Postgraduate Course: Qualitative Methods and Ethnographic Fieldwork (PGSP11188)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Postgrad (School of Social and Political Studies) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This introduction to the collection of qualitative data using ethnographic methods will involve a substantial exercise in participant observation designed and carried out by each student during the semester. This will be the basis for discussion in seminar of the conceptual, practical and ethical issues of fieldwork, and for brief written reports by which the course will be assessed. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2012/13 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
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WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| Central | Lecture | | 1-11 | 11:10 - 13:00 | | | | |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, students should:
1. be able to carry out research by participant observation
2. be reflexive about the conduct of qualitative research, and be able to assess critically other pieces of research carried out in this tradition
3. be aware of the main ethical and theoretical issues raised by this research method
4. be able to demonstrate advanced proficiency in the various ethnographic techniques
5. be able to link ethnographic methods to particular types of theoretical insight |
Assessment Information
| Assessment will be made of a portfolio of work produced from the students' practical projects, including samples of fieldnotes, a reflexive assessment of their strengths and weaknesses, etc. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
After a general introduction the course will discuss exemplars of writing based on ethnographic fieldwork. In this initial period students will establish sites where they can conduct regular periods of research by participant observation during the semester. The weekly sessions will discuss topics arising from this practical experience, including problems of access, the ethics of fieldwork, the writing of fieldnotes, and issues of reflexivity in research. |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Key Reading
Paul Atkinson, et al. 2001 Handbook of Ethnography, London: Sage.
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Tobias Kelly
Tel: (0131 6)51 3059
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Gillian Macdonald
Tel: (0131 6)51 3244
Email: |
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