Course Description
An introduction to qualitative research problems in geography and to the major modes of qualitative data collection, analysis, and representation. Students will gain practical experience with interviews, focus groups, archival research, and observation techniques.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be required to do additional readings from journal articles and other sources from which they will provide written summaries and critiques. In addition, they will be required to provide a written term paper or research project. Graduate students will be given more difficult questions on exams and quizzes.
Athena Title
Qualitative Research Methods
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in GEOG 4305E or GEOG 6305E
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
a. Identify and distinguish different types of qualitative research problems and the research methods they suggest b. Identify and understand relationship between successive stages of qualitative inquiry c. Gain hands-on experience with major modes of data collection and analysis d. Develop writing skills useful for the representation of results of qualitative research This course meets the following General Education Abilities, by accomplishing the specific learning objectives listed below: Communicate effectively through writing. This is met by a series of writing assignments associated with survey questionaire development, supplemental reading and data analysis. Communicate effectively through speech. This is met by oral presentations, discussion leading, and classroom participation. Computer Literacy is addressed through course administration, student-faculty electronic interaction, data analysis activities and assignments, and exposure to GIS technologies. Critical Thinking is central to the learning objectives of this class, and are developed through homework assignments, lecture, classroom discussion, and inquiry- based learning efforts. Moral Reasoning (Ethics) is an important element of this course, as it considers ethical guidelines for use of interpretation of qualitative data in geographic analysis. Moral reasoning is developed through lectures, writing assignments, classroom discussion, and inquiry-based learning activities.
Topical Outline
Experiential Learning Qualitative Data Collection The Active Interview Mining the Literature Service Learning: Athens Area Food Cooperative Location, Scale, and Power in Qualitative Research Human Subjects and Institutional Review Subjectivity Statements and Pilot Project Development Workshop on Pilot Project Development Transcription and Analysis Critical Discourse Analysis Content and Narrative Analysis Interpretive Policy Analysis Class Presentations of Student Projects