical skills to put those methods into practice.

Lectures introduce the main conceptual and practical issues. Seminars provide practical experience with the methods. A workbook details the seminar activities - and provides the guidance and basis for the formative and summative assignments.

15 hours of lectures and 10 hours and 30 minutes of workshops in the MT. 15 hours of lectures and 10 hours and 30 minutes of workshops in the LT.

The course runs twice per year: in MT (MY421M) and again in LT (MY421L). 

Students submit a portion of their practical work, with some written commentary, for formative assessment. The practical work is structured by a workbook, and is the focus of the seminars. It also forms the basis of the summative assessment.

M Bauer & G Gaskell, (2000) Qualitative Researching with Text, Image and Sound, London: Sage, U Flick, (2009) An Introduction to Qualitative Research, 4th edition, London: Sage. C Seale, G Gobo, JF Gubrium, & D Silverman, (2004). Qualitative Research Practice. London: Sage. Please Note: No single publication covers the whole content of the course.

Project (100%, 3000 words) in the ST.

The summative assignment is a small project, demonstrating skills in using some of the qualitative methods covered during the course. It takes the form of a project report, with detailed appendices documenting the methods used.

This course, which provides a strong grounding in the core qualitative research methods, is compulsory for some students. Among students who are committed to learning about qualitative methods, the course evaluates well. Over the last 3 years, the course has been progressively redesigned and improved by an energetic and committed team, with evaluations improving accordingly.