introduction

1. INFO 272. Qualitative Research Methods introduction

2. Are you in the right place? • Who should take this class? • Masters vs. PhD students • Departments (besides the iSchool) • Social Welfare, Public Health, Sociology, African-American Studies, Mechanical Engineering, Education, Ethnic Studies, Energy and Resources Group, Computer Science, JMP (Joint Medical Program), City & Regional Planning • Auditing, Class Size, Expectations • A note on laptops in the classroom

3. What is Qualitative Research? • In this course we’ll be focusing on: • Field-based research • An inductive analytical approach • The subjective experience of research subjects as data • Researcher reflexivity

4. Term Goals • Learn to match research questions with appropriate methodological approaches and to understand what can and can’t be said about a certain corpus of data • Learn how to negotiate logistical limits and ethical issues inherent in any research practice • Better understand the relationship between data and knowledge • Gain hands on experience and get feedback on your technique

5. Epistemology What warrants the status of ‘knowledge’? How do we evaluate a process / practice of knowledge generation? What is the relationship between data and knowledge? How do I find and recruit people for interviews? What techniques can I use to draw out self-reflection from my interviewees? How do I gain access to a field site? Nuts and Bolts

6. Why Take a Qualitative Methods Course in the iSchool? • Considering the role of tools, technology, systems in society and incorporating this into research practice • In social theory - a new appreciation of the material world and the socializing effect of ‘things’… the “material turn” (in contrast to a social theory fixated on language, discourse, and dematerialized social structure)

7. Qualitative Research in the Wider World • theory development and testing / academia • advocacy / non-profit sector, NGOs, journalism • policy design and development / government, NGOs • public information service / media, journalism • product design, marketing, business strategy / corporate domain • innovation, inspiration, creativity / design research, fine arts

8. Qualitative Research in the Wider World • time factors • # of informants • funding • level of formality marketing policy design and development # of informants product design advocacy journalism innovation & inspiration informal formal methodological approach

9. Qualitative Research in the Wider World Newish group blog … www.ethnographymatters.net

10. Course Materials • https://blogs.ischool.berkeley.edu/i272f12/ • username: student • password: i272 • Lofland and Lofland, Analyzing Social Settings • Course Reader (at Copy Central) • Course equipment (audio recording device and some notecards)

11. Assignments • Field Notes, due 10/9/12 (15%) • A participant-observation exercise the whole class will collaborate on • How do people interact with ‘technology’ in public spaces?

12. Assignments • Interviews, due 11/6/12 (20%) • Two interviews (transcribed) • Your choice of topic • Get outside of your comfort zone and beyond the campus community

13. Assignments • Final Project, due 12/14/12 (55%) • Your choice • Build on earlier assignments • Do some preliminary work for your thesis • Or do something entirely new

14. A Mind-Mapping Exercise What are the hallmarks of high quality, well-conducted research? What terms come to mind? [Social Research Update, University of Surrey]