Syllabus
The course will be taught in four blocks:
Block 1
A, Introduction to the course: onto-epistemological setup of qualitative social science
B, Qualitative research: theory, methodology, methods
Reading: Disman 2002, chap. 10, Novotná 2020, 257–288, Gibas 2015
Block 2
C, Qualitative research: theory, methodology, methods (cont.)
D, Research topic and data collection: theory & methodological considerations (how to do it)
Reading: Vacková et al. 2015, 11–16, 35–61, 213–17, Heřmanský 2020, optionally Gibas et al. 2014, 47–59
Block 3
E, Analysis, methods of analysis, interpretation
Reading: Rose 2001, 135–163
Block 4
F, From analysis to interpretation, outputs of qualitative research, and what's next when working with qualitative data
G, Project presentations (exam)
Reading: Burawoy 1998
For the first block, students will read the literature provided (and available for download in SIS). For the subsequent blocks, literature will be specified and assigned during the course.
Annotation
The purpose of this course is to prepare students to be able to design, carry out, report, and evaluate qualitative research projects. It covers the full cycle of a qualitative research: from design, to data collection, analysis, publication outputs and dissemination.
Students will learn how to choose a particular method in relation to their research questions, and how to use different methods of data collection, mainly: the questionnaire surveys, interviews, focus groups, observation, ethnography or traditional thematic analysis. New media, digital and online research will also be introduced, as well as a participatory action research in the context of community setting.
The lectures will be followed by seminars which will allow for practical exercises, readings, and group work. Several blocks of individual work tasks will be planned in the course of the semester.