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Syllabus

P000123 Qualitative Inquiry in Scientific Research, 5.0 Credits

Subjects

Education cycle

Postgraduate level

Grading scale

Language

English

Prior knowledge

Enrolled as doctoral or licentiate student.

Objectives

After completing the course, the (post-graduate) student should be able to:
1. Explain the underlying reasoning, scientific relevance, and general heuristics of qualitative research approaches.
2. Describe the fundamental features and practices of various qualitative research methods, with a particular focus on interviews, participant observations, and document analysis. Additionally, explain how these can be combined with each other and with quantitative research approaches.
3. Make well-informed decisions regarding how and why different qualitative research methods should be used within a particular study design, both qualitative and mixed methods, with a particular focus on their own dissertation work and the formulation of research questions.
4. Analyze qualitative materials by applying relevant theories.
5. Explain how qualitative materials can and should be presented in research publications, with the aim of justifying or supporting answers to research questions.
6. Demonstrate practical experience of different qualitative methods (within the framework of the course).
7. Reflect on qualitative research approaches in relation to research ethics and their own research practice, particularly within the framework of their own research work.

Content

The course engages with qualitative methods in a dual manner: as the practical implementation of scientific epistemology (scientifically justified manners of knowledge production/gathering) and as a set of practices for generating or gathering materials for scientific research.

The course design relies on two types of seminars: text seminars discussing scientific works on, or employing, certain qualitative methods (which the students are expected to have read beforehand), and practice seminars focusing where the students present and discuss their own qualitative research practice in a reflective manner. For the practice seminars, the students will also carry out trials of different qualitative research practices, allowing for students with both small and substantial experience of such methods to develop and discuss their practice. Guest lecturers may be invited to present on their expertise of a specific qualitative method or type of material/data.

Additional information

The course encompasses 3,5 weeks of full-time work. This work is distributed over eight seminars, bi-weekly, associated with reading, writing and trial-practice time. The course runs the first twelve weeks of the spring semester.

Responsible department

Department of People and Society

Course manager: Jonas Bååth, Docent, Department of People and Society

Teachers: Jonas Bååth, Annie Drottberger (PhD, Department of Biotechnology and Engineering), and invited guest lecturers.

Responsible department

Department of People and Society