This course is designed to introduce students to qualitative research and its uses in the social sciences. It will explore the aims and purposes of qualitative research, including an introduction to the epistemological, ontological, and methodological differences between qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative methods of data collection and analysis will be a central focus of the course. Students will learn about qualitative methods of data collection - especially interviews and observation - through both a review of existing scholarship on the topic and through assignments where students collect and analyze data through these methods. Students will also be introduced to methods for qualitative data analysis, including qualitative coding, grounded theory, and discourse analysis.
Prerequisites: EDUC 201, URBN 201, or permission of the instructor