Unit information: Further Qualitative Methods in 2018/19

Unit name	Further Qualitative Methods
Unit code	SPOLM0017
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Professor. Debbie Watson
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School for Policy Studies
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

This unit is intended to further develop your understanding of qualitative methodologies and methods and build upon Introduction to Qualitative Methods. In this unit you will explore a range of methodological approaches and develop a critical understanding of their use. You will also be introduced to participatory and emancipatory approaches as well as exploring qualitative approaches that utilise methods from a range of arts based practice.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should:

• Be familiar with a range of qualitative research methods and have a critical appreciation of their use in researching policy and practice.
• Be able to demonstrate a detailed appreciation of the link between different theoretical positions within qualitative research and the methods adopted.
• Have gained greater understanding and experience of the practical aspects of various methods of qualitative research and data analysis.

The summative assessment tests all of the ILOs and accounts for 100% of the unit mark.

Teaching Information

The learning and teaching methods will include experiential exercises, personal reflection and group work as well as formal presentations and discussion. The sessions are all led by staff currently engaged in qualitative research who will draw on their experience to discuss the practicalities and issues not usually presented in the text books.

The course comprises 3 days of teaching (1 day per week) made up of many sessions of 1-1.5 hours.

Assessment Information

Formative assessment:

Provided through group exercises/presentations and verbal feedback from unit convenor.

Summative assessment:

A written assignment of 4,000 words (maximum) requiring students to demonstrate an appreciation of different methodological approaches to qualitative research. Students have a choice of presenting the methodology for a qualitative or mixed methods study, or critiquing published research.

The summative assessment tests all of the ILOs and accounts for 100% of the unit mark.

Reading and References

• Charmaz, K. (2006) Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. Sage: London.
• Creswell, J.W. (2007) [2nd ed] Qualitative inquiry and research design. Sage: CA.
• Elliot, J. (2005) Using narrative in social research. Qualitative and quantitative approaches. London, Sage.
• Finlay, L. and Gough, B. (eds.) (2003) Reflexivity: A practical guide for researchers in health and social sciences, Oxford, Blackwell.
• Gibbs.G.R. (2002) Qualitative data analysis: Explorations with NVivo. Open University Press: Maidenhead.
• Hammersley, M and Wilkinson, P. (2007), Ethnography: Principles in Practice. 3rd Edition. Taylor & Francis.
• Hesse-Biber, S.N. & Leavy, P. (2008) Handbook of Emergent Methods, The Guilford Press.
• Kvale, S. & Brinkmann, S. (2009) [2nd ed] Interviews: Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing, Sage: London.
• Leavy, P. (2015) Method Meets Art, Guildford Press.
• Richards, L. (2005) Handling qualitative data: A practical guide. Sage: London.
• Schostak, J. (2006) Interviewing and representation in qualitative research. Open University Press; Maidenhead.
• Silverman, D. (2005) [2nd ed] Doing qualitative research, Sage: London.
• Silverman, D. (2006) [3rd ed] Interpreting qualitative data. Sage: London.
• Stanczak, G. (2007) Visual research methods. Image, society and representation. Sage: London.
• Wooffitt, R. (2005) Conversation Analysis and Discourse Analysis: a comparative and critical introduction. London: Sage.
• Williams, V. (2011) Disability and Discourse. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.